Chapter 9 - Tolliver
Tolliver’s paw hit the forest floor with powerful strides. His wolf cut through the woods at a speed that should have been freeing. Running had always been his way of calming and grounding himself. Letting his wolf out to run was one of the easiest ways for him to clear his head. He let his animal take over so he could temporarily let go of every thought that burdened him.
But today, even the raw power of the run wasn’t enough to settle the growing storm inside him. Laila haunted every corner of his mind—even the animal part—so running to take the edge off was futile. Letting out a huff of frustration, he came to a halt in front of the lake not too far out of town. He sat on his haunches and gazed at the serene water bathed in the setting sun's soft light.
He lifted his nose in the air and inhaled deeply, hoping that the scents and sounds of nature would help to calm him. It didn’t work. All he could think about was her . Laila loved to watch the sun rise and set. Letting out a frustrated huff, he got up and loped back to where he’d stashed his clothes.
He shifted back, skin replacing fur and bones realigning. Tolliver stood still for a moment and savored the feeling of the cool evening air brushing against his skin. He then pulled on his clothes and headed into town, where he’d left his motorcycle. He hadn’t been on the thing in ages, but he’d gotten it out of his garage and dusted it off because he’d left his car at the cabin for Laila to use in case of an emergency. Hopefully, the ride back home would ease some of his tension.
As he strolled through the town, he was on high alert, scanning for any sign of strangers. He couldn’t shake what happened last night near Laila’s place. Who had he sensed in the woods? He couldn’t put his finger on who the mysterious shifter was. Could someone in Bellefleur, someone he grew up with, be the culprit? The enemy was close—too close—but still out of reach. It was maddening.
As he mounted his motorcycle, he thought about what Ryder and Zach had revealed earlier. Their women were in danger, and they hadn’t even identified who was taking them yet. His woman was in danger, and he wanted to tear his goddamn hair out. However, Laila wouldn’t be too happy about him thinking of her as his .
His lips twisted wryly as he took off through the town. He decided to head to his house for a shower before going to the cabin. He needed to get his shit together before having to spend another night under the same roof as Laila. The struggle to resist her nightly might drive him insane.
When Tolliver reached his house, he saw Elena’s car beside his SUV in the driveway. As he parked his bike behind his vehicle, panic rose. Was Laila there? Why was she there? The thought that something had happened made him sprint up the walkway and into the house. He pushed open the front door, his heart pounding and stormed through the foyer and living room. The laughter coming from the kitchen gave him pause. Laila’s soft, airy giggles practically caressed his eardrums. If she was laughing, then she was okay.
He rounded the corner to find Laila and Elena sitting by the window with mugs in their hands. They turned to him. Elena’s eyes sparkled with amusement, and Laila looked more relaxed than he had seen her in days. He took a moment to bask in relief that she was apparently all right before he allowed the frustration he’d been feeling to burn hotter. He told her to stay in the cabin, out of sight, yet there she was, out and about like there wasn’t a deadly threat lurking outside.
“Tolliver!” Elena greeted him. “Look who I found?”
His jaw clenched.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me Laila was back in town. I had to run into her at the market.” She tutted. “Were you trying to keep her to yourself?”
Tolliver didn’t even look at his sister. He was too busy glaring at Laila, whose smile had melted away when she saw him.
“I was actually trying to keep her safe,” he muttered. “But she insists on making it difficult. What the hell were you doing in town, Laila? What are you doing here ? Which part of stay in the cabin and keep out of sight didn’t you understand?”
Patches of pink highlight her cheeks. “I was going crazy staring at the walls, Tolliver. Give me a break. I called to let you know I was heading into town, but you didn’t answer.”
Gritting his teeth, he took his phone out of his pocket. It was off—most likely dead. Sometimes, he got caught up in work and didn’t even give his phone a second thought. “You called me to let me know , did you?”
She angled her chin up. “That’s right because I don’t need your permission to go out.”
He exhaled slowly to gather his patience. She was going to drive him to the brink of insanity. As much as he wanted to blow up, he wouldn’t. Not with Elena there. He didn’t dare piss Laila off any more than he already had. She’d been feisty lately, and if he brought up their personal issues in front of his sister, Laila might very well bite his head off.
“Mm-hmm,” he hummed as he calmly walked to the refrigerator to fetch a bottle of water.
Elena’s eyes bulged, and her jaw dropped. He knew what she was thinking. He wasn’t one to stand down so easily. However, he was on thin ice with Laila, and the gods helped him, but he was turned on by her sass. Laila was possibly the only being who could test his patience the way she did and get away with it. After all these years, he was still weak to her.
Elena’s eyes shifted from Tolliver to Laila as the two glowered at each other. “Okay…” she said. “I feel like I’m intruding on a private moment here…”
“You are,” Tolliver said.
“You’re not,” Laila said at the same time.
Elena pursed her lips, feeling awkward with the tension rising in the room. “Right… So, Laila and I had a little chat.”
“Did you?” Tolliver grumbled.
“Uh-huh. She told me about everything that was going on. I can’t believe you or Ryder didn’t tell me.”
“Unless you’re a Black Ops member or one of the women being targeted, it doesn’t concern you.” He and the others thought it was best to keep what was happening under wraps so as not to cause panic among the shifters. However, if they didn’t fix the issue soon, Zach, the alpha and mayor, would have to let everyone know eventually.
Elena rolled her eyes. “Well, my friend is involved.” She glanced at Laila. “So I want to help in any way I can. Laila and I have come up with a plan to catch the jokers running the whole breeding ring.”
Every muscle in Tolliver’s body went taut. “Is that so?”
“Laila and I think she should stop being a passive target and start being part of the solution. Instead of hiding out, she could help you catch the bad guys.”
He scrubbed a hand over his face. “You mean make Laila the bait?”
“Exactly,” Laila said. “They’re looking for me, right? I can’t think of a better way to get them faster.”
Tolliver’s eyes widened. He could only stare at the two women as his disbelief turned to outrage. “Have you two lost your fucking minds?” He finally growled when he regained the ability to speak.
Laila and Elena gasped as if they hadn’t thrown out an asinine idea.
“It’s not a terrible plan, Tolliver,” Elena said.
“You’re right. It’s worse than terrible! And it’s not happening.”
“I wasn’t asking for your permission,” Laila stated. “If I want to help catch the shifters, who are after me, I have every right—”
“Not another word, Laila,” Tolliver interrupted. He didn’t mean to be rude, but the thought of Laila offering herself up to a bunch of corrupt shifters was enough to send his blood pressure through the roof. He was barely holding on to his temper and sanity as it was.
He could practically feel the venom in her eyes as they had a stare-down. Her cheeks flushed pink, and her fists balled on the table. “You know what? I’m leaving. I knew it would be impossible to reason with you. Elena, thanks for a great evening. I hope I’ll see you soon.”
She got up and stormed out of the kitchen.
“Laila, get back—”
The front door slammed, cutting Tolliver off. He shut his eyes and inhaled deeply. He could go after her, but maybe seeing him would upset her more. He heard the SUV hum to life and tires screeching out of the driveway. He’d scanned the area on his way home. She wasn’t in immediate danger, so he let her go. Maybe she’d calm down by the time he joined her at the cabin.
When he opened his eyes, he found his sister staring at him with raised eyebrows. “What?” he asked.
“You could have handled that so much better.”
Tolliver gritted his teeth. “And you could have kept your mouth shut and not given Laila crazy ideas about using herself as bait.”
She rolled her eyes so hard that Tolliver thought her eyeballs would dislodge. “I wasn’t the one to suggest the plan. Laila isn’t some helpless victim. She wants to get this whole thing sorted out so she can get back to her life, Tolliver. Imagine if you were forced away from your job and home. You’d go crazy. Hell, you wouldn’t stand for it. And you expect Laila to sit patiently and twiddle her thumbs while the men take care of the problem?” Elena scoffed. “Pull your head out of your ass, big brother. You can be very arrogant and overbearing.”
Tolliver gawked at Elena. She’d never lectured him before. As the older one, he usually did the lecturing. Her words struck a chord, though, and his indignation slowly seeped away. If he were in Laila’s position, he’d want to get his life back to normal as soon as possible. A knot of guilt tightened in his chest.
“I’m trying to protect her,” he explained. “It’s my job…”
Elena raised an eyebrow. “Would you have whisked away anyone else and stayed holed up with them in a cabin?”
He gave her a sheepish look. “Maybe not…”
“That’s what I thought. You and Laila aren’t together anymore, but I know you still care about her. I understand why you’re going out of your way to keep her safe, but look at things from her perspective. You’re not her mate anymore—”
“That can never change, Elena. It doesn’t matter that I…” Rejected her. He just couldn’t say the words out loud. Remorse punched him in the gut as it always did when he thought about it. “The mate bond still exists.”
“Fine, then you’re not her boyfriend anymore. As far as Laila sees it, you have no right to steamroll into her life and tell her what she can or can’t do. She doesn’t think it’s your responsibility to protect her.”
Tolliver scowled. “Just how long have you two been chatting? All day?”
“No. Maybe you should listen to Laila like I did and not dish out orders. You’ll be surprised how much she might listen to you if you stop being a bossy prick.”
Tolliver scoffed his outrage, but deep down, he knew she had a point.
Elena’s expressions soften. “Laila is strong. She isn’t exactly the same woman you left five years ago, Tolliver. If you want her to trust you, it’s only fair that you trust her, too.”
His scowl slowly faded. “Since when did you get so smart?”
Elena snorted. “I always have been.” She reached for her handbag. “I’m going to get going. Hayley did me a favor by babysitting all day. I imagine it’s been a task and a half to keep up with both kids.”
“Okay,” Tolliver murmured absently. His mind was already occupied with practicing an apology speech for when he saw Laila later.