Chapter 56
JULIET
Guard my back?
I can’t believe Roderick just said that. He, who wants me to be his mate, is willing to let me go?
And if he does what he says, won’t that put the entire pack at risk?
“I don’t want anyone fighting on my account.” I stare up at the man who’s laying everything on the line for me, and I wonder what I did to earn his loyalty.
“That’s right, girl.” Mick nods with a triumphant smirk, the alpha sure he’s gotten his way, like always. “Come with us quietly, and there doesn’t have to be any bloodshed.”
Before Roderick can answer, there’s a growling that starts up, and at first, I think it’s the members of the Bear Valley pack in their loose circle around us. But then I realize the sound reverberates from outside the circle.
Roderick didn’t come alone. There’re a few others dismounting from bikes.
I recognize Warner and Moose, who both step through gaps in the perimeter to join Roderick and me in our vulnerable position.
There’s a yellow pickup truck parked not too far back, and Courtney climbs up to the roof of the cab.
She crouches there, watching the scene unfold with a menacing glare from her elevated vantage point.
But they aren’t the ones making the threatening noise.
From the shadows in between the trees, furry forms slink forward. Praying that the wolves are from Pine Falls, I realize that with them, the interlopers from Bear Valley are outnumbered at least two to one.
“You’re not taking our librarian,” snarls a deep voice. And I’m shocked to realize the declaration came from The Rabbit Hole’s bartender.
Moose has barely spoken ten words to me since I moved to town, although I guess I do know some intimate details about his life after that run-in outside of Hester’s house. Still, I didn’t think the guy cared.
And, hell, his use of the word our, like this town has a sense of ownership over me, should piss me off. But it does the opposite. A warm relief spreads through my chest.
This is what I was searching for years ago. The reason I parked my car in Bear Valley. They showed me a false face, pretending they were perfection. Convincing me they could be home.
But that was a lie.
This isn’t.
There’s a force of wolves at my back, swearing to fight for me. Not because I’m their property or because another pack stealing me is some kind of slight.
But because I’m one of them.
And that’s why I turn away from Mick and face a true pack leader. I step right up to Roderick, and with my sore fingers, I grip the collar of his shirt and tug hard until it tears slightly.
My wolf doesn’t show shock. Not in a way that anyone around us can tell. But I see the flicker in his eyes. The slight flare in his nostrils.
“I don’t need you to defend my back while I run.” The words are steady as I speak loud enough for all to hear. “Because I’m done with that. I’m staying in Pine Falls.”
A twitch pulls at the corner of Roderick’s mouth. If we were alone, I know he’d be grinning. “You didn’t have to rip my shirt to tell me that.” Amusement is the slightest color in his tone.
That’s where he’s wrong.
“I don’t know everything about your customs, but I seem to recall the mating ceremony requiring a bite.” My fingers graze the taut skin of his chest, right over where his strong heart beats a proud rhythm. “Here, I think. Do I have that right?”
Roderick tenses, his whole body unmoving, yet homing in on me.
There’s movement behind Roderick’s shoulder, and I glance in the direction.
“Food first. You need to share food.” Thad tells me with his hands.
Food? Of course. That’s the catalyst for the common werewolf flirting technique.
For a moment, I’m frustrated that my plan has been thwarted. But then I realize I’m not without surprises.
Thank the gods my apron didn’t come undone in my wild bid for freedom. In the pouch pocket, I pull out a smashed, slightly melted bar of chocolate.
Should serve nicely.
“Juliet”—the rough way Roderick speaks my name has me pausing—“you don’t need to do this.”
When I meet his eyes, the doubt shadowing them hurts my heart. I realize how spur-of-the-moment this must seem to him. The last interaction we had, there was still a thick cloud of tension suffocating the air between us. All of that born from my fear of the future he painted.
But my werewolf hasn’t been in my brain these last few days. He hasn’t witnessed the introspection that finally had me realizing just how hung up I had been on my past.
Roderick doesn’t know that I already decided I wanted him in my future.
So, I guess I have to tell him—with an audience.
“I was making you éclairs when that asshole showed up.” I don’t look at Cory, just wave a hand in his general direction. My entire focus is on Roderick. “They were apology éclairs. But they were also can-we-please-make-this-work éclairs? And I-love-you éclairs.”
Roderick’s jaw clenches like he’s mashing his teeth together, and I might be fooling myself, but I think there’s a sheen in his eyes.
“Juliet.” This time, when he says my name, there’s a small catch on the T.
Damn, we need to get this show on the road before my man breaks down in front of this hostile pack.
I finish opening the candy’s wrapper and am happy the thing isn’t completely melted. Breaking off a little square, I hold the chocolate up to Roderick’s lips and glance over his shoulder expectantly.
Thad catches on and quickly signs out the answer to my unspoken question.
“I will nourish my mate,” I say. “As he takes from me, I give to him willingly.”
And then I wait.