When they’d nearly cleared the tree line, Nick said nonchalantly. “When I said you could tell me ‘I told you so’ later, I didn’t think you’d actually do it.”
“Cut the bullshit, Nick,” Tom snapped, spinning on his brother. “You were supposed to be back at the shop ages ago!”
“Ages ago?” Nick parroted. “It’s been an hour, maybe two tops.”
“It’s been nearly four!” Tom retorted.
Four? Already? “Okay, that’s hardly an eternity,” Nick replied, shrugging. “What’s the rush?”
“It’s not just your blatant negligence for the time, Nick,” Tom growled. “It’s why you’re negligent. It’s her.”
Nick automatically bristled. “What about her?” he asked, voice low and filled with warning.
Tom ran a frustrated hand down his face, and Nick could see him working to formulate his argument. Finally he looked at Nick and said. “Are you aware that the Northern wind Pack thinks she might be your mate?”
Flood’s words played in Nick’s mind. “It was mentioned earlier before Dan ambushed me. But I shut the rumor down. They know she’s human. They know that it’s impossible.”
“And how can you be so sure, Nick?” Tom asked. “Lucas gave them permission to kill her. He’s scum, but even he wouldn’t break the law unless he thought he had a good reason. If word got out that an alpha bear’s human mate was killed in a territory war, Lucas is in the clear. You however, you’d be severely judged.”
“She’s not my mate,” Nick declared, and deep down, he felt the admission cut through him. “She can never be my mate.”
Tom stared his brother down, his eyes narrowing slightly, “Is she the one that cleaned up that cut on your back?”
“Yes,” Nick said, spreading his hands. “So what?”
“And she just did that out of the kindness of her heart?” Tom asked, voice heavy with accusation.
“Yes!” Nick exclaimed. “What are you implying?”
“Oh come on Nick, there’s something going on between you two!” Tom shouted, throwing his hands up. “I can tell, that bear I fought could tell, and worst of all, even Lucas can tell!”
“There’s nothing going on, Tom!” Nick denied. “What the hell?”
“Really?” Tom replied, sarcasm dripping. “So, then why, pray tell, can I smell her scent all over you?”
“Just let me deal with this, okay?” Nick spun on his brother, the panic finally building up that he’d kept hidden.
Tom’s jaw dropped in disbelief, then anger slowly filled his eyes as the truth of what Nick said finally sunk in. “What hell are you doing, Nick? You know the law!”
“Of course I know the law!” Nick protested. “I… I’m doing my best to adhere to it.”
“We’ve got to get her out of here, Tom continued, eyes blazing. “Out of the cabin, out of Rawlins. Out of our lives. Right now before she destroys everything we’re fighting for.”
Nick growled, gritting his teeth.
“She can’t even give you cubs, Nick!”
“Maybe I don’t need any!” Nick snapped.
“You’ll tear her apart!” Tom shot back, eye flashing. “What will you do then when your precious human is bleeding out because you lost control? What if you change?” Panic paled his features a bit. “Have you… does she…?”
“No! No, she doesn’t know anything!” Pain radiated from Nick’s wound and down his body as the bear within vied for freedom. “Damn it, Tom! Why can’t you just leave things be?” He took a few deep breaths, working to suppress the beast for a while longer. Glaring daggers at his younger brother, Nick shouldered past and stormed back towards the cabin.
“You’re making a mistake, Nick!” Tom called, angrily. “This isn’t what father would have wanted!” Nick responded by slamming the weak front door entirely too hard behind him.
The beaten wood groaned and splintered one final time before the door finally fell off its hinges.
Chapter Twelve
Nick nearly sprinted to the bathroom, hoping that Jo wouldn’t see the feral state he was in before he got out of view. He locked himself in the bathroom, running the water in an attempt to drown out his bear’s uncontrollable growls and rattles. He had to calm down, or else something really bad was bound to happen.
It was rare that Tom could make Nick this upset, and as much as he wanted to stay angry at his little brother, he knew exactly why he’ been so effective this time.
Tom was absolutely right.
Nick’s spine cracked angrily, and he had to dig his nails into the palms of his hands to keep the bear at bay. It angered him to admit, but everything Tom had said was true. That wasn’t the problem. Nick knew that humans were off limits. They couldn’t mate, they couldn’t comingle, they couldn’t even know about shifters. But the bear didn’t care, and Nick couldn’t help it. It wasn’t something Tom would understand.
After a short tug of war on his sanity, Nick finally fought the bear back down to something controllable, sliding down to the floor with a heavy breath of relief. He knew it wouldn’t last long though. He’d only known Jo for a day, and his attraction to her was only growing. They still had three days. Three days! He wouldn’t be able to keep fighting.
“What am I doing?” he moaned aloud, thumping the floor limply with his fist. He promised her he’d stay here tonight, and she’d even told him nothing had to happen between them tonight. Yeah, right. He’d set himself up for failure before he even began.
With a deep breath, he centered his thoughts. He knew he had to make a decision. Whether he was going to try to make things work with Jo, or he wasn’t. Choosing the first option was dangerous, more dangerous than she could ever know. It would also be filled with lies and deceit, never being able to tell her the true nature of his beast. The bear snarled, but Nick ignored it. It was the price he had to pay.
And then there was walking away—
The bear roared in protest, fighting against Nick’s insides and making him buckle over in agony. “Okay, okay,” he wheezed past the pain. Walking away wasn’t an option. He knew that his own bear would fight tooth and claw to keep her by his side, and if Nick allowed her to walk away, he’d move mountains to bring her home.
With a deep breath, Nick finally spoke the truth. “So she is my mate, huh?” Saying it aloud was terrifying, like it instantly put a target on his back and everyone could see now that he’d accepted it. Human mates weren’t even rare enough to be considered myths. They simply never happened. What if Tom was right? What if he lost control? What if he hurt her—killed her? He remembered the harsh red mark he’d left on her skin only a short while ago. Was it really worth the risk?
“She’s my mate,” he said, voice stronger than he felt. “She’s my mate.” His voice was surer this time. He said it a few more times until it felt natural on his lips.
“Jo barrowman is my mate,” he said, feeling a giddy sort of exhilaration at saying it out loud, “and I will never hurt her.” In that moment, he made his decision. He’d stay the night with her, and he wouldn’t stop whatever happened between them.
He allowed himself a few more moments to compose himself before tentatively leaving the bathroom. The last time she’d likely seen him, he’d been storming upstairs in a rage. He wanted to make sure he didn’t startle her. She was sitting on the sofa, reading a novel from the bookshelf.
She glanced up from the page, and smiled light at him and he descended into the sitting room. “You feel better?” she asked.
“Oh, you saw that, huh?” he asked, clearing his throat in embarrassment. “Uh, yeah. Much better. Tom just really knows how to push my buttons sometimes.”
“I’ll have to take your word for it.” She shrugged. “Only child here.” Shifting in her seat, he saw her eyes pass over his shoulder. “Is the dressing holding up well?”
“Yeah, yeah. It’s fine.” It was painful, of course, but nothing he couldn’t handle. He’d dealt with much worse from Lucas and his crew before.
He flopped down lazily onto the couch next to her, stretching out on the sofa like a lounging cat. “So what are you reading?”
She shrugged again. “Nothing interesting,” Jo replied. He noticed how her eyes traveled up the path of naked skin that bared itself as his shirt rose.
He slid a bit closer to her, feeling more content that he had in a very long time. Accepting her as his mate had answered so many questions he didn’t even know he’d been asking, opened doors he didn’t even know existed, and he felt happy. Giddy, even. It made him want to explore this new path in his life even more. “Can you read to me?”
Jo barked a surprised laugh. “What?” she laughed, her hand brushing his hair away from his forehead. “Are you being serious?”
Nick grinned. “I like the sound of your voice.” Lying down completely, he rested his head on Jo’s lap. His eyes flutters closed and he even felt his bear settle down for the time being.
Jo smiled down at him. “If you really want me to.” Picking up the book, she flipped to the next chapter and started reading.
***
Nick stretched, blinking a few times before he could remember where he was. He had fallen sleep in Jo’s lap to the sound of her voice. She was still here, providing her lap as his pillow. She drifted off still sitting up, her head leaned slightly to the side and her eyes closed. Running a light finger down her cheek and jaw, Nick smiled to himself. She was so beautiful to him. Shifter or not, what he saw in her and what he felt for her transcended that.
With one last yawn, Nick rose from Jo’s lap, careful not to wake her. He walked quietly into the kitchen and put on some coffee, pulling his cell from his pocket.
He tried calling Tom three times before giving up. He figured his brother was just being stubborn and hard headed because of their argument and likely left his phone somewhere out of reach in an attempt to give Nick the cold shoulder. Shrugging, he went back to the coffee maker, his ears picking up light rustling sounds coming from the sitting room.
“Did the smell wake you?” he called.
Jo walked leisurely into the kitchen, still rubbing her sleepy eyes. “Probably. I do really like coffee,” she said with a smile.
He grinned, pulling her into a light embrace, running a hand through her hair to straighten out the kinks. “Perfect,” he murmured, and Jo blushed. “Can I get you a cup?”
“Please,” she answered, sitting down at the dining table. “Did we sleep for a long time?”
“Long enough.” He grinned, handing her a mug. “It’ll be time to eat soon.”
“Anything good to eat around here?” she asked, taking her first sip.
He chuckled, sitting at the table beside her and lifting her legs to rest on his lap. “Small town, remember? There’s not much more than the Chinese place we ate from last night. I suppose I could always try to cook.”
“You cook?” Jo asked, a shocked look peeking over her steaming mug.
Nick winced. “I… try.” If he was being honest, he’d prefer a nice, blue steak, or a fresh kill out in the forest, but he imagined that neither would be very appetizing to Jo.
“Chinese it is, then,” she replied, hiding her smile. “I’ll just order something different this time. Keep things interesting.” She paused, looking up at him. “What about Tom?”
“What about him,” Nick asked, taking a long swig of his coffee.
“Should we order something for him?” she asked, her gaze averting slightly. “I don’t want him to feel left out.”
“You’re too kind, thinking of him,” Nick replied, his voice noncommittal. “But he’s a big boy. He can take care of himself.”
Jo squared her shoulders. “I’ll get something for him anyway. If he doesn’t want it, you can eat it tomorrow while you work. We can run by the shop to drop it off on our way back, can’t we?
Nick shrugged. “Sure.” He bristled a bit at the thought of Jo working so hard to play nice, but calmed himself down. She was willing to make the effort because that’s the type of person she was. He just hoped Tom wouldn’t be rude to her this time. If he was really going through with this mate thing, he needed his brother to accept it as much as he did.
He watched Jo chew on her lip. “That fight, Nick… was it about me?” she asked cautiously. “I kind of get the vibe that he doesn’t really like me being around.”
Nick mouth twisted for a moment. He thought of how to work things and keep them vague. His bear huffed. “It’s not that, Jo. To be honest, he’s just concerned about you. It can get pretty dangerous here.” All of that was true, technically, just not for the reasons Jo might think.
“You mean like with the bears?”
“Definitely like with the bears.”
“Why was he so angry with you, then?” she asked.
Nick rubbed her ankle in small circles, averting his gaze, slightly. “I told him that I didn’t think the bears would come near the cabin. I’d insisted you’d be safe.”
“I didn’t get hurt,” she pointed out.
“Yeah, but you should have never been in danger in the first place,” he replied quickly. “That’s on me.”
“Hey, you were only trying to help me out of the kindness of your heart, Nick. I won’t fault you for that,” she assured.
“I am really sorry for that, Jo,” he murmured solemnly.
“Didn’t you just hear me? There will be no more of that. There’s nothing to apologize for.” She smiled. “There was no way for you to know that wild bears were going to rampage your cabin, you know?” She shrugged, her smile growing to a grin. “First my car, and now the cabin. Maybe I’m just a secret bear magnet!”
Nick wanted to laugh with her, but unease flip-flopped in his stomach. All of it had been totally been his fault—both the cabin and her car.
She gave him a shy glance, sipping again on her mug. “You’re still… staying the night, right?” she asked quietly. “Or is Tom…”
“Oh, Tom’s fine with it,” Nick lied quickly. “Really. We got out all our anger, and by tomorrow morning, we’ll be back to our old chummy selves as we work on your car, guaranteed. You have nothing to worry about. I promise.”
“Cool,” she said, an air of relief about her. She stood. “Now let’s go get some Chinese. I’m starving.”
Chapter Thirteen
Jo leaned on the counter, gazing up at the menu. “What does Tom normally get?”
Venison, raw and freshly killed, Nick thought to himself, hiding his grin. “Chow Mein.”
“Good choice,” she quipped, grinning.
“Sweet and sour for me,” Nick said, never taking his eyes off Jo. She seemed in high spirits tonight, more relaxed with less tension.
“Will you stop watching me,” she said out of the corner of her mouth. “I’m trying to order here.”
Nick grinned, allowing his eyes to travel down the length of her lean body. “I can’t help it,” he murmured, making her blush.
“I thought you said this was a bad idea,” she whispered.
He shrugged, truly feeling at peace with his decision. “All good things are worth playing the odds.” He saw her excitement shiver up her spine, instantly detecting her arousal. She licked her lips and began to focus too intently on the menu.
A growl of pleasure rattled in Nick’s chest, anticipating the night to come. Let’s just get back to the cabin, he told his bear. He could wait that long, at least.
Jo finally decided on orange chicken, paying quickly as they bagged the food. Nick received that bag, waving at the familiar faces as they exited the restaurant.
They’d stopped by the mechanic shop, as planned, but Tom was nowhere to be found, his car missing from the lot. Nick wasn’t really worried about him; he often drove deeper into the woods when he wanted to hunt. They placed his food in the back room in a little fridge, Jo leaving him a little note on the table so he knew they’d brought him something.
As they headed out, they passed by Jo’s car. Tom had said he’d hav
e the lights fixed by tonight, but one was still very clearly busted. With an inward groan, Nick told himself he’d have to have another talk with Tom about letting personal spats get in the way of a deadline.
“Okay, note’s finished. We should probably get going huh?” Jo asked, voice only slightly suggestive of things to come.”
Nick grinned in response, snaking his arm around her waist and nearly lifting her off her feet. “Of course. I’m practically starving.”
“Careful!” she laughed. “I know you’re… hungry, but let’s at least wait until we’re back at the cabin!”
***
Nick was impressed by his restrain as they made it back to the cabin. He and Jo had managed to eat dinner, drink a couple of glasses of wine, and even allowed themselves some quiet time to digest their meal with little to no sexual escapades. Hell, he even had time to get the front door firmly reattached to the frame.
If he had to admit, part of him was terrified about taking the next step. Doubt worried his every movement, and he wanted it to be perfect. Slow and steady was his mantra as the night unfolded before them, and de decided he’d wait for her to make the first move.
Currently, Jo was reading the book she’d read to him earlier, tucked comfortable into the reading nook. It seemed to be her favorite place. He’d noticed that she’d been passing sidelong glances at him more and more as the night grew longer, and he figured any moment now, the world would change for them forever.
Just as he’d convinced himself to relax back into his chair a far off roar pierced his ears. Not just any roar.
Tom.
Jo looked up from her book, mild alarm on her face. “Bear?” Nick nodded. “Is everything okay?” she asked, walking to him when he didn’t answer.
Nick sprang from his seat almost immediately, his lips peeling back into a feral snarl. He absently heard Jo gasp in shock, no doubt surprised by his bear showing, but it was something too far beyond his control at this point. His brother was issuing a challenge and he was obligated to accept.
“Nick!” she called tentatively. “Are you okay?”
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