“I know, and I’m sorry. I just… You talked about this whole mate bond as if it were a done deal, but I wasn’t there yet. I wasn’t ready.” She took another deep breath. She wasn’t explaining herself well. “I think I didn’t send it to anyone right away because I knew it was wrong from the start, but then something changed and I realized I could never send it.”
“Really?” Chase asked. He sounded just as skeptical as his brother. “What changed your mind about putting my family, my pack, and every shifter everywhere in danger?”
She ignored the bitterness in his words. She would make him understand. She had to. “I fell in love with you, Chase. I fell for you. That’s what changed. I went from thinking I shouldn’t send the video to knowing I never could.”
Liam growled. “She’s playing you, man.”
Avery ignored him. At that point, she only cared what Chase thought. Liam could go fuck himself. “Did you hear me, Chase? I’m in love with you.” This was a huge deal for her. She’d just told him she loved him, the only man she’d ever said that to, and he wasn’t responding. Her heart raced as she waited for his answer. “Say something, anything.”
He was silent for so long it scared her. Then, he just shook his head as if in disbelief. “I trusted you.”
That wasn’t what she expected to hear, and it hurt. Oh, how it hurt. “And I trusted you. Let’s talk about that for a minute. How does Liam even know about the video?”
Liam chose to answer that one. “I had our technology expert hack your computer files. It took a while to go through them, but he found the video this morning. Clever naming it after your dog. I have men on their way to your place as we speak. They’ll find any other copies and bring them back to me.”
“You…you…absolute mother fucker. You sent them to break into my home?”
“No breaking in required. We searched your bags and found your keys.” Liam gave her a mocking grin. Clearly he was enjoying himself.
She looked up at Chase. “And you knew about this? You talk about trust, but you didn’t bother telling me your brother was invading my privacy?”
Chase rubbed his hands over his face, suddenly looking very tired. “The computer thing was planned before we met, or I never would have allowed it to happen. He’s been tapping your phone, too. I didn’t know about the video or the keys until just now. I’m as surprised about that as you are.”
“And I’m just supposed to believe that?” Avery backed away from Chase, needing some distance so she could think straight. She was so angry she wanted to slap him and Liam, especially Liam. “You should have told me, before we…before we were together the first time, and you’ve definitely had plenty of time to tell me since then. If you want me to trust you with the rest of my life, this isn’t how you convince me.”
“I didn’t try to hide it from you. I just didn’t think to tell you.”
“It’s not Chase’s fault,” Liam said. “He had no way of knowing you’d be his mate when I sent him there. And we’re getting off the subject. This little act isn’t fooling me.”
“What you did was illegal,” she told Liam. “I could have you arrested for it.”
He leaned back in his chair. “Maybe that’s what you planned all along. The last time a human decided to share her knowledge of shifters, arrests were only the start of the fallout. I won’t allow that to happen here. The only reason you’re still alive after we found that video is because you’re my brother’s mate.”
She couldn’t help flinching at his words. “So you can’t hit women, but you can kill one?”
“I’ll do anything to protect my pack. Anything.”
“Fuck you, Liam.” She walked to his office door, turning just long enough to note that Chase wasn’t coming with her. “Fuck you, too, Chase.”
Chapter 12
“How long are you going to torture him?”
Gypsy handed Avery her second strawberry margarita then sat next to her with her own margarita in hand.
“You mean torture myself?” Avery had stormed out of Liam’s office, only to remember she didn’t have her car. Chase had caught up to her, apologizing, begging her to stay, and finally saying he’d take her home, but Avery had been too angry for that. Gypsy had happened along and offered to take her instead, much to Chase’s displeasure. They’d made it less than an hour outside of Deep Valley before Gypsy announced she’d be staying in White Oak Run with her. A visit, she’d called it.
Avery hadn’t argued with Gypsy. It was creepy knowing Liam had sent shifters to paw through her things. She hadn’t been sure she’d be comfortable alone in her own home at that point.
“I don’t know. Honestly, I’m having fun with just us girls.” They’d watched movies, listened to music, danced like crazy, and even painted each other’s nails, but a couple of days in and she was losing her mind. Her body hadn’t forgotten that she was only part of the way through bonding with her wolf.
“Right.” Gypsy rolled her eyes. “You toss and turn all night long.” Gypsy was a night owl and had come to her room to find Avery not asleep quite a few times during the night.
“Well, I do like hanging with you.” She did. Gypsy was the kind of friend she’d always wished she had. They liked many of the same things, and Gypsy seemed to know when she needed to talk, when she needed a little space, and when the time was right to cut up a little. She was also a buffer between her and Chase, who’d shown up at her door the day before, sporting the remnants of a black eye. Avery hid out when he knocked, letting Gypsy do the dirty work of telling him to go away. “It’s just that I miss him.”
“So, you know I love having you all to myself but if you miss him, go tell him you forgive him. You know he slept outside your door last night? Probably hoping you’d take pity on him and let him in.”
She shook her head, feeling guilty at the idea of him sleeping outside with the bugs. “Oh God, really? I had no idea.”
“Don’t feel too guilty. He’s a wolf, so he’s built for sleeping outside. He survived. I saw him on my walk this morning. But since you miss him, go make up with him. Tell him you want amazing makeup sex, and I’ll head home.”
“I don’t want him to think I’m easy.”
“Of course you’re easy, you’re his mate. You’re supposed to be a sure thing.”
“No, I don’t mean that. It’s just that if I give in too quickly, he’ll always expect me to. And he won’t take me seriously when we argue or he pisses me off. He’ll walk all over me. Besides, I’m still pissed.”
“I believe him when he says he didn’t know Liam was sending anyone back here to look for the video. He wouldn’t have been happy Liam was doing it, and you would have definitely heard all about it.”
“I believe him, too.” She decided not to call Liam any more choice names. After all, he was Gypsy’s brother and her alpha. She couldn’t help thinking what an asshole he was each time she heard his name. Not only was the video missing when she got home, but they’d taken her SD card, too. And they’d left a mess for her to clean up. Well, her and Gypsy.
They’d apparently gone through her things looking for more evidence. Some of her other journals were missing, and she’d spent a good deal of time calling Liam every profanity she could think of. Gypsy had dealt with that without even flinching, promising to get them back for her when she headed back to Deep Valley.
Avery resisted the urge to walk to the window and look out to see if she could spot Chase. “He should have told me about the computer and the phone, though.”
Gypsy stretched her long legs, nodding. “Yeah, he did something wrong and you did something wrong. But you love him and he loves you, so it’s time to let it go.”
“That’s the thing.” Honestly, once she’d finished being mad as hell, there was something else that upset her even more.
“What is?”
“I told him I was in love with him back in Liam’s office, and he didn’t respond at all. He acted as if I hadn’t even spoken.”
/> “Well, I never said my brothers were smart. He loves you. I’m sure of it.”
“I feel ridiculous even bringing it up. I mean, we haven’t known each other for very long, but after all of his talk about chasing me through the afterlife, you’d think he’d at least acknowledge it.”
“It was probably just his pride hurt because you pulled one over on him with the video.”
“Maybe, but I have pride, too. I told him how I felt about him and he completely ignored it.”
Gypsy shrugged. “Boys are dumb. See why I prefer romance novels?”
That was another great thing about Gypsy. She made Avery laugh, even when it was the last thing she felt like doing. “Still…”
“Well, it’s up to you. I’m happy hanging out with you, but if it were me, I’d want to spend my nights with my mate, and I doubt that any man who didn’t take you seriously would sleep on the hard ground all night waiting for the chance to apologize again. He could have gone to a hotel and just rang the phone all night.”
“I’ll think about it, but for now, let’s just watch the movie.” And Avery tried, she really did, but the more she thought about Chase lying out there all night, the more she wanted her time in purgatory to end.
* * * *
Chase had experienced about enough of Avery’s silent treatment. He’d knocked about a million times, begging her to let him explain, and even slept outside her door all night waiting for her to open up so they could talk. He didn’t even have Roscoe for company since she hadn’t gone to pick him up from Lila’s yet.
He’d been a fathead, and he’d already admitted it. So why couldn’t she just forgive him and let him in? Or let him in and do the forgiving later?
When he’d heard about the video and she hadn’t denied it, he’d been shocked and angry. Furious, really, and more than a little hurt. But she’d said she was in love with him, so didn’t that mean she should be forgiving him by now? Once he’d calmed down, he’d realized there was no way she’d use that video. Not his Avery. He just wished he’d told her he loved her back. That was stupid. Just stupid.
He’d fought Liam, not caring that he was the alpha. He’d needed to teach the alpha that he couldn’t threaten his mate. His father had, as usual, broken it up, but not before he’d broken Liam’s nose and gotten pretty battered himself. Liam had the right to banish him from the pack for that, but he wouldn’t. Besides, his nose would heal, just as his blackened eye had. Shifter genes.
Liam had ridiculed him for his feelings for Avery. A big, strong wolf wasn’t supposed to talk about those things, he guessed. But Liam would feel this one day, if he was lucky. Some wolves were dealt mates that made him cringe inside, selfish, devious, cold-hearted mates. Fate had given him beauty, brains, and a caring heart in one package. It was only natural that he’d fall in love with her. He hadn’t stood a chance.
He wondered what it would take to convince her to bring Roscoe to live in Deep Valley with him. He’d even build a cabin for her a little away from their little town, where she could step out their door and see nothing but trees and grass if that’s what she wanted. First, though, he had to convince her to talk to him.
Pounding on her front door, he prepared himself to first beg long enough to annoy his sister, then argue with them both about letting him in and finally do a lot apologizing. Eventually, Gypsy opened the door again.
“You don’t have to break the door down, Chase.” Gypsy’s words didn’t have much bite since she was smiling at him.
“I need to talk to Avery.”
She leaned against the door jamb. “More begging, huh? You’re getting good at that.”
“I don’t have time for this, Gypsy. Call Avery to the door.”
“Can’t.”
“Why the hell not?”
“She said she needed some alone time, to think.”
“She’s had enough of that already.”
Gypsy snickered. “You fucked up.”
“I know.”
“You should have told her about the hacking. And you should have stood up for her more with Liam. She feels like you turned on her.”
“I know that, too.”
“You fucked up.” She smiled at him like that was happy news. “But I think she’s ready to forgive you, so I’m going home.”
“Damn it, why didn’t you lead with that?”
She shrugged. “You’re too much fun to mess with.”
Chase didn’t bother to stick around to ask any other questions. He was halfway down the hall to Avery’s study before he heard his sister call after him. “You’re welcome!”
He knew she’d be in her study if she wanted to be alone to think. He didn’t bother knocking.
She looked up at him, clearly surprised to see him, and he wasted no time crossing the room and pulling her up into his arms. He kissed her long and slow and deep, putting his every emotion into his kiss. She stiffened at first but then gave in, kissing him back.
* * * *
Avery guessed Gypsy had given up guard duty and just decided to let him in, but she couldn’t be pissed about it, not when he kissed her like that. She was breathing hard when he finally pulled back, and so was he.
He looked down at her, intently. “I love you, too.”
It was what she’d wanted to hear, yet it wasn’t. “You don’t have to say that, just because I did.”
“I’d never say it if I didn’t mean it.”
“Not even to get your mate to forgive you?”
“Not even for that.”
“Because I’ve already forgiven you.” She had. Not Liam, but Chase wasn’t his brother. “I need to ask you, though. Can you forgive me? What I did was wrong, just totally wrong. My reasons for doing it weren’t good enough, so no excuses, I’m just sorry. And I’ll never do anything like that again. I didn’t know I was going to feel this way about you, but it was still wrong.”
“I forgive you.” He kissed her again. “And I get why you did it. I can’t imagine growing up the way you did and having no one believe you. For me, I felt the bond right away and I understood what it meant. I get that you didn’t feel the same connection.”
She shook her head. “I did feel something. I just didn’t know what to make of it. Regardless, I shouldn’t have betrayed your trust like that.”
“It’s over now. None of that matters. All I care about is being with you.”
“But, Liam...I don’t even know how I’m ever going to prove to him that I’m not some kind of spy, much less be in the same room with him. I tried to like him. I really did. But now…it’s just never going to happen.”
“You’re done proving anything to Liam. We’ll get the locks changed here, maybe even put in a security system if you’ll feel better about it, but don’t worry about Liam. Leave him to me.”
“But if I hadn’t taken the video, things would never have gone so far. He wouldn’t have been such an asshole.”
“Liam can be an asshole without any provocation.”
“Gypsy told me what happened with that other pack. He has good reason to be concerned.”
“Concerned, yes. He’s trying to be a good alpha. He’ll have to learn how to do that without breaking into my mate’s house.”
“They didn’t actually break in.” She guessed that was a good thing. At least she didn’t have to deal with any broken doors or windows. “And whoever he sent left the key under the welcome mat. He could have done worse.”
A shadow of anger passed over his face. “Why are you defending him?”
How could she explain it? “It’s not that. I still hate him, but he’s your family, and I haven’t had one of those. I won’t take yours away from you by forcing you to fight him over me.”
“You’re not forcing me. It’s my job to defend you, to protect you. I’m sorry I didn’t do a good job of that before.”
“Still, it’s not what I want. I want to be a part of your happy family, Chase, not tear it apart.”
“You want to be—?
Are you saying—?”
“I’m saying I want to be your mate completely, in every way. Things are new between us and we’ve both made bad choices already. But I can live with that, as long as it never happens again. No matter what, we need trust. I can handle anything as long as we’re together and you’re honest with me.”
“I promise. No secrets between us.” He took her mouth in a kiss as sweet as it was sensual.
* * * *
Chase showered in record time, and it still took too long. Avery had made him wait to take her to bed. They’d eaten, gone for a walk, and talked at length about how to handle Liam. Chase was in favor of punching him some more, but Avery seemed to think calm discussion was a better option.
Once Chase claimed her, she would become one of them, and Liam would have to accept her. But Avery wanted more than that. She wanted Liam to not only apologize but like her, too. Chase didn’t think she had a chance of getting Liam to apologize, but he’d do everything he could to make that happen.
She’d insisted on showering by herself after that, much to his chagrin. He’d waited impatiently as she took an incredibly long time to get clean. He’d thought the wait was over when she finally came out of the bathroom, but then she insisted that he shower next, saying he smelled like he’d slept outdoors, which he had.
Finally smelling like soap, he threw open her bedroom door and found her wearing something black, silky-looking, and made for his eyes only. His wolf growled in lust at the sight of her lying on her side, lips parted and hip curved temptingly under the sexy wrapping. She’d wanted to surprise him? It had worked. She wouldn’t wear it for long.
* * * *
Avery heard Chase’s deep growl and smiled as the heat of his wolf enveloped her.
“I missed you,” he said, his voice muffled as he buried his face in her breasts.
“I missed you, too.”
“Have I ever told you you’re beautiful?” He pulled back to look into her eyes, and the heat she saw there scorched her. “And this?” He fingered the silky fabric. “This is stunning.”
“Like it?”
He took her hand and guided it down his body to feel the strength of his erection. “I love it, and what’s underneath.”
Avery and Her Wolf [Shifters Revealed 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 12
