by Starr, Maia
“I guess you really are an investigative journalist,” May said, sighing. “Yeah, it’s a topic Flint is a little sensitive about. Most of our shifters on the island have mates, and, typically, the Alpha has no trouble finding one, but Flint… let’s just say most females on Silverwood Island have been snatched up.”
Addison shook her head in disbelief. “But Flint’s so—”
“Hot?” May said, a grin forming on her face. “Sexy? Gorgeous beyond belief? Let’s not forget that he’s confident and strong and liked by pretty much everyone.”
“So then why is he still alone?”
May shrugged. “That’s just what happened. Flint might also have been… a little picky in the past. He still is.” She motioned to herself. “I mean, how could he pass up a fine specimen like me?” May winked, and Addison chuckled. “Despite how much I would have liked to have a hot, young man like him after little old me, I recognize I’m no spring chicken. And there haven’t been a whole lot of other choices in the past couple of years. Still, having an Alpha without a mate is, well, unusual.”
“It’s not that big a deal,” May added quickly. “It’s just… odd. Something everyone notices. But then you came along, and Flint took an interest in you, and the possibility of his finally finding a mate excited people—which is why they were always staring.”
“Flint’s inner wolf has been growing restless without a mate,” May continued. “So… try not to be too hard on him, okay?”
Addison nodded. She hadn’t realized the extent of Flint’s situation. She’d noticed the bitterness in his voice when he’d spoken about Ash never being alone, but she’d had no idea… it must have been difficult for him to watch everyone else find someone while he was left alone… especially if it was an unusual situation for an Alpha. Some of his pack might even have started to question his leadership, something Addison knew would wound Flint’s pride.
“So, are you going to go see him?” May asked, snapping Addison out of her thoughts. “Well? Hurry up and go already! There isn’t anything else to tell.”
Addison smiled, excitement flooding her limbs, but her nerves got the better of her. “Are you sure? What about Maric Devoy? Isn’t he still out there?”
“We have wolves all over the place ready to howl if they see him. He isn’t anywhere close by; I can promise you that.”
Addison sucked in a breath and nodded. “Okay. Thanks again, May!” She jumped up and headed for the door, leaving May sitting by the bed.
“Oh, yeah, and maybe try not to tell Flint I told you anything?” May called after her. “I kind of promised to let him explain it all to you.”
Glancing over her shoulder, Addison smiled, and then opened the door and left, her heart pounding at the thought of seeing Flint again.
Chapter Fourteen
Guilt
Flint couldn’t stop thinking about Addison. Never before had a woman captured had him so worked up. He wished his wolf nature could have stayed secret forever, or even that, instead of a wolf shifter, he had been born a regular human. If it meant he could be with her, he’d gladly give up the side of himself that had caused so much trouble. But nothing was ever that easy.
Days had passed with Addison still hunkered down in her room at the Silver Inn, unwilling to even open the door. Reports from May and Callie were pretty much the same every day, and every time he heard that nothing had changed, he wanted to punch something. A few times, he actually did. His inner wolf had refused to stop pacing restlessly since Addison had run away from him that night.
In the mornings, Flint woke, feeling the emptiness of the space beside him in bed, and his thoughts drifted to Addison. Eventually, he forced himself to get up, dress, and head over to work. He’d build a new section of her house, keep to himself, and go home at the end of the day.
For the first couple days, Ash teased him about being lovesick, noting that a loyal dog couldn’t help but get upset when his owner vanished. Each time, Flint had let out his frustration by wrestling his younger brother into submission, making sure Ash knew exactly to whom he spoke. After the third time, Ash had relented in his teasing.
At night, Flint lay in bed, twisting and turning, trying to force himself to sleep even though he couldn’t shut off his mind.
It was guilt that kept him awake: guilt he felt for allowing danger to come so close to Addison, and for not trying hard enough to find Maric Devoy. And for scaring Addison… no one in their right mind would be okay after watching their date turn into a monster.
Even now, as Flint worked on strengthening the foundation of Addison’s new house, his guilt ravaged him, putting him on edge and making him annoyed at every little thing.
One of his workers had knocked over a bucket full of tools the day before, and Flint had lost it, kicking the man out of the crew—only to calm down a few hours later and allow the man to come back and help finish the job.
Flint wasn’t proud of his current state, his wolf always clawing at his chest, but he couldn’t do the one thing that would truly calm him. He couldn’t wrap his arms around Addison and never let her go.
The only thing that helped him focus was working non-stop, making sure that if, by some miracle, Addison didn’t just up and leave Silverwood Island after witnessing what she had, she’d have a cozy house to go home to at night. Maybe it would even impress her enough to give him another chance.
So, he worked and worked and worked. And he was working yet again when he heard someone calling for him. Turning, Flint spied Ash waving as he strode toward him, a broad smile on his face.
“Flint! Why the long face? Ah, I guess Addison is still hiding in her room, huh?”
Grunting, Flint returned to his work laying bricks. “Yeah, she is.”
Ash stepped back to admire the house, letting out a long whistle. “Damn, this is some of your crew’s best work. Addison’s place, right?”
“Yeah.”
Ash nodded, coming forward and watching Flint’s every movement like a hawk. “You know, I’ve never been interested in construction work before, but watching you work like a madman is changing my mind. Is building a house really that fun?”
Flint placed a final brick and glared at his brother. “Is there something you need, Ash? Because, if not, I’d like to have peace and quiet while I work.”
Sighing, Ash motioned for Flint to follow him. After walking a dozen steps away, Ash turned, an oddly serious expression on his face. He sat on the grass, and Flint followed suit, eyeing his brother suspiciously.
“Is this about Maric?” Flint asked, hopeful at the prospect. “If you found him, you need to tell me right now so I can go wring his neck.”
Ash crossed his arms. “Man, you think if I had info on Maric, I’d be dragging it out this long? Look, so far nobody’s seen him although we’ve picked up on a number of scents that could be his… but none of them led to anything more than little camps in the forest.”
“So, he’s on the move?”
“It appears so,” Ash said, cocking his head. “But I’m not here about that. I’m here to talk about you.”
Flint sighed, wanting nothing more than to get back to work. “If this has nothing to do with Maric or Addison, then it can wait, Ash. I need to get this house finished.”
“Your workers are fine without you. Just listen to me for once, okay? Just because you’re the Alpha doesn’t mean you can disregard whatever I say.”
Flint hunched forward, propping his chin on his upright palm and waiting for Ash to continue.
Ash cleared his throat. “Like I said, I’m here about you and no one else.”
“So, what about me is so interesting to you?”
“The way you’re behaving right now,” Ash said, going right for the jugular. “Ever since that night at Wolf Den, you’ve been moody and snapping at everyone. I don’t know if you’ve forgotten, but you’re the leader of our pack, Flint. I’m sorry about Addison, but she would have found out eventually if she was going to be your mate.
There was always the possibility she wouldn’t be able to handle the truth of who we are. You need to get over the fact that, at least for now, Addison might not want anything to do with you.”
Flint flexed his fingers, rubbing the back of his neck and stretching. He pretended not to hear that last comment.
“Flint, look at me.”
Flint looked, but not without his brows furrowing in agitation.
“If you have your heart set on getting her back, finding Maric, and moving on with your life, you need to stop moping around and start fixing these problems.”
“I would if I could!” Flint said. “We’re looking for Maric right now, but until he’s found, I can only dream about what I’ll do to him.”
“Then start with Addison. You can do something about her, can’t you? Or are you too much of a coward to try?”
Leveling a look at his brother, Flint bared his teeth. “What did you just say?”
Ash growled. “You heard me. Pick yourself up and do something about her. Every wolf shifter on Silverwood can’t help but talk about you and how you’re breaking apart over that woman. You need to show them you’re not just a pathetic puppy. And, more importantly, if you don’t win her back now, she’s going to leave for good, still thinking of you as nothing but a monster.”
Flint adjusted the hard hat on his head, glancing off into the distance. Did Addison think of him as a monster? Was that all there was to it? He supposed his brother was right, but that didn’t make things any easier. “Okay, fine, so then how do I go about winning her back? Do you have any bright ideas, Ash?”
Finally, Ash’s infectious smile came back. “That’s why I’m here! To help brainstorm. Man, it’s killing me to see you like this. Let’s think up something, take a break from all this building and whatnot. We have the time right now.”
“Do you have an idea already?”
Ash inflated with pride. “Well, if you really want to know, I guess I can tell you.” Ash rose to his feet, gesturing dramatically as he spoke. “We’re surrounded by ocean, right? So, picture this: you take Addison out in a boat and spend the day riding around, maybe even go for a swim. Bring some candles along for a romantic dinner and watch the sun set… that’ll be sure to win her back.”
For the first time in days, Flint bellowed in laughter. “Oh, please! There’s no way you came up with that.”
Ash shrugged. “Maybe I read it online somewhere when I was first dating Callie. So what? It could still work.”
“One problem, Ash. How do I get her to come with me when she’s still terrified of me? Better yet, how do I get her out of her room in the first place?”
Ash deflated as he sat back down. “I hadn’t thought of that part yet…”
“Well, that idea’s a bust.”
“Okay, then how about this…”
And so, they continued on like that for hours, sitting and brainstorming and coming up with ideas that never seemed to be anywhere close to helping. Eventually, they moved on to trying to think of ways to get her out of her room and willing to talk to Flint.
The more they talked about wooing Addison, the more Flint’s dual nature chafed at his mind. Flint’s wolf howled and yapped and pawed, heating his blood, and his whole body ached to just go smash in her door and drag her out. Obviously, Flint couldn’t, and wouldn’t, do that, since it would just scare her even more, but as they dwindled down their options, Flint’s hope faded.
“Why don’t we get May to speak for you?” Ash said. “Have her sweet talk Addison into not being scared of you anymore; May just has that mother-figure type of vibe. She can at least get Addison to open her door for a quick chat.”
Flint groaned. “But I want to be the one to talk to her, to explain everything she saw! What’s the point if I’m not the one talking to her?”
“The point,” Ash said, “is that if she’s afraid of you, then she won’t open the door for you, but if someone else tries to speak for you, she might just be willing to talk.”
Flint grumbled but nodded. “Fine, so let’s say May convinces Addison to leave her room and come talk to me. Then what? We go to a coffee shop and talk about our feelings?”
Ash blinked. “Yeah, pretty much. If you want her to like you again… that is what you want, isn’t it?”
“Of course it is!”
Their conversation didn’t get to go any further because Flint noticed out of the corner of his eye that his crew had just stopped what they were doing and were staring at something past where he and Ash sat. He frowned and traced their line of sight past Ash to the path that led to the house from town. Flint’s mouth dropped open at what he saw.
Ash raised an eyebrow at his brother. “What? Is there something on my face?”
Leaning forward, Flint grabbed Ash’s chin and turned it so his brother could see what Flint saw. Ash’s eyes went wide. “Well, hell. That’s one way to fix your problem. Looks like the universe is on your side, brother.”
Standing at the entrance to the clearing was none other than Addison herself, her hazel eyes fixed on Flint as her brown hair rippled in the breeze. Flint thought his heart might have stopped beating as she visibly gulped, tossed her head back, and marched toward him.
Chapter Fifteen
An Unfinished House
As Addison walked forward, Flint rose to greet her. Her sudden appearance felt like a dream, and Flint longed to rush forward and wrap his arms around her, crush her body against his, but he knew that would do nothing to regain her trust, so he restrained himself.
Ash rose to his feet next to Flint, and together they waited for Addison to arrive before them. “Well, I guess we don’t have to think of any solutions to getting her out of her room,” Ash said. “Who knew she’d have the courage to come out herself?”
Coming to a stop before them, Addison flicked her eyes between Flint, Ash, and the construction crew, her expression wary. Flint turned to shout at his crew, startling Addison enough that she took a step back.
“Go take a break!” Flint yelled to the men, motioning with his hand for them to leave. They glanced at each other but nodded and gathered their stuff. Some just wandered into the forest while others scrambled into the work trucks and drove off. Once they were all gone, Flint looked at Ash. “You, too. Get a move on.”
“Wait, what? Why me? Come on, let me stay! Let me be your wingman.”
A small, shy smile formed on Addison’s lips, and she looked away, trying to hide it from them.
Without missing a beat, Ash noticed and pointed at her smile. “See! If things get serious between you two, I can help mediate, make some jokes and stuff.”
“Ash—”
“Please, Ash, just give us some time alone,” Addison said.
Both brothers looked at Addison, shocked by her commanding tone. They then glanced back at each other, and Ash crossed his arms and nodded. “Okay… but if you need a joke or two to liven up the conversation, just call for me!”
Ash walked away, past Addison, extending a hand and squeezing Addison’s shoulder. Flint thought she might flinch or jerk back at Ash’s touch, but she did neither. Instead, she smiled.
“It’s good to see you out of your room, Addison,” Ash murmured before continuing on his way.
As Ash disappeared down the trail, the air suddenly felt much more intimate. Flint stood just a few feet from Addison, her tantalizing scent enveloping him. He wanted to reach out and pull her to him, kiss her until she forgot every doubt she had about him, but he read in her body language that he shouldn’t make any moves until she gave her express permission.
She leaned away from him, her delicate arms crossed over her stomach as she eyed him, the warm smile she’d shown Ash long gone. Flint waited while she got her bearings and took a deep breath before speaking. She opened her mouth, then hesitated, maybe because she wasn’t sure what to say or maybe because she was psyching herself up to say what she needed to say. She closed her mouth and then opened it again.
“Hi,�
� she said.
Well. That wasn’t what Flint had expected. He smiled. “Hey.”
She peered past him. “How’s the construction on my house going?”
Glancing over his shoulder, Flint inspected the work he and his crew had done over the past few days. Due to their inhuman stamina, and Flint’s single-minded moping, work on the house had moved along quicker than anyone had expected. They had finished about half the house already, which Flint supposed should be a world record.
“It’s coming along well,” Flint said, turning back to Addison. “I wasn’t sure if you’d even stay on the island long enough to see it finished. Or I thought you’d stay in the inn for good, become a recluse. After what happened… with Maric and me, I wouldn’t blame you for either choice.”
“I wasn’t sure myself until just a little while ago. Honestly, I was thinking about trying to sneak to the docks and hop on a ferry even if it meant Maric would come after me, but after I learned about everything…”
Flint raised an eyebrow.
“May came to see me,” Addison clarified, shifting her weight from foot to foot. “She, uh, explained pretty much everything. What you are, how this island works, and how you’re the Alpha of your wolf pack.” She shook her head. “I still can’t believe you’re a… a shapeshifter.”
“Wolf shifter.”
“What?”
“Call us wolf shifters,” Flint said, grinning. “Sounds better than shapeshifter, especially since my pack can only shift into wolves, and not stinking old bears.” His comment earned a bright smile from Addison, which warmed his heart in ways he didn’t expect. “But… are you okay?” Flint asked. “It must have been pretty shocking to see me turn into a big, bad wolf.”
Addison giggled. “Yeah, well, I realized there were tons of signs and hints when I calmed down to think about it, so it already sort of made sense. And then, May came to clarify everything.”
Flint leaned his head back, groaning. “I’m glad you understand everything now, but it annoys me that May went to you without my permission. I wanted to explain everything myself.”
