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She reached over, dragging out the moment, and rubbed Ursula’s neck absently. “Not every…horse, person, or business practice must be run the same. Ursula wasn’t meant to be a trail horse, a tamed, docile animal who only follows commands. She was meant for more. Boredom causes trouble. You’ve heard of idle hands being the work of the devil? You should think about finding each horse’s strength and maximizing that. She’s meant to fly. To learn, to compete. And to make her be anything else is a waste. All I gave her this week was opportunity, and she took to it like a duck to water.”
She paused there dramatically, gesturing to all the people listening. “And people are the same. How many of your pack, Aisling pack, any pack, honestly, has wanted more, has wanted to fly, but can’t? We take on jobs, roles, mates, and responsibilities because it’s expected. And hell, some people love it, need it. But some wolves will only wither away under so much pressure, so much of their dreams ignored. Ursula could be a prize horse, a winner out there on the rodeo circuit. Use her, sell her, do whatever you need. But don’t waste her life.”
Every day, this woman did something wild and crazy, reminding him of why she was dropped into his life, but talking to their Alpha like this, in front of others? That was next level insane.
But, to everyone’s surprise, Axel merely looked amused. “Those are wise words from someone so young.” Then he turned to the crowd casually. “Let’s give it up for a surprising afternoon of entertainment. I hope you all didn’t lose too much money. Don’t forget her cut.”
Just like that, the tension broke, and everyone went back to laughing and joking. Axel reached up to stroke Ursula’s neck one last time before nodding and heading over to Nubia.Withhis exit, everyone hopped the fence to come talk to her, and he watched her gracefully answer questions that would have pissed him off. In a practiced manner, she ignored the questions she didn’t like, and almost made him laugh several times with the careful insults she sprinkled to anyone who’d made a snarky remark.
And if she got annoyed, she stepped closer to Ursula, and most people moved back, signaling Ursula to start prancing around nervously, and intimidating whoever was there. He was grateful they weren’t bothering him with any of these questions. He didn’t have the patience for that.
Several minutes of this went by, and his hand itched to grab her elbow and pull her close, away from the million people taking up her time.So, when the trainer from the west compound sidled up to her, he frowned, worried at what insult the man would throw now, but Bailey didn’t give him a chance.
“Sorry, gotta go. I need to go cool her down and, you know, say goodbye. Don’t want any of you old-timers to get hurt.”
The trainer smiled slightly. “I deserved that. Just wanted to come apologize. I may not like these methods, and they won’t work for most horses, but it worked for this one. And that’s the goal. Good job, girl.”
“Same goal. Just different sides of the coin. Doesn’t hurt to try things though. Have a good night.”
Lana scooted in front of Bailey, absently pulling Bailey’s loose hair behind her back and out of Ursula’s mouth—a bad habit for horses, and a sign Bailey was going too easy on the horse and allowing this misbehavior. Ursula would pull Bailey’s hair right out her head if she wasn’t careful.
“I think the guys over there want to ask you some questions about the balls and toys you have out here.”
“Which guys?”
Lana looked nervous, her eyes flicking to a group of the younger men and a few of Lana’s friends. But she didn’t answer.
“Ah. Well, you were here the last two days. Tell them how you helped me and what you saw. Maybe go have a group dinner and discuss it. May I suggest Mariana’s at NahleCheile? My parents fully opened our satellite location tonight. Mention my name, and they’ll give you special treatment.”
Lana’s smile was infectious, and he could tell her little boy crush was in that group. “It sucks about your stalker and all, but I’m really glad you came to stay with us. You’re so much fun. You gonna keep in touch?”
“Of course. Gotta bring you over to Ajax’s gym for some extra special training with all the eye candy. Text me.”
He rolled his eyes at that. No way was anyone letting Lana do that. But they hugged, and for some reason, Ursula wanted to be in the middle of it all. She nudged between them, nipping and biting at Bailey’s hair and grabbing Lana’s curls while she was at it. While they laughed and squealed, trying to remove their combined hair, Zhair walked up, counting his pile of cash.
“Bailey, do you know how much money we could make hustling people? I made almost five hundos tonight, and that was just off my friends. Hey—I told you not to let her eat your hair, and now look at both of you.”
“Shut up, Zhair, and help.”
Nassau tried to help as well, but only succeeded in tangling them up more, so he wasn’t sure what Lana wanted Zhair to do. Ursula wasn’t giving up, and now, she pushed her nose under Bailey’s chin.
“Urs, move back, girl. Ursula—”
Bailey’s hands clutched at the horse’s cheeks, trying to pull her away, and he felt the rise of panic in her voice. Lana had finally freed herself, but Ursula was on a mission to be extraplayful. A second too late, he realized it wasn’t only hair in Ursula’s mouth—she’d grabbed Bailey’s necklace.
Taking the reins from Bailey’s hands, he tugged her head up and away. With a start, Ursula stepped back, and when Bailey gasped, clutching at her neck, he realized the necklace was still in the horse’s mouth, its chain broken.
Her eyes wide, Bailey reached for the necklace, so he wrestled it from Ursula and had pulled it away just as the breeze kicked up, and a new scent slammed into his senses. His wolf flared to life, clawing at the surface of his mind, and he felt like he was in slow motion. His thoughts finally focused on what his wolf was howling, and where the scent came from. When everything snapped into place, he whirled around to face her.
She had her hand over her mouth, the stormy blue of her eyes quickly turning black as her own wolf surfaced. For the first time, his wolf recognized the same eyes he’d been seeing for almost two weeks. And the look on her face…it confirmed every instinct humming through him.
“Mate.”
Chapter 27
Friday, November 26
6:10 p.m.
