Chapter 8
Rhett
The cantina was one of many amenities in the pack house. Like all parts of the house, the cantina had certain expectations for good behavior. They were shifter expectations, of course, so as long as no one was brawling, it was anything goes.
It wasn’t the type of place I wanted to take Angie. Hell, it wasn’t the type of place I wanted to take myself.
Under my current circumstances, it was downright stupid. My wolf was still pacing, sitting so close to the surface of my skin I was surprised I wasn’t sprouting fur.
If I was prepared to tear my own brother’s throat out, what was I going to do if some random unmated male approached her?
“We won’t drink. I just want to see it! I’ve never even heard of a pack house.” Angie clasped her hands beneath her chin.
“It’s getting late…” I went to look at my watch and realized I wasn’t wearing one.
“C’mon bro. It’ll be fun. She can get to know us,” Dustin offered, cringing as soon as the words were out and I began to growl. “From six feet away. We’ll create a barricade around her so no one can touch her.”
I appreciated the offer, but my wolf was bristling at the idea of her snug between my brothers.
Angie’s excitement deflated. “Actually, we can stay in. If it’s going to be hard on you—"
She was perfect—for my instincts, my wolf, every bone in my body.
“We’re going.” I walked into the living room, taking one of Mom’s coats off the hook and handing it to her. “But there are some things I need to warn you about.”
I put a hand on her lower back, guiding her out the front door and to my SUV before I could change my mind. My index finger found Dustin and I snapped, “You’re driving Ross. See you there, asshole.”
Now he couldn’t get wasted and wander off with some lonely she-wolf. Dustin could be irresponsible, but he would never leave Ross to find his way home.
Angie listened attentively as I explained what to expect. Shifters weren’t uncivilized animals the way the news portrayed us, but we weren’t like humans either. Extreme PDA was common, and most unmated shifters were perfectly comfortable with casual sex.
Personally, I didn’t get it. Even in a pack this big, eventually that kind of fooling around would catch up with you. What was Dustin going to do if he ever found his mate and she realized he’d seen half the females in this pack naked?
“Other than the aggression part, I don’t know if humans and shifters are all that different. I’ve been to some pretty crazy parties.”
I bit the inside of my cheek. I didn’t have the right to be angry that my mate had a life before we met. That didn’t mean I wasn’t bothered.
“Mostly sitting on the couch, trying not to touch anything. My friends in college knew I don’t drink, and somehow they always roped me into being the designated driver.”
I exhaled. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as I was imagining.
“I do love music, though. And dancing. Do you dance?”
“With the right partner.”
She settled into her seat, watching the black silhouettes of trees pass.
“I don’t think we fooled your mom,” Angie blurted. “And she’s so nice. I feel bad about lying to her.”
“I think she got exactly what she needed from your visit.” I knew I wasn’t going to fool Cindy. It was never really my plan. But after my reaction in the kitchen, no one was going to doubt that Angie was my mate.
Except Angie herself, who was adorably oblivious.
“So, that was it? Tomorrow we’ll go deal with my ex?”
I hesitated. I should never have agreed to that. But what was worse? Going with her to confront him, or letting her go alone?
What if he asked for a second chance, and she gave it to him?
My wolf would be rabid, completely uncontrollable.
It occurred to me that I’d been so busy teaching Angie about shifters that I hadn’t asked nearly enough about her ex. About her life in general.
“What’s the deal with this guy?” The soft, pale lights of the pack neighborhood cut thin lines through the trees. The pack house came into view before Angie had a chance to answer.
I parked in the lot on the side of the house, where two dozen other cars were parked. Some steamed in the cool night air. Others had a thick layer of snow on the windshield, having sat through at least one winter storm.
Shifters living in the pack neighborhood had no reason to drive anywhere. Everything they needed was within walking distance. That was the appeal of Glacier Run for many of the shifters here.
I let the car idle under the guise of waiting for my brothers, keeping the heat blowing on Angie, even if I was sweating in the artificial warmth.
“What’s the deal with this guy?” she echoed. “He was my boyfriend for a year and a half. Then he proposed. Then he vanished off the face of the earth.”
“You don’t sound that torn up about it.”
“Well, I’ve had a lot of time to think since he bailed, and honestly, Vicky was right. I was settling.”
“Vicky?”
“My sister.” She swiped her hair over her shoulder with a sigh. My eyes caught the purple mark at the base of her neck, and my blood pumped faster. “She told me he was a jerk from the start. But the thing is—ugh, it’s so stupid.”
“I’m sure it’s not.”
Angie unbuckled, twisting in her seat and frowning. "I’m not exactly a good catch, okay? I draw pictures on people’s skin for a living. I can’t stop dyeing my hair like it’s going to fix my problems. I can’t get anywhere on time, even to my job. I’m the literal definition of a hot mess.
“Even if it’s not me, my family is crazy.
Not in the endearing way that you call your family crazy.
Like certifiably crazy. My dad has been stepping out on my mom since I was a kid, and they fight constantly.
My mom is a chronic drinker with a violent streak.
For some reason, I keep coming back. I’m like a kid who thinks that my parents will miraculously be better like they said they would and things will get easier. Most people can’t handle that.”
Her hand waved around the space in front of her, and she sucked in a breath. “I thought I was lucky to find someone who could tolerate all that. He wasn’t perfect, but I’m not either. He was as good as it got. I just wanted someone to stick around.”
She gave me a self-deprecating smile, trying to distract from the unshed tears in her eyes.
“So, that’s the deal with him. Now you know all my embarrassing insecurities and dark secrets.” She snorted a wet laugh. “It’s kind of freeing, isn’t it? Sharing all this baggage. It’s not like I can scare you away. This is fake. Temporary.”
I heard what she was saying, and panic was flaring inside me as I fought against the word temporary. I tried to think of anything slightly coherent and comforting to tell her, but all I managed was a blurted, “You are perfect.”
“Huh?”
“I said you’re—"
Thump.
Angie screeched, and I instinctively yanked her out of her seat and away from the threat.
There was another thump, followed by my brothers chuckling.
“Are you guys done making out, or should we go without you?”
I snarled, holding Angie to me. The front seat of my car was too cramped for both of us. Her back hit the steering wheel, and she wriggled awkwardly with her legs across the center console.
She squeezed my arm, climbing free from my hold and throwing open the passenger door. A rush of cold air came through the opening, and Angie gasped.
“Why is it so freaking cold here?”
Ross went to drop his arm over her shoulder, pausing halfway as his brain kicked in, and taking a step to the side. He eyed me as I leaped from the car, coming around the hood and filling the space between Angie and my brothers.
Both of them dipped their chins. Message received.
I took a subtle whiff of her hair, sucking her scent into my lungs and shuddering. She wasn’t going to leave my side. Dustin would run his mouth and make sure everyone knew she was my mate within minutes. No sane shifter would intentionally step between fated mates—except my idiot brother.
Actually, even Dustin knew better.
Unless…
“Did Mom put you up to it?” I elbowed him to get his attention before he could follow Ross through the wooden door leading into the basement of the pack house.
His reaction was too slow to hide the flash of guilt. “Put me up to what?”
Mom knew I hadn’t told Angie the whole story. She was trying to force my hand.
“Traitor,” I muttered, giving him a shove toward the door.
“What are we talking about?” Angie asked, following Dustin down a set of wide, carpeted stairs.
“I’ll explain later.”
The air was warm and heavy with scents. We descended the stairs single file, Angie clutching the railing as the dim light made them almost invisible to her.
Downstairs, the cantina stretched across the finished basement. The last time I was here, the place was little more than a man-cave. Someone had put a lot of work into upgrades since then.
Three pool tables filled the far end of the room. Hazy overhead lights were added to create a warm, cozy atmosphere. A wide shelf behind the bar created space for bottles to be neatly organized, and there was also beer on tap.
Bev gave us a friendly wave from behind the bar, her blonde ponytail swishing back and forth. Dustin and Ross returned her greeting. I forced my chin in her direction, not wanting to spare her another look.
Angie wasn’t a she-wolf, but I wasn’t going to give her any reason to feel jealous. Bev wasn’t the most subtle with her flirtation, and even though I always turned her down, it didn’t stop her from trying.
Like many older shifters, she was desperate for a mate. The more dominant and strong, the better. She spent years waiting for her fated mate, only to end up disappointed. Now, she was on the hunt for a chosen mate.
I watched my brother sidle up to the bar, giving her his most charming smile. I hoped Dustin knew how serious she was in her search.