Chapter 31
SAM
“You good? Can you keep it together to work this afternoon?” Johnny eyed me like I was about to shift and rip his throat out.
I’d been on edge for the last two days, despite the long runs he’d been forcing me on.
He’d told me to shower and shave and had taken over my chores this morning when he’d discovered I’d slept out under the stars on my property.
I’d gone out after dark to start clearing the land to build a house. I had to do something to prove to Clio I was a worthy partner, and building a house was the best thing I could come up with. That, and getting my bull siring business going.
After I’d showered, I’d started packing my shit up from the bunkhouse. I didn’t know where I was going, but I knew I wasn’t supposed to be there anymore. I was supposed to be with my mate.
A growl rose in my throat, but I forced it back down. I had to keep it together. “Yeah, I can work. I can work all day and all fucking night.”
“Clearly.” Johnny kept his tone mild. He crossed the room to the fridge and grabbed the fixings for a sandwich. One item at a time, he tossed them onto the counter. Bread, deli meat and cheese, mustard, lettuce. “Have you eaten?”
“No.”
“Well, you’re gonna eat now.”
Emma was out, and I hadn’t seen anyone else from the pack today, including Rob. This was fortunate because I didn’t think I could handle a second confrontation. I’d probably get myself thrown out of the pack. Not that I cared.
“Okay. But this is probably the last meal I’m having here in the bunkhouse.”
He froze, pulling two slices of bread from the bag. “What the hell does that mean?”
“I’m out.”
“Oh, fuck. Are you serious? Rob kicked you out of the pack?”
I winced. Had I been that out of line with my alpha? Yeah, I probably had.
I shook my head, joined him in the kitchen, grabbed a slice of swiss cheese, and took a bite. “No.”
“Did you talk to him yet?”
I growled again. Somewhere, in the recesses of my mind, I knew I should apologize for yelling at Rob, but I just couldn’t make myself give a shit. Nothing mattered without Clio.
“Dude. You’re going moon mad from being apart from your mate. Have you even tried to work things out with her?”
The sense of drowning returned. I stared blankly at Johnny.
“Sam?”
“What?” I snarled.
“Why haven’t you gone to see Clio? It’s been days, man.”
I glared at him.
“Wes said Joy, Audrey, and Becky visited her last night and said she seemed like she’d cooled off. He said he texted you that. So what’s the deal?” Johnny stopped squirting mustard on the bread and looked me in the eye.
What was the deal? I didn’t fucking know. All I knew was that I was drowning in a sea of frustration and grief.
“Are you…mad at Clio?” Johnny asked tentatively.
My brows slammed down. “No!” I growled although I realized it wasn’t completely true.
Maybe some part of me had been a little insulted by her lack of faith in me.
The twelve-year-old in me who’d wanted his family to lean on him in the crisis but whom no one had valued.
That kid who still believed no one saw how much he was capable of.
Fuck. Just like Clio, I was living in my past.
“I just–I don’t know what I can do. She doesn’t see me. All she sees is her ex.”
“Sounds like she’s scared of getting hurt again.”
Fuck. My mate was scared. My mate was scared, and some part of me was mad at her for it? How did that make sense? I needed to be there for her.
Right fucking now.
I snatched up the sandwich Johnny had made and took a giant bite. “You’re right. I’m an idiot. Can you cover for me again this afternoon?”
Johnny grinned. “You know I always have your back, right?”
I nodded. “I do.”
He slapped me on the shoulder. “Then why the fuck are you standing here? Go tell Clio what’s in your heart.”
I pushed off the counter. “On it. Thanks, Johnny.” I held up the sandwich but hoped he knew I meant thanks for everything. The food. Covering my ass. The runs. And especially, the talk.
“Good luck, man.”
“Thanks.” I took a deep breath as the fog in my brain lifted.
Mine, my wolf snarled.
That’s right, I told him. Let’s go claim her.
I grabbed my Stetson and ran out of the bunkhouse and to my truck. It was time to put my mate first.