Daddy's Bossy Friend

by Charlize Starr

  Eventually, she grabbed her cellphone and called him. Communication was important to him, so reaching out to him first seemed like the best idea. He answered quickly, but his voice was cautious. Amelia bit her lower lip.

  It's not too late. One freak-out isn't the end of the world.

  "I'm sorry," she said, even before hello. "I'm sorry that I left the way I did, and I'm sorry for not calling. Is Xavier with you?"

  "No," Timothy replied. He was panting, as though he had been working out. Well, with his physique, of course, he had to work out. "He's in a meeting. Why did you leave, Amelia? Why…? Did we scare you off?"

  If what Lucinda said was true, wouldn't she have told them that she revealed their secret? Already, Amelia knew it wasn't true. She could have kicked herself. "No. It's not that. I'm just an idiot. Somebody said…"

  Timothy's voice turned soft. "What did they say? Who was it? What happened?"

  "I don't want to talk about it over the phone. Can we meet tomorrow? I'll drive out to the packlands, if that's okay. I just… I just really need to talk with you."

  Timothy paused a moment. "I'm actually almost at your house. When you didn't call back, I got worried…"

  Amelia flinched, but at the same time, she beamed at his concern. How could she have ever thought that the Alphas were like the other losers she dated? "No, that's fine. That's great. I'll see you soon."

  After she hung up, Amelia looked around her home. It would be the first time either of the Alphas were actually inside of her house, and what seemed tidy enough for Mr. Abs suddenly looked like a disaster.

  She flew around the house, trying to make everything perfect, at least on the outside. So what if that meant that books got shoved into the closet instead of going back on the shelf, or if she pulled her couch over a pile of pizza crumbs instead of bringing out the vacuum cleaner? He wasn't going to snoop through the house.

  After the living room looked decent enough to welcome Timothy in, Amelia turned her attention to getting herself ready. She had gone for comfortable and cozy for her date with Mr. Abs, wearing a nice-looking T-shirt and a pair of jeans that weren't awful but didn't really help her figure, either. Dashing to her room, she yanked out a pair of shorts with the image of a unicorn bedazzled across the butt and a V-neck tank top that showed off so much cleavage that it had been banned from her brother's house.

  She was just swiping on some lip-gloss when the doorbell rang. Holding her breath with nervousness, Amelia rushed to answer it. Maybe she should have worn something that wasn't so sexy. She didn't want Timothy to think she was trying to seduce him into forgiving her. And what if he wanted to go for a walk?

  But when she opened the door, she didn't find her Alpha.

  It was Mr. Abs.

  "Daniel, what are you doing?" she snapped at him, her hand instantly rising to cover her cleavage.

  He looked her up and down with a gleam in his eye – one she didn't like. "I understand why you were so upset with me, babe."

  "Because you're an asshole who won't stop calling me babe?"

  "Nah, it's because you were feeling like I was neglecting you… but don't worry, I'm here to make it all better."

  He grabbed her and kissed her full on the mouth with his stinky, disgusting sardine breath.

  ***

  Timothy wasn't lying when she said that he was almost at her house. But it wasn't exactly like he had been driving. He hadn't intended to go anywhere near Amelia's house when he took his usual afternoon run to clear his head. Somewhere in the woods he had decided to see if he was correct when he supposed that, despite the drive from the packlands to her town taking two hours by car, it would actually only be an hour if he went straight through the forest rather than twisting and turning with the road.

  He'd been fifteen minutes away when he got Amelia's call. His heart had leapt and for a moment all he wanted to do was run to her and pull her into his arms, kissing away whatever fears she had. It had taken some strength to answer the phone first.

  Yet, he had decided to take it slow. He wasn't going to assume that she was going to ask for them to take her back. Still, he hadn't been able to suppress his hope and kept thinking about what Amelia might say to him when he arrived at her place. Nor could he stop the daydreams about how overwhelmed she was by the strong sense that she belonged with the pack.

  So, when he emerged from the trees dressed in the simple sweats he had brought with him on his run, the sight that met him tore his heart out.

  Amelia stood on her front porch. Her back was against the wall, and she wore skimpy, sexy clothing. And a man was with her, body to body, gripping her hands as he kissed her. The passion in their kiss was evident, even from this distance.

  So that was the truth of why she left. Amelia had somebody else. She had strung him and Xavier along, all the while knowing that they had no future together. What was her game? Was she trying to get money from them? A snarl tore out of him and he stalked forward–he was not going to be used in such a way!

  Amelia and her mate didn't even know he was there until he yanked the man off her and tossed him down the steps.

  Chapter Five

  Amelia was just about to knee Mr. Sardine-breath between the legs when he abruptly stopped kissing her. No… he didn't stop kissing her; he was ripped away from her. She gasped as Timothy hurled him down the steps, the man landing in a crumpled heap. The Alpha's shoulders were tense, his fists trembling as he stepped down towards Daniel.

  "No, don't!" Amelia gasped out of instinct, afraid that the Alpha would hurt Daniel. He was a loser but didn't deserve to be injured. Besides, Timothy might be arrested for assault.

  Timothy ripped his arm from her grasp so fast that her palms stung. His black glare turned to her. Amelia hadn't yet seen the Alphas in their Wolf form, but she could see the Beast hovering just beneath the surface of Timothy's consciousness. A low growl rose in his throat, causing her to step back. She knew he wouldn't hurt her, no matter how angry he was, but the feral look in his eyes kicked her adrenaline into overdrive. The growl stopped as soon as she stepped away and Timothy swallowed hard.

  "It's not what it looks like," she said, staring at him pleadingly.

  "You could have told me you were having someone else over, babe," Mr. Abs said as he got to his feet. He leaned against the fence, wheezing. "Dude needs some anger management classes, though."

  "You were here to see her?" Timothy snarled, whirling on him again.

  It was almost worth it to see Daniel flinch and draw away. From the look on his face, he was about to pee his pants. "Dude, we were on a date when all of a sudden she freaked out at me. I thought it was because she wasn't getting enough lovin', but now I see—"

  "That's not what happened!" Amelia clenched her hands as she glared at Daniel. It wasn't enough that he was an asshole, but he had to ruin her chances of reconciling with the Alphas as well? "You are a disgusting—"

  "Save it." Timothy held out his hand, his eyes narrowed. His expression was hurt, betrayed, but when Amelia tried to explain, he just shook his head and backed down the steps. "The council was right about humans. Whatever you hoped to get from us—"

  "Timothy—"

  He turned and leaped towards the trees, his clothes bursting off him as he shifted mid-air. Amelia ran after him, calling his name, but he was gone before she reached the bottom of the steps.

  She clutched her tank top closed over her breasts. Her lungs felt like they were collapsing. She wanted to slap herself for being stupid enough to have left the two of them.

  "Well, babe, since he's gone—" Mr. Abs put his hand on her butt, squeezing.

  Amelia whirled. Crack! Her palm stung as it flew against his face. Daniel stumbled back, a surprised look on his stupid face.

  "I told you to leave. Leave means go. Get off of my property and out of my life! You are a self-absorbed loser who doesn't care about anything except for how stacked your abs are, and it is very unattractive."

  Mr. Abs stared at he
r with his jaw hanging open for a long moment. A red flush came over his pale features and his hands clenched. His eyes narrowed. "You know, I was only doing your brother a favor by dating you. I can do better than a fat cow like you."

  "Great, go find yourself a dog then," Amelia spat back.

  He grabbed her arm. "Hey—"

  "Get your hands off me before I call the cops."

  Daniel released her and backed down a few steps, holding up his hands. "I got better things to do than debate this with you. But you'll be sorry! When you call crying to take me back again, I'll be all, 'Sorry, babe. I've got a new girl.’ You'll be sorry!"

  Amelia rolled her eyes and ignored Daniel's infantile ranting. She hurried into the house to put on a pair of running shoes and grab her keys before she headed off into the forest. At first, she could see Timothy's trail easily and followed it, hoping against hope that he’d regret his haste, and turn around so she could explain. But soon the footprints disappeared, and Amelia knew that if she didn't turn back, she'd end up lost.

  Tears flooded her eyes as she headed home.

  I have to call Xavier.

  She patted her outfit, but it didn't have pockets. Her cell phone was still at her house.

  Much to her annoyance, when she emerged from the woods, she found her brother pacing back and forth on the porch. Daniel must have phoned him. Amelia tensed, debating about going back into the woods until he left. She didn't want to have to justify herself to him right now. She didn't want to hear his excuses about why Mr. Abs was really the perfect man for her.

  Too late. He barreled down the steps towards her.

  Amelia ground her teeth. "I don't want to hear it, Adrian."

  "What are you thinking?"

  "Right now that I have a mess to sort out and you need to butt out."

  Adrian narrowed his eyes. "Very funny, Amelia. Daniel told me that a werewolf was here? That the werewolf attacked him?"

  "Only because your best friend was practically attacking me!"

  Adrian's eyes went wide at that. "What did he do?"

  "He only ignored me the whole time, except to tell me to make him a sandwich. Then, when I kicked him out, he came back and started kissing me. And it wasn't just a quick peck, Adrian. He was holding my wrists so that I couldn't push him away. Is that the kind of man you want for your little sister?"

  "So he's a little passionate. That's better than a werewolf! Do you want to spend the rest of your life as a wet-nurse? Not to mention what else they would do to you. If Daniel wasn't here, who knows what the brute might have done."

  "You mean like rape-kiss me? Oh, wait, that happened with your friend."

  "Worse than that! And I doubt it was as bad as you're making it out to be."

  Amelia stopped on the steps, turning to her brother. Was he really so dense that he didn't understand what she was saying to him? Her hands clenched and it was all she could do not to push him. "Timothy and Xavier have only ever treated me with respect, unlike your 'buddy' who clearly doesn't care when I say no. He's the one who kissed me against my will; he's the one that I'd be afraid of doing worse to me!"

  "You said yourself that the werewolves were only interested in you as a brood mare."

  "I was stupid to believe some chick I didn't know. Timothy was here so we could talk things through and explain, but Mr. Abs might have just ruined my chances to ever be happy. Now go away, Adrian. I don't need you."

  A hurt look flashed over her brother's face, but it hardened quickly. "Fine, if that's what you want, but don't come crying to me when they break your heart again!"

  "I won't!" Amelia shouted after him. "Because they won't break my heart!"

  ***

  Xavier sighed as he got off the phone with Amelia. Timothy had arrived home a half an hour ago in a rage, ranting about how she was just using them and that he should never have thought a human would actually want to be with werewolves. Xavier, having the calmer mind of the two, had quickly phoned Amelia to get her side of the story.

  "Well, this is messed up," he said, settling on the couch while Timothy paced. "Tim, will you calm down and listen to me for a moment?"

  "No. No, we should have known when she left the packlands while we were supposed to be introducing her to the pack that she didn't want anything real with us. I don't care what excuses she has or what lies she's told you. I am not going to let her toy with my heart. We should have listened to the council about this from the start."

  Xavier watched Timothy pace, letting him blow off steam. A frown creased his brow. He knew Timothy well: he was quick to temper and slow to forgive. If he would just listen to Amelia's explanation, then perhaps they would have a chance of working this out. Getting him to listen would be the problem. Timothy wasn't one to hand out second chances easily.

  "I know you're angry. After what you saw—"

  "Anger – you think that's all this is?" Timothy turned to glare at him. "How can you sit there calmly? I was counting on her, Xavier. I thought she was our mate, that the three of us would have the white picket fence I always dreamed of. Instead, I find… that!"

  "The man kissed her without her permission. She had just kicked him out and—"

  "What was he doing there in the first place?"

  Amelia's explanation about that would only make him angrier at the moment. Xavier sighed. "Why don't we go for a run and cool off?"

  "I don't want to run," Timothy muttered. "I'm going to bed."

  Xavier nodded as he left, knowing that pushing him at the moment wasn't going to do any good. Once his partner was gone, the Rocky Ridge Alpha slumped over, hiding his face in his hands. Well. How was he supposed to sort this one out?

  Chapter Six

  She wasn't going to just let her fairy tale romance end over a couple of misunderstandings. Amelia kept an eye on her speedometer, making sure she went right at the speed limit. The last thing she needed right now was to be pulled over by the highway cops.

  Trying to explain over the phone wasn't good enough. She needed to see Timothy and Xavier and explain to them in person. The Alphas were too special to give up. She knew that now.

  And I might lose them because I let my past prejudices get the best of me. Why couldn't I just trust them?

  She turned off the highway into the long road that would take her to the packlands. The landmarks already felt familiar to her, even if she had only been here once before, and she found the Alphas' house quickly.

  Her heart dropped to her stomach when she saw Lucinda sitting on the front porch swing, long legs curled underneath her, a book on her lap. The werewolf's eyes narrowed when Amelia got out of her car, but the human wasn't going to let herself be intimidated this time. She hadn't told Xavier what Lucinda had told her, but she was going to get the truth from her Alphas, not this female.

  "Amelia," Lucinda greeted her. "I didn't expect to see you again."

  "I'm certain you didn't." Amelia fought to keep her voice calm.

  "Can I help you?"

  "Yes. I want to talk to Timothy and Xavier."

  Lucinda cast a critical glance down her body. "We've already replaced you. You would have made a good nursemaid, and I'm sure my mates would have found a great deal of pleasure in you, but—"

  "But I want to talk to them." Amelia strode up the steps. "Not you."

  "Hey!"

  Amelia opened the door and walked right in, calling for the two Alphas. There was no response. When she checked the garage, she found that it was full of vintage vehicles in various states of repair, but the Malibu she remembered the Alphas driving on their first date was missing. Where had they gone?

  "I told you, we don't want you here," Lucinda started, but a low growl behind them interrupted her.

  Amelia whirled, her heart jumping to her throat when she saw Timothy. She wanted to launch herself into his arms and kiss him hard, begging his forgiveness for the misunderstandings that they had suffered. His gaze flickered over her briefly, a shocked look coming over his face be
fore his eyes narrowed on Lucinda.

  "What are you doing in my house?"

  "Me?" Lucinda gasped. "What about her?"

  "She is none of your concern. Xavier and I have told you and your grandfather both that we would rather never have a mate than take you into our bed. Stop coming to our house unless it's for official business."

  Amelia could have crowed in triumph. She was right; Lucinda had lied to her! But her triumph didn't last long. Even after Lucinda had slunk out, Timothy's gaze didn't soften.

  "Amelia."

  "Timothy—"

  "Why are you here?"

  Amelia swallowed hard. "I needed to see you."

  "Why?"

  "I need to explain what happened yesterday. It's not what you think—"

  Timothy turned on his heel and walked away. Amelia stared after him in shock. She knew he was angry, but after what she told Xavier, she had hoped that he would be at least willing to listen to her. A familiar feeling of frustration welled up inside her and she marched after him, her hands clenched to fists at her side. This was not how this was going to end. He was not going to refuse to listen to her and she was not going to take it lying down like some meek little kitten afraid of some thunder.

  "I am talking to you, Timothy Pond," she said. "You walked away from me once and I am not letting you do it again. You told me you wanted a woman who called you out, and here I am. Listen to me."

  The Alpha stopped. His own hands clenched. Amelia took a deep breath, trying to maintain her composure, and walked around him, facing him.

  "I know what you think you saw, but you have it all wrong."

  "Xavier told me what you told him. But I've heard it all before, Amelia. I don't believe you."

  She forced herself to speak calmly. "Why not?"

  "Because it's things like that… 'He kissed me against my will; I was trying to make him leave; he's just a friend; it was only one time…’ The same sort of things my mother would always tell my father when he came home to catch another man in the house or their bed. She always made me lie to protect her, no matter how many times that man had been over. I was afraid she'd leave…"