Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Behind his SUV, Joss and Nathan were escorting Alfie while he went to pick up Myla after her shift at the theater.
Something was going on with her, but he wasn’t sure what.
She’d definitely been quieter than usual, and when he’d asked if she was okay, she’d deflected the question and gotten overly chatty.
He’d mentioned to Joss at lunch that afternoon in the market cafeteria about her behavior, and Joss had suggested she might be feeling like he’s keeping something from her.
Which of course he was—the truth of shifters.
He couldn’t help that she was human and couldn’t know the secret until he’d won her heart, but he also wondered how the hell he was going to fully win her heart without telling her everything.
It'll happen, Joss had told him confidently.
And he was choosing to believe it. Because he sure as hell loved Myla. It was more than the instant love he’d felt when he’d met her. He’d fallen for every inch of her. There was no other female on the planet more perfect for him than her, and he just wanted to be that male for her.
Tonight.
He hoped.
As he pulled into the parking lot, he saw Myla walk out of the dark theater and pull up the hood of her coat. He smiled, thinking she looked like a snow fairy, dusted already with the fat fluffy flakes that were falling quickly.
And then something caught his eye.
A male, moving quickly through the cars and heading right for Myla.
Alfie hit the gas, surging toward the curb, then stomped on the brake and threw the SUV into park. In a heartbeat, he was out of the car and between the male and Myla.
Eddie.
That asshole!
Alfie’s wolf rolled under his skin, furious at Eddie.
He knew his voice was different, edged with the growl of his wolf, when he spoke. “You need to leave.”
Eddie stopped short a few yards away, looking wild and unhinged.
“Hey, fuck you, man! That bitch made me lose my job!”
“I didn’t make you act like an asshole, you dick,” she said, her hand gripping the back of Alfie’s coat. “Get out of here, or I’ll call the cops.”
“For what? Calling you out for being a bitch?”
“For stalking,” she said.
“I haven’t laid a hand on you,” Eddie sneered. He eyed Alfie and took a menacing step to the side like he was coming for Myla.
Alfie subtly oriented himself to keep Myla at his back and block Eddie’s line of sight of her.
“Leave now, or I’ll make you leave,” Alfie said evenly.
“Fuck you, man.”
Alfie met Eddie’s gaze and held it, the silence stretching around them.
“You need to go. You’re harassing a woman who doesn’t want to see you, and you’ve been told repeatedly to leave. Besides that, there are witnesses.”
“Who?”
Alfie jutted his chin toward the idling SUV, where Joss and Nathan were standing at the front bumper, arms crossed. Waiting. Silent.
Eddie’s bravado, the sort that came from an entitled life and zero muscles to back up the attitude, began to waver.
“There are security cameras around the building, and street cams as well. And those two are with me.”
“You’re threatening me,” Eddie said, tilting his chin up in defiance.
“Not a threat, just a promise of what will happen if you don’t forget you know Myla and get lost.” Alfie took a step forward, aware that his wolf was very close to the surface.
Eddie’s irises went to pinpoints as the primal part of his brain recognized that Alfie was a predator and he’d fucked up.
“Myla didn’t get you fired, you did that to yourself.
The only one to blame here is you. I can understand you being embarrassed or mad, but if you take one more step toward my female, I will end you where you stand.
I promise I won’t think about you again for the rest of my life. ”
The words hung between them, as cold as the snowflakes falling.
Eddie’s gaze darted to Joss and Nathan, who hadn’t moved an inch, standing like two sentries ready to deal harshly with him. Then he looked at the theater. His gaze finally landed on Alfie.
“I’ll go where I want,” Eddie said, his voice no longer filled with bravado.
“But not around Myla,” Alfie said.
For a moment, it seemed like Eddie might posture some more, or make a move and do something stupid. Alfie would have zero regrets for using his superior strength and speed to stop this male from coming near his female again.
But then something must have registered in Eddie’s brain that Alfie was the better male. Too calm, too quiet. Too ready to take him on.
Eddie took a step back. And then another.
“You’re a crazy bitch,” he spat, before turning away.
Alfie stared at his back until he got into a car and drove off, his tires squealing on the wet pavement. He turned immediately to Myla and wrapped his hands around her upper arms.
“Are you okay?”
Her eyes were wide, her lips parted, her breath gusting out in white puffs of fog from the chill in the air. “Why won’t you stay the night with me?”
Gun to his head, Alfie would not have been more surprised by the question she asked. “What?”
She pressed her lips into a thin line, then said, “Why do you never stay all night with me? What are you hiding?”
“Myla.”
“No,” she said, taking a step back and easing out of his grasp. “Something is going on with you and I don’t like it one bit. You either tell me the truth right now or you just leave me the hell alone.”
“It’s complicated.”
“Then un-complicate it. Or I’ll call a car service.”
Well, that was not happening.
He stared down at her, his beautiful soulmate, and nodded. “I need to take you back to the park. I’ll tell you everything.”
She looked suspicious, but she relaxed fractionally. “All right.”
He led her to his SUV and said, “I need to talk to my boss for a second and let him know I’m bringing you home. I’ll be right back.” He paused, then asked, “Are you really okay?”
“I’m kind of mad.”
“About Eddie.”
“No.” She waved a hand dismissively. “I know you scared him off. I mean, when you said you would end him, holy crap.” She chuckled for a second, then scowled like she remembered she was mad at him. “Why?”
“Because you should be in shock, maybe? Or still a little freaked out? You went from being confronted by a crazy asshole to yelling at me in two seconds.”
Her brows rose slightly, like it hadn’t occurred to her to be scared. She shrugged. “I could feel you were nearby. I don’t know how, but I knew you’d be there for me. I’m only scared because I feel like something is wrong between us, and I…don’t want that to happen with a guy I’ve fallen for.”
There it was. Fallen. Not Falling.
His wolf, out of ready to bite Eddie’s face off mode, was now doing cartwheels and purring like a damn cat in his head.
“I promise everything will make sense when we get to the park. And I will always protect you, Myla.”
He shut the SUV door and walked to where Nathan and Joss were back inside their own SUV. “That was badass, man,” Nathan said as Joss put the driver’s window down.
Joss nodded. “Everything okay?”
“I need to show her my wolf,” he said, keeping his voice low just to be safe. “But I think someone who is human should be there to talk to her.”
“I’ll grab Jeanie. We can meet you in the maintenance shed of our paddock and talk to Myla while you’re in your shift.”
“I appreciate that,” Alfie said. He told them what she’d said, not just that she felt he was keeping a secret, but that she’d fallen for him. Although she hadn’t said the exact words, he knew what she meant.
“That’s good,” Joss said. “But regardless, she has to understand that she can’t tell a soul. By sharing the truth, you are ensuring she can’t go anywhere until we know for sure she won’t tell anyone. And then you two need to talk about what that means—for her home, her family, and her job.”
It was a lot. But Alfie knew that she was worth whatever hurdles they had to cross to be together.
“I’ll take the long way to the paddock so you have time to meet with Jeanie and get in place. Thanks, guys.”
“Good luck,” Nathan said.
Alfie walked back to the SUV and got behind the wheel. As he pulled away from the curb, she said, “Why can’t you tell me what’s going on right now?”
“Because it’s important that I show you and not just tell you.”
She harrumphed. “Fine.”
The vibe between them was strained. She wasn’t talking and he wasn’t sure what to say, because everything he wanted to tell her—up to and including that he loved her—was tied into the secret of his shift.
The endless-seeming ride ended at the employee lot, and Alfie took her hand and led her into the park through the employee gate. He took his time walking her slowly around to the safari tour. “It’s so quiet,” she said, finally. “I guess the animals are all sleeping.”
He hummed in agreement.
Stopping in front of the wolf paddock, he saw that the light was on in the maintenance shed, slivers of light showing around the building. He entered a code and the door unlocked.
“What are you doing?” she demanded.
“It’s safe, I promise,” he said, holding the gate open.
She stared beyond him into the darkness of the paddock and then looked at him. “Well, I didn’t come this far to back out now. So just know if something furry bites me, I’m going to be so freaking pissed at you.”
She was so damn feisty.
“I won’t let anything bite you.” The gate closed behind them. “We’re going to walk to the maintenance shed.”
“Why?”
“My boss and his wife are there. I need to tell you the truth, and I need their help.”
“I’m confused.”
“Just stay with me, Myla. I’ll explain everything.”
He wanted to tell her other things, like how crazy he was about her and that he didn’t want her to be afraid when he shifted, but instead, he just held her hand and walked her slowly across the dark field to the maintenance shed. The doors opened, spilling the light out into the darkness.
“Hello, Myla. I’m Joss and this is my mate, Jeanie.”
“Mate?” she asked.
“You’d say wife. Our people say mate.”
She looked up at Alfie. “What’s going on?”
“Sweetheart. I’m a wolf shifter. I can turn into a wolf.”