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I suck in a breath at his damning statement. Dean is always direct, but this is too far. And yet, he still doesn’t shut his mouth and continues with the politely delivered insults.
“As far as I can tell, you’re ill-equipped to protect anyone, especially since the threat appears to be within your pack. I don’t believe my sister is safe here.”
Nathan's growl is low and threatening, while Johnathan merely frowns, unhappy at the brutal assessment but keeping his council. I expect Nathan to jump to his family's defence, but Nathan falls silent instead.
“Hold on a second,” Johnathan begins, but Nathan holds up a hand to stop him from launching into a tirade in defence of his pack. Instead of rising to the bait, Nathan’s face becomes serious as he considers Dean’s words and takes his concerns on board.
“You’re right. Maya isn’t safe here. Not while there’s still a traitor in our midst who has made a point of targeting the women of this family. She can’t stay here.”
Now it’s my turn to get angry. I look at Nathan, waiting for him to explain, but he’s completely focused on Dean.
What is he trying to say? That I need to go home?
Panic grips me. I don’t want to leave him. We’re only getting to know each other. It hurts that he wants me gone and that he could suggest this without discussing it with me first. If he thinks we’re mates, are we not supposed a team? Stick together?
I look at Dean, and it’s clear that even he’s confused. He wasn’t expecting Nathan to roll over and agree with him so easily, so now he’s suspicious. Nobody gives up their mate as easily as this. Dean doesn’t trust anyone, so he takes a second to mull over all the angles but, seeming to find nothing that puts him at any disadvantage, he finally nods slightly.
“So, we’re agreed then. Maya returns home with me, and when you have your house in order, you can come and discuss whether you give it a shot.”
Which means my brother wants me to move to our pack, and then convince Nathan he needs to move there if he wants to see me. I’m about to protest that they have no right to decide what I do when Nathan shakes his head.
“No. We will let everyonethinkMaya has returned home with you, when in fact she’ll come away with me. I won’t leave my mate.”
Nathan’s brown eyes soften as he looks at me, and a warm feeling spreads in my chest at his words.
“I had planned to steal her away on my next business trip anyway. That way we can get to know each other away from the pack. We’ll be gone for a couple of weeks. If we still don’t know who was helping Toby by then, I’ll come to your pack until we do.”
Johnathan looks alarmed at Nathan’s promise. That’s not very long, especially considering they have been after Toby’s ‘boss’ for months now, with no progress. With Toby dead, there isn’t any additional evidence.
“You don’t have to do that.” I rest my fingertips against his chest and draw his attention back to me. “You have a business to run here. You can’t move away and leave your family in a lurch.”
Cooper and Hayley will have a new pup to take care of, Ethan’s gone, and Rex is busy building a home and a business with Leah. Nathan's indefinite leave will put them all under even more pressure.
“Shh.” Nathan silences my protests with a quick kiss and a smile. “I can run this business from anywhere and I don’t mind some extra travel if it keeps my mate safe and my new family happy. I won’t be able to cope if someone comes after you like they did Leah, just because you’re my mate.”
I’m still shaking my head in disagreement when Dean stands and extends a hand in Nathan’s direction, ready to shake on Nathan’s commitment. As my mate stands, his hand out to take my brother’s, Dean pulls it back a couple of inches, narrowing his eyes as he throws in more conditions to be met at the last minute.
“You take Ross with you on this trip. No messing around and no other women.”
I’m offended on Nathan’s behalf. The mate bond is precious. I might not love his history with women, but I know there is no way he would cheat on the bond.
“This is ridiculous,” I mutter. Dean cuts me off as Nathan nods and they shake on it. For Pete’s sake, do they really think I’m bound by their stupid bargain?
“You better keep her safe, Jones. I know where you live. You hurt her and I’ll kill you in your sleep.”
It should be funny, but we all know exactly how easily Dean reached my room with no one alerting Nathan or Rex that a giant angry alpha was storming through the pack house. He’s a big man. He should have been easy to spot, but our pack has skills. The only upside to being run by a paranoid tyrant.
A shiver runs through me as I realise what they’ve just agreed to do. I pretend to be dragged home by my overprotective brother. Nathan flies off on his business trip. We get some much-needed alone time while Marcus and Rex continue their search for Toby’s boss. Nathan moves to my pack upon our return if he can’t convince Dean of my safety.
“Nobody will believe you’ve separated two unmarked mates,” Jonathon comments, stroking his dark stubble absentmindedly, his gaze bouncing back and forth among all of us.
“They’ll believe the woman I’m crazy about can’t get past all the females I’ve been with,” Nathan mumbles the words, and I can feel his regret. “They don’t know for sure she’s my mate. Leaving will make them doubt it.”
Being rejected for his past behaviour is his biggest fear, but he’s willing to use it against himself to make my departure believable.
“So, how do we do this?” I ask, wringing my hands together nervously. I don’t like deceit. I hate lying. But two weeks on a beach with my mate, even if he’s working, sounds pretty amazing to me. Nathan sighs, looking at his father first, then Dean, then me.
“I’ll stay away tonight. You stay here and leave with Dean in the morning. I’ll catch up to you at the airport," he suggests, pressing a kiss to the top of my head and pulling me close.
