BOYD
Alot of shit went down, and I knew Rob was going to blow a gasket. My brother was grouchy at best. With what I suspected was moon madness starting to plague him, he was even less patient with people, specifically me.
I hadn’t exactly caught him up to speed on the Audrey situation, so that was going to add fuel to the fire.
I didn’t want to leave her side, not just in the truck while she waited but tonight.
Her work was important. She helped people.
Saved lives. Brought babies into the world.
I couldn’t be totally selfish and fuck her all night long, no matter how much I wanted to.
But I sure as fuck would be waiting for her after her office closed tomorrow.
James shuffled down the drive beside me with the blanket around his waist. I could offer him a pair of jeans, but I let him suffer a little. He definitely deserved it. Dumb teens and their hormones. Although, I knew just how he was feeling.
I put my fingers between my teeth and whistled loudly. Yeah, we used cell phones and all, but some old-fashioned methods still worked just as well on a ranch. If Rob heard my signal, he’d come out to find out what was going on. He did, not a minute later.
Rob stalked out of the house, characteristic annoyance in his expression.
He set his hat on his head as he took the steps down from the porch.
When he got an eyeful of James in nothing but a blanket, then Audrey sitting in the passenger seat of my truck, he scowled even deeper. Crossed his arms over his broad chest.
“You wanna tell me what the fuck is going on?”
Because I could be as dickish as my brother, I nudged James. He also had to own up to his shit. “You tell him what happened.”
The teen swallowed, his gaze not reaching Rob’s face. “I was out runnin’,” he said.
“Elaborate,” Rob ordered.
“I was visiting my girlfriend, so I ran down the mountain in wolf form because, well… we were sneaking out together. I cut through Shefield’s property on my way home. Jett Markle shot me.”
“What?” Rob roared, turning his furious gaze to me.
I nodded my confirmation. “He fell into Shefield’s swimming hole. Audrey had to resuscitate him.”
Rob’s eyes narrowed. His neck grew red, and his fingers clenched into fists. “What about Markle?” he gritted, clearly not concerned about a gunshot wound.
“He saw the shot hit its mark, then the fall from the top. Nothing else,” I answered. “As Audrey tended to James, I found Markle and read him the riot act. Told him he shot my dog, and he’d better keep away from me and our property, or I’d shove that gun up his nose and fire.”
“What were you doing at the pool?”
“I was with Audrey, doing what you asked.” I threw that in his face, since he did tell me to stick close to her. What I needed to do was come clean with Rob about my relationship with her. That I wanted to mate her and make her mine. That I’d had the urge to mark her.
He’d have to listen to that. Our wolf urges didn’t lie, and they didn’t lead us wrong. Even if it was against pack rules.
I would tell him later, but not in front of the kid.
Rob took a deep breath, and I knew he could smell her on me. Knew exactly what we’d been doing.
“So she saw,” he said grimly.
I nodded. “She saw, and our secret is safe with her. Doctor-patient confidentiality.”
“That’s going to keep her from talking? This isn’t a mental health visit to a clinic. She just found out we’re shifters.”
James bobbed his head in agreement. “She promised us, Alpha.”
Rob shook his head and stared through the windshield at Audrey, who looked back at him with round eyes. I wanted to tell him to fuck off because she was clearly wary, even scared of him. I didn’t like anyone fucking with my mate, even the alpha.
But because he was the alpha, I stayed silent. I’d ensure she was okay once I got back to the truck.
He lowered his voice even though she was human and wouldn’t hear.
“I know I told you to stay on her after the bull riding accident to make sure she didn’t know what you were, but I did not mean fuck her until she falls for you.
What happens when you move on to your next conquest?
You think she’ll still keep our secret then?
No. This is a problem, Boyd. And so is Jett Markle.
” He turned to James, “You are in some serious shit with me, James.”
The teen dropped his head to the side to bare his throat and signal submission. “Yes, Alpha. But please, could you call my sister, Karen, instead of my parents? They will outright kill me.”
Rob frowned, then he pulled out his phone and handed it to James. “You call her. I’ll need a sit-down with both of you about this.” He turned to me. “Get Audrey home.”
It was all I could do not to growl back at Rob. I wasn’t going to fucking move onto another conquest, and his saying that pissed me off. But then he always thought I was the fuck-up, didn’t he?
Because I was.
Even after baring my secrets to Audrey, the truth remained.
I’d been the reason our parents died. Now I was part of the reason the pack was at risk.
It might have been James prowling after his girlfriend that Markle had seen, but now the bastard had a hard-on for me.
I’d taken his girl at the bar the other night.
I’d punched him in the face after he supposedly killed my dog.
I was getting in his way every chance I got, and that made things worse with him, not better.
Rob would have done the exact same thing, protected a woman from an asshole and saved one of our pack members. But pointing that out wouldn’t change anything.
Fucking hell.
I stalked to the truck without a word, not trusting myself not to be disrespectful with him, which would be particularly bad in front of a young pack member.
Audrey jumped when I slammed the door too hard, and I automatically reached for her hand. “Sorry. Fuck!”
“Is he mad that I know?” Audrey asked. She was so fucking smart.
I wanted to roll my eyes, to growl, but I didn’t. Her scent, the way her hair was all tangled and wild from our swim, then fucking, eased my frustrations. Just being with her, cocooned in the cab of my truck together, made me feel better. My wolf settled. “Yeah, but I can deal with it.”
“What will you do?” She stared at me with those pale eyes, then pushed her glasses up.
The memories of the car crash kept flooding my mind.
The crush of the metal car all around, forcing me to the floorboards.
The silence from the front seat. How I’d worked my fingers bloody trying to get out, then I’d painfully shifted for the first time and been able to paw my way through the smashed window.
With four animal legs, I’d been easily able to work my way up the embankment, but I’d had no idea how to shift back.
I’d waited there, staring at the crushed truck for what felt like hours before someone drove by and called the fire department for help.
They had to use the jaws of life to cut them out, and they’d been dead.
Fuck! Why am I remembering all this now?
Because the feeling was the same. The shame. Not feeling worthy of standing beside my golden boy brothers.
“Boyd?” Audrey prompted.
Fuck. Had she asked me a question? Right. What was I going to do?
Because I couldn’t think, because my brain was too fuzzy at the moment and the weight on my chest too heavy, I said, “I don’t know. This isn’t on you, darlin’.”
Later, I would wish I’d said a million other things. Explained that she was my mate, and I would fight to keep her no matter what. Even if it meant being at odds with my family and my pack.
But I was out of steam in the moment. I’d defaulted to fuck-up mode.
I just needed to get my head on straight and get things figured out.
I pulled up in front of Audrey’s place and climbed out, walking around to open the door for her.
“You okay?” She took my offered hand and peered up at me as I walked her to the door. My sweet doctor was concerned about me. “You sure you don’t want to stay?” she asked.
I sucked in a breath as my dick punched against my jeans. “Fuck, do I.” I forced a smile. “You need to sleep, and I need to deal with things at the ranch. I’ll call you, okay?”
“Um, yeah. Okay.” She kept her gaze on my face, a wrinkle of worry between her brows. I bent over and gave her a quick kiss.
“Good night, darlin’. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
She nodded, her smile wistful as she backed through her front door. “All right, sounds good.”
Before she shut the door, I said, “Gotta let that pretty pussy rest. I’ve got plans for it tomorrow.”
She bit her lip, and her gaze dropped to my crotch. “Good night,” she whispered.
Fuck me.
I got in my truck, even though my wolf was practically snarling at me to stay, to sleep with her.
Hold her all night. I couldn’t. I had things to figure out.
Instead of heading straight home to deal with shit, I found myself driving up to the mountains, to a pullout where I liked to go when I needed to run.
I stripped out of my clothes and shifted, bolting through the evergreens.
Praying my wolf would help me cast off the fog of uncertainty that had settled over me and Audrey and the future I’d been planning with her.