Chapter Thirteen #2
She stepped forward and parted her lips to tell him to, ‘Do it,’ but Liam opened the door at that exact moment.
“Meeting’s starting,” their Alpha said low, somber eyes drifting between them. “You’ll have to catch up later.”
“We will be right in,” Delta said softly.
Nathan’s steady gaze stayed trained on her as Liam disappeared back inside. His cheek bones looked sharper, and his eyes were wilder. She didn’t know if he’d lost weight, or it was just caused by the wolf being close to the surface, but he looked powerful.
He lifted the six pack in his hands and twitched his head toward the house, then opened the door and held it for her.
The butterflies in her stomach fluttered as she sidled past him in the open door frame. She looked up into his eyes and hesitated for a split second.
She wanted to tell him she was sorry this was all so hard. She wanted to tell him she cared. She wanted to tell him it wasn’t her intention to hurt him.
“Let’s go,” Liam called from the table.
Pursing her lips, Delta ducked her gaze and made her way to the table. The Pack was talking low amongst themselves, but she could feel their attention on her and Nathan.
“I’ll take one of those,” Dodger said, holding his hand up.
Nathan tossed a beer to Vic, and then to Bridger, Liam and then Tabian. He offered one to Nory, but she already had a drink. Delta sat in an empty seat at the table and gave a private smile as Nathan reached over her and set an unopened, frosty can in front of her plate.
He cared.
He took the last for himself and settled his middle finger in front of Dodger’s face as he walked past him, holding eye contact. “We’re going to fight before the night is over,” he said, and oh the truth that saturated every word of his promise.
“I figured,” Dodger said easily. “I’m ready.”
“It’s not going to happen right now,” Liam ground out. “I have some announcements first.”
“Announcements, announcements, announcements,” Vic sang. The last part, he put vibrato into his voice.
“Are you going to do that every time we have a Pack meeting?” Liam asked.
“No. Only when someone says announcements. I learned that song in summer camp. Oh, I said announcements.” He drew a deep breath and sang, “Announcements, announcements—ack!” Tabian smacked him in the back of the head.
A giggle escaped Delta. Liam started talking, but his words sounded like they were being spoken underwater.
Nathan removed his beanie, and mussed his hair, and she noticed the haircut.
It was long and messy on top still, but the backs and sides were cut very short and blended perfectly into the top.
Even his beard had been blended from almost nothing at his sideburns to thick and full on his jaw.
Holy hell. He had gotten even hotter.
Nathan settled into the chair directly to the right of Liam, across the table from her. Delta’s nipples tingled with the hungry way he looked at her, and now she was trapped here, unable to move, unable to look away.
“Delta,” Liam said.
“Huh? Yeah?” she blurted, ripping her gaze from Nathan.
“Pay attention please.”
Nory was pursing her lips against a smile and focusing really hard on twirling pasta onto her fork from where she sat on Liam’s other side.
And now Delta was trying not to laugh, because good Lord she was useless right now.
Every cell in her body was reaching for Nathan, and she gave zero care for anything that was being said in this Pack meeting.
Nathan relaxed back into his chair and watched her with those golden eyes.
Her cheeks were catching fire with an embarrassing blush, but she couldn’t do anything about it.
If she excused herself in the middle of announcements, Liam would scold her in front of everyone, and he would be right to. She needed to lock in.
“Some of your homes are underway,” Liam said. “Tabian, you have a two-month build time on yours, right?”
Tabian nodded. “I’ll be out digging septic before then and preparing the concrete pad though.”
Liam gestured to Dodger. “Yours is about ready?”
“It’s being delivered on Thursday.” Dodger cast a grin at Nathan, and a wave of heaviness came off both of them. “It’ll be nice living up here, near the cabin. What about you, Nate? Any plans to move up here anytime soon.”
“Nate is still shopping homes and hasn’t settled on anything.” Liam stood and locked his arms against the table. “Dodger, if you keep baiting him, I’m going to lift the no fighting order and let him have you. You’re pissing me off. Quit.”
“I also vote you lift the no fighting rule,” Vic said, lifting his hand.
“I second it,” Tabian said around a bite of food. “Dodger’s getting on everyone’s nerves.”
“What did I do to you?” Dodger asked.
“Breathed,” Tabian said. “You existing is fucking annoying.”
“Hey!” Liam barked. “Let me get through announcements before you bleed each other.”
“Announcements, announcements—”
“Shut uuuuuup,” Bridger drawled from where he stood leaning against the opening to the hallway.
“Why don’t you come over and sit down?” Liam asked him.
“Because you are all safer from me stabbing you when I’m over here.”
Mouth full of food, Vic said, “I vote we leave him over there.”
Delta was trying not to laugh, but Nory gave her a look, and she couldn’t help it. She liked the boys’ banter. Truth be told, she’d missed it this week.
“Nate hasn’t pulled the trigger on a home yet because he’s had an offer from another Pack,” Liam said.
The room went still and silent.
“What do you mean?” Bridger asked after a few loaded seconds.
“The Heritage Place Pack has offered him a spot as Alpha.”
Delta jerked her attention to Nathan in shock, but he was looking down at a saltshaker he spun slowly on the table.
“You’re being offered Alpha of my old Pack?” she whispered.
He still didn’t look up, and he didn’t answer.
“Why would he be offered that?” Tabian asked. “It’s a big Pack with a long history of strong Alphas. They coach up members to take over that position. They usually only take legacy Alphas who have been in the Pack for a long time, not strangers.”
“Well, I think they’re having an Alpha problem right now, and Nate won a fight with the reigning one.”
“Holy shit, man,” Vic uttered, sitting up straighter in his chair. A smile transformed his face, and he threw a roll at Nate. “Congratulations! Why didn’t you tell us?”
“Because I don’t know if I will accept the position yet.”
“You don’t know if you will go be an Alpha in an Elder sanctioned Pack, with all of the resources you could ever need?” Tabian said.
“I just have some stuff to think about before I make the decision.”
“Like what?” Vic demanded. “You’re an unofficial Second in a Pack of Rogues, living out of a hotel because there isn’t a house for you here. Why would you turn it down?”
“It’s personal,” Nathan growled.
“Cool, well that’s a bullshit answer—”
“Why are you all so eager to get rid of me?” he asked.
“Because you suck?” Dodger guessed.
An open beer hit him directly in the face, and hard. Delta gasped as she ducked out of the way of the flying liquid, and when she opened her eyes, Nathan already had Dodger’s throat in his hand and was dragging him out of the house.
In a bland voice, Liam called, “The order is lifted. You may fight. Work your shit out.”
The front door slammed, and Delta jumped with the sound.
Vic and Tabian shot up, and Bridger followed them out, and then Liam, leaving Nory and Delta at the table.
“Did you know he was being offered Alpha?” Delta whispered to her in horror.
“No. I just now found out too. Maybe it happened today? Liam didn’t tell me.”
“He has to do it. He has to take Heritage, right?”
“He’ll stay,” Nory said, her eyes wide. There was an uncertain note to her voice.
“The opportunity is too big.”
“But he chose to come back here with you. He’s been asking about you all week. He will stay for you. I know he will.”
Yeah, but now their Arrangement was dissolved. “Nory…what do I do?”
Nory shook her head helplessly. “I don’t know.”
Delta stood so fast, her chair fell back, and Nory followed her out of the house, shrugging into her jacket as she tried to catch up.
Outside, on the edge of the clearing, Nathan had peeled his shirt over his head and paced in the snow, blazing gold eyes on Dodger as he removed his shirt too.
Dodger went straight to kicking out of his pants and was the first one Changed. An enormous light silver wolf ripped out of him, and he charged Nathan.
Delta’s heart was in her throat as she gasped. Nathan was human! He would be hurt!
But the second Dodger’s wolf reached him, he Changed in an instant and arched his back and threw Dodger’s wolf onto the ground.
“Oh my gosh,” Nory whispered beside her as they slowed.
“Stay back,” Liam ordered softly as they approached the fight. He placed himself between Nory and the war of the wolves.
The snarl was loud, and the predators were so fast, they blurred with a violence that stole Delta’s breath away. Red sprayed across the snow, and Liam barked out, “Enough! It’s done!”
The fight stopped and Nathan stood with Dodger’s throat in his muzzle. His eyes were glued to Liam.
“Don’t,” Liam warned. “That’s an order.”
But Nathan had been offered Alpha. Would an order from Liam stick? The defiance in his eyes as he clamped down his teeth onto Dodger’s bleeding neck made Delta question it.
A whine escaped Dodger’s gurgling throat.
“Nathan,” Delta said, approaching with her hands out. “He’s in our Pack.” She shook her head. “Please don’t.”
Nathan held for a three-count more and then released Dodger. Dodger’s wolf scrambled off, bleeding heavily.
Nathan faced off with Liam.
“What are you doing?” Liam gritted out as the wolf moved in a half circle slowly around him. He reached back and gripped Nory’s jacket, moving to keep himself between his mate and Nathan’s charcoal gray wolf.
His hackles were lifted in a mohawk down his back, and his lips were peeled back, baring blood-soaked, razor-sharp teeth.