AllFreeNovel
Share Us
His face paled, his jaw clenched tight. He breathed in and out rapidly through his nose, and she knew he was holding his temper in check.
He was pissed. Good. She needed him to be, needed to strike out and hurt him to get him to back away, to quit giving her that sympathetic look that made her want to melt into his arms, to hold him close and never let go.
Because she finally realized that loving Max would mean giving up her soul, her very freedom. And that she wouldn't do.
Her heart wrenched at the hurt she saw in his eyes, but she steeled herself to ignore it. She had to. Self-preservation won out and she'd do whatever she had to do to get him to back off.
She marched into his closet and grabbed a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. Granted, they were way too large but she had no clothes to wear. "I'm calling my sister to come and get me. I'll wait downstairs. Do not come near me, and do not attempt to talk to me. I want nothing to do with you, Max. I'm disgusted by what you are, and I don't ever want to see you again."
Before she lost her nerve, before she looked into his eyes and once again saw the pain she knew she'd put there, she turned and hurried downstairs.
After calling Kaitlyn, grateful to realize the phones now worked, she stepped outside on the porch and paced. A hundred times she wanted to go back inside, fling herself into Max's arms and beg his forgiveness for hurting him, for lying to him.
But she couldn't do it. She had to stand firm. If loving him meant losing herself in the process, then it wasn't love. It would never work between them.
Knowing it didn't stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks, nor did it stem the anguish threatening to tear her up inside.
Kaitlyn pulled into the driveway and she hurried into the car, slamming it shut.
"Just drive," she said, noting Kaitlyn's concerned expression. "Don't ask, because I'm not going to tell you anything right now. I just want to go home."
As Kaitlyn nodded and drove away, Shannon had the feeling that she wasn't going home at all.
She'd just left home.
Chapter Thirteen
Max paced the confines of the back porch, stepping up to the screen to look out over the water, then beginning his walk from one end to the other again. He felt caged, frustrated, desperate to take a run into the woods, but knowing it wouldn't help.
Shannon wouldn't take his calls, wouldn't see him, wouldn't speak to him. She hadn't shown up at work, and it wasn't like she was required to be there. The ad campaigns and press releases were finished. Now they just waited for the grand opening, so there really was nothing urgent that required her attention there.
How could he talk to her, to explain how he felt, if she wouldn't see him?
Alphas did not beg. It wasn't in his nature to lie down on his back and bare his vulnerable belly to anyone, especially a female.
Besides, Shannon had made it quite clear that she was disgusted with what he was. He sure hadn't counted on that reaction from her. Maybe he'd been too confident that she cared enough about him, wanted him enough, that it wouldn't matter what he was, especially in light of the fact that she possessed magic of her own.
So now what? What did an alpha werewolf do when he finds his mate, falls in love, but she doesn't return his feelings? It wasn't like he could go pick another. The thought of doing that left him empty. He'd already mated with Shannon. They were bonded. In a werewolf's world, that meant for life. His blood was inside her now. Hell, for that matter, his pup could be growing inside her, too. And he'd be damned if he'd allow her to raise his child without his presence. Or, God forbid, raise his child with another man.
Over his dead body.
Shit. He'd handled this whole thing badly. He should have told her about who he was before they made love, before they bonded. He should have waited to touch her, to taste her, until he was certain she'd accept him.
One helluva predicament.
His hearing picked up a car coming up the drive, his heart pounding at the thought that it might be Shannon. He stepped inside and went out the front door, disappointment racing through him as he saw Aidan step out.
"Hey there," Aidan said, waving an envelope in front of him. "Thought you might want to see the press releases that are going out next week."
Max had left the office early today, tired of wandering around aimlessly, unable to concentrate on work, and waiting to see if Shannon would show up. He pasted on a smile and said, "Thanks. Have time for a beer?"
Aidan bounded up the stairs and grinned. "Always have time for a beer."
After grabbing a couple bottles from the refrigerator, Max led Aidan out onto the back porch. They sat in the chairs and Max scanned the press release. "Looks good. I'd say we're ready to roll."
"Yeah, I think so too."
They both stared outside for a few minutes, drinking their beer in silence.
"You've got to give her a little time," Aidan finally said.
Max looked at him. "I don't think time is going to help much."
Aidan's mouth curved in a half-smile. "You'd be surprised. I know my sister. She's stubborn. Damned stubborn."
Max took a long swallow of his beer and nodded. "Don't I know it." It was one of the things he loved best about her.
"She also loves you."
Arching a brow, Max asked, "How do you know that?"
"We're connected. All of us. Not mind readers, but we can feel each other's emotions. She's miserable right now."
Great. Misery that he'd caused. That should endear him to her even more. "I never meant to hurt her."
"I know that. If I wasn't certain of that fact, I'd be here to kick your ass, not share a beer with you."
Max laughed, understanding that sentiment. He'd do the same thing if anyone hurt his sister. "So now what do I do?"
Aidan shrugged and finished his beer. "Wish I could tell you. I had enough trouble trying to figure out what to do about Lissa. I finally had to swallow my pride, smack myself upside the head and find her. I was going to tell her I loved her and keep telling her until she believed me."
"If only that would work in this case."
"All you can do is try. Granted, my relationship with Lissa isn't like yours with Shannon. You bring a little something 'extra' to the relationship that she'll have to deal with."
Max was taken aback. Did everyone know about him? "How did you know?"
Aidan grinned. "Mom told us the other day, after Kaitlyn explained that Shannon was a mess. She also warned us to stay out of it and let you two settle your differences by yourselves."
He made a note to thank Angelina for that. "Do you have any reservations about it?"
"Nah. If Shannon agrees to it and it doesn't hurt her, then what you two do and what powers you possess are your own business. I have enough of my own to deal with as it is," he said, winking.
"Thanks." Max shook Aidan's hand and walked him to the door.
"I hate to sound corny and all," Aidan said, "But you really have to dig deep and search your heart. You'll know what to do."
He nodded and watched as Aidan drove away, then went outside and walked to the edge of the water, staring into the murky depth as if they could provide the answer he sought.
Search his heart? He already knew what he wanted. He wanted Shannon. He loved her, needed her, and wanted her for his mate, by his side forever. But going to her and telling her that wouldn't convince her.
There was something else he had to do, and he knew what it was. It went against everything he stood for, his very genetic makeup. But if that's what he had to do to get her back, then he'd have to swallow his pride.
It was either that or lose her, and the concept was unfathomable.
He'd do it. It would kill him to make that sacrifice, but he'd do it for Shannon. He had to.
Tonight.
*
Shannon sat on the picnic table in the backyard of her parents' home. She drew her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them. Closing her eyes, she breathed in the crisp fall
air, the slight breeze tinged with the sharp scent of earth's changing grounds.
Full-fledged change of season had finally come, cooling things off and leaving her with a melancholy feeling she hadn't been able to shake for days. Although she knew, at least partly, what caused her mood.
Max. She missed him. Desperately. Craved the sight of him, his touch, the husky tone of his voice and the smell of him, so like the cool, crisp earth she inhaled right now.
She'd argued with herself for days now, refusing to lend credence to what her heart was telling her. She couldn't go to him, couldn't become one with him. Not if it meant giving up her independence. She'd never be able to tolerate being dominated, being told what to do and when.
If they couldn't be equals, then they couldn't be together. And knowing what she did now about alpha wolves, she knew that Max would require control one hundred percent of the time. He would dominate her, make all the decisions, and she would have to follow along blindly. That she could not do.
"You gonna sit here all day and mope, or are you going to help serve?"
She looked up at the sound of Kaitlyn's voice, then slipped off the table and went inside.
Friday night dinner with the family. She hadn't wanted to come, but her mother told her in no uncertain terms she was expected to be there. She slipped into the kitchen and grabbed the salad and plates, making a quick turn and hoping she'd be able to sneak into the dining room before she was spotted.
"Shannon, wait."
No such luck. She halted and cringed at the sound of her mother's voice, knowing what was coming. Turning, she offered a carefree smile. "Yeah? Is there something else you'd like me to take in there?"
"No. Put those down and come sit with me."
With a forceful sigh, she handed off the bowl to Kaitlyn, who winked and headed into the dining room. Shannon followed her mother into the sitting room by the front window.
