by B. N. Kasner
“Don’t want any?” He sipped from the steaming cup, seemingly unaffected by the heat.
“No. I want to get down to business then leave. I’m known around these parts, if word gets back to Redwater, this will be over before it even begins.” Noah growled, letting some of his frustration out. Why was Ronnie dragging this out for no reason? It wasn’t like they were the best of friends or some stupid shit like that.
“Quit your growling before I put you down.” His voice was hushed, but the deadly intent stood out. “Anything me and my people need to know before we go in or is this as simple as I think it is?”
“There are newborn twins. I want them, alive.” Since leaving Redwater, he’d kept up with everything going on inside the territory. Thankfully the women didn’t think about their social media profiles. Twin alphas were rare in a way many didn’t understand.
Add in the fact their mother belonged to a long line of Goddess blessed shifters, and they were a miracle. The trifecta of power for shifters. He wanted them for his own nefarious plan. The twins were young enough, they’d never remember their parents if they died. Then Noah could step in and be their father. He would finally have all the power and influence he’d been denied in his life so far.
“Make sure you find them because we’re taking out everyone we come across. Since both of us know the terrain, I think a good place to start would be the town square. It’s isolated, with only one road in or out. Then we’ll work our way out from there until the whole place is cleansed.
“I don’t plan to stay in this Godforsaken place too long, so one month. That’s how long you have before Redwater goes from shifter haven to graveyard.” Ronnie downed the rest of his coffee, getting up and leaving. Noah waited until the human walked out to snarl, putting a tip on the table. The young waitress had stayed away, and hopefully, a little money would be an extra incentive to keep her mouth shut about ever seeing him. He wasn’t going to take any chances this close to getting his revenge.
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The look of pity on Grace’s face pushed him over the edge. He hated being pitied. Carter didn’t need her pity, he could take care of himself. His bear’s snarl rang in Carter’s ears, giving him a throbbing headache. “Don’t.” His growl slipped out before he could stop it.
She saw him in a way nobody ever had. Knew how to make him feel like there was hope, while at the same time cutting him down to size. Carter felt sorry that yet again, he’d confused her with his warring emotions. Just because he was being a pussy about things, didn’t mean he could keep playing games with Grace. She was right.
Carter did need to get his life together, but he didn’t know where to start. This mating wouldn’t ever work out if his head was shoved up his ass. Fuck, no wonder Grace had problems with being insecure.
He’d been nothing but contradictory with his words and actions. “I need to get out of here for a little bit. We’ll talk later.” His go-to method of dealing with emotional issues was to flee. Carter almost didn’t stop himself from kissing Grace goodbye.
Until he got his shit together, he had to stay away from her. There would be no more back and forth from him. The next time he saw her, it would be with a legitimate answer to all her questions regarding their future. He grabbed his jacket, ignoring Grace’s calls. If Carter turned around, he wasn’t sure what would come out of his mouth, and he was done making mistakes concerning Grace.
For the second time in a week, he found himself kneeling in front of Becky’s grave. Wishing on the one hand, she’d never died and on the other, hoping he could move on with Grace. “Why?” He repeated it first as a whisper, then his voice started to get louder until he screamed the word up at the sky. “Why?!”
The blue, cloudless sky just stared back at him. He pictured the Goddess getting a kick out of his pain, but he couldn’t imagine her wanting to hurt Grace. Which was exactly what he’d been doing because of this whole fucked up scenario. A twig snapped behind him. Carter closed his eyes, of course, Grace had followed him.
His mouth opened to chastise her when the sight of Mason snapped it shut. Carter’s best friend’s hands were overflowing with pink carnations and a half full bottle of whiskey. “Fuck,” Carter whispered, dragging a hand down his face. Not only had he been caught by Nathan, but now Mason.
He’d been waiting for a sign from the Goddess, hell, maybe this was it. Naturally, Mason looked confused as fuck. His pale green eyes bouncing between him and Becky’s headstone. He could tell the moment Mason put the pieces together by the look on his face. “I think I should be the one asking why.
“Like why didn’t you tell me you had a mate? Or maybe, why didn’t I know you’d also lost said mate? Shit, why didn’t I figure it out sooner? All the fucking signs were right in front of my face.” His best friend bent to kneel beside him, the whiskey dangling from his fingers. “I brought this to celebrate the birth of my little ones with my pop, but I think this revelation calls for drinking too.”
Mason took a drink, handing Carter the bottle to do the same. He didn’t hesitate to gulp the warm liquor down, enjoying the burn. “It’s not your fault. Nobody knows, kinda. Nathan saw me here the other day and overheard some shit.”
And Grace, but keeping Grace out of it felt like the right thing to do. There wasn’t a need to drag her into the conversation when he wasn’t sure about what their future held. “Still. You’re my damn brother in every sense of the word except blood. I knew something was wrong all those years ago but figured you’d come around.
“Only you turned into a different person altogether. I should’ve made you tell me what the hell was going on with you. Like you did, after my mom and I got into that huge fight before she passed. If you hadn’t been there for me, I don’t know what I would’ve done. No wonder you’ve been a bigger dick than usual, and to my wife of all people.”
Carter just nodded his head, taking another gulp of whiskey. There wasn’t a need for him to say anything when Mason was right on point with his reasoning skills. He did actually have some when he felt like using them. Most of the time, Mason went in head first and saw logic after. Which in a way he had, just nine years ago instead of hours.
“Why you looked sick when I mentioned finding your mate and having a family. Hell, I basically flaunted it in your face. Goddess I’m surprised you haven’t punched Gene in the face yet because he’s worse than me.”
“You sure about that?” Carter raised a black eyebrow at his best friend, passing the bottle back to him.
“Okay. I’m a fucking teddy bear where Ella, the twins and Corey are involved. Just don’t tell anyone or I’ll stick you with Isaiah as a head contractor for however long I can.” Mason laughed at the shiver that racked Carter’s body.
“Dear Goddess, please no. The wolf never shuts up.” Mason gave him an ‘I know’ look.
“Want to tell me about her?” Mason nodded his head towards Becky’s grave. “If you don’t want to-”
“No, I think it’s time for people to know.” He took a deep breath, then repeated the story he’d given Nathan to Mason. At least this time he hadn’t cried like a cub. “Annie reminds me of her.” Carter hadn’t told Nathan the last part.
Mates were crazy possessive, and he didn’t need Nathan breathing down his neck every time Carter came into contact with Annie. “Submissive, soft, calming. The yin to my yang. All that mushy shit.” Carter swallowed hard around the lump in his throat.
“For the old you, yeah, she sounds like a perfect match, but… If I step over the line here, just tell me. But, now? I don’t think a submissive shifter could handle you. You’re rough around the edges. A girl too soft wouldn’t be able to put you in your place.”
Instead of pissing him off, it gave him a unique perspective. One he hadn’t applied to his situation before. Carter thought about Becky, comparing what he imagined to what he knew and Mason had been right. Rebecca wouldn’t have been able to deal with the way he was now. “You know.” Mason coughed, his cheeks turni
ng a little pink.
“Grace puts you in your place.” Was his best friend trying to nonchalantly set him up with their other friend’s little sister? Carter had a tough time hiding his smile. “She lost her mate, and would make any bear happy.” He would’ve growled if Carter didn’t know how much Mason loved Ella.
Since Mason had brought up Grace, maybe he could get some advice on his feelings. “But I’m still in love with Becky. Doesn’t Grace deserve somebody who puts her first and loves her?”
“You’ll always love your true mate, no one’s asking you not to. The bond you had with her will never leave you, but it doesn’t mean it has to take up all the room in your heart. Do you honestly think Becky would want you to live like this? To pass on a good woman who’d give you a family? One who adores you?”
Carter’s shocked eyes locked onto Mason’s. “Anyone with eyes can tell something is going on between the two of you. Even Gene, although he doesn’t have any evidence so he can’t confront you.” Mason chuckled, eyeing the quickly dwindling whiskey. “I need to save some of this.” He screwed the top on while standing up.
Carter copied his movement, stretching his legs in the process. He thought about Mason’s words. No, Becky wouldn’t want him to be living a lie. She’d want him to have a family and anything else which might make him happy. Grace made him happy.
Happier than he’d felt in nine years. Some of the crushing guilt he’d been feeling wasn’t weighing down on him anymore. He could still love Becky and make room for Grace in his heart. It wouldn’t cheapen his true mate in any way or mean Carter didn’t love her. It just meant he wasn’t in love with her.
And the more he replayed Mason’s words in his head the clearer his decision became. Carter wasn’t about to let Grace go. Even though he believed in the whole, if you love something set it free bullshit, he wasn’t letting her go without a fight. He’d already committed himself to having a life with Grace, now he was ready to give her his affection.
No more holding back, no more playing around. The next time Carter saw Grace, he’d have a plan in place to show her, once and for all, who she belonged to. Who she would always belong to. His bear growled in contentment. Pleased the human side of him had finally gotten on board. Don’t you worry, that redheaded beauty is ours.
Chapter Fifteen
Grace needed advice and not the kind Lani could give her. This time she needed someone currently going through the same thing as her. Two shifters, to Grace’s knowledge, had an idea of what she could do about Carter. She knocked on the door to a little wooden cabin. Apparently, living off the grid ran in the family.
Grams or Betty, depending on how old you were, Callahan opened the door. Her cheeks flushed with color and a smile on her face. Grams got her name from, well, being everyone’s grandmother. Grace had gone to her when she’d started dating Jake. Her brother hadn’t known how to give her the birds and the bees talk, and Jackson had been drunk off his ass back then.
So, she’d gone to the only female she felt comfortable asking about sex, Grams. The woman had told her everything she needed to know, and some things Grace wished she could forget. She’d also put the fear of the Goddess into her. At the very least, Grams was half the reason Grace had denied Jake every time he pushed for more. And damn, had it turned out to be the right decision in the end.
“Grace, dearie, I wasn’t expecting you.” The same eyes as Mason darted past her to the dirt driveway. “Where’s your truck? Did you walk here?” Grams pulled her inside the tiny home. It opened into a combined kitchen/living room area complete with a reading nook and books galore.
Actually, the books must’ve multiplied since the last time Grace had visited. They were starting to spread across the room. A short hallway led off the main room to a bedroom and bathroom. When she looked closer, boxes lined the hall on either side. “Are you moving out?”
Grams’ eyes studied the boxes, a weird look Grace hadn’t seen before flashing across her face. “No, little lady. I’m moving in.” Scott’s voice made her jump in surprise. Where the hell had he came from? He kissed Grams’ cheek, a tender smile covering his face.
“Well, damn. I, um, uh, didn’t interrupt anything…did I?” She stumbled over her words, heat flooding her cheeks. After the day she’d had, there wasn’t any confidence left inside of her.
“No. We were just moving some of Scott’s things around. This place isn’t really meant for two, but I think the boys can build me more room. Besides, I’m sure as soon as my grandson can manage it, his lovely wife will be pregnant again. This place can’t hold my great-grandbabies already.” Grace laughed lightly.
There wasn’t any doubt Grams would turn out to be right. Ella and Mason couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Her best friend had never been shy about wanting a family, so her alpha wouldn’t get any resistance from Ella. A little part, okay a huge part, of her felt jealous. Above and beyond anything else Grace wanted kids.
She loved them enough that at one point in her teenage years, she’d considered becoming a teacher. Even though humans knew about shifters and in general they were accepted. There were groups of extremists, like the one who’d killed her mom, who wanted shifters to stay away from humans. In every way, not just mating. All she thought about was what if something happened to her because of her job?
Leaving Gene all alone hadn’t been on her agenda. She’d fallen in love with design while helping the guys out the summer before graduating high school. It hadn’t hurt that her choice brought her into contact with Carter most of the time. Another right choice, because now, they worked together like a well-oiled machine. Hopefully, everything happening wouldn’t change their job environment. Their friends and family relied on the thriving business for their income.
Grace would do anything to keep the place up and running like usual. “Dearie, is everything alright? You look pale.” Grams turned back to the stove, pulling a whistling kettle off a burner.
“Here, let me help you.” Scott led her to the reading nook armchair, taking a seat on Grams’ tan loveseat. “What did the little shit do now?” Carter had told her he’d talked to Scott about them, but by Grams’ sympathetic look, Scott had told her. Goddess, how many people knew about her awful love life? The tally just kept adding up.
“Told me he’s in love with his mate.” Scott started to smile until Grace began to cry. “His true mate. The bond they had is still firmly in place. There’s no room in his heart for me.” She’d told herself, she wouldn’t cry on the way over. Obviously, that wasn’t going to be the case.
“He keeps acting one way, but saying something entirely different. How am I supposed to compete with a ghost?” Scott darted a look to Grams, one Grace recognized all too easily. He felt the same way about Grams.
“Betty. Maybe I should talk to Grace alone.” Grams gave Grace her cup of tea, dropping a kiss on Scott’s lips before disappearing out the front door. “You can’t compete with the ghost.” He ran a hand through his salt-n-pepper hair. Leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees, staring off into space. “I keep thinking if I try hard enough. Give her enough space. It’ll work out.”
“It is, though, right? I mean you’re moving in here.” Grace sipped the tea, the taste almost made her cry some more. Why did he have to taste like her favorite drink? Did he have to invade her life in every sense of the word?
“In a way. It's progress. Like you little lady, I’m in love with someone who doesn’t love me back.” He sucked in a breath, shaking his head. Grace put her hand on his, giving him comfort the best way she knew how. “We both want something that seems within our grasp, but every time we reach out, their gone.”
“So, what should I do? What are we going to do?” Scott and Grams fit together so well because they were alike. Both took younger shifters under their wings, teaching them about life, mates, history. Other than her brother, the two of them had helped raise her.
“We?” Grace choked on her tea at the look on his face.<
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“Yes, we.” She rolled her eyes for dramatic effect, something she’d picked up from spending too much time with Lani. “We have mates to win over. I’m not about to roll over and let the man I love walk away.” Standing, she stretched her arms up above her head. Running all over the place was getting old. Fast.
“And neither are you. Clearly, neither of us have the right idea when it comes to winning our mate’s hearts. But maybe.” She tilted her head from side to side, thinking her ridiculous plan over. Something is better than nothing. “Together we can come up with something which might actually works.”
Instead of sitting around and waiting for Carter to come to her, Grace took matters into her own paws. Nothing was about to stand between Grace and her mate. Especially, not a ghost from his past. For once, her happiness came first. Carter could get on board or out of her way, but either way, she was going to get her happily ever after.
◆◆◆
He really needed to have a pep talk with himself in the mirror. Sitting around in his car because he wasn’t sure what to say to Grace couldn’t keep happening. Carter had rushed home after talking with Mason, only to be disappointed when he realized Grace was long gone. Carter couldn’t be angry with her for leaving, he’d basically pushed her out the door himself. Gone were his days of being a fucking asshole regarding Gracie.
Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm his nerves. Everything is about to change. Opening the back door, Carter was met with chaos. Grace’s heels clicked along the wooden floor as she ran past him to get the ringing phone. Am I late?
Carter glanced at the overhead clock. Nope, he’d made it right on time. So, why somebody pounded on the front door while Grace apologized to the person on the phone, Carter didn’t understand. “What the hell’s going on?” Snarling, he rounded the corner ready to tear into the older gentlemen standing outside their business.
