Chapter 3
3
Cole
C ole waited with bated breath as he dropped the bombshell, knowing Kai wouldn’t accept it easily. He wasn’t disappointed.
“You’re crazy.” Kai scowled, reaching for the handle once more. The door opened this time without issue.
Stopping Kai from exiting the car by snagging hold of the backpack Kai held on to for dear life, Cole searched desperately for something to say. “This is why I didn’t want to tell you. I knew you would have a hard time believing me. Especially with everything you’ve obviously been through.”
“I don’t want to be your m-mate,” Kai stuttered, his whole body trembling.
Cole ignored the hurt Kai’s words caused and his wolf’s immediate desire to kidnap and hold Kai captive until he accepted him. “I can’t change what is the truth. I meant what I said on the plane. Give me one month. If you don’t at least come to trust me, I will help you secure a new identity and start a new life anywhere you want.”
Kai turned his head away from Cole and tightened his grip on his bag, fingers turning white. Cole would never admit the terror racing through him that Kai would reject him again. As the son of the Emerald Lake Hills pack Alpha and the successor to the position, Cole couldn’t ever remember a time in his life when he’d been afraid of anything. Was this burning ball of acid in his stomach how Nick had felt when his own mate denied his claim? No wonder Nick had spent six months in hell!
“All right” came the whispered response.
Cole couldn’t stop the whoosh of breath he let out. He hadn’t expected Kai to give in so easily. The object lodged in his throat began to disintegrate, and he swallowed, hard. “Thank you,” he murmured.
“I still don’t trust you,” Kai grunted, peering at Cole out of the corner of his eye.
“I know, but you will.”
Skepticism shone in the hazel depths of Kai’s eyes, but Kai didn’t say anything in response to Cole’s confidence. Cole slowly released his hold on the backpack and moved away, waiting for Kai to close the door again. The soft thud of it latching sent a swish of satisfaction to Cole’s inner beast, and Cole smiled as he settled against the seat beside Kai.
Nick glanced over his shoulder toward them at the sound of the door shutting, and Cole gave a brief nod. Relief flickered across Nick’s handsome features before he turned to climb into the driver’s seat once more. “Are we heading to the hospital?” Nick asked after he’d started the engine and pulled out onto the highway again.
Kai started and glared at Cole. “I’m not going to a hospital.”
Cole had already figured Kai would be resistant to returning to one with how his mate had reacted to the idea of being in one in Phoenix. “The doctor in the ER said you’re malnourished, dehydrated, and need medical attention. I think we should at least—”
“No,” Kai interrupted. “Let me out right now if you think I’m staying in a hospital for even a minute.”
Sighing, Cole swallowed a frustrated sound and compromised. “On one condition, then.”
Suspicion entered Kai’s hazel eyes. “What?”
“For at least a week, you’ll do nothing except rest and recuperate.” Kai opened his mouth to argue, but Cole gave him a hard look. “It’s the only way I will agree to not taking you straight to the hospital in Redwood City. I will not have my mate collapsing again.”
Kai snapped his jaw shut with an audible sound and groused, “I’m not your mate.”
Cole ignored the sharp twist of pain in his heart and instead chose to concentrate on having a solid month to win Kai over. “That’s the deal. Your choice.”
“Fine,” Kai huffed.
“Nick”—Cole never took his gaze off Kai—“take us home.”
“Sure thing, Cole.”
The remainder of the ride, Kai stared stubbornly out of the window while Cole alternated between watching Kai and talking to Nick in the front seat about his greenhouses and other pack business. Several times he noticed Kai’s ears perk up, and Cole noted it usually happened when they spoke of the pack. Kai being curious gave Cole an advantage, and he stockpiled it for later.
Cole’s wolf grew restless the closer they got to his home, and Cole could feel his skin prickling, itching. It had been at least a week since he’d shifted for longer than the brief moment on the plane with Kai. He needed to run, to expel the energy built up inside of him. His wolf needed freedom. Tonight, after Kai went to sleep, he would head into the woods behind the greenhouses and set him loose.
“Cole?” Nick’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
Cole blinked away the fog to realize they’d pulled up in front of his house. Kai sat staring out of the windshield, his eyes widened slightly and his lips parted in surprise. Pride exploded in Cole’s chest at his mate’s wonderment over his home. He’d built his business from the ground up over the last eight years from one small building to three massive greenhouses, which sat in the far distance. His home, a custom one-story, had floor-to-ceiling windows to allow as much light in as possible. The house was almost entirely made of glass along the outside perimeter. He’d done it deliberately, not wanting his wolf to feel penned in or confined. No curtains or blinds adorned the windows since he never had to worry about neighbors looking in—his nearest neighbors were over five miles away in either direction.
Cole opened his door, climbed out, and rushed around to open Kai’s. He offered his hand. “Welcome to my home,” Cole said.
Kai ignored Cole’s proffered limb and stepped out on his own. Cole stifled a sigh and smiled. “Come on. I’ll give you a brief tour before I show you where you’ll be staying.”
“I’ll leave your bags inside, Cole. Thayne is waiting for me at the house,” Nick called after them.
“Thanks, Nick!” Cole replied, never taking his eyes off Kai’s face.
Cole unlocked the front door and guided Kai in with a hand on the middle of his lower back. Kai immediately sidestepped his touch, clutching his pack tighter, sweat beading on his forehead at the abrupt movement. “If-If I’m going to stay here, then I don’t want you to-touching me,” Kai stuttered.
Cole wondered if this would be harder than he thought. Kai seemed pricklier than expected, and a hands-off policy would be extremely difficult to follow the longer Cole was around his mate. “I’m not going to hurt you,” Cole stated softly.
“I-I don’t like to be touched,” Kai growled. “Just… don’t touch me.”
“Okay. I won’t touch you,” Cole promised against his wolf’s inner demand he dominate his mate and force him to do as he said and not the other way around. “Can we please call a truce? I don’t want to spend the next thirty days trying to show you I don’t mean you any harm only to have you constantly biting my head off.”
Kai eyed him for several long breaths and finally gave a jerky nod. Cole hid his fleeting satisfaction and gestured for Kai to follow him. “This is the living room. I don’t have cable since I don’t watch TV much, but if you want me to, I can have it installed.”
“No! Uh… no, I uh… I don’t really watch TV,” Kai mumbled.
Most of the house had wood flooring, with area rugs and runners here and there. The living room, however, had light beige carpeting and was furnished with a dark brown sofa and two dark brown leather chairs. A matching coffee table sat in front of a large fireplace embedded in a freestanding brick wall painted to match the carpeting. A flat-panel television was installed above it. Cole had picked out most of the furniture and color scheme with his mother’s assistance. She’d been most insistent he wouldn’t know quality if it bit him in the ass. Of course, she’d been right. If he’d done it on his own, he probably would have already had to replace several of the items since he’d accidentally shifted in the house on more than one occasion.
The dining area and kitchen were one large room, separated from the living room by a single half wall lined with photos of his family, pack, and a few key moments in his life courtesy of his mother. She loved pictures. The walls in his parents’ home were littered with picture frames. Even the first time he’d shifted as a thirteen-year-old had been memorialized by her camera. Everyone in the pack knew to expect her to be taking photos at every event—it didn’t matter how big or small an occasion.
Cole had purposely separated a small breakfast nook off from the larger dining table, knowing it wasn’t necessary for him alone on a daily basis. The table seated eight, and he only ever had guests for employee events or small get-togethers with packmates. Full-moon runs were held at the pack manor. The only part of his kitchen for which he’d insisted on sparing no expense had been the refrigerator: huge, industrial, and stainless steel, with double doors and two pull-out drawers at the bottom for storing fresh vegetables. The cabinets and countertops were a lighter brown granite to offset the darker furniture.
“You can help yourself to anything you want to eat. There are plenty of fresh vegetables kept stocked, along with sandwich fixings, bread, and a number of meats. I’ll be working in the greenhouses most of the day with the others, which means you’ll have the house to yourself, but if you need anything heavy lifted, you’re to call me, got it?” Cole instructed.
Kai rolled his eyes but nodded.
“There are intercom speakers near the front and back doors and in my bedroom in case you need to get ahold of me for anything during the day. They are connected directly to each of the greenhouse speakers. All you have to do is turn the dial to the number of the greenhouse, hold the button, and speak.” Cole pointed toward a small white object in the wall beside the front door. “My employees will let me know you’re trying to get ahold of me, and I’ll come to the house.”
“I’ll be fine,” Kai muttered.
Cole turned to look at Kai. “You aren’t to do anything except rest. You have multiple broken ribs, you’re dehydrated, and you’re malnourished. Not only did you collapse yesterday, but you very well could have died. If you don’t keep your promise of resting for the next week, I will take you to the hospital and tie you to the bed myself, Kai.”
Kai squeaked when Cole mentioned tying him to the bed and stumbled away a few paces. His face grew pale, and Cole lifted his hand toward Kai only to stop and let it fall to his side. He’d obviously said the wrong thing. Cole mentally swore and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to frighten you, and I would never truly harm you. I just need you to understand how serious your condition is. If you have to lift anything heavier than a fork, I want you to call me, understand?”
Fear and mistrust clearly showed on Kai’s face. Cole waited, hiding his uncertainty behind a fa?ade of indifference, even though he wanted to grab Kai by the shoulders and demand he listen to him. When Kai gave a minute nod, Cole almost missed it in his distraction. The tension in Cole eased, and he smiled. “Good. Now, let me show you where the bathroom is and where you’ll be sleeping.”
Cole led the way down the hallway, indicating the restroom Kai would be using on the way, and then opened a door across from the bathroom. “This is your room. Mine is right next to yours. If you need anything in the night, all you have to do is call out. The door at the very end leads out toward the greenhouses.”
The room had been decorated in similar tones to the living area: soft beige paint, sand-colored carpeting, and dark furniture. The bed, a queen-sized four poster with a nightstand on either side, dominated one wall.
“There are additional sheets in the hall closets if you need any, and you can put your things in the dresser,” Cole explained.
Cole noticed Kai staring around him almost in awe, and his throat tightened. He clenched his fists at his sides. If he ever got his hands on whoever had hurt his mate, he’d do unspeakable things to the bastard. “I’ll leave you to get settled here while I go check on some stuff in the greenhouses. Maybe you’d like to lie down and take a nap?”
Kai didn’t look at him, merely fingered the ratty backpack he held and gingerly perched on the edge of the bed as though he would have to jump up at a moment’s notice. Cole knew there wasn’t much in the bag. He’d shamelessly dug through it in the hospital, eagerly searching for clues about his mate’s identity. The only belongings inside were a couple of shirts, another pair of pants, socks, a change of underwear, a picture of a smiling couple who resembled Kai—which Cole figured were Kai’s parents—the collar Kai wore around his neck, and a small notebook Cole found contained drawings of animals: birds, dogs, and foxes mostly. He’d been fascinated by Kai’s talent, but it didn’t actually reveal much about Kai.
“Well… I’ll leave you to it, then,” Cole said and left the room, half hoping Kai would stop him, only to be disappointed when there wasn’t a single sound. He returned to the living room and found his own bag by the front door where Nick had said it would be. He picked it up and took it down to his room, where he put the bag inside the door before heading out to check on his greenhouses.
The greenhouses were set about a thousand feet away from the main house. He employed nine others to help maintain them, three in each, while he did the deliveries. They’d assist with any foot traffic they received from pickups or the occasional one-offs. Most of the pack bought from him as well, which kept his employees pretty busy and his business thriving. Each greenhouse contained different types of vegetation based on what they required for the growing process—the level of sunshine, soil, water, etc. He’d carefully cultivated degrees of temperature, fertilizer, and water level dependent on what he’d planted. Soy beans were a highly coveted item in California and were his number one selling crop. There wasn’t much competition in the immediate area except for a local farmer in the next town. Cole had run into the man more than once trying to get the Whole Foods Market in Redwood City to buy from him, but he couldn’t beat Cole’s prices or quality.
“Cole!” a cry went up when Cole stepped into the first greenhouse.
Cole grinned and waved at Julie Parker, a pack member and his right-hand woman when he went out on deliveries or, in the case of the last two weeks, longer. She ran up to him and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. “It’s about damn time you came home!”
She grinned up at him. A brunet with bright green eyes, Julie had worked for him almost since the beginning when he’d opened the business eight years ago. He’d scraped by in order to pay her, but she’d stuck by him anyway. Since then she’d been promoted to manager and had the salary increase to boot.
“Where is he?” She peered around him, trying to get a glimpse of Kai.
“He’s in the house, resting. He’s been through a lot. Don’t go pestering him, Julie,” Cole warned, eyes narrowing at the corners.
Julie held her hands up. “What? Me? I’m just curious to meet the one who’s managed to snag the next Alpha and had the unflappable Cole all tied up in knots lately,” she said.
Cole knew she didn’t mean anything by her teasing. She was right. It took a lot to get under his skin, but knowing his mate had been right there within his grasp and then gone again had left him agitated and frustrated. Something Julie had only ever seen when one of the orders for his clients went wrong.
“I didn’t mean to snap, Jules. He’s just… damaged. I almost didn’t even manage to get him to come home with me. I don’t want to take the chance of anyone scaring him off.”
Julie dropped her hands and tilted her head to the side, questions immediately popping up in her gaze. “What do you mean damaged?”
Starting to pace, Cole swung his arms at his sides, trying to dispel the helplessness eating at him. “Someone abused him. Badly. I’m not sure which is deeper, the physical scars or the emotional ones. I’ve never seen someone so afraid, Jules. I’ve spent the last two weeks thinking of every possible scenario that might happen when I found him. None of them even came close to the reality. I have no idea how to talk to him. Everything I say makes him suspicious. Everything I do makes him flinch or want to run! How am I supposed to claim him if I can’t even touch him?
“I actually made a deal with him! I promised him if he gave me a month and he still didn’t trust me, I’d let him go! Willingly! What the hell was I thinking?” Cole found himself shouting by the time he’d finished, the last words bouncing off the walls of the greenhouse. He halted his movements and stared at Julie, needing an answer to his rhetorical question.
Julie came closer and touched his arm, sympathy on her face. “Desperation makes us do things we wouldn’t normally do, Cole. Have faith. A month is a long time. You are a wonderful man with a very big heart, and he will come to see it, given the chance.”
The idea of Kai leaving at the end of the month caused Cole’s heart to clench. Cole gnashed his teeth together and closed his eyes. “What if he doesn’t?”
“He will, Cole,” Julie replied gently.
Gods, he prayed Julie was right, because he didn’t think he could survive losing him again. Opening his eyes, Cole lifted his head and attempted a half-assed smile at her. He knew the best thing to do right now would be to stop thinking and dig his fingers into his beloved soil. Getting his hands dirty and working with the earth the gods had placed beneath his feet would help get his mind off the deadline before him. “Thanks, Jules.”
“Anytime, boss.”
“How about giving me the rundown of business since I’ve been gone while we plant some new tomatoes at the far end?”
Julie nodded, and she started in on the latest orders, crops, and news as they walked to the end of the greenhouse. Fresh beds of tilled soil lined either side of the aisle, and Cole breathed the scent in deep, a sense of tranquility trickling through him. The clean, earthy smell had always soothed his soul in times of trouble or distress. For the next several hours, the two of them worked side by side, planting, watering, and discussing the general business needs.
“I think we finally have a chance to land the Bryson’s Market account,” Julie said after about an hour.
Cole sat on his heels, swiping at his forehead with the back of his palm. “You’re only telling me this now?” he demanded. “You know I’ve been trying to land that account for two years!”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Don’t get your panties in a bunch, Cole. It’s not for certain. George’s brother Thomas happens to know the owners. They were just waiting for you to return to arrange a meeting.”
Bryson’s Market was a popular organic grocery chain that not only serviced Redwood City, but also had several other locations throughout California. Cole had been sending them samples of his vegetables and herbs for the last two years in hopes of luring them away from one of the bigger suppliers. “What finally brought them around?”
“Thomas said the owner’s wife loved the peppermint bath salts. She said she’s never found anything that left her skin feeling as soft or looking as vibrant. She demanded her husband give you the meeting. Personally, I think it’s because she wants the recipe for the bath salts.” Julie grinned teasingly.
About a year and a half ago, Cole had come up with a mixture of all-natural peppermint oil extract from the leaves of the plants he grew in one of the greenhouses, Epsom salt, and a few other all-organic ingredients to make a soothing bath salt for his mom for her birthday. She’d fallen in love with it and suggested he market it. He’d laughed it off at first but contemplated the idea long enough to see if any of his clients were interested. Before he knew it, he had more orders than he could keep up with. He’d placed Julie in charge of the process and imparted his ingredients list to her.
“Tell Thomas I’ll meet with them anytime they like,” Cole replied. “I can be available whenever they are.”
Julie chuckled. “I figured you would say that. As soon as I knew you were on your way home, I made the appointment for Friday.”
“You really are the best, Julie!”
“I know,” she replied, cockiness in her tone.
C ole’s uneasiness over the situation with Kai had completely vanished by the time he looked up at the clock and realized it was almost dinnertime. “I’m going to wash up, Jules, and head back to the house.”
“Sure thing, boss. Just going to finish up this last section, and then I’m going to head out for the day.”
“Have a good night, and thanks again for watching over everything for the last couple of weeks.” He stood and pulled her up into a brief hug again. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Night, Cole.”
Cole washed his hands, arms, and face and left the greenhouse, waving at several of the others as they were getting into their vehicles for the day. The house still remained dark when he entered, meaning Kai hadn’t left his room. He took a moment to listen for Kai’s heartbeat to reassure himself Kai hadn’t bolted the moment Cole had left the house earlier. The slow steady thud sent relief curling through him. A light shone around the edges of Kai’s door, indicating Kai had at least turned one on inside his room. Sighing, Cole continued to his own bedroom to grab a quick shower and change of clothes. He could faintly pick up the same musky scent from the hospital throughout the house. It disappeared when he entered his room. Apparently, Kai had come out long enough to explore the house. If Kai remained locked behind closed doors whenever Cole was around for the next month, how in the hell would Cole be able to gain Kai’s trust? He needed to come up with a way to get Kai to come out.
He didn’t linger in the shower, rinsing off and towel-drying quickly. He chose a faded pair of jeans and a white T-shirt to wear, leaving his feet bare. The cool wood floor beneath him reminded him just how much he’d missed being in his own surroundings, and the peace from the work in the greenhouse deepened further at finally being home.
Cole stopped outside of Kai’s door and knocked lightly. “Kai?”
No answer.
Knocking again, Cole called a little louder, “Kai?”
A muffled “Yeah?” came through the door.
“I’m going to make something to eat for dinner. Is there anything you don’t like to eat?”
“Not hungry.”
Cole scowled and swallowed a frustrated grunt. He closed his eyes and breathed in deep. “You have to eat, Kai. You promised. If you don’t, then I have to take you to the hospital.”
Several moments of silence met his words and then a muttered, “Broccoli.”
He blinked. “Broccoli?”
“I hate broccoli.”
Cole choked down a laugh and cleared his throat. “Okay. No broccoli. Anything else?”
Silence again. Then, “Peas.”
“So… no broccoli or peas. I’ll remember. How about some spaghetti? Think you can eat some?” A sound of what Cole took for consent came from the other side of the door. “I’ll let you know when it’s done, then.”
Cole knew what Kai had revealed about himself wasn’t all that personal, but he still held it close to his heart. It gave him hope maybe the month would be enough to convince Kai to remain with him. He began whistling as he made his way to the kitchen and started prepping everything for dinner. He set a pot of water on to boil, got out the package of organic pasta, and then grabbed a jar of his homemade tomato sauce from the small walk-in pantry. The sauces available in the supermarkets were atrocious. How anyone could call those pasta sauce was beyond him. He jarred his own sauce a couple of times a year and then added seasonings when he used it. Pack members were constantly asking him to sell it, but he had enough work on his hands with the greenhouses and the peppermint bath salts. There wasn’t time to produce something else right now.
He set another smaller pot on the stove and emptied the contents of the jar into it before taking several jars of dried spices from the nearby cupboard. It wasn’t even necessary for him to measure the different seasonings anymore as he knew it by heart. He stirred the sauce as he added the flavorings. The smells immediately started filtering through the house. While the water began to boil, Cole picked up a remote sitting on the bar between the kitchen and the living area. He hit the power button, and soft sounds of a saxophone filtered through the air.
Next he broke up the spaghetti into the water, lowered the heat, and then put out a couple of plates, silverware, and napkins at the small breakfast table. It didn’t take long for the noodles to cook and the sauce to heat thoroughly. He drained the water and then dumped the noodles into a bowl to place on the table. The sauce followed shortly after.
Finished, Cole went to get Kai. The door hadn’t opened, something he anticipated being a regularity. He knocked and called, “Dinner’s ready, Kai.”
Kai didn’t answer, and Cole frowned, sighing internally. Would he have to fight every step of the way? “Kai?” he repeated, knocking again.
The door cracked open and hazel eyes peered out at him. “Come eat,” Cole said softly.