Chapter 12
Ijerked back, startled. I understood he was mad, but I hadn’t expected his anger to be directed at Adam.
Keith ran a hand down his face. “Man, we—”
“Shut up!” Raffe bellowed, and something strong lacing his voice made my lips close.
What the hell? Something was wrong with me.
“Why did you wait until morning to tell me Dave had disappeared?” Raffe released Adam, stepping back to glare at both men. “I should’ve been notified immediately to search for him.”
The strange presence in me nudged forward harder, and my body warmed inappropriately. Part of me always hated it when he got controlling and rude, but another side thought it was hot. Suddenly, I found it extremely sexy and wanted to jump him here in front of everyone.
“See?” Keith lifted a hand. “Told you he’d get all alpha-y. We should’ve told him.”
Adam cut his eyes to Keith and scowled.
That was enough to take my hormones down a notch. I swallowed my snort, not wanting to make the situation worse. Leave it to Keith to throw someone under the bus.
Raffe sneered. “That makes it worse. You knew better and still said nothing.”
The elevator door opened, and for a moment, they didn’t even notice. Raffe wore his displeasure in the form of a frown like he usually did around campus. Keith didn’t seem fazed, standing tall and cocky. But Adam’s forehead was creased, revealing his concern.
The four of us marched out the door and went into the parking lot to meet Aldric. Raffe took my hand, the buzz simmering between us, but his anger didn’t ease.
Adam hurried up on Raffe’s other side. He exhaled noisily and said, “What would you have done? You hadn’t slept in days, and you had just gotten Skylar back. You would’ve been torn about what to do, and we were handling it.”
Jaw twitching, Raffe didn’t respond.
We passed a group of students heading in the direction I should’ve been going—to class. It was Tuesday, which meant I’d miss one day of every class. That wasn’t a huge deal for statistics and economics, but microbiology and chemistry were a whole different ball game. It was easy to get left behind in science, and I’d need to get notes from someone and read the material in detail. I couldn’t afford to let my grades slip, not with vet school on the horizon.
Keith caught up with me and rolled his eyes.
I suspected he blamed me for everything. In a way, I agreed. Until I’d come along, nothing like this had happened, and I was driving a wedge between the three of them. Though I hadn’t intended to, it didn’t matter. Intentions didn’t mean much when someone caused problems.
“It was my right to be torn.” Raffe puffed out his chest. “I’m your prince, and you don’t get to decide for me.”
Adam tilted his head. “Aren’t I supposed to be your strategist? If I am, you need to trust me. What would you joining us have accomplished? Nothing. His scent had vanished, and not even a wolf of your strength could overcome that.”
Raffe’s car came into view with Aldric pacing in front of it. He noticed us as we approached.
“That probably changed when he decided to claim her.” Keith wrinkled his nose and spat. “I bet she’s been talking to him about how she should take our place.”
My blood surged, and the jolt went straight to a low fizz. I understood why Keith resented me. I wasn’t one of them, not really, but that didn’t mean he could talk about me like that. I stopped in my tracks and prepared to tell him where he could go.
But Raffe beat me to it.
He tugged me behind him and shoved Keith in the chest. Even though I couldn’t see his eyes, I had no doubt they were glowing.
In public.
Around humans.
Worse, in front of Aldric.
My lungs quit working.
“I’ve been more lax than I should’ve been with you.” A growl laced Raffe’s words, making them almost inaudible. “And it ends now. You’ve pushed me too far.”
Adam touched my arm, tearing my gaze from Raffe.
He mouthed the words, Calm him down.
Like I knew how to do that. If I did, he wouldn’t get flustered as often as he did. And since I’d returned, he’d been acting more erratic than before.
“Raffe,” Aldric warned. “Now’s not the time. You know that.”
The warning fell on deaf ears. Raffe clutched the front of Keith’s shirt and snarled, “Say one more negative thing about her. I dare you.”
Keith flinched, the first sign of fear I’d ever seen from him. He mashed his lips together and shook his head.
I froze. Seeing Keith like this affected me more than I would have thought possible. With his cocky demeanor gone, my heart quickened. This situation was worse than I’d realized.
A few girls stopped on their way to class to watch the show.
“Tell Skylar you’re sorry.” Raffe didn’t release his hold; instead, his voice lowered to a more menacing tone. “And mean it, or I will kick your ass. She didn’t mean for anything like this to happen, and the way you’re trying to make her feel like shit on top of everything else is a dick move that I won’t tolerate. She’s my mate, so you either fucking accept it, or our friendship ends now. Got it?”
My stomach somersaulted and churned. I loved that he was standing up for me, but causing problems between childhood friends made me sick. The strange presence inside me squirmed while Raffe’s determination and anger sat heavy in its spot. I hadn’t had a friend since kindergarten when Lizzie had turned on me. I’d always wanted a true friend, and at EEU, I’d found three. The last thing I wanted was for Raffe to lose one because he’d chosen to be with me. “Raffe, he’s just worried—”
“Don’t,” he replied but kept his gaze on Keith. “I have to handle this, or he’ll keep escalating, and I’m at my wits’ end. He needs to get in fucking line or get out of my life. You’re my mate. I made that decision. It can’t be undone or changed, so his attitude ends now. He needs to decide what sort of relationship he wants with me—friends or enemies.”
Aldric and Adam exchanged terse glances. They weren’t thrilled with Raffe, but neither was I. I didn’t know what needed to happen, but he’d better calm down before he made things worse.
“This is how it is? You’re willing to throw away twenty-three years of friendship for her?” The area around Keith’s eyes tightened.
“I’m not sure how much clearer I can be.” Raffe released his hold and lifted his chin, coming off even more threatening. “I chose her. Our bond is unbreakable.”
Keith scoffed, the warmth in his eyes fading to bleak pain. “Fine.” He looked at me. “Skylar, I’m sorry, but to be honest, I’m struggling with Raffe’s decision. Regarding everything that deals with you, he’s more overbearing than normal, which makes me furious. But I’m taking it out on you, and that’s not fair. I’m sorry.”
Jaw dropping, I blinked a few times. Had I misunderstood him? But when Raffe’s shoulders relaxed, there was no denying what I’d heard. He couldn’t take his anger out on Raffe, which made me the easier target.
“I won’t say it’s okay, but for Raffe’s sake, I accept your apology.” That was the thing with bullies—if you allowed them to justify their actions, they’d never hold themselves accountable. They had to learn boundaries, and I wouldn’t allow Raffe’s actions to be in vain by mitigating what he’d done.
That strange sensation I kept feeling propelled me next to Raffe. “But, Keith …” Hell, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to say. “You make one rude-ass comment like that to me again, and it won’t be Raffe putting you in your place.” I lifted my chin, the strange sensation settling inside me. “It’ll be me.”
A cardamom scent hit my nose, and my connection to Raffe heated up. At the same time, Keith smirked, but the cruel lines that usually accompanied that look were missing. Instead, something strange crossed his face.
“Is that so?” He tilted his head. “I almost want to rise to that challenge.”
Raffe growled, the sound threatening but low so the humans didn’t hear.
Keith lifted his hands in surrender. “I said almost, but I get it. The two of you will team up and kick my ass. I’ll try to behave.”
That was more of a concession than I’d expected from him.
“We need to go,” Aldric interjected, his voice dripping with disapproval. “Your father arrived home and wants to know our status.”
“Since he refuses to ask me himself, tell him we’re on our way,” Raffe said and extended his hand to Keith.
Shoulders relaxing, Keith accepted Raffe’s hand, and they shook, I guessed sealing the promise.
I was just happy for another small win, especially after Dave had vanished.
As soon as they dropped each other’s hand, Raffe tensed. “And if you two ever leave me out of something important like Dave’s disappearance again, we’re going to have serious problems.”
“Got it.” Adam averted his gaze to the grass. “But honestly, we weren’t trying to hide it. We were just making sure you rested and reconnected with Skylar.”
Raffe sighed but nodded. “Still wasn’t your call to make.” He took my hand and led me toward the car. “I get it, but don’t let it happen again.”
“Understood.” Adam hung his head.
With every step, my legs felt weighed down. It was time to head to Raffe’s childhood pack home, and I feared what would greet us. He’d warned me there would be challenges to our mate bond, and that hadn’t truly computed until now.
Meeting the king.
I’d met him only once at the one football game I’d attended. The man had screamed power and intimidation, and my blood had fritzed in his presence. He’d also forced Raffe to decry me so I would be ostracized by humans and shifters alike.
Raffe took me to the passenger side and opened my door.
“Uh …” I chewed on my tongue. “Aldric might want to sit in the front.”
“No, I’m good.” Aldric gestured to a burnt-orange Bentley sedan parked beside the BMW. “That’s my ride. I’m just waiting to follow you there.”
In other words, he wanted to ensure we didn’t change course. “Are all wolf shifters so trusting?” My mouth had run away from me once again. I’d never had a problem controlling myself before, and I needed to stop with the snark before we met with King Jovian.
“We were”—he arched a brow—“until you came into Raffe’s life.”
Touché. I told myself to get into the car and not drag it out, but my mouth had a mind of its own. “I haven’t forced him to do anything. Don’t make me out to be the bad guy.”
Raffe placed a hand on my back and said, “She’s right. Everything I’ve done has been of my own choosing.”
“Her mouth is going to get you both in trouble, especially with you enabling her.” Aldric crossed his arms. “I sure hope you know what you’re doing. She’s your mate and should be making things easier on you, not alienating you from your family.”
“She’s not alienating me from anything,” he snapped then kissed the top of my head. “That’s everyone else’s doing.”
My heart ached from the sweet gesture, and I slid into my seat.
Raffe marched around the hood while Aldric got into his sedan. The looks on their faces were of pure determination.
Both vehicles started, and Raffe backed out of the spot.
“What is all this about?” I asked. He had to know something. I had no doubt he’d been pack-linking his dad to get answers.
“I don’t know.” He glanced in the rearview mirror then drove to the road.
I stared at the apartments. Josie had joined Keith and Adam, who were still standing where we’d left them, watching us go.
A shiver ran down my spine.
Something was off. Or was that paranoia from being kidnapped and held captive?
“Hey,” Raffe said and placed his hand on my thigh. He squeezed gently and smiled timidly. “Everything will work out. Besides, the two of us will be there together. It’ll be good to get this meeting over and done with so my parents’ reaction to us won’t be hanging over our heads.”
I wasn’t so sure about that, but I wanted to address one thing. “Thank you for protecting me, but I don’t want to cause problems between you and your family and friends.” Unfortunately, I now understood why he’d struggled with our relationship. Given Aldric’s reaction, I feared what we would face in Seattle.
“Like I said, you’re not the one causing problems. Dad has a hang-up about wolves being the strongest species, believing we can’t risk diluting our bloodline. He’ll have to accept our mating, or we’ll figure something else out.”
The problem with powerful people was that, sometimes, they made others feel like they didn’t have a say in their own lives. I suspected that was what we were going to walk into and one reason the king had demanded Raffe be there in person.
With that said, it would be best if we presented a united front. “Raffe, what I asked about after you saved me … I want you to know—”
“Please, don’t.” He kept his hand on my leg. “We don’t need to talk about it. I don’t have the energy for it.”
I bit my bottom lip. “But—”
“Seriously, Sky.” He forced a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “We’re more than okay. I’m over it.”
A stench like eggs filled my nose, and I wanted to gag. Where was that coming from?
“Why don’t you take a nap? You need it.” He removed his hand and turned on Pink Floyd.
Not wanting to push him to talk, I sighed and did as he’d asked. I leaned my seat back and tried to go to sleep.
We turnedinto a long driveway on top of Cougar Mountain. Raffe’s pack neighborhood was nestled in a forest far from the main road.
A huge mansion appeared, the thick woods behind it. The house had stones around each window and tan siding for the walls. Various plants lined a stone sidewalk that led to six huge steps up to the wooden front door.
Raffe parked his car in front, and I noticed Aldric’s Bentley continuing down a side road, deeper into the woods.
Strange.
“Let’s go. Dad knows we’re here.” Raffe climbed from the car.
Following his lead, I headed up the stairs. My blood jolted then fizzed close to a hum. I wasn’t sure what sort of welcome we’d receive.
When we reached the covered porch, Raffe turned right toward a second door. He took my hand and opened it without pausing.
We entered an office, and my attention homed in on the man standing in the middle of the room on a fancy rug.
King Jovian’s salt-and-pepper hair was messy, and he had dark circles under his steel-blue eyes. But it was the red hue of his face and the sneer on his lips—so noticeable even through his brown beard—that made me falter.
He rasped, “Do you know what you’ve done? Because of your choice, we’ve lost everything.”