“That is good to hear. Especially if you do not want to marry her.”
His face fell a little bit, and Carmella smiled inwardly. It was ridiculous that he thought he could just get away with it all and everything would be okay. Carmella convinced herself that the only way she was going to accept his apology was if he was actually apologetic. At the moment, they just seemed to be in a bad situation they didn't know how to get out of. Now, a few moments before she was supposed to get married, now he changed his mind?
“I guess I figured that you would say something different.”
“What exactly did you think I would say?”
“I don't know. Maybe that you don't want to marry Dennis and we could finally be together like we should have been to begin with.”
“You have brought more people into this, and now more people are going to be hurt because of it. I don't know how that's a good thing. I don't know if I can do that to Dennis. He really is a nice guy, and he has a baby. He really does need me. You don't need me or you would never have even considered marrying Vanessa. I always wanted you to be my one and only, but that doesn't mean that it can actually happen. I came to that conclusion a few weeks back.”
Jeff was beside himself. She could see it on his face, and though there was a little bit of empathy on her part, she did not change the expression on her own. He needed to realize that he had hurt her and he could not just play with her emotions like that. A life with Dennis might be both dull and void of passion, but at the end of the day, he seemed to know what he wanted. Carmella couldn't say the same thing about Jeff.
“I just want you, Carmella. I didn't expect my dad to die, and I certainly didn't expect him to try to force me into a marriage with Vanessa. I just had to keep going. I am supposed to be the alpha of this clan, but I will give it all up because none of it will mean anything if I can't have you. I will not let you marry him.”
Carmella was a little taken aback by the way he was acting and the forcefulness that he thought he was entitled to. He had no right to talk to her that way, and she wasn't going to allow it. She walked away before he could say much else. When he called after her, Carmella ignored him, but her mind was going to the limit. Was she making the biggest mistake of her life?
Carmella wasn't sure what made her decide to go ahead with it, but it was probably the idea that the next day, Jeff would change his mind. Of course, she wanted to be with him, he was the one that she loved, but at the same time, Dennis needed her. Which meant that he wouldn't toss her to the side the next chance he got. Carmella was still heartbroken that the marriage to Vanessa had even been entertained to begin with. He should have said no right off the bat, not put her through hell, set her up with another man, and done his best to push her out of his life altogether. Carmella couldn’t see how he had done such a one-eighty.
The wedding was more than she could have imagined. Connie had helped her put it all together because she was convinced that Carmella was going to have a breakdown at any moment. Maybe Carmella was; as much as she tried to fight all of the emotions, they kept coming. Her need to be with Jeff was high. No matter what, Carmella did not think she would ever be able to fully forget about him. She would be able to move on after some amount of time, but she didn’t think that it would ever be okay.
The wedding was going well until Jeff walked in. He did not come in as a guest. It was clear that he came in to fight for Carmella.
Jeff stood up in front of everyone and told her that he loved her. Carmella was not focused on the man she was supposed to marry that was standing next to her. If she had paid attention, she would have known that he was quickly getting upset. Dennis had seemed like such a calm, nice fellow until Jeff was trying to ruin the wedding.
“What the hell is wrong with you Jeff? You asked me to marry her, and now you tell me that you want to marry her yourself? Wasn't she supposed to marry your father?”
Carmella could feel her face getting red because it was said and done in front of everybody in the clan. No matter which man she chose, they were all going to look at her differently after the scene. She wanted more than anything for the two of them to stop talking. They were just making it worse.
When he tried to talk to Carmella, Carmella again asked him what he was doing.
“I told you, Carmella. I don't want to live without you, and I refuse to. I know this is a bad time and this is a bad way to do it, but you wouldn't listen to me when I tried to talk to you about it earlier. There is no more time. This can’t wait.”
Carmella had listened to him, and then she had had sex with him. That was the problem, and then she could see that it was a bigger problem than she ever would have realized. How could she pretend like nothing had happened? It had happened, and now it was all coming out in front of the whole clan. She would have given anything to have avoided the scene they were making.
“Why don’t we go somewhere else and do this?”
Jeff shook his head. “No, it has to be done here, in front of everyone. I am giving up my alpha title for this, Carmella; it has to be done this way. I am taking Dennis’ fiancée, if you will have me. It all has to be done for all to see. I am here to claim you as my own, my love.”
Carmella’s heart melted. She could see that everything she wanted to happen was coming true. He said more than she could have ever dreamed he would say, and his eyes told her that he meant it. What she didn't see coming and didn't really understand, though, was why Dennis was suddenly a wolf and attacking Jeff.
It all happened so fast, all Carmella could do was scream as Jeff pushed her away so that she wouldn't get hurt.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“I told you I am fine, Carmella. Stop fussing over me.”
She looked at his face and then told him that he was not fine at all. Jeff could not believe that he let Dennis get the jump on him. He should have known better. He should have known that any man in their right mind would fight for her. Now, he was going to have some fresh scars and would have a good story to tell people later. It was the moment where he had gotten his woman back.
The cuts had not stopped him from standing at the end of the aisle and repeating sacred words in front of the clan to marry Carmella. Dennis did not fare as well, though Carmella had stopped him from taking his life. It wasn't like he wanted to, but in that moment, it had been on his mind. He wanted to stop the man that tried to take Carmella away from him. Jeff would stop anybody that stood in his way, and the idea of that was a little scary.
Now, Carmella was treating him like he was going to fall apart at any moment. He was not delicate, and he could take it. As long as he had Carmella by his side, Jeff was utterly convinced that nothing could go wrong.
“You are not fine. Look at you.”
“Trust me, it is just a little cut and it won't be long until it's healed. You act like you do not know this.”
He could already feel that it was healing. It itched like the devil, and he could feel the skin tightening up. It would probably be gone by morning, if not sooner. Instead of just letting it be, though, she fussed over him and cleaned it up slowly with a bandage, like he was never going to heal from it.
Finally, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto his lap.
“What are you doing?”
“I think it is pretty clear what I am doing, Carmella. It hasn’t been that long, has it?”
She resisted his hands and then lost it when his lips pressed against hers.
“I haven’t forgotten anything. I just want you to be all right. I do not want you to be hurt.”
“The last thing I am thinking about is pain right now, Carmella. I have you in my arms, and that is all that matters.”
He started to kiss her neck, knowing it was the one thing that she could not control herself with. He was quickly losing himself in her touch. Why had he waited so long?
Carmella woke up the next morning, and she was refreshed. The first thing she did was look over next to her and see that Jeff had heale
d. His face had been horrible looking, but now she could barely even tell where it happened. Her hand went to the place where the scars should be, and then she smiled to herself. She had been overreacting the day before. Everything had just been so crazy.
She was never going to forget the sound of all of the people screaming and the fear that had seized her when the two men had started fighting. Then it was over almost as fast as it started. As soon as Jeff turned into his wolf as well, it was a fight to the death that quickly was leading to the end. She remembered that Dennis had a child, and the child had already lost her mother. It would have been too much for her to lose both parents, so Carmella got in the way of the two of them. She thought that she might have to go head to head with her own husband, but he pulled himself together and pulled back in time to save his life.
She got out of bed because Jeff was still sleeping pretty soundly. It was just as well because they had had one hell of a night the night before. Carmella was still shaking inside from how good he made her feel. It was the only time that she truly felt complete, and Carmella knew that it was because of him. He had this way that was undeniable.
She washed her face in the marble sink and took a quick shower before getting dressed and going to the kitchen. She had a mind to make some coffee and was pleased to find that someone had already made it for them. There were also some muffins in a pretty basket with a little note that told them to have a happy morning. It was the perfect beginning of a day, and it couldn’t be any better than it was. She felt like it was all a dream.
Taking muffins out of the basket, Carmella walked outside with the warm cup of coffee in her hands. The day was beautiful, and it felt like the birds were chirping just for her. Everything was going perfectly. She sat down on the porch swing and took several drinks of her coffee, as well as a couple of bites of the muffin. It tasted a little funny, and Carmella just chalked it up to the new cook still learning her way around the kitchen. It was only when she was about halfway through it and saw a familiar face coming up the stairway that she thought something else.
“William? What are you doing here?”
She did not understand for a moment why he was there, but quickly he got her up to speed.
“I thought that it would be better this way. I was certain that you would find the muffins, or maybe both of you. But you’re here now, so it was meant to be, wasn't it?”
Her mind was getting fuzzy, and it took her a minute to realize what he was talking about.
“I take it that you are starting to get a little foggy. Don't worry about it, Carmella; it's perfectly normal. I did not know how much to give you, considering your genus, but it seems like I have given you enough. Since you did not get married to Jason, my fee was taken back, and now we need to find you somewhere else to go.”
Carmella was starting to get heavy lids, and she shook her head. Obviously, he didn't know what he was talking about. She had just gotten married after all. It is not like she could get married again.
“You do not understand. I am already married.”
“Oh, I know, but that does not do me any good, now does it? You were supposed to marry the dad, not the son. I won't judge you about it, but I am going to get my money out of you, Carmella.”
Her eyes closed, and his voice seemed to be coming from further and further away. Carmella realized then that he had put something in the muffins. They were a congratulatory gift for her wedding, so he knew. What did he mean that he was going to get his money out of her?
The next thing Carmella knew, there was blackness all around her and she slipped into it like a warm bath, letting it inundate her body and take over all of her senses.
Jeff got up about the same as Carmella had. He was in a great mood and ready to start the first day of the rest of his life. Now that he had Carmella, Jeff was convinced that everything would work out. He had not thought too much about what he was going to do after he got Carmella to marry him, but he was fine with it.
Once he realized that Carmella wasn't next to him, Jeff decided to get up. If for no other reason than to find her and drag her back to bed. He had planned to spend the first couple of days in bed with her. That had always been his wish. When he heard someone at the door, Jeff told her that she could just open it. “It's your room too, honey, just come in.”
Of course, he thought that it was Carmella, but it was one of the advisors that he had been talking to before deciding to give up leading his people.
“Tristan, what are you doing here?”
The stout man looked down for a moment. “We need to speak to you. Although you have given away your instant right to the alpha title, it still needs to be filled, and there's no one better but you to fill it.”
He was surprised by the man's words. While he had always thought that he would become the leader one day, he had also accepted the fact that it wouldn't happen. He was far more interested in the love of his life than leading.
But if he could have both, that would surely be the best both worlds.
“I'm confused; I thought it would not be my title if I did not marry Vanessa.”
“That is only your father's wishes; that has nothing to do with the will of the clan. The clan wants you to lead it. We have had a long discussion about it, and everyone agrees.”
For a moment, Jeff forgot that he was missing his bride and that he had planned to chase her down and make her submit.
“This is unexpected.”
Tristan smiled. “Surely, you knew that this would happen.”
“I actually didn’t.”
“So, you were going to give it all up for a woman?”
Jeff smiled and agreed. Surprisingly, it was one of the easiest decisions he had ever made.
Tristan talked him into going with him for just a while. Jeff wanted to talk to Carmella, give her a kiss, but he was assured that he would be back, and then they would have plenty of time to do everything that was on his mind.
“Carmella! I have the best news! You’re never going to believe…”
Jeff looked around the room, and in the bathroom; it was empty. Carmella was the first person that he wanted to tell the good news, then Connie.
He went around, asking if anyone had seen her, and it became clear that Carmella was missing. There was a cup of coffee abandoned on the porch, but that was the only clue he was given. That and a half-eaten muffin.
He saw the basket and smelled something amiss in the muffins themselves. It didn’t take much to figure that someone had taken her. Jeff had enemies, and the first person that came to mind was Dennis. He had fought hard and quick to keep Carmella, so of course, he thought that he’d taken her.
He went right to Dennis’ house but was quickly sure that he had nothing to do with it. As he was leaving, Dennis asked him if he wanted some help in finding her.
“Why would you help me, Dennis?”
“Because it’s for Carmella, not you. Even if I don’t get to have her, she will always be someone special in my mind.”
Jeff couldn’t disagree, and since he had no idea where to start, a second person and tracker would be helpful. Dennis was basically healed up as well, so Jeff figured that they could do better together. He did wonder if he should expect another attack from Dennis, but he was willing to take that chance. If it were in a bid to get Carmella back to him, that would be enough.
The two of them made it outside and traced steps back to Jeff’s. Once they were in their wolf form, they took a minute to pick up her scent. It was light, and by the way the ground had a faint line for a time, it seemed that Carmella was dragged at first. Jeff was upset to think about it and moved faster, harder than he ever had before.
After an hour, they didn’t seem any closer to finding her. She was being carried by a shifter, though it wasn’t a wolf. Jeff still had no idea who had taken her, but he didn’t recognize the smell.
They stopped for a breather. It was hundreds of miles they’d traveled now, and she was still a distant smell. Who
ever had her was moving faster, or at least, just as fast as they were. Jeff had been gone for hours with the elders of the clan. He had lost it all, just that easily, in only a few hours.
The pair didn’t say much to each other, silently getting back on the road. Jeff watched the sun start to go down and knew that bad things happened at night. That is when they would stop for the night, presumably and then…
He didn’t even want to think about it.
The thoughts spurred him on, and before he could focus anymore, he noticed that the scent was getting stronger. To him, it was good news. It meant that they were getting closer. He wasn’t going to think about the downside of it. He just couldn’t.
Another hour went by of hard running, and finally, he could see the prints were fresh and there was a fire burning in the distance. Once he heard Carmella scream, all control left him.
Some man had her by her upper arms. He was saying something to her, but Jeff couldn’t make it out. He didn’t care what was being said. Just having another man’s hands on his wife was enough to push him into overdrive.
He grabbed the dark-haired older man from the back and yanked him down. He was in his human form, and even when the man became a mountain lion, he didn’t budge. Jeff wasn’t thinking as he asked Carmella if she was okay.
Jeff didn’t have time to hear her answer before the mountain lion was upon him, slashing at his side with those long claws. Jeff cried out in pain, unable to hold it in. He was seething inside with anger, but the bright spot of misery woke him up to it all.
Alpha Shifter Bride Service: (A Paranormal Romance Series) Page 21
