by Susan Bliler
Tallius was busy setting the table. It was an intimate little number, just a two-seater with ornately carved wooden chairs facing each other.
Feeling insecure, she rubbed at the back of her neck and ignored how Tallius’s eyes left the silverware he’d just placed on top of napkins to glance at her belly.
Dropping her arm, she secured her mask of indifference and asked, “What can I do?” She hated asking. She didn’t want to offer anything to Tallius or any other member of the WG, but standing there like a petulant child while someone else worked wasn’t her.
“Have a seat,” Tallius gestured toward a chair. “Everything’s just about ready.”
But she didn’t like that. It felt like she was being dismissed or coddled, which was even worse.
Stomping into the kitchen, she planted her hands on her hips and frowned up at him. “I’m not your guest.”
Tallius just blinked down at her, looking surprised by her outburst.
“And you’re not mine,” she continued. “We are on equal footing. Both Betas, both here representing our packs, both doing our Alpha’s bidding. So—” dropping her hands, she eyed the kitchen “—you’re not going to wait on me. You’re gonna treat me like I’m any other Beta from any other pack. You’re gonna treat me like you’d treat a male.”
His eyes narrowed on her an instant before he turned and snagged a large towel-covered bowl off the counter. Shoving it into her chest, he growled, “Fine. Put this on the table.”
Hands under the bowl, Mira glared up at him. “Is that how you’d talk to Tae, the Eastern Eclipse Beta, or Neeko of the Black Alders? What about the Cascade Crew Beta, Ryland? Would you shove shit into his chest and order him around? No!” she snapped. “You wouldn’t, because you know they’d knock you on your ass.”
With a roll of his eyes, Tallius chuffed a laugh before drawling, “Sweetheart, they could certainly fucking try.”
“What I’m saying,” she bit out, “is that I asked you to treat me like any other Beta. And you ordering me around ain’t it.”
Eyes going incredulous, Tallius’s mouth dropped open in an exaggerated fashion before he bellowed, “Are you shitting me, lady? Ten fucking seconds ago I was all, ‘Please have a seat, dinner’ll be ready soon,’ and you lost your shit! Now I’m being too aggressive?” Planting his hands on his hips, he shook his head slowly. “You’re giving me fucking whiplash.” Eyes going tight, he said, “Why don’t you just do whatever the hell it is you want while I get the food on the fucking table like I’ve been trying to do from the jump.” Giving her his back, Tallius went back to ladling stew into bowls.
His lambasting left her feeling like a child who’d just been properly admonished. For a moment, she wondered if she was being too sensitive, but when Tallius glanced over his shoulder and stared pointedly at the bowl in her hands, Mira decided he had no idea what it was like to see her lose her shit.
Slamming the bowl loudly on the nearest counter, she shoved him in the chest hard with both hands when he turned to face her with a bowl of soup in each hand.
“Ow, shit!”
He’d barely moved from her shove, so reaching up, she did it again, this time using all her might.
“Jesus! Fuck, woman, this stew is hot!”
He’d barely moved again, but it was enough to have him taking turns turning his head from side to side to blow on each of his hands where stew had sloshed over and burned him. The sight of the big behemoth blowing on himself was so ridiculous that a laugh bubbled its way up Mira’s throat from out of nowhere.
Eyes jerking to her at the sound, Tallius bellowed, “Are you fucking crazy? This shit ain’t funny.”
But it was to her, and his words only made it funnier. Unable to stop herself, Mira laughed harder. It only intensified when Tallius shimmied comically around her with wide, fear-filled eyes and set the two bowls on the table. Lifting his affronted hands, he continued to blow on them as he scowled at her. “You’re fucking crazy, aren’t you? I shoulda known. How else would a female make Beta in the Fury. Why else would a female want to make Beta in the Fury?”
If his words were meant to wound, they didn’t. In fact, they had the opposite effect. Feeling a surge of pride, Mira lifted her chin as her laughter tapered off. “I earned my place in the Fury. I battled my way through six other shifters for Beta. I clawed my way up out of misery and hell to be where I am, and you treating me like a princess is pissing on all of that.” Pulling out a chair, she dropped into it as she commanded, “Don’t do it again.”
Hands shooting up again in another gesture of surrender, Tallius lowered himself into the chair opposite her and quietly took up his spoon. Head lowered, he ate in silence and kept his attention on his food.
Trying to avoid looking at Tallius over her bowl of steaming stew, Mira tried and failed to keep her gaze fixated on her food. She couldn’t. Tallius looked different. Yeah, he was still as beastly, intimidating, and hot as she remembered, but something was just . . . different. It could be because he wasn’t in death, death, die mode. Maybe she’d built him up in her head to be something he actually wasn’t. Hell, the last time she’d seen him, he was ripping his way through her FourClaws pack like a hot knife through butter. He had been drenched in the blood of his enemies, his expression fierce, his body hulking. She remembered his eyes locking on hers as he ripped out the throat of her pack Beta. Tallius had been merciless, cold, intent, but there had been the briefest of moments, when his eyes touched on hers, that she swore his look softened to one of regret.
She thought about that night often. She thought about that look even more. It was one of the reasons she’d agreed to do her Alpha’s bidding and come to this dumb-as-shit mutual meet. She needed to know if that look had been real, or if she’d just imagined it.
“Food’s not bad,” she offered by way of an olive branch.
Tallius’s response was a mere grunt, and just that fast, Mira was back to being irked by him.
Chapter 5
Tallius didn’t know whether to try at small talk or to keep his fucking mouth shut. He hadn’t been lying when he said Mira was giving him whiplash. Her moods seemed as temperamental as the Montana weather. It was frustrating. Correction, she was frustrating. He’d come up here to try to make some sort of amends, but the damn she-wolf seemed hell-bent on preventing that from happening. Worse, her mood swings had him doing and saying shit he wouldn’t normally say or do. Even now, he felt a sharp bite of guilt for calling her crazy. He shouldn’t have said that, shouldn’t have resorted to name-calling. It was weak and rude and seriously out of character, but this woman had him so goddamn off-kilter he didn’t know whether he’d found a leash or lost a dog.
Head bowed low over his bowl, he was nearly done with his stew when a biscuit appeared in his line of sight. Glancing up, he noted Mira’s smug expression as she held the biscuit out to him.
With a shrug of indifference, she said, “You baked ’em, might as well enjoy ’em.”
Cautiously taking the biscuit from her hand, he half expected some sort of attack.
With a smirk, Mira’s brows shot up. “Don’t pretend like you’re afraid of me, wolf. I’ve seen you in action.”
And just like that, a lump of regret lodged in his throat and made it difficult to swallow the dry-ass biscuit he’d shoved into his mouth.
Pushing away from the table, he stalked to the fridge, jerked it open, and yanked out two bottles of beer. At the table, he dropped back into his seat as he twisted the cap off his beer. Staring over the bottle as he swallowed down half its contents, he watched Mira while she watched him right back. He lowered his bottle, and his eyes followed hers to the other that he’d set on the table. Motioning toward it, he said, “Drink it . . . or don’t.”
With a snort, Mira picked it up, twisted the cap off and took a long draw. Her eyes were on his, but he was staring at the delicate column of her throat. A vein low on the side was pulsing with her heartbeat and had him wondering what she’d taste lik
e. Biting and fucking went hand in hand for shifters. Mesmerized by the steady rhythm and how soft her skin looked, he didn’t immediately notice when Mira cleared her throat. Clearing her throat a second time, a little more loudly, she drew his eyes back up. She’d finished drinking and was staring at him with a bored expression like she knew exactly what he’d been thinking. Feeling an unmanly blush try to claim his cheeks, Tallius shoved up from the table again and took his bowl to the stove. “More stew?”
While he was surprised by Mira’s, “Sure,” he was even more surprised when she turned in her seat and held out her bowl.
Taking it from her, he filled hers up first. But instead of placing the full bowl in her waiting hands, he carried it to the table and settled it in front of her with a, “I wasn’t joking about it being hot.”
To her credit, Mira didn’t argue, and it was nice. She’d let him get her a beer and refill her stew. Maybe she didn’t hate him as much as he thought.
Easing back into his seat with his own bowl, he nearly dropped it when Mira said, “You’re pretty considerate for a ruthless killer.”
The statement was loaded, and he considered not taking the bait but then decided to engage. It’s the whole reason he’d agreed to this. He wanted to explain himself, and Mira had just opened the door.
Easing back in his chair, Tallius rested his forearms on the table. “We’re all ruthless killers, Mira.”
“I’m not. I’m a shifter, same as you, but I’ve never killed anyone.”
“That’s because it was never expected of you. But now that you’re a Beta—” he let his eyes glide over her face “—you’ll be called on to do things you don’t always wanna do. Before, you were a shifter, but not the same as me. Now . . . you are. Now, not only will you be forced to do your Alpha’s bidding, but you’ll also be expected to do it quickly and efficiently whether you agree with it or not.”
Eyes sparking with anger, Mira growled, “You saying you didn’t want to attack the FourClaws? Because from what I remember, you seemed to have enjoyed yourself.”
And this was the hard part. There was no hope of winning her over with the truth, but he wasn’t about to hide it either. With a reluctant sigh, he lowered his head, looked at his hands, and then lifted his gaze back to her. “War gave your Alpha a choice. He gave your pack a choice: conform or fight. It’s a choice my childhood pack never received.” Swallowing hard, he reluctantly admitted, “You’re not the only one to lose your pack to an attack by outsiders.” His eyes grew distant. “War and I lost everything when we were just boys. Kids! He and I were the only two members of our pack to survive. It was total pack decimation and for no good reason. That ain’t what happened to the FourClaws, no matter what you think. Darius had a choice. Conform or fight. The FourClaws chose to fight.”
“That’s not an answer,” Mira bit out. “Did you agree with your Alpha’s command to attack an unsuspecting pack in the middle of the night, or not?”
“We’re trying to build something, Mira! Something that’s gonna benefit all shifters! Something that’s gonna help she wolves and pups. Something that’s . . .”
Hands slamming down on the table, Mira shot up out of her seat so fast that her chair flew back and toppled backward hitting the ground with a loud crash as she leaned over the table and yelled, “Did you agree with your Alpha’s order or not?”
His own anger rising, Tallius rose up out of his seat too before flattening his hands on the table and leaning across it toward Mira. “I agreed with his dictate to attack the FourClaws. But the decision to attack in the night wasn’t his. It was mine.”
As soon as the words were out, Tallius regretted them. His regret only intensified when Mira gave a sharp little inhalation and jerked back like she’d been slapped.
Fuck!
Her face went pale, and he swore her eyes flooded with tears before she tore her gaze from his and gave him her back with a muttered, “Well . . .”
“Mira?”
But it was too late. She was already heading for her room, the stew and beers forgotten.
“Mira!”
At the door to her room, she stopped but didn’t look at him. Her voice sounded thick when she spoke. “As I said, Aydin agrees to your terms. The Fury will conform.” Glancing over her shoulder, she looked right at him. “That’s not a lie, and this mutual meet is done. I’ve given you my Alpha’s vow.” Turning away from him, she reached for the doorknob. “And that’s all I’m giving you.”
The scents coming off of Mira were overlapping and overwhelming. Anger, grief, betrayal. It was that last scent that had Tallius skirting the table and hurrying toward her. “Mira!”
But she was already in her room, and when the door closed behind her, he heard her engage the lock. He could break the door down just as easy as he could blink, but he wouldn’t. Lifting a hand and resting it on the rough wood, he lowered his head, pressing his forehead into the door, where he shook it sadly opting to respect Mira’s silent demand for privacy.
Fuck, I’m an idiot! All his hoping, all his planning, all his wanting Mira to see him as more than just a mindless monster, and what had he done? He’d made things irreparably worse.
Chapter 6
Nora woke the next morning and spent the better part of the early hours and the afternoon avoiding Tallius by taking that long shower she’d been wishing for. She’d spent a good deal of time picking her clothes for the day and then dropped another half hour leisurely fixing her hair and doing her makeup. By lunchtime, she was famished and figured the two of them had spent enough time alone in the cabin to appease Tallius’s expectations of their mutual meet requirements.
Unlocking the bedroom door, she stepped out into the living room and was greeted by a flood of warmth. Her room had been cold last night because she’d kept the door closed and locked all night. Pride and all. While there were small electric heaters in both the bathroom and the bedroom, they hadn’t been enough against the arctic wind that had blasted against the cabin all night. A blizzard had come through late, and Mira knew she’d have a hell of a time digging her car out today.
The cabin smelled invitingly of bacon and toast, but both the sitting room and kitchen were empty. Crossing to the kitchen table, Mira found a foil-covered plate resting where she’d had her dinner last night. Glancing toward the sink, she saw a plate, glass, and fork drying on a towel laid out on the counter. Assuming the food was for her, she rummaged through the cupboard and found a glass. Jerking the fridge open, she bypassed the bright orange juice and pulled out the milk before filling her glass, her eyes on the glaring white snow that coated everything outside the window. Shit! It was deep, at least another foot and a half. Yeah, she’d have a hell of a time getting her car out, but it was something she was determined to do.
Mira ate breakfast in a hurry, ears pricked the whole time as she wondered where Tallius had disappeared to. Outside, everything was silent, and it felt eerie after the raging blizzard that had assaulted the mountain throughout the night. She strained for any sounds, and fear slithered through her when she picked up nothing. Had Tallius gone out in the deep snow?
Turning to look at his door, she dropped her fork, shoved up from the table, and crossed to his closed door. With a deep inhalation, she sucked back her reluctance and lifted a hand to rap her knuckles on the hard surface. “Tallius?”
Nothing.
Maybe he left.
She wouldn’t blame him if he had. Their mutual meet had been less than stellar. Mira felt confident she’d met the requirements, though, and could tell her Alpha she’d dutifully done his bidding when she returned to the Fury in twelve days. Still, as much as she despised Tallius for his admission last night and his actions against her pack, she knew things wouldn’t look good if he froze to death out in the storm. How would she explain to her Alpha and his how the War Gods Beta had died at the mutual meet.
Hand on the doorknob, she twisted and pushed the door open. The room scented strongly of Tallius, but it was em
pty.
“Ffffffuck!”
With a huff, she went back to the table. Her eyes were glued expectantly on the front door as she cleared the table and set the dishes in the sink. Washing them would have to wait.
Going back to her room, she unzipped her suitcase and rifled through it until she found her thermal wear. Quickly stripping out of her jeans and sweater, she re-dressed, adding layer upon layer until she was satisfied that she’d be able to tolerate the cold. It’d be easier to shift and search in wolf form, but if Tallius was hurt, she’d need to be in human form to be of any help. And she’d have to help regardless of his admission that not only had he agreed with War’s decree to attack her beloved FourClaws, but he’d also been the one to suggest the attack happen when her pack was most vulnerable. In her eyes it made him a coward, and there was no coming back from that, because once a coward, always a coward. Still, letting him die out in the cold wasn’t going to be good for anyone, not her, not their packs, and certainly not Tallius.
Stalking through the cabin, she shrugged into her puffy winter coat. Stepping into the cold, she was surprised by how serene everything was. The sun was shining brightly down illuminating the crystalline snow and nearly blinding her. Lifting a hand to shield her eyes, she squinted out at the landscape. Tallius had been hard at work because the porch had been shoveled as well as a path to her car, which was swept out from the snow that covered everything. There had to be easily two feet of the powder covering most everything. An explosive sigh left Mira’s lips on a giant puff as she eyed the road. Tallius had done his best to shovel all around her car and make a path for her to back out, but unless there was a snowplow of some sort up here, she wasn’t sure how she’d be getting out. Glancing at her Challenger, she muttered, “You’re all-wheel drive. Think you can make it, Olivia?”
“Who’s Olivia?”
Tallius’s voice had her whipping around with a start. He’d snuck up on her, and that wasn’t easy to do.
