AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Not exactly?” Thorne asks with a growl.
“What does that mean?” Dad prompts.
I don’t very much enjoy the feeling of tap dancing my way through this, on a tightrope, no less. My father’s eyes are practically burning holes in me from behind his desk. “Go ahead,” he invites when I don’t speak up immediately.
“It means she needs a little more time.” The room erupts into questions and overlapping concerns, most of them directed at my father. He responds to none of it, his eyes fixed on me, his jaw twitching.
“Why?” Thorne finally demands from me, turning away from Dad. “What’s the reason?”
This is going to be my job one day, isn’t it? Calming down tensions and keeping everything running smoothly. It means putting my own feelings aside.
That’s why, even though I’d like to tell them all to mind their own fucking business, I meet each of them eye-to-eye. “Her wolf knows the truth. There’s no question of it. We are mates. Nothing will change that unless I decide to change it—and I haven’t,” I’m sure to tell my father, leaving out the part where I was mulling the idea over before getting called up here.
“But?” he prompts.
“But, as a woman, she needs more time.”
“As a woman?” Rafael, another of the council members, throws his hands into the air and laughs. “What the hell does that have to do with anything?”
“Patience,” Dad urges. “Hear him out.”
“We all know her history,” I continue, my thoughts racing ahead of what comes out of my mouth. “She’s unaccustomed to all of this. Her wolf, our ways, everything. Imagine how you would feel in her place. For years, she was a freak, unshifted. Suddenly, not only does she have her wolf, but she was given a mating mark not an hour later. She’s out of her depth here. And if she is mine—which she is—I want her to feel comfortable. I don’t want to force her.”
I look to Dad, shrugging. “And there I was, thinking I was doing the right thing.”
“What do you mean?”
“I imagine her father and her pack wouldn’t much enjoy it if they heard I forced her into anything. Right?”
“But her pack knows you claimed her,” Thorne interjects.
“I didn’t make it a secret, the marking. It was pretty damn public.”
“Then why would they have a problem with it?”
“You tell me, Thorne.” His eyes widen a fraction, and I pull back my anger a bit. “They have a problem with me bringing her here. I’m her mate, and that doesn’t seem to be enough for them, so I don’t think it’s unfathomable that her father would lose his shit if he thought I forced her in any way.”
“Good point,” Dad grunts. Is it? I’m running entirely on instinct here. I exchange a glance with my brother, who nods to assure me.
“She needs a little more time,” I tell them. “But she’s coming around.” There are a few sly glances and barely stifled chuckles at that, probably because I still reek of her. We’re not children, and we’re not kidding each other. They have a pretty good idea of how I’m getting her to come around.
“She’d better,” Dad grunts, “or else we don’t have a leg to stand on. And I promise you, that beta is going to start a war that will weaken us badly. We won’t stand a chance against what’s coming.”
“I have it under control. See if you can stall him for a little while longer.” I look around the room, straining to seem apologetic. “I know this is inconvenient, and I’ve only worsened the tension, but I’m going to make it right. You have my word.”
I can tell this didn’t do the trick, not completely, but it’s a reprieve. The tension in the room has settled to where it doesn’t seem so much like blood’s about to spill. “You heard my son, your future alpha,” Dad announces. “He has this in hand.”
If only that were true. The way he looks at me before I turn away tells me he has his doubts, as well. Not that I need to be reminded of what rides on this and how I’d better start living up to my word. Getting the hell out of the room is a relief, like I’ve been holding my hand over a flame and am finally able to pull it away.
“There’s a problem.” At least Forrest waits until we’re in the hall to point this out—not that I need to hear it.
“Another one?” I ask with a bitter laugh. “Come on, lay it on me. I’m already as close to finding a noose as I’ve ever been.”
“The bond isn’t complete yet. You realize that, don’t you? She has to claim you back.”
“I know.” Fuck, do I know, just as much as I know she’s not going to do any such thing.
