Chapter 26
SAM
I stared at my sister Genevieve’s pinched face. Her husband, Chuck, stood behind her looking sheepish.
“What beans?” My voice raised enough to attract the attention of the wolves around us.
Chuck spread his hands. “It was a poor choice of words. I just said you were on seduction duty to find out the scoop with the new pup.”
Oh, fuck. Fuck!
“Oh, shit,” someone nearby murmured. I thought it was Joy. Great. So it was as bad as I thought.
“He’s not on seduction duty. She’s his mate!” Genevieve cried, slapping Chuck in the arm.
“Well, how was I supposed to know?” he countered. “She’s not marked.”
I wanted to punch my brother-in-law in the teeth, but Clio was already moving away.
Fuck. This was so fucked.
“Clio! Hold up!” I jogged to catch up. I could’ve easily gotten ahead of her, but she was freaked enough as it was. “Clio.”
She kept walking, straight toward the field where I’d parked the truck.
I matched pace with her. I wanted to loop an arm around her waist and hold her until she believed me, but I knew she wouldn’t allow it. I couldn’t, anyway, with JT in her arms.
JT was staring at me with those huge blue eyes. He looked freaked out.
“It’s okay, bud,” I told him softly. “It’s a misunderstanding, but we’re going to work through it.”
That pissed Clio off enough that she stopped and whirled around making JT’s little legs swing around and hit her in the butt.
“How is this a misunderstanding?” she demanded. “You had a job to do, and you did it. Really well.”
“You’re my mate,” I said firmly. “This is real. What’s between the two of us is real.” I pointed back and forth. “There was no seduction duty. I told you I’m the butt of all jokes like that. Chuck is an idiot.”
“Mommy, what’s ‘duction?”
Clio patted him on the back. “It’s like when someone gives you a hug at a picnic, but they only did it to steal a cookie off your plate.”
“That’s not nice,” he murmured.
I gave Sam a pointed glare. “So your alpha didn’t tell you to find out what was up with my kid?”
Fuck.
I scrubbed a hand over my face and took a step back.
“Uh huh!” Clio said triumphantly. She started her march toward the truck again.
I don’t know what she thought she understood about this fact, but it wasn’t good.
“Hang on! I told Rob you were my mate, and you had a shifter kid. He did not put me on seduction duty. He just asked me to find out what pack JT came from, in case there was trouble. That’s all.”
Clio turned, this time with alarm on her face. “What kind of trouble?”
Fuck. Could I say anything right?
I sighed. “Rob is JT’s alpha now. He’s in our territory. He belongs to our pack. That means Rob will protect him from any threat. But he wanted to be prepared if there was going to be a custody battle or something that could start a war between packs. That’s all.”
Clio’s face had gone pale. “I’m out.” Her voice shook.
Christ, I had made it worse.
“Why?” I asked. She was safest with me. Safest here with the pack on Wolf Ranch.
“I want out,” she snapped. “We don’t aspire to be a part of your pack–or any pack.”
I felt like I’d been thrown into the ocean with a 700 pound concrete block tied to my torso. “Clio,” I choked. “I never lied to you. There was no manipulation other than me wanting you as my mate.”
Her eyes swam with tears. “Please.”
No. Fuck. My mate was begging me to let her go?
This couldn’t be happening. I set my hands on my hips then ran one over my hair.
I was sinking under water now, fast.
My eyes burned. I shoved my hand in my pocket and pulled out the keys to my truck. “Here.” I held them out. I wasn’t sure what else to do.
As she took them, our gazes locked and held. I saw the same turmoil swimming in her eyes that was tearing me apart, yet I had no idea how to bridge the gap.
Everything I’d said had made it worse.
My mate was walking away from me, and I didn’t know what to do or say.
Me, the guy who always knew what to say or do with a female.
“Thanks,” she muttered. “I’ll, um, get it back to you.”
I waved an impatient hand. “I don’t give a fu— frick about my truck!” I modified my language for the little ears present. “I care about you. You and JT. I care about understanding why you are running away from a good thing.”
Two tears escaped and tracked down Clio’s cheeks.
“Don’t cry, Mommy.” JT wrapped his little arms tightly around her neck, looking scared.
“I-I can’t do this, Sam. It was a mistake.” She bounced JT higher on her hip, then turned and fled to the truck.
I was fully submerged now, drowning.
It was a familiar feeling. Exactly how I felt when my dad died. Like the world was ending, and I should be able to do something, but I just didn’t know what.
Clio had baggage. I’d known that from the start. But right now, I was so far in her ex’s shadow that she didn’t even see me.
I stood there and watched as Clio started my truck, backed out, and drove away.
I wanted to shift and run–I could hear my wolf howling mournfully. But all the energy had drained out of my body. I was anchored to the floor of the ocean, suffocating.
I dropped down in the field. Sat down on my ass with my elbows on my knees.
I told myself it was to think, but the truth was, all thoughts had disappeared from my head. I was an empty fucking shell without Clio and JT.
Mine, my wolf snarled.
No, I told him. No, she’s not.
I flopped down on my back to stare at the setting sun.
Clio wasn’t mine. And I didn’t know if she ever would be.