Chapter 7 #2
A large naked man with dark blond hair, a short beard, and ice-blue eyes is snarling. Vaden follows a step behind, still naked, also arguing. They talk over each other, so I can’t actually piece together exactly what the problem is.
They’re followed by more naked people. I keep my eyes on the ceiling so I won’t see more than I should. Seeing Vaden naked is one thing. A whole roomful of strangers is another. Meeting new people is hard enough. Their being naked doesn’t make it any easier.
From the other side of the house, a door snicks open, and footsteps head toward us. Four more people enter the kitchen, all naked, giving me more reason to keep my eyes on the ceiling because I have never been surrounded by so many naked people in my life.
“You put my pack at risk,” the large blond man practically spits in Vaden’s face.
Vaden steps up to him, a growl rumbling from his chest. “You involved yourself in this. I had this situation under control. The hunt was mine. That howl was a warning, not an invitation for you to dictate how I protect my mate.”
Dayne sticks a finger in his face. “Trouble is on my territory. My territory. That puts my pack and kids at risk. You do this my way or you get the fuck out of my house.”
I stop caring about seeing naked bodies and push my chair back, the wood scraping across the hardwood floor as I stand. The sound draws all eyes to me.
I walk toward the back door, keeping my gaze above hip level.
“Shelby?” Vaden frowns as he steps toward me. “Where are you going?”
“I’m leaving. This mess is mine, and I don’t want anyone getting hurt because of me.” I glance at Dayne, the blond man who radiates so much dominance that there’s no question he’s in charge. “Sorry for the trouble I caused you and your family.”
I turn back to leave and slam into Vaden, who stepped in front of me while I wasn’t looking. I was closer to the door than he was, but I never heard him move. He was just suddenly there.
“Move, Vaden.”
“You’re not going anywhere without me,” he says, his expression stubborn.
Resting my hands on his chest, I push. “I don’t want anyone hurt because of me, and that includes you. I’ll go. It would be better for everyone if I weren’t around to cause trouble.”
An unfamiliar dark-haired man standing at the kitchen island asks me, "Has Vaden told you what a pack is, Shelby?"
I shake my head.
“Family,” he says gently. “We fight for each other, and we protect each other. That includes you. I’m Luka, Dayne’s beta.”
My head pounds at yet more information, and I rub it wearily. “I appreciate what you’re saying, I really do, but I’ve had enough new words today and I’m struggling to deal with more.”
Dayne lets out a sigh. “You’re not going anywhere.
We’re having a meeting here tomorrow after breakfast. Come to the house at 8:00.
I’ll sort out patrols for the rest of tonight.
Whoever was sniffing around took off before we could catch them.
, but that doesn’t mean they won’t come back.
We’ll figure out a plan to keep everyone safe. That includes you, so no running.”
I take one look at his ice-blue eyes, see the warning in them, and listen to my instincts. “Okay.”
Vaden takes my hand, links our fingers, and tugs. “Come on. Let’s get back to the cabin.”
The rest of the pack call out goodbyes as the door closes behind us, and I quietly follow Vaden down the porch stairs and toward the forest.
I open my mouth.
“You’re not leaving,” Vaden says before I can speak. "This place is safe, and I will protect you.”
I stop walking. He does likewise. I feel him looking down at me as I stare at the ground. “I’m a danger to you and everyone around you.”
“Look at me, Jane,” he softly orders.
Lifting my head, I meet his gaze.
His eyes are serious and focused. Utterly determined. “There is no me without you. We stay here together or we leave together.”
I give him a long look and sigh. “Okay, fine. I’ll stay until the meeting after breakfast. That’s it. And I need to quit my job and the grocery store before I get Fisher’s dad killed.”
“Okay,” he says smoothly.
Swallowing my frustration, I swing away from him. “Next time, if you want me to believe you, maybe try not to agree immediately when it’s clear you’re lying. A thoughtful pause is more convincing.”
I gasp as he tugs me back, and I bounce off his chest.
“Not so fast, Jane.” He wraps his arms around me, and I hear him breathing deeply with his face against my hair. “Are you okay?”
“I’m not the one who just charged into trouble. I should be asking you the same thing. What even happened?”
From Dayne and Vaden’s argument in the kitchen, whoever was sniffing around got away.
Averie warned me whoever heard Vaden’s howl would likely run away, and Vaden must have known it too.
But he did it because of me. He wanted to make sure the rest of the pack knew there was trouble and that I might need help.
He pulls back to look at me. “Someone was moving toward us. They thought they were quiet. They weren’t nearly quiet enough. And I’ve been in fights before. I barked an order at you and scared the shit out of you. Are. You. Okay?”
“Well,” I concede, “I did run into a naked man, so that was interesting.”
The growl that rumbles from his chest makes me back up, alarmed that he’s going to change into a wolf again. My nerves can’t take any more people changing into wolves today.
He draws me back. “You were right to call me Tarzan,” he says with a sigh, “I was jealous and doing a terrible job of hiding it.”
I give him a long look. “I don’t like people ordering me around. It makes me feel like I’m not in control of my own life when I’ve been doing a pretty damn good job of keeping myself alive, safe, and breathing for a long time without their intervention.”
He smiles slightly. “I don’t like orders for the same reason. I can carry you.”
I shake my head. “I need to process, and I can only do that when I’m walking.”
“Okay.”
The walk back to the cabin is thankfully drama-free. He goes to the couch, and I’m heading to the bedroom when I stop and turn around.
He glances at me. “Jane? What is it?”
I bridge the distance between us. “Thank you. For telling me things you knew I wouldn’t believe, for saving me, and for howling even though it meant whoever it was got away. I wasn’t alone and scared because you called for help for me.” I touch my lips to his.
He cradles the back of my neck, extending a kiss that ignites every nerve in my body as I press against him. His kiss is a brand that sears me down to my bones, and I can’t get enough of the way this man tastes.
He breaks away with a frustrated sigh. “Go to bed, mate.” It’s another order, one that pulses with need.
If I don’t walk away from him, this kiss will turn into something more. Wanting to stay but knowing I’m not ready, I head to the bedroom.
I feel him watching me every step of the way, wanting me as much as I want him.