Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5
R obert made his way back into the dining room, everyone was where they had been when Fran rushed out. Silence had descended.
“Do you know where he’s gone?” Frank asked him.
Robbie shook his head. “No.”
“But you do know something,” Ezzy said to him, looking at him closely.
He remembered what Rose told him, and what Fran had said about Robbie not having his back if he knew what was wrong. “Not a hundred percent, but I have a theory,” he said sitting down.
“Would that be why Franny isn’t himself? Why he’s sad and looks like his heart will break at any moment, and why he wasn’t overjoyed at being asked to move in here?” Frank asked him.
“Yeah, I think so,” Robbie said, running a hand over his face. He grabbed Finn’s hand as if needing his strength.
“Whatever it is, Fran’s our friend, family. He must know we’d help him,” Fintan said.
Robbie felt love for his mate all over again, he kissed the back of Fintan’s hand.
“We all have his back,” Berni said. “No matter what it is.”
“Wait,” Ezzy said. “Fran was acting strange when we left the Bishop pack. He seemed sad then, now that I think about it.”
“Did something happen to him at the Bishop pack?” Aubrey asked.
“I think he found his mate,” Robbie said, gently.
Stunned looks met him.
“Why wouldn’t he tell us?” Ezzy asked. “He’s always going on about meeting his mate. If he met him, why would he not tell us?”
“Because I think his mate is Jacob Bishop,” Robbie said, everything falling into place.
“But that’s great,” Fintan said. “Jacob has found a new mate.”
“It’s not so great, sweetheart. Jacob is in love with you, wants to be mated to you, remember?”
“Not to mention that Jacob is now a lone wolf and outcast,” Emory put in.
Fintan looked confused. “Is that bad? When I was a lone wolf, you made me part of your pack,” he said looking at Berni.
“But you hadn’t been made an outcast,” Berni said. “Being an outcast is much worse. It means that any wolf that sees Jacob can attack and kill him.” Berni rubbed a hand over his face, much like Robbie had. “I need to talk to Cresswell and get him to rescind the outcast ruling. If he doesn’t, I’ll have to go over his head and talk to the Council and get it rescinded myself.” Berni sighed. “We also need to locate Jacob. I’m pretty sure that’s what Fran has rushed out to do, to try and find Jacob Bishop.” Berni paused and looked at Fintan. “How would you feel if Jacob became part of this pack?”
“I wouldn’t have a problem with it as long as he realises Fran is his mate and Robbie is mine. If he tried to kiss me again, I’d have a problem with it.”
“So would I,” Robbie growled out. “But if he is Fran’s mate, there’s no way he can help but fall in love with him. Hopefully sooner, rather than later.”
Berni stood. “I need to go and make a call.”
Jacob was tired and in pain. He wasn’t sure how much further he could drive. He needed to find somewhere safe to sleep for the night. He pulled over to the side of the road and grabbed his phone. He would have to find somewhere to stay that didn’t belong to any pack.
Picking up his phone, he logged onto the Council website and pulled up a map of the area. Pullman pack lands extended as far as the eye could see. In fact, he was on Pullman pack lands now. He needed to find where they started and drive back to the border. It looked like there was a half mile stretch that was no man’s land between the Pullman pack and the previous pack.
He put his phone down and turned the car around, hoping that he would be able to find a hotel or a Bed and Breakfast he could either spend the night in or stay for a couple of days while he thought through everything.
About twenty minutes later he left the Pullman pack lands and entered no man’s land. Now all Jacob had to do was to find somewhere to stay. He pulled over into a layby and grabbed his phone again to look up the name of the village and see what accommodation they had available. They actually had two hotels. Jacob opted for the larger of the two and drove to it.
As he drove towards it, Jacob noted, for a small village, the hotel was surprisingly large. It seemed to have rooms in the main building, but Jacob could also see some lodges off to the side. He hoped he could get a lodge.
He parked his car near the reception sign and groaned as he got out of the car, bending double in pain. He had to grab onto the car for a moment, before he forced himself to stand up straight. He didn’t bother taking any luggage out just yet, in case they were full. But judging by the near empty car park, that didn’t seem likely.
Jacob walked slowly to the front door, expecting it to be locked, but when he pulled, it opened. He walked in and saw a smiling woman sitting behind the desk in front of him.
“Good evening, sir. Do you have a reservation?” she asked politely, standing up.
Jacob shook his head. “No, this is a spur of the moment thing.”
The receptionist smiled. “We get that a lot. We have rooms in the main hotel, or we have lodges available. Which would you prefer and how long will you be staying?”
“I’d like a lodge, as for how long I’m staying, I’m not sure yet. Can I book a week and then take it from there?”
“Of course. The lodge is ￡100 per night, we offer room service for all meals, or you can eat in the hotel restaurant. There are also facilities in the lodges for if you would like to cook your own food.”
“I didn’t bring any food with me. What time does room service finish?”
“Midnight Sunday to Thursday, 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday,” the receptionist told him, clicking some buttons. “Do you have a credit card and I can swipe it and leave the tab open? You can then settle up when you leave.”
Jacob pulled his wallet out and handed over his own credit card. He had enough money in his account to cover his stay, but would need to go into his father’s accounts and transfer money over before Cresswell stole it all.
The receptionist handed him a form to complete and, once done and his card swiped, she handed him a key. “This is for lodge number four, there’s parking just by the lodge. Can I order room service for you now?”
Jacob nodded. “Burger and chips, and a coffee, the largest coffee you have, just with milk. And mayonnaise for my chips.”
She smiled. “I can arrange that for you. There’s coffee in the lodge, but I’ll have room service bring you some milk.” The smile then fell off her face as she looked towards Jacob’s neck. “Do you need a doctor, sir?”
Jacob shook his head. “No, thank you,” Jacob replied, picking up his key and credit card. With a final thanks, he left the reception and walked back to his car, to drive it to lodge number four.
Once there, he only pulled out a bag of clothes, it was all he could manage at the moment. He dropped the bag by the lodge door, unlocked and opened it, then picked up his bag and went in, closing the door behind him.
It wasn’t fully dark yet, so he didn’t need to put any lights on. The lodge was open planned, with a table set for four off to one side, a large lounge area, and a small kitchen. He followed the hallway and found two double bedrooms and a bathroom. It was basic, but he could cope. At least he was safe here — he wasn’t on anyone’s pack land. He could stay here, shift, heal, and try to work out his next step.