Chapter 7 Carter #2
Scurrying up the stairs of the lodge, Carter was grateful Seth had healed him.
There was no way he could have gracefully rushed off to deal with the insecurities in his mind if he’d still been using the cane.
He hurried into the closest downstairs bathroom, slamming the door behind him and leaning against it.
His breathing sounded choppy in the bathroom’s silence.
Panic edged in, and Carter’s stomach twisted.
What if when they got back to Senaka, Rey changed?
What if he was lulling Carter into a false sense of security and, once he knew he had Carter where he wanted him, the gloves came off?
Carter’s heart pounded so hard in his chest, he felt as if it would explode.
He wouldn’t survive a beating from Rey. The guy was half a foot taller than Darryl, with about twice as much muscle.
Carter wasn’t even sure if a single hit wouldn’t kill him.
A soft knock came on the door. “Carter?”
Rey. His mate had obviously followed him. Carter shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut, and tried to get his breathing under control.
“Little wolf? Open the door.”
Carter felt as though his lungs couldn’t pull in enough air. They burned, and his heart hurt.
“Sweetheart, please open the door,” Rey said softly. “I need to see you.”
The gentle pleading in Rey’s voice broke Carter. A sob erupted, and he took a shaky step away from the door. Rey carefully opened it, stepped inside, and closed the door behind him before sweeping Carter into a tight embrace. “Shh, little wolf. I’ve got you.”
Carter collapsed against Rey, letting the man hold his weight and wrapping his arms around Rey’s body.
Rey picked him up and set him on the counter, never releasing him.
Calloused fingers carded through his hair while Rey nuzzled at his neck.
Rey didn’t say another word while Carter trembled and cried.
His familiar scent reached inside Carter, soothing the broken pieces of his soul.
He dug his fingers into the fabric of Rey’s shirt, holding on tight.
Darryl had never comforted him. He’d never cared when Carter was upset or lying there, hurt or bleeding after another of his beatings.
The silent strength Rey provided made Carter cry even harder.
He hated what Darryl had done to him. Without a second thought, he’d irrevocably altered Carter’s life.
He’d taken something from Carter, because now he questioned the one man he should be able to trust wholeheartedly.
His true mate. Now he doubted and worried about Rey being like Darryl.
While Carter knew it wasn’t fair to Rey, his heart wanted to stay hidden. It didn’t want to be broken again.
Rey ran a large, warm hand up and down Carter’s back, never speaking, just waiting. When Carter finally ran out of tears, he lay there limp and exhausted. It wasn’t until Carter stopped shaking that Rey spoke. “You feeling a little better, sweetheart?”
Carter almost laughed. Better? Would he ever feel better? He shrugged.
“Will you share with me what upset you?” Rey asked.
If he told Rey what thoughts had set him off, he’d come across as a major jerk and hurt Rey’s feelings.
Rey shifted, reaching for something nearby, then Carter heard the water turn on.
A few seconds later, a cold, wet washcloth trailed over his cheeks and nose.
“You don’t have to. I won’t push you for more than you are ready to tell me, Carter.
Just know that I am here for you, whenever you want to talk.
I think it might be a good idea to meet with our pack healer when we return to Senaka.
He’s a licensed therapist, and I think it would be good for you to talk to someone about what you went through. ”
Carter stiffened a fraction. Rey shushed him again. “It doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you, Carter. Sometimes it helps to talk to someone who isn’t your friend or family. A stranger who may have more perspective and you may feel comfortable talking to about what happened.”
“I don’t know,” Carter said uncertainly. He looked up at Rey, because even though he sat on the counter, the man still towered over him.
“Do you not want to go back to Senaka with me, little wolf?” Rey asked.
Guilt stabbed Carter. He could see the hesitancy on Rey’s face and knew he’d put the doubt there. “No, it’s not that.”
Rey cupped Carter’s cheek. “Are you worried about being in a new place? New people? I’ll be by your side the entire time, Carter. I won’t let you fall.”
Tears sprung anew in Carter’s eyes at the warmth and support flowing from Rey. “I’m sorry,” he sobbed.
Tenderness edged out the doubt on Rey’s face. “For what, my mate?”
“I-I k-know you aren’t l-like him,” Carter stuttered out. “But I can’t stop wondering if you will change once we’re b-back in your home.”
“What do you mean change?” Rey asked, confused.
Carter felt awful, knowing he was about to hurt his mate. “You’re so great here,” he whispered, “but will that change when no one else is around?”
Understanding dawned in Rey’s eyes. But instead of hurt, the look softened, and Rey pressed a kiss to Carter’s temple.
“Oh, little wolf. You’re breaking my heart.
I want to find that bastard and destroy him.
” Rey gripped Carter’s chin between thumb and forefinger, tilting his head back.
“How I am here is how I am everywhere. It’s who I am.
I would never hurt someone smaller than me.
Especially my true mate. I know it’s only been a few days, and trust takes time to build, but I swear on my life, little wolf, you are safe with me. Always.”
He leaned down the few inches separating them and kissed Carter.
Not a passionate one like they’d shared in the forest or on the front porch.
It was soft and sweet, meant to comfort.
Carter pressed closer to Rey, his heart clenching at Rey’s promise.
He would try harder not to compare the two men.
They were nothing alike—worlds apart, in fact.
“I’ll go back to Senaka with you,” Carter replied.
Rey smiled, his features softening further. “You won’t regret it, sweetheart.”
After giving Carter another couple of kisses, Rey helped him off the counter. “Do you want to go for another run? Or we could take my rental and head into Kamas? Kasey said they have some stores, and it might be interesting.”
“Sure, we can head into town,” Carter said, smiling at Rey. He turned toward the sink, washed his face quick, and patted it dry. “Let’s go.”
He hadn’t been exploring outside of the Bear River Lodge grounds the last time he was there.
Plus, as a bonus, he would get to spend the time with Rey.
As they headed back to the lodge housing the Senaka pack, they ignored everyone.
Rey led him to the big truck Carter had seen him drive up in the night before, opening the passenger door for him and closing it once Carter was seated.
None of his exes had opened the door for him, either.
And there went the comparisons again. Carter frowned.
He really needed to get a handle on that.
“It’s a bit of a drive,” Rey said. “I have a lead foot, so it won’t take the hour and a half it says on the GPS maps. But it’ll still take some time.”
“Okay,” Carter said, slipping on his seat belt. Rey took his hand as soon as the car was on the road. “You said you own a mechanic shop?”
“Yep. Got two employees. Nevada and Jake. Nevada has worked for me for about five years now. Jake started last year.”
“Pack members?”
Rey hummed. “Nevada is watching the shop while I’m here.”
Carter studied his mate for a second. “You don’t like being away, do you?”
Wincing, Rey shook his head. “Not really. I trust Nevada, but Jake drinks a lot. I’ve also had a few of my more expensive tools come up missing.”
Gasping, Carter asked, “You think it’s Jake?”
“I don’t have proof, so I can’t accuse him, but it’s the most likely option.”
“I’m sorry, Rey.”
“I always give people the benefit of the doubt until they prove otherwise. If he doesn’t clean up his act, I’ll have no choice except to fire him.
” Rey lifted Carter’s hand and kissed the back of it.
“Now I’ve got you, so I shouldn’t have to come to the summit often unless Talon isn’t able to attend. ”
“Talon?”
“He’s one of the three enforcers for the pack. He came last time.”
Carter frowned, trying to remember if he had met someone named Talon. He’d spent most of the time near the bonfire or holed up in his room when he’d realized none of the shifters attending were his mate. “I don’t know if I met him or not.”
“Talon’s quiet. He blends into the background. Probably something to do with him being ex-military. Special Ops. Native American, of course, like most of the pack. I’ll introduce him to you when we get home.”
Rey had called it home more than once. To him, it was home.
Carter still found it difficult to think of anywhere but Emerald Lake Hills as home.
He’d grown up there. His parents had died there.
“What about your parents? Are they still in Emerald Lake?” And it seemed like Rey could hear his thoughts.
“They died. A bad car accident they couldn’t recover from,” Carter replied. “When I was eighteen.”
“Oh, little wolf, I’m truly sorry.” Rey squeezed his fingers in comfort.
“I still miss them. Other than Nick, they were the only ones to ever truly accept me for me. They didn’t care how much I talked or about what.
They listened to me.” Carter’s heart ached at the memory of the last time he’d been with his parents.
He’d have held on just a little longer to the hug he’d given his mother and father.
Instead, he’d been impatient to get back to his game when they’d left for their date night.
He’d regretted it ever since. “Nick was there for me after they died. As much as he could, considering his pact to stick to Seth.”
“Pact?” Rey asked.
“Uh… well you know Seth’s abilities. His parents discovered what he was when Seth was young.
They tried to protect him from any who would try to claim him as a mate that wasn’t his true mate.
I don’t know all the details, but something happened which caused Seth’s parents to take him away from the pack.
Elijah, Cole’s father, sent Nick to watch over him, protect him, so Nick wasn’t around much.
But he came back for my parents’ funeral and took me in until I could finish college and get a job. ”
“Your cousin cares about you a lot.”
Carter shrugged. “Maybe. I know my parents asked him to take care of me if anything ever happened to them. Family obligation. That sort of thing.”
“I don’t believe that for a minute, sweetheart. Nick loves you. It devastated him, what happened to you, that he didn’t stop it. I saw it.”
“It wasn’t his fault. I didn’t tell anyone,” Carter said.
“He’s been busy with training for the beta position and he’s newly mated.
Of course, he wants to spend time with Thayne.
Nick would invite me over for dinner, but I always felt like a third wheel.
Thayne and I didn’t have the best introduction.
I woke him up the first time I stopped by to see Nick after Thayne moved in. He was super grumpy.”
Carter furrowed his brow. “Like really grumpy. Maybe he needed coffee. That could be it. It took them a while to settle in with each other. I don’t really know all the details, just what rumors the other pack members talked about.”
“You don’t ask your cousin about what’s going on in his life? Or Nick doesn’t tell you?”
Dropping his gaze to his lap, Carter picked at a loose thread on his jeans.
“I don’t want to burden him any more than I already do, and prying into his life without him volunteering would cause him more stress than I already cause him.
He talks to me about other stuff. Like how Seth was doing, his company, and he listens to me talk about my job, my classes when I was in college, stuff like that.
“But with Thayne… I think it was too hard on him. When he first returned from Senaka after finding Thayne, I could see he was upset and unhappy. At first, I tried to ask him what was wrong, but he would tell me it was nothing and he was just tired.
“One day, I overheard Nick talking to his business partner, Ryan. Oh, but I don’t eavesdrop or anything.
I was going to his office to bring him lunch because I’d noticed he was losing weight, and I just thought it was because he was too busy to eat.
Most of the time people don’t even realize I’m there because they have gotten so used to ignoring me, I think.
So, I hear things without meaning to. Oh, God, and I’m talking your ear off again!
” Carter brought his free hand up to cover his face. He really needed to learn to shut up.
Rey gave a small chuckle. “Sweetheart, one thing you will learn about me is that I am not much of a talker.”
That made it worse. Carter flinched. “You’re going to tire of me talking nonstop!”
“I don’t mind that you fill the silence, Carter, and it helps me discover more about you. Don’t change who you are to suit anyone. Remember what your alpha said? Besides, I love the sound of your sweet voice. It calms my wolf.”
Peeking through his fingers at Rey, Carter asked, “You do?”
Rey nodded. “I really do, little wolf. You’re my mate, and I haven’t found a single thing I don’t adore about you.”
“Yet,” Carter muttered.