by Vivian Arend
Amy stopped her rumble of displeasure seconds after it had begun, hiding her frustration by stiffening her spine as she paused in the hallway between the bedrooms to stare him down. “And I’ll remind you again, there are different types of power.”
He shrugged, not looking even remotely worried. “Wolves are wolves. Whoever is in control calls the shots.”
She closed the door to her bedroom while she dressed. So. It seemed the next part was less about them as a couple, and more about the packs joining.
Maybe that was the only way for her to survive this crazy situation. Amalgamation seemed to be Evan’s main focus, for all his talk of wanting to make things right between them as a couple.
The pack merger was going to be a huge event, with lots of delicate manoeuvering required. Did Evan realize that? Or was his method going to be as crude as Shaun’s? Sneak up on the unsuspecting, and force them to either cooperate or shut up?
Her pack might seem quiet, but they weren’t helpless, and they wouldn’t take being overrun without a fight.
Three issues loomed. Finding closure regarding her brother, dealing with her and Evan’s mating, and joining the packs. Solving all three came back to trust. She wasn’t sure she could trust him. Not yet, and Evan had no idea how much he had to learn about her.
Her phone rang as her sentries checked in one after the other. She reassured them she wasn’t hurt, upset or otherwise in trouble. They were all fine as well, although embarrassed at having been caught so easily.
Shaun wasn’t going to be able to pull off that kind of trick again.
A knock on the door interrupted her in the middle of pulling on socks. “Are you okay with us heading back to town? I have no idea what Shaun might do if I leave him unsupervised for too long.”
Amy nodded. “Of course.”
The sooner they got back to town, the sooner the rest of the story would come out.
“Can I take you for breakfast, though?” Evan asked.
None of this was perfect, but she had to work with what she had. “Sure. I know just the place.”
Evan paused for a beat when she handed him her car keys. “You aren’t serious. I get to drive?”
“Trust me, I have enough confidence in my abilities I don’t have to always be the one behind the wheel.” Amy gave him directions to where she wanted to go for breakfast, then pulled out a miniature computer and started working on it as he drove.
“I thought you took time off from work,” he teased gently.
“This isn’t work. This is fun.”
Evan shuddered. “Fun and computers are not words that go hand-in-hand.”
She blinked at him before shaking her head. “Oh, you sad little man. You have no idea what you’re missing.”
“Frustration and carpal tunnel?”
Amy waved a hand in the air. “See that? That is why some wolves pick the Canyon pack over approaching you.”
“Hey, just because me and computers don’t get along doesn’t mean I’m not an awesome Alpha.”
“It’s not about your skills, it’s your attitude.”
She worked for a while as he concentrated on driving. The logging road was twisted enough he had to focus forward instead of staring at her. At the silky smooth surface of her skin. At the strong neck he wanted to wrap his hand around before slipping his fingers into her hair. Fisting tightly so she couldn’t move away as he took a long, deep taste of her pouting lips.
Fuck.
He wiggled in place in an attempt to ease the pressure on his rapidly increasing arousal. The dire need to convince her to take the next steps with him grew exponentially.
They were nearly back at the highway before she put the tablet to one side and twisted in her seat to face him. “Not all wolves are the same. Not all wolves need the same thing.”
“I don’t need Alpha lessons,” Evan muttered, pulling onto the Alaskan highway between a couple of eighteen wheelers. Yeah, he was being cranky, but he and his cock were still not on speaking terms.
She crossed her arms over her chest and deepened her voice in an uncanny match of his. “I’ll make it right. I swear I will. I swear I’ll find a way to prove I’m worthy to be your mate.”
Okay, that was freaky. “You have that thing that lets you repeat word for word anything you’ve ever heard.”
“Uh-huh. Total auditory recall. Doesn’t work on things I’ve read, but if I hear it, I can repeat it. And that’s why I was doing the little Alpha lecture. From things you’ve said, it’s obvious you’re used to Takhini dynamics. Canyon operates differently, and if we’re going to work together, you need to adjust your attitude.”
“Not all wolves are the same. Gotcha. Attitude adjusted.”
She shook her head, concern creasing her brow. She took a deep breath then settled with her body turned away. Closing herself off from him, and Evan gave himself shit. He wished he could back up a few steps and avoid the conflict. What he needed was forward motion, not poking her already sensitive edges.
Evan pulled into the parking lot of the tiny, beat-down truck shop, wondering why on earth she’d picked such a dump to stop at.
Amy spoke softly. “Some of my pack are always around here. Please be careful how you move.”
It was a test. He hadn’t expected that, but in a way the challenge seemed a good thing. It meant she was at least willing to give him a chance.
When Shaun had showed up at the cabin, Evan had thought the fragile peace growing between Amy and himself would be shattered. Seeing her exert her dominance over his Beta had been an awesome surprise. A little early in the game, maybe, but the challenge would have happened eventually. Evan had been impressed.
Now it appeared he needed to do some impressing of his own.
Evan held the door for her, waiting as she stepped past. And…he had to do another mental adjust. The inside of the tiny highway café was sparkling clean, the heavenly scent of coffee and crispy-fried bacon strong enough to overpower even the addictive aroma of his mate. “Mmm. Already my taste buds are cheering, while my arteries cringe in fear.”
Amy gestured forward. “Pick us a spot.”
Three steps forward he froze, one foot damn near suspended in midair. The people seated at the table nearest the door had left so rapidly one of the glasses on the table rocked unsteadily before tipping and spilling the leftover contents over their abandoned plates. Escaping from the room with their eyes averted.
Shit. He glanced at Amy who pointedly avoided his gaze.
This is a test, he reminded himself. He had instinctively headed to a place of central attention—a place where his pack mates could find him easily and take comfort in his presence.
Amy’s little hints earlier made him reconsider if perhaps that wasn’t the best choice. He studied the room, checking faces and examining eyes for clues.
Most of the remaining occupants were human. Toward one side of the room, though, a wolf who was about eight years old stared straight at him. Not in fear, but perhaps with a bit of awe.
“How about over there?” Evan asked, the words coming out so quiet he could barely hear himself. Hell if he wanted to freak anyone else into running away.
Amy led him across the room and slid onto the bench next to the boy. “Hi, Dex. How’re things this morning?”
The kid’s jaw hung open as Evan took a seat opposite them, but even as he stared he answered. “Good. Mom says I get a new book today.”
“Nice.” Evan snuck into the conversation. “What’s it about?”
Dexter turned to whisper behind his hand to Amy, the words loud enough everyone in a five-table radius could hear. “He’s with Takhini.”
“He is, but you should still answer him.” Amy picked up the menu and pretended to study it. Her gaze met Evan’s over the top of the paper, a clear warning to tread carefully.
The little guy crawled up on his knees and leaned his elbows on the table. “It’s the final book in the Goligal series. Have you read it? It’s really good. They’re dragons, and they can fly, and they take care of their tree houses, and then there was this fire, and they got moon thieved, and…”
Evan nodded, and continued to nod as information flowed in a nonstop stream for the next five minutes.
“Dexter, I swear someday you’ll wear someone’s ears off telling them about your stories.” The waitress turned to Evan, her smile vanishing between one breath and the next. She backed up toward where Amy and her son sat, protective even as her fear shone out.
“Laney, it’s okay.” Amy laid a soothing hand on the woman’s arm. “He’s with me.”
Laney’s eyes were still panicked, and she licked her lips nervously.
Evan considered ways to ease the tension, but he couldn’t make a rational decision if his life depended on it. Which was stupid, crazy and so unlike him, but for some damn reason, his brain seemed to have frozen between one beat and the next. His mouth might be hanging open, his expression blank for all he knew.
Talking. Maybe talking would be good. “Your son is very smart. He enjoys his books, and I don’t mind listening.”
The woman swallowed hard and nodded, but it was obvious she was very uncomfortable. “The special today…umm. The special…”
“The special would be great. And a coffee, please.”
“Same for me,” Amy ordered. “Cream for both the coffees as well.”
The waitress nodded, then fled.
Dexter’s gaze remained glued on Evan. “Do you like reading?”
“I like that you like to read.”
Good enough for the kid. He went back to drawing something intricate on the pad of paper before him.
Across the table, Amy folded her hands, calmness and serenity pouring from her as she stared at him, her expression unreadable. It was a damn good thing she was calm because that was the last sensation Evan felt. He couldn’t believe how fucked up he was inside.
A meet-and-greet at a café with a woman and her son, and he was tied up in enormous knots as if he were a baby all over again. Evan wanted to slap some sense into himself if nothing else. This wasn’t him. He knew how to deal with people, how to offer assurance and a steady hand to wolves.
But right now he felt totally adrift and lost. Why was Laney so scared? Did the wolves who left at just seeing him think he was some kind of monster?
Stupid, crazy mating urge—it had to be the cause of his emotional chaos that was as unwelcome as it was unexpected.
Amy tilted her head and caught his attention, breathing with deliberate slowness.
Shit. He took the hint and concentrated on relaxing. Three breaths later he did feel better, and he reached across the table to cover her fingers with his own as a thank-you.
Amy tensed.
Dexter stiffened.
Heck, the entire café went deadly quiet, and most of them were humans, for fuck’s sake. There was no reason for anyone to overreact.
“Uh, sweetheart, can you up the positive vibes again?” Evan forced himself to keep looking straight at her instead of swinging to watch his back. He was not about to get into a brawl when she was simply trying to make a point about leadership styles.
Slowly her fingers relaxed in his. “Sorry. You surprised me.”
“Understood.” He swept his thumb over her knuckles. “Looks as if I have a tendency to do that. I hope you get used to it.”
He maintained a grip on her fingers until the coffees arrived. Laney filled their cups as quickly as possible, dropping a bowl of creamers onto the table. But her gaze was focused on their joined hands, and this time when she left, her escape was noticeably slower because she was looking over her shoulder to keep examining the scene.
“You realize my entire pack now knows something is up.” Amy slipped her fingers free to stir her coffee.
“The more alert of my pack probably have heard as well. Well, the ones who are awake. If I know Shaun, he already made some kind of grand proclamation in the pack house.”
“Chicken Little running through the halls screaming the sky is falling? Or maybe warning the dragon-lady is on her way?”
Evan grinned. “Hey, that’s the kind of reputation that impresses my pack.” Although, as he looked around, he had to wonder…
Dexter finished colouring the picture he was working on and handed it to Amy. He pressed a kiss to her cheek before scrambling over her to get to the floor.
He twisted to face Evan. “Be nice.”
“I’m always nice,” Evan insisted.
The kid planted teeny fists on his hips, his expression far too serious for someone that young. “If you make her cry, I’ll get even with you.”
Then he darted off, escaping into the kitchen.
Evan looked into Amy’s face. “You have quite the admirer there.”
“He doesn’t trust a lot of guys. His dad abandoned them before Dexter was born, and the guy Laney was living with until recently made it clear he thought Dex was nothing but a nuisance.” Amy took a sip of coffee, staring into the café. “After she left Mike the first time, he tracked her down, stole her savings and left her with a broken arm and fingers.”
Anger rumbled in Evan’s gut. “What the hell?”
“They were part of the Dawson Creek pack. The Alpha gave the bastard a lecture, and that was that. So she moved south. When they got here, she came to me. I helped her find a job. They live upstairs from the café, and there’s always at least one of the pack around to protect her in case her ex shows up again.”
Evan gave in to a momentary mental fantasy that involved ripping off the bastard’s arm and using the bloody stump to beat some sense into him. “Good. If they need any more help, let me know.”
She tilted her head. “Yeah, you would be good at that part. Providing defense. Only, can you see why she never came to you in the first place?”
Indignation set in fast. “I’m not an ass like the Dawson Alpha. No one gets away with shit like that in my pack.”
Amy shook her head. “If you can’t see it, I can’t explain it.”
Their meals arrived, Laney still moving cautiously, but at least not throwing the food at the table and running.
Evan worked even harder this time to display his usual charming-and-completely-not-scary self. “Thanks. It looks great.”
She dipped her chin briefly.
Amy brushed her hand along the other woman’s arm. “My thanks as well. Will I see you later this week?”
Laney nodded, glancing at Evan before focusing on Amy. “Are you still going to make it?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
The food was good, he was sitting across from his mate, but at the same time Evan wasn’t quite sure what was going on. Somehow in the last while he’d lost all control. It was more than uncomfortable, it was downright frustrating.
A reluctant smile twisted Amy’s expression. She spoke in a whisper. “You did okay.”
The faint praise shouldn’t have thrilled him as much as it did. “I feel like I should get a gold star, or something, for that.”
Her lips twitched harder. “Eat. You’ll need your strength for later.”
“I could misinterpret that so many ways.” He allowed the heat inside to escape in his tone.
Her eyes flashed for a brief second with that incredible passion he craved to indulge in, then faded to sorrow. “Wait and see if you’re still interested in me after talking to your Beta.”
Her warning was sincere, but Evan shook his head firmly. “There’s nothing he can say that can change my mind,” he insisted. “You’re mine, Amy, and I’m not letting you go.”
She looked both pleased and nervous at his comment.
The tug of war betwe
en them continued.
Chapter Ten
There weren’t a lot of people awake and moving around the Takhini pack house at this time of the morning. Evan pushed the front door open for her, and Amy boldly marched through the entrance.
“Shaun and the guys should be around somewhere.” Evan followed closely, his body heat a security blanket around her shoulders. “The common area is just to the right.”
She wasn’t sure if she should confess this, but in the interest of total disclosure, it was necessary. “Evan, I already know the layout of the entire place.”
“Amy, Amy, Amy.” He clicked his tongue. “Have you been spying on me?”
“Do I really need to answer that?”
“Spying is the least of what she’s done.” Shaun stood before them, his arms crossed over his chest. He wore a disgusted expression as if he smelled something rotten.
“Hello again, my sparkling ray of sunshine. I’ve missed you so.” Amy patted Shaun on the cheek harder than necessary.
“Yeah? Well, I’m watching you. I’m watching you closely.” Shaun did that little pointing thing, aiming two fingers toward his eyes then directing them toward her. “Because you are one dangerous woman.”
“Shaun, back down,” Evan snapped.
“She started it,” Shaun protested.
“I said, back down.”
There were a half-dozen wolves in the common area and more trickling into the room, checking her out.
Since Evan didn’t seem to be interested in introducing her, Amy ignored the questioning glances. Instead she turned her focus to the quiet, dark-haired woman tucked into the corner of the room. Her hands were folded in her lap as she perched on the very edge of a couch, as if ready to spring to safety at any moment.
At her side sat an enormous shifter Amy recognized as one of the bears who had remained after conclave had concluded. She nodded politely, but spoke to the woman at his side.
