by Marcy Jacks
He didn't want an argument, and he didn't want a fight.
Well, that was too damned bad for him, then, wasn't it?
"Tell me right now you wouldn't do the same thing if Dex wanted to leave you. Go on, tell me."
"Dex wouldn't want to leave me. He knows his place is with me."
"And you think Davin’s place isn't with me?"
"I didn't say that."
"You implied it."
"Stop being a little bitch. Don't put words in my mouth. You only play at being the alpha of this pack, but I am in command of you. Don't you ever fucking forget that."
"No, yeah, you're totally right. I won't forget it while I'm risking my ass and my job at the station so you can stay off the radar of the cops."
The sliding doors opened. Dexter stepped outside, three longnecks in his long fingers.
Behind those boxy glasses, his eyes widened. "Uh, is everything all right?"
"Everything's fine, Dex. Mark was just leaving."
"But he just got here."
"No, he's right. I have more important things to see to." Mark turned. He didn't bother to use the sliding glass doors. He knew at this point his asshole of an alpha wouldn't want him going through there anyway, so he walked around.
"Mark, wait."
He only gave Bodolf the respect of stopping and turning because the other man was his alpha. Other than that, he was so done here.
Bodolf stepped up to him, but his expression was still reserved. "I only tell you these things because it will hurt you more if you try to keep him like this."
Mark glared at the man, growled, and turned his back. "Fuck off."
But Bodolf wasn't finished with him. "You know I'm telling the truth, Mark. If he wants out, if he breaks a mating while you're still trying to keep him, it will only hurt harder."
"My precious feelings can handle it."
"Not your feelings I care about."
Mark knew exactly what Bodolf was talking about right there, but he didn't want to admit it. He didn't want to acknowledge it.
Mated pairs who severed that sort of bond were known to go through an excruciating kind of pain. It was as though an invisible link connected their minds, bodies, and souls.
To have that link shattered was supposed to be the worst thing for any mate to experience, the sort of thing one expected to feel only if one of the mated pairs were to pass away.
He and Davin were both perfectly healthy, so that wasn't the problem they had to deal with.
No, it was that Davin didn't feel safe living here. It was that Mark wasn't there for him enough to either protect him or give him the emotional support Davin didn't want to admit to needing, but very clearly did.
So Mark had to get this show on the road. He couldn't just sit by and do nothing while Davin walked out on him.
But the thing he hated to admit to, and Bodolf sure as hell had him by the balls here, was that if he didn't prepare himself for this properly, and he left his connection open and vulnerable so his mate could break it, then it might very well destroy him.
Well, whatever. He was going to worry about that later.
Right now, Mark needed to give work a call and explain that he had something so nasty and disgusting that there was no way he could come back into work for the next seven days.
Werewolves did get sick on occasion, so it wasn't as though it would be all that obvious he was lying to them.
God, he hoped not.
Mark went to get all of his shit together, and then he was going to take his mate out to dinner. Fuck it. Their seven days started tonight.
* * * *
Davin couldn't believe he'd agreed to this.
It was such a stupid idea, really. He knew what this was. It was Mark's one last attempt to change his mind, and though Davin knew he could still change his mind right now, he knew that would be a shitty thing to do.
Hell, he could even ask Bodolf to force the issue, to make it so that Mark had no choice but to allow the mating to end, but Davin didn't want to do that either.
He didn't want to leave Mark behind on such bad terms, but this…
What if this helped that along?
He stood under the shower for a long time, thinking over this problem and how he could go on to solve it, but the truth was that there was no way to solve it.
The mating made it so that Davin was still in lust with Mark, made it so that he didn't want to leave, and now that Mark was giving him an out of sorts, it conflicted him.
Davin wanted to keep playing at being mated for just a little while longer, but at the same time, if playing this game weakened his resolve…
He needed to think some more about this, to figure out how he would handle this and what could be done if he ended up caving…
Maybe he could talk to Mark about it, to let him know that it wasn't him, it was…
Well, that didn't sound much better either, did it?
It's not you, baby. It's me. It's not you. It's your lifestyle. It's not you. It's literally everything else around you that's not even your fault.
God, he was so fucked.
Davin dressed and headed outside. Mark wasn't in the house. That usually meant he'd gone into the office or was working on a case.
He was such a hard worker, and even as much as that could annoy him, Davin was beyond proud of him for it.
The man was perfect in every way possible, with two small exceptions. He was a werewolf, and werewolves meant there were hunters not all that far behind.
And he was a workaholic.
If it was just the long hours, Davin would be able to handle it. What he couldn't handle was the fact that there were people out there, humans and shifters alike, who wanted a piece of him, and Davin didn't think he could live like that anymore.
He kept to the walking trails around the pack territory, one of the few places where Davin still felt safe.
There were multiple paths out here. The deer and wolves ran them, as well, but this was the path that Davin liked the most.
Mainly because there were multiple spots where he could see the houses in the distance, even through the thicket of trees and shrubs. He could make out the houses and park trailers, and could even hear the sounds of the kids playing as well as the adults gossiping.
For that reason alone, Davin enjoyed these walks. He could clear his head without worrying too much about being snatched up.
He knew a hunter could sneak onto the property. They'd done it before, but Davin had basically tricked himself into believing that, whenever he was on these sorts of walks, it was safer here. This trail was the safe one. This was the trail where he needed to be if he didn't want to get kidnapped.
This was the trail that he could walk without getting heart palpitations.
Every other trail was just…danger. Especially the ones on the very outer edges of the territory. Davin no longer went anywhere near those. He wasn't about to risk it because he wasn't stupid.
He stopped short when he heard something.
Talking. Not out of the ordinary, but it sounded like angry talking. And he heard his name said.
His heart slammed. He should keep on walking. He didn't need to hear whatever was being said about him.
He'd heard it all. He knew how angry the pack was with him, how angry Kelly was with him. This wasn't…he shouldn't listen.
But he couldn't bring himself to walk away. Even as Davin moved his feet, he could only seem to move them in the direction of the voices.
"He's not going to leave. He's just being a little cry-baby bitch. Begging for more attention because he didn't get enough the last time."
That was definitely Kelly. She'd been one of the omegas taken with Davin that third time. She had to watch friends she'd cared about being torn to pieces when they tried to escape.
She was not a wolf soul, though she was an omega. Her friends weren't wolf souls either. She blamed him for their kidnappings, and their deaths were on him.
"He might
be leaving." That was Flynn. He was nice enough, though he didn't want to get in Kelly's way so he didn't much talk to Davin either.
Not that Davin minded. He didn't want to make friends with anyone here. No point when he was going to eventually leave the place behind.
"He's not. He's trying to get attention from his mate. He never shuts up with his whole woe-is-me shit."
"You were both through the same thing, though, right?" Boyle said. "It had to be traumatizing for the both of you."
"Yeah, and it was also traumatizing for our friends who were kidnapped and killed because this human is running around putting his scent all over us."
"But you know it's not his fault either, though. Right?" Flynn asked.
Davin got just close enough to the shrubs, taking a look through the leaves. He saw the look on Kelly's face. Her eyes glowed. He'd never seen an omega look like she wanted to rip someone's head off before.
“Are you saying this was my fault?”
“What? No! How would you even get that out of what I just said?”
“You said it wasn’t his fault. It is his fault. My friends are dead because they were hanging around him, and he’s too dense to know when there’s an attack coming, when he needs to be careful. It absolutely is his fault, and don’t you dare say anything like that to my face ever again, or I’ll make you regret it.”
Christ, she meant business.
Flynn looked as though he didn’t know how to react to something like that in the first place. Davin didn’t blame him, but he was still kind of disappointed when the other man dropped his gaze and gave in.
“Right, sure. Sorry.”
Davin sighed. He needed to get out of here before they saw him. It was a mistake to spy on them, and he knew better.
He went back home, reminding himself that this was one of the reasons why the mating wasn’t working out.
He couldn’t live in a place where he was constantly being kidnapped, but he also couldn’t live among people who hated him.
He wished he could make Mark understand that.
* * * *
Nathan looked over the photographs and was anything but impressed.
If he were in the mood to invest in property, land, or housing, then he absolutely would not be looking at a place like this.
Massive shithole was what this was. The trailers were in major need of repair. Or they should be torn down with their ashes pissed on just for good measure. A few houses looked all right. One in particular.
The wolves were so damned predictable. Obviously the alpha lived there.
Brad. What an asshole. That pole-smoking sack of shit. Nathan hadn’t forgotten how the other man had fucked him over, come into Nathan’s circles, stolen some of his property, and now he was there, living it up with the wolf soul he hadn’t paid for.
It wasn't even his real name, but that was to be expected.
The names he’d been able to get were ones he could barely pronounce.
Bodolf Torkjelson.
There were wolves who liked to stick to traditional names, but Jesus fucking Christ. How was he supposed to say something like that?
He had no doubt that Bodolf was Bead. If he wasn’t the pack’s alpha, then he was sure as hell up there on the list. He was a warrior at the very least. He was important, and Nathan was going to make sure that man fucking pay for what he’d stolen.
Nathan closed the folder.
The easiest way to get at an alpha wolf was to kick the legs out from under him. Everyone knew that.
Chapter Five
The chief was none too impressed when Mark explained that he was sick.
No, not impressed that Mark had to think up the grossest, worst symptoms to have for being at work for the next seven days.
He told the man he was having explosive diarrhea and projectile vomiting from a bad sushi run.
Shifters didn’t often get sick, but everyone was subject to food poisoning from time to time.
Not exactly something they wanted him to deal with if he was ever in a position to question the witnesses of a crime.
It was a dick move, and he knew that was going to get spread around the station, but that was just what a wolf was expected to do for love.
Part of Mark couldn't wait to tell his mate about this. He couldn't wait to share the humiliating thing he'd just done to get those days off because he knew it would make Davin smile, but then the smile was wiped clean off of Mark's face as he realized it might not change the fact that his mate was going to leave him.
No. He wasn't going to think about that right now. He was going to think about how much he loved the sight of Davin's naked body and what he was going to do with it when he got it.
Mark didn't go into the station, obviously, but he did take a drive so he could have some privacy and make the call. He also picked up some take-out from Davin's favorite Chinese food store.
And then a couple of flowers. He didn't know what kind they were, and he knew Davin wasn't always into anything overly romantic, but Mark wanted to have something for his mate when he got home.
Something other than the little toys he'd picked up from the store before taking his leave.
Mark made it home. He was already growling at the sight of Bodolf's house, as if the alpha would be able to see him through the walls and know what the problem was.
Right. Not likely to happen since Bodolf was a dense motherfucker.
He got out of the car, food in hand, but his ears twitched when he overheard someone talking, loudly.
Normally he didn't care about things like that. The only thing he did care about was the fact that he'd overheard Davin's name.
And considering the voice, he had a pretty good idea of what she was talking about.
Mark walked up to the small group. A few people saw him coming. Flynn immediately started to make hand signals, frantically trying to convey to Kelly that she needed to keep her damned mouth shut.
Kelly paused in her hate-on for Mark's mate long enough to glance over her shoulder and raise a brow. Her own mate, Stand, stood off to the side, looking embarrassed.
"Is there something I can help you with?"
Little bitch.
"Yeah, maybe stop gossiping about my mate where half the planet can hear what you're saying. That would be nice."
She narrowed her eyes. Kelly had been getting a little up her own ass ever since she came back from her stint with the hunters.
Well, more so than normal.
She seemed to think her tragedy allowed her to step on everyone else. Considering how natural it was for people to want to help, to want to look the other way when someone in pain spoke out of turn, that seemed to be the case.
Like right now.
“He’s not going to be your mate for much longer anyway, so I'm not sure why it matters."
Mark really struggled for patience with that comment. Had she not been a woman or an omega, he might have put his fist through her forehead for saying something like that.
Her mate must have sensed that because he quickly moved to step in the way. As if he thought he would be able to do anything to stop Mark from getting to her if he really wanted.
“Are you serious?”
The other man nodded. “Yeah, I am.”
Mark and the other male had a stare-down. He wasn't an alpha, but he was one of those betas who liked to think he was a little tougher than he actually was.
Sometimes betas like that needed to be put into their place. Mark was sorely tempted right now.
"Are you going to stop staring at me or what?"
"Do not threaten her."
Mark lifted a finger. "One, I didn't, and two, if I wanted to, a little bitch like yourself is not going to get in my way."
The beta's eyes turned bright red.
"Stan, don't bother. It's not worth it,” Kelly said.
"Yeah, Stan. Step back, or I will put your ass on the ground and make you kiss it."
"You aren't going to make me do sh
it. This is my mate. If she wants to vent about what happened to her, then she has every right to do that. You know that better than anyone, officer."
The snide way he used Mark's title was almost enough to make him slam his fist into the man's gut. He could visualize himself doing it. He could feel the tense muscle against his fist, and how nice it was to put this little cock in his place, but there was a massive problem.
He was right.
This was one of the reasons why it was easy for some in the pack to walk all over him at times.
Mark believed in his job. He loved his job, and he wanted the human system to coexist with the laws of the wolf.
If he was going to believe that, then he had to stick by his principles. There was no point in working as an officer of the law when he couldn't even bring himself to stand up for the fundamentals.
Kelly was a bitch, and her mate was a stupid cock, but they were allowed to say whatever they wanted to say, and there was nothing he could do about it.
The wolf inside him didn’t like that. It growled and snapped its teeth. He could see Stan’s inner wolf doing the same thing. Well, not really see it so much as he felt it.
Deep within them both, there was a fight brewing, and Mark had to rein in his inner wolf.
Something he would have had so much more trouble doing if Davin hadn’t been his mate.
"If I catch either of you making threats against Davin, or trying to harass him out of the pack, then it's on the both of you. Do you get me?"
"Why would we ever attack him?" Stan asked. "We're not the hunters he keeps bringing to us like a magnet."
"It's not his fault he's a wolf soul, you shit for brains."
"Right. I can smell it all over him. The least he could do is try to mask the scent."
"If you've got a hard-on for my mate, then that's some shit you need to work out between you and Kelly. You don't get to blame Davin for it."
Kelly suddenly looked wide-eyed at Stan, as though she couldn't believe Mark had even suggested such a thing.
Mark decided to get the hell out of there while the getting was good. He wasn't about to wait. He had better shit to do than listen to the sounds of their bitching and arguing behind him.
