Chapter 11 - Ronan
The knowledge that Maddox went to my property, cornered my omega, and did so alone…
he’s really pushing his luck. The fact that he defended his actions by saying he was looking for my sister just burns even more.
I have tried to keep my cool where Maddox is concerned.
I know the hopes and dreams my father had for him.
Hell, I loved Maddox’s father, too. As my father’s beta, he was a constant in my life.
The whole Starcreek was devastated when he died.
All of this influences me when it comes to Maddox. I so desperately want him to toe the line, be grateful for the love the pack wants to show him. Stop pushing.
The fact that Maddox has always been a complete jerk is not lost on me.
Despite our fathers constantly trying to push us together, we were never going to be close.
He thinks too highly of himself to conform to the standards of a beta, but lacks the leadership qualities to be an alpha, though I don’t think that stops his ambitions.
He thinks having a strong wolf is all it takes to be an alpha, but deep down, he must know I’d take him if he challenged.
A leadership challenge calls for a fight to the death.
Knowing that I could finish him is one thing, but doing it is another.
I can’t shake the responsibility I feel toward our father’s legacy.
Killing Maddox would feel like a betrayal of my father’s wishes. However, clearly, our conversation has done nothing to quell his meddling.
I turn and glance back toward the beginning of the trail I’m on when I hear footsteps. Jacob emerges around the bend, sweating from exertion…and late. “Took your time.” I laugh as he comes to a stop, catching his breath.
“Let’s just call this a pre-workout,” he laughs. “Got held up doing repairs on the new lodge.”
“I can round up some guys and help you get finished over the weekend,” I tell him, handing him some water. “You know the pack will always help.”
Jacob’s been working non-stop to finish his new lodge, and he seems to find it difficult to accept help. This time, though, he nods once. “I’d appreciate that, gonna need some help with the beams.”
“You’ve got it,” I tell him, knowing damn well there’s plenty willing to help. “At least you’ve arrived already warmed up. Let’s get to it.”
Jacob nods, and we set off at a quick pace along the trail.
Although we stay in human form, our wolves compete as if we had shifted.
The natural competitiveness we’ve shared since we were pups shines through as we jostle for first place on the trail.
I’m bigger and use that to my advantage as I attempt to elbow him out of the way, but Jacob always won at track, and it shows.
We break off the main trail without slowing, peeling down a narrower path that winds toward the old quarry lake.
The air here is cooler, with a sharp, mineral tang of fresh water.
We hit the last downhill, both of us at a dead sprint, and Jacob edges me out at the landing, boots skidding to a halt on the flat shale shore.
He whoops, arms up, then immediately doubles over, hands braced on his knees, gasping. “Still got it,” he wheezes.
I let him have his moment, then thump him on the back so hard he nearly faceplants into the rocks. He straightens, grinning, and we settle onto the thick grass at the water’s edge, legs stretched out, both of us sweating, chests heaving.
Jacob reaches for the water bottle and takes a long pull before he speaks. “Have you thought anymore about Maddox?”
I don’t answer right away. I uncap my own bottle and stare out at the rough blue water, letting the silence stretch until my pulse slows and my head clears.
“I have.” My voice is flat, and I can feel Jacob’s eyes on me, waiting for the rest. “He’s not going to back off. Not unless I force him to.”
Jacob considers this for a moment, tossing a pebble into the lake. It skips twice, then sinks. “He’s not your problem, Ronan. Not really. If he wants to go down fighting, that’s his call.” He shrugs, but there’s an edge in the set of his jaw that says he’s thought about this, too.
“He’s my problem the second he makes a challenge.” I pick up a rock and roll it between my palms. “If he does, he dies. He has to know that. I don’t want to be the one to…I mean, his father was practically family.”
Jacob’s smile is sad but certain. “Family or not, he’s old enough to make his own choices. If he wants to die over pride, that’s not on you.”
I shake my head, jaw working. “Doesn’t make it easier.” I toss a rock into the water, watching it arc and splash. “My father would have hated to see it come to this. He spent half his life trying to keep Maddox’s family close, even after everything.”
Jacob grunts. “Your father was a good man. But you’re not him.”
“That’s the problem,” I say, more bitter than I intend.
Jacob sits up, his elbows on his knees. “You’re not supposed to be your father, Ronan.
You’re supposed to be better. That’s the point, isn’t it?
” He wipes at the sweat streaking his brow.
“You’re going to be a great alpha. The pack knows it.
The council knows it, even if they act like it’s still up for debate.
Maddox is just…noise. He’s always been noise.
” He gives me a sidelong look, one eyebrow raised in challenge.
“Don’t let him crawl under your skin so deep you forget what you’re actually fighting for. ”
I want to snap back, to argue, but the truth is that I’m tired. Tired of my own doubts and the way they keep circling, never quite settling. I stare at the water until the surface stills again, then exhale. “Yeah. I know.”
Jacob stands and stretches his back with a groan. “You want to run the ridge before heading back?” he asks, but I see the way his eyes flicker toward the tree line, the way his wolf is already restless.
I shake my head, already feeling the draw of home, the anxious knot of pheromones and unfinished business waiting for me there. “Not today. I need to check in on Ava.”
“Sure you do,” he chuckles, and I’m about to snap back, but he’s already on his feet and taking off back along the trail. My wolf growls, determined not to let Jacob best me on the downward trail.
By the time I reach the house, my pulse is steady, but the second I shove open the door, it slams back into overdrive.
Ava’s scent is everywhere. Not just in the subtle, ever-present way that’s been saturating the baseboards for a week, but in a way that hits like a wall—a raw, dizzying musk, edged sharp with need.
Her heat is ramping up; in fact, I think it’s already here.
I freeze in the foyer, hands fisted, and force myself to breathe through my nose, counting backwards from ten.
It doesn’t help; if anything, it just burns the scent deeper into my brain.
I should just go find her. Take her. Be done with it, regardless of what she wants or what she’s hiding.
I ball my hands into fists. If I go looking for her right now, I’m going to do something I’ll regret—or worse, something I won’t regret at all. So, I kick off my boots and stalk to the bathroom, slamming the door behind me.
The cold shower is a shock, but not enough of one to cool the fire building inside me.
I brace my hands on the tiles, letting the water pound my back.
I’m so hard I could break stone, but I force myself to focus on my breathing, trying to ignore my rock-hard cock.
Sure, I could stroke myself into oblivion on her scent alone, but I already know it would offer no meaningful relief.
I don’t know how long I stand there, letting the water run cold over my skin, but eventually the desire to see her outweighs the urge for self-control.
I dry off, wrapping the towel around my waist, and step into the hall.
The air is still thick with her scent, but it’s shifted.
It’s no longer as sharp, as if she’s moved further away.
The realization sends a jolt through my wolf. Where the hell is she?
I stalk through the house. Her scent leads to the kitchen, then out—out?
I follow the pull of her pheromones through the door to the back deck.
I push it open and catch sight of her in the late afternoon light, sitting on the edge of the deck with her knees hugged to her chest, hair spilling golden and wild down her back.
She’s in a thin dress, no cardigan this time, and the way it clings to her body is obscene.
I immediately regret my decision to allow her the freedom to go outside.
She doesn’t flinch when I step outside, just lifts her chin and looks at me, eyes defiant but sad at the same time, with something left unsaid.
“What the fuck are you doing out here?” I snap, and the words come out louder than I intend.
She doesn’t even blink. “I needed air,” she says, and now I see the goosebumps prickling her arms and the flush on her cheeks. “You can’t keep me locked inside like an animal.”
I stalk across the deck, the boards creaking under my weight. “You’re in heat, Ava.” I enunciate each word, like maybe she’s too stupid or stubborn to understand. “Do you want every unmated wolf in a mile radius to scent you and come running?”
She laughs, but the sound is one of anger, not amusement. “Let them. They can control themselves, can’t they?” The muscles in her throat flex, like she’s forcing the words out through a bottleneck. “Surely they wouldn’t challenge the alpha, anyway?”
I step closer, towel barely holding together at my hips, and her eyes flick down just for a second before snapping back up, full of challenge. “You think they can control themselves?” I glare at her, letting my wolf show in my eyes. “You think I can?”
Her jaw works, and for a moment, I see the flicker of uncertainty before she doubles down. “You already proved you can,” she says, the words sharp as glass. “You left me unclaimed the other night, after all.”