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11
Max rolledhis shoulders under the hot water, letting the jets pummel away at his muscles. Guards had been increased around the packhouse. Hunter and Ava had been thoroughly lectured about leaving the property without discussing it first, something they seemed to accept now. In fact, Rex had recommended that even the seasoned adults should exercise the greatest amount of caution possible. Rex had sent a message to Edward, suggesting that the two of them get together on neutral territory to discuss pack issues, but not admitting Sarah and Ava were being kept under Glenwood protection.
It was a start, and Max could feel that the tension of the other day had finally melted out of his body. He stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist, studying his reflection as he ran a comb through his hair. Turning his head from one side to the other, he examined the flecks of silver in his stubble. He thought about shaving it off, but then remembered the way Sarah had run her fingers along his jawline. Granted, the two of them hadn’t had a chance to be intimate again. Staying at the packhouse didn’t make that particularly easy, nor did the fact that they’d been at each other’s throats the day Hunter and Ava had gone into town.
Slicking on some moisturizer, Max reflected that in the moment, it’d felt like they might never come back from those arguments. He’d worried that Sarah didn’t understand how much he sympathized with her and worried about her, and he might not have done a great job of explaining that. She was scared, and her fear could make her decide that Max and the Glenwoods wouldn’t be enough to keep them safe.
Some of that fear, he knew, was boiling up from inside himself. He hadn’t been able to protect her before, so how could he claim he could do it now?
Their argument, as frustrating and difficult as it’d been, hadn’t resumed once they’d returned home. He could sense that Sarah’s wolf still wasn’t completely at ease, but he understood it wouldn’t be for quite a while. At least the two of them were back to getting along on the surface. Max much preferred that to the opposite.
Still in a towel, he passed by her room on the way back from the bathroom and paused. He rapped his knuckles against the door.
“Come in.”
He opened the door to find her in the chair by the French doors. Joan had tried to make Sarah’s accommodations just as welcoming as Ava’s. The chair had thick, soft upholstery and intricately carved wood around the edges, and it even had a matching footstool. Several decorative pillows had been arranged on the crisply made bed, and he spotted several new articles of clothing hanging in the closet.
Sarah looked fairly well at home as she looked up from her book, a sly smile creeping across her face as her eyes swept down his body. “I think you forgot something.”
“Maybe I didn’t.” He enjoyed the way she drank him in with her eyes. It let him know she still wanted him just as badly as he wanted her. They might have their differences and were still getting used to each other again, but none of that could override their fate-bound connection. “We might be stuck here at the packhouse for a while, but nothing’s saying we can’t enjoy ourselves while we do.”
Sarah pressed a hand to her collarbone. “Why, Max! How could you even suggest such a thing? It’s not even dark outside yet.”
He glanced out the French doors to the deck, where the afternoon sun was still shining brightly. “That just means I’ll have an hour or so of sunlight to enjoy those curves before I take Ava and Hunter out for a run.”
Sarah snapped the cover of her book shut. Her back stiffened, and any trace of humor had left her face. “Out for a run?”
Shit. So much for taking advantage of his lack of clothing. “I thought it’d be a good chance for Ava to work on her wolf again.”
Her mouth was tight. “I don’t think that’s necessary right now.”
“It is,” he insisted, trying to make sure he kept the exasperation out of his voice. They’d already had such a hard time staying on even ground. He knew he was right and that this was right for Ava. “Her wolf is an important part of her. She’s been spending a lot of time with Mom and Dawn while she works on her magic, and I think that’s great. But she’s struggled with shifting and needs to overcome this hurdle. She needs to know she can do this.”
“So work on it in the yard. Hell, she’s not very big. You can probably do it in the living room without even breaking a lamp. There’s no reason she should have to go running off in the woods.” Her knuckles turned white where she gripped her book.
“I have to disagree.” The panic in her voice reflected the panic that was now blooming in his chest, though he had a feeling they were spurred by different things. Sarah worried for her children’s safety. Max understood that, but another concern needed to be addressed sooner than later. “The only time Ava has been able to feel safe and carefree is while she’s here in the packhouse. I’m grateful that we can give her that experience, but what kind of life will she live if she thinks something bad will happen to her every time she steps out the door?”
She flicked her eyes up at him. “I know what you’re doing. You’re trying to compare this to our confinement, but it’s not the same, Max.”
“No, but how long do we wait before she gets a chance at this life that you were fighting so hard for her to have?” he asked gently.
“You just don’t understand.” Sarah turned toward the window.
“That’s what you keep telling me, but I really am trying.” How could he get her to see it? “I’m just doing everything I can as a father to make sure something like what the kids just went through doesn’t happen again. Eventually, Ava will move on and make her own life. She’ll never be able to do that if she doesn’t think she can leave her room. She needs to be able to shift and defend herself. The sooner she can get into training, the better.”
“I don’t want her totrain,” Sarah said firmly. “She’s already had to fight too much in her short life. She shouldn’t have to continue.”
He tried to put himself in her shoes and see things her way, but he just couldn’t. He could only come to the same conclusion that Ava needed to know what her body was capable of. It didn’t matter that she was young or had never experienced her wolf before. She needed to know she could defend herself and protect her loved ones. Then there was the other reason this was so important. “She wants to train, Sarah.”
Sarah closed her eyes, and her shoulders slumped forward.
“Brody and Hunter are coming with us,” he pressed on, knowing it hurt her. Sarah didn’t want to hear any of this. She didn’t want her daughter to need protection from herself or anyone else. But the world didn’t work that way. Even if the Greystones weren’t after them, someone else would be at some point. It was exactly why the Glenwoods all learned basic fighting skills at a minimum. They didn’t want to be caught unaware, assuming the world was a safe place. “I’ve already told you about how Rex has beefed up the number of guards posted at any given time, and that’s not just here at the house. They’re out on the property as well, serving as lookouts. I promise it’ll be safe. We’ll be back in a bit.”
He felt like a complete asshole as he walked out of her room and back into his own to get dressed. He tossed on some joggers and a t-shirt. His wolf was irritated with him for leaving Sarah in her room. It longed to be with her, to feel her wolf and experience all the joy and comfort that was supposed to come from one’s mate. He shoved it back down as he yanked on his shoes and tried to remind himself that even though things were hard right now, they wouldn’t always be. Sarah would come around. He’d help Ava find her wolf, and then he’d get her into training. The girl would be so much more confident once she felt she could not only be one of the pack, but help defend it. Then everything would be okay.
He hoped.
“There you are,” Hunter said as Max descended the stairs. “I thought maybe you’d forgotten.”
