Chapter 20 The Trouble with Always Doing the Wrong Thing
Marlow
"Get the hell away from that window," Bane barks at me.
I pause mid-peek through the curtains, one finger still holding the fabric aside. "Why? Do you think Detective Harper will come back to borrow a cup of sugar?"
Even without being a werewolf, I can hear how my sarcastic reply has the Alpha grinding his teeth. "I think we've had enough close calls for one day."
My jaw tightens involuntarily. Ugh, the overgrown fleabag has a point.
I let the curtain fall back into place and stalk over to the couch, dropping down with more force than necessary.
Now I know how the two Alpha wolves felt earlier when they were challenging each other—ridiculous, silly, and oh so small when having to back down.
Harper’s little visit was entirely too close for comfort and we’re all on edge.
“What should we do now?” Josh voices quietly.
“Open to suggestions,” I say, before thinking better of it. “Well, from most of you.”
Bane snorts, looking more proud than offended that he’s the exception.
He opens his big mouth—all the better to stick my fist in, like the old nursery rhyme—then Josh puts a hand on his mate’s knee and ends the impending argument before it begins.
He gets up and moves behind Bane's chair, his hands finding the Alpha's shoulders.
The gentle massage he starts working into the tense muscles there makes something twist uncomfortably in my chest.
I’d like to know what Wynn’s thinking. He’s leaning against the wall near the kitchen, arms crossed and being awfully quiet. I must stare too long because he eventually notices.
“We can’t stay here,” he says. “Not with Harper sniffing around.”
I agree. “You’re right. It’s too risky. We should head back to the cabin."
“Yeah. We’ll be off the radar there…” He pauses, and I can already tell by the way his brow furrows that I'm not going to like whatever comes next. "You should go as soon as possible. I'm staying here."
“What?” Have I finally pushed the patient wolf to the end of his rope?
“I’ll catch up with you.” The relief I feel at those words is short lived when he continues. “I’m going to visit Adelaide first. See what information I can dig up.”
Every instinct I have screams against this plan. "No. Haven’t you ever seen a horror movie? Splitting up is always a bad idea.”
“Somehow I doubt my own pack is going to murder me at summer camp.”
“We should still stick together."
“I’ll be right behind you.”
“Wynn—”
"Adelaide will talk to me," Wynn insists, that stubborn set to his jaw that I'm starting to recognize. "No one knows I'm helping you. As far as everyone's concerned, I was just on vacation."
My hands clench into fists on my knees. The idea of Wynn walking into potential danger while I'm miles away at the cabin makes my skin crawl. But that’s silly.
The biggest threat to Wynn’s safety? This demon.
Detective Harper is a shifter. If he’d caught us today, he’d smell Wynn and I all over each other and catch the scent of us mingled together on our sheets.
When he took me down, Wynn would fall with me.
"Harper’s closing in," I mutter, running a hand through my hair. “We shouldn’t take risks."
"It's practical. We need to know what's happening inside the Iron Pack. Maybe I’ll learn something that points us in the right direction. And who knows more about the pack than its Alpha?”
Josh speaks up from behind Bane's chair. "He's right. Wynn can talk to Adelaide directly and we don’t need to risk getting caught passing along info. We’ll still have to reconnect when I have all the magic ready, but we should keep our distance until then.”
I look between the three of them, feeling outnumbered and hating every second of it.
“Adelaide may tell Wynn more than she’d tell us,” Bane adds. “He’s still part of her pack.”
"Fine," I say through gritted teeth, even though nothing about this feels fine. "But if you're not at the cabin by tomorrow night, I'm coming back for you."
Do I imagine his expression softening slightly? "I'll be there."
“I'll start getting supplies together for you two,” Josh says. “Let’s see, you'll need...”
He seems to be making a mental checklist before he stops and hesitates, looking down at Bane in the chair. The Alpha reaches up, catching his mate's hand.
"I'll behave," Bane promises.
Josh leans down, pressing a kiss to his mate’s lips. He lingers a moment and some of the tension Bane carries whenever I’m in the room drains away. Josh rests his forehead against his mate’s for a second longer before going to the kitchen.
The simple affection between them… Not so long ago, I would have found their sickeningly sweet relationship nauseating. Now, I'm not sure what I feel. Envy? That can't be right. I don't do domestic bliss.
I need to get it together. What’s wrong with me? Nobody knows Wynn is working with me. He'll be safe in his own pack, talking to his own cousin. So why does the thought of him going alone make me feel like I'd rather do something horribly offensive, like go on a couple’s cruise with Bane Blackwood?
No boat would be big enough for the two of us.
"He'll be fine," Bane says, breaking into my thoughts. Wynn left, leaving the two of us alone. Uh-oh. The living room may not be big enough for the two of us.
"I'm not worried," I lie, forcing a smirk. "Just thinking about how peaceful it'll be without you around."
For once in his life, Blackwood doesn’t take the bait.
"If you're really mates," he says, "you need to trust Wynn."
I flinch at the word “mates,” the retort dying on my lips.
I do trust Wynn. That's not the problem.
I hate the idea of not being there to protect him.
Which is laughable, considering my current useless state.
If conflict arises, Wynn will do all the protecting himself.
But still, I want to try. I want to take care of him.
Wynn’s special. God, he’s gloriously responsive in bed and beautiful as he falls apart.
The strength is a major turn on and he’s so eager for me.
The rest of the Wynn Blackwood package is just as appealing, like all the little details he revealed when he had nothing better to do than stay in bed and talk.
How his favorite movies are romantic comedies, which surprised no one, but his second favorite genre is horror.
And he can still recite most of The Art of War by memory because his lunatic uncle forced him to memorize it as a kid.
When the hell did this happen? When did I start caring so much about a werewolf's safety? Caring about everything he says or does, wondering if I could ever be a part of his life, his real life…
Half an hour later, we're almost ready to leave. We exit the guest bedroom for the last time and Wynn steps into the hallway and spots his cousin, immediately pulling him into a fierce hug.
Josh will drive us back. The guards are less likely to stop him for a chat like they might with Wynn’s cousin. Liking Bane better than Josh makes absolutely no sense to me—Bane returns the embrace, holding on so tightly I worry he might break something inside Wynn.
“Be safe,” the Alpha orders, like he can command the world to obey his orders.
…Maybe he isn’t so bad. It even makes sense he hates me. At least someone has Wynn’s best interests in mind.
"You too,” Wynn says when they pull apart. “Seriously, you’ve already done enough. Don’t risk it.”
Josh says goodbye next. Their hug starts more friendly and less emotionally charged, but then Bane crashes the party and the three of them are wrapped together and clinging onto each other.
And here I am watching three grown ass men share a group hug and there’s not even one single snarky comment in my mind.
Only guilt. A whole ocean full of guilt, enough to drown me.
I'm the outsider here, an intruder on this moment. This is Wynn's family. And I'm the reason his life is completely in limbo. Without me, he could drop by his cousin’s place anytime and have movie nights and eat pizza that was more meat than pizza.
How could I really be Wynn’s mate? I’m a giant complication. The kindest thing I could do is let him go. Let him find someone better than a trouble-making demon who puts him in danger.
But I never do the right thing.
I’m not sure I can start now. I’m not sure I want to let him go.