He turned to Beatrice. “Bea, you’re in charge of the enforcers. I want you to double the amount of drills we’re running and make sure every enforcer makes it to at least two a day. We need to be sharp and strong for the coming fight.”
“No problem,” she said as she cracked her knuckles and leaned back in her chair. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she almost looked excited at the news. I didn’t know if it was because she’d get to ride the enforcers harder or if she was spoiling for a fight with the Charlotte pack, but it was pretty terrifying.
“Del and Callie, in between practices and work, I want you to help out Aubrey and Ms. Elsie. There’ll be a lot more wolves to feed and clean up after and they’re going to need the extra hands.”
When both women nodded in agreement, he turned to me. His eyes softened the slightest bit and my heart thumped an extra beat just for him.
“El, you’re going to be in charge of making sure the pack runs smoothly. All the wolves are going to be coming to you with their issues and you’ll have to find solutions for them without me.” He took a deep breath and ran a rough hand down his face. “I never intended to leave you with such a responsibility this early on, but it’s unavoidable.” A small smile tugged at his mouth. “However, considering how you’ve been handling yourself without my help, I know you’ll do just fine. Probably better than I could do.”
I shook my head. “I doubt that.”
He sighed. “You underestimate yourself. I’ve seen you rise to this position with the grace and poise of a natural leader. You’ll do fine. I wouldn’t worry too much about pack issues, anyway. When the rest of the wolves hear about the coming conflict, I suspect most of them will set aside their petty problems for the time being. You’ll mostly be a figurehead. Someone for them to look to. I need you to be strong and present a calm front for them. If they see you’re not worried about the coming confrontation, they’ll be less likely to worry too. Okay?”
I took a deep breath and nodded. “I’ll do my best.”
His smile was wide and bright, and my heart pounded again. “That’s my girl.”
He looked around the table at every woman present before tapping the table twice. “Any of you have questions?” When we all shook our heads, he stood from his seat and held a hand out to me. “Then I’m going to spend some time with my mate before I have to get on the road.”
My stomach sank at the reminder, but I rose from my seat and took his hand. It was warm and calloused and so big it engulfed mine. He led me out of the conference room and up the stairs to our wing. He didn’t stop until he’d made it to our bed.
He kicked off his boots and crawled onto our king-sized mattress. I did the same and when I was close enough, he pulled me into his arms, tugging until I was spread across his chest.
My heart beat in time with his while we lay silently in each other’s arms. My head was racing with everything that happened today as my heart broke inside my chest. This was the last time I’d have his arms around me for nearly a week and I wanted to cry just thinking about it.
We’d only been lying there a few minutes before the bed dipped beneath the small weight of my cat. Charlie walked right past me to curl up into a ball on the other side of Abraham’s chest. He chuckled and reached around to scratch his head.
“It wouldn’t be a real cuddle without him, would it?” he asked.
I shook my head as I willed the tears from my eyes. I needed to be strong. It was essential that Abraham visit these packs and find us some help. It didn’t matter that I already missed him so much it was hard to breathe. It didn’t matter that I didn’t know how I was going to make it through this week without him. I needed to stuff my feelings in a box and seal them up tight.
He let out a deep breath, the movement jostling me on his chest. “I’m going to miss you so much,” he said softly into the darkness.
I sniffed back the tears. “I’m going to miss you too, baby.”
He hummed softly as he stroked his big hand through my hair. “It feels like it’s been so long since we’ve been apart. I’ve forgotten how I lived without you.”
My nose burned with tears, but I did my best to stifle them. “I feel the same way,” I whispered.
“I’m doing this for us, baby. I’m doing this so you have a safe place to live. So our pack can be safe. So we can live our lives without this threat. You understand that, right?”
I nodded against his chest, knowing that if I opened my mouth, the only thing that would come out would be sobs.
“I wish I didn’t have to go, though. There’s not much that could tear me away from you, El. The only thing making this decision easy is the need to protect you. That’s the only desire in me that’s stronger than the one to be with you.”
This time I couldn’t stop a tear from escaping my lids and rolling down my face. Abraham must have smelled it because he paused and pulled away again.
“You’re crying?”
I sniffed and nodded. “I’m sorry. I can’t help it. I’m going to miss you so much.”
He watched me for another couple of seconds before pulling me against his chest and holding me tighter than before.
“I’ll call you all day every day. As often as I can. You’re going to get sick of talking to me,” he promised.
My chuckle was watery. “Not possible.”
“And I’ll video chat with you every single night,” he said. “I bet I can even make you come through the phone again.”
I gasped. “Abraham.”
He chuckled as his hands slid from my hair to the tops of my thighs. His fingers slid beneath the hem of my dress and I shivered in his arms.
“Let me love you one more time before I have to go. Let me leave you with a little piece of myself. Give me something I can take with me.”
His big hands were cupping my bottom as he pulled my dress even higher.
“Yes,” I breathed.
It didn’t matter what was going on or what we had to face, Abraham’s hands on my skin never failed to light up my senses.
He slid my dress up and over my head, leaving me in nothing but a small pair of white panties and a white lace bra. His hands quickly removed the rest of my clothes and I was left lying naked on top of him.
My own hands were roaming his body as well, unbuttoning his shirt and pulling it off his shoulders. Soon he was as naked as I was.
We were still at first. Quiet. I didn’t know what he was thinking, but I was trying to carve into my memory the way his body felt against mine. The way we fit together like two halves of one whole. How my skin erupted in flames anywhere it touched his.
Abraham’s hands skimmed up my neck to cup my jaw. “I love you, El. With every single piece of me, I love you. I know this next week is gonna be hard, but we’re gonna get through it like we get through everything else. I promise.”
I nodded slowly before leaning toward him, my lips seeking his. When we found each other in the dark, all thought of talk quickly fled our minds.
Abraham slowly and meticulously made love to me as I tried to memorize every inch of his body. I did my best to hold back my tears, but a few escaped as he brought me to my second orgasm. He kissed them off my face, his fingers threading through my hair and tipping my head back for better access. When he reached his own climax, he stilled inside me, his body tightening in pleasure before he sighed heavily and pulled me into his arms.
We lay like that for a long time, our naked and slick bodies still twitching with the aftershocks of our pleasure. In all the times we’d been together, I didn’t think we’d ever quite made love like that before. It filled me with so much joy that was weighed down by so much heartache.
His fingers were stroking my scalp as I slowly drifted off to sleep. A little while later, Abraham woke me with a kiss on my lips.
“I’m getting ready to leave, baby. Come say goodbye to me.”
I sat up in the bed and rubbed my eyes. When I looked out the window, I could see the moon had r
isen further in the sky and realized I’d lost precious time with Abraham.
I slid off the bed and threw on the first set of clothes I could find. He watched me with half a smile on his face and his suitcase at his feet. I couldn’t even look at the offending luggage.
When my hair was thrown into a messy bun and I was as presentable as I was going to get, I took Abraham’s hand and let him lead me down to the ground floor. We made it to the door near the lot and he stopped us before turning to me.
“I’m only going to Boone tonight, so I should be there in under two hours. I’ll call you as soon as I arrive.”
I nodded and pasted on the best smile I could manage. “Say hi to Grady for me.”
Abraham’s smile was as weak as mine. “I will.” He sighed and dropped the handle of his suitcase before pulling me into his arms. “I love you, baby,” he whispered into my hair.
The tears were burning in the backs of my eyes, but I closed them and hoped they’d hold. “I love you too.”
He pulled far enough away that he could capture my lips with his own. He kissed me so long I forgot what I was upset about. But then he let me go and picked up his suitcase.
“I’ll talk to you soon,” he said before walking through the door and taking my heart with him.
Chapter 34
I watched his truck drive away through the small window on the door. When I couldn’t see him anymore, I sighed and turned around. Every step felt harder than the last. Not knowing what to do with myself, I wandered into the kitchen, hoping there’d be some food left over from dinner.
We were supposed to go out after Del’s show, but with Peyton showing up and the meeting Abraham had to call, we’d all forgotten about it. When I got to the kitchen, I found Ms. Elsie in there and her warm smile was almost my undoing.
“Hey there, Ellie. What are you up to?”
I shrugged and slid onto a stool at the island across from her. “Just thought I’d see if there were any leftovers from dinner.”
Ms. Elsie chuckled. “Leftovers in this house? Not likely, but I can whip you up a sandwich or somethin’.”
I waved a hand and slid off the stool. “No, don’t bother. I’ll just go to bed.”
The elderly woman frowned, her expression so stern I paused. “Go to bed on an empty stomach? Not while I’m around. Plop your little butt back in that seat and let me make you somethin’ to eat.”
The tears swam to my eyes again, but I sniffed them back and climbed back on the stool. Since when did I become this weepy woman who almost cries over a sandwich?
“Okay, Ms. Elsie. I appreciate it.”
She nodded once and spun around to the fridge. “I’ve got turkey, ham, chicken, and bologna.”
“Sounds good.”
I almost laughed remembering the first time Abraham made me a sandwich in that kitchen. He’d offered me a variety of different lunch meats too, and I surprised him by accepting all of them at once.
Ms. Elsie was no exception.
“You want ‘em all?”
I shrugged. “The more the merrier.”
She smiled and shook her head. “Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about. One everything sandwich comin’ right up!”
She chatted while she worked, thankfully not needing much input from me. Which was good because every corner of the house reminded me of Abraham. From the sandwich meat to the stool I was sitting on, it all brought me back to him. I wondered for the hundredth time how I was going to get through a whole week with him gone.
“I know you’re already missin’ that man of yours.”
I jerked my head up toward Ms. Elsie who just smiled at me knowingly.
“You’d be hard-pressed to not miss a fine specimen like that,” she said with a wink. Just like that, the tears were turned into giggles as I listened to Ms. Elsie go on about my fiancé. “Hell, if I had a man like Abraham warmin’ my bed you’d have to pry me from it.”
She slid a plate in front of me with a bag of chips and a bottle of water. I was still laughing as I picked up one half of the sandwich.
“I can barely control myself around him,” I admitted as I tore off a bite of the overloaded sandwich. It was then I realized how hungry I really was.
Ms. Elsie just nodded with a knowing look in her eyes. “And why should you? Y’all should be thumpin’ thighs every chance you get.”
Thankfully, I’d already swallowed the bite in my mouth, or it would have been sprayed all over the older woman in front of me. I calmed myself down enough to take a gulp of water, but I just barely kept it down, too.
“Where do you guys come up with this stuff?”
She winked and wiped a rag across the counter between us. “Google is your friend, girl. Never forget that.”
I laughed again as I tore into the second half of my sandwich. She’d handed me barbecue chips which were normally my favorite, but as soon as I opened the bag, my stomach churned. I quickly sealed them back up and pushed them away.
Ms. Elsie frowned. “Somethin’ wrong, hon?”
I swallowed another bite of sandwich and nodded toward the bag. “I think those have gone bad.”
Her frown deepened. “That’s strange. I just bought ‘em the other day.”
I shrugged and stuffed the last bite of sandwich in my mouth. “It’s no big deal. This sandwich was enough. Thanks again, it really hit the spot.”
Her smile was warm, and her brown eyes lit up. “That’s what I like to hear.”
She grabbed my plate before I could protest and began washing it while I finished my bottle of water. When she was done, she turned around to look at me as she dried her hands on a dish rag.
“That man of yours will be home before you know it, Ellie.”
I sighed and looked down at the marble counter. “I just keep thinking that maybe I should have gone with him. Maybe I can be more help that way.”
Ms. Elsie shook her head and hung the rag on the stove. “You listen to me, girl, this pack needs you. I know some of ‘em have been givin’ you a hard time, but this is when it counts. When things get hard, they need someone to turn to and that someone is you now. The best thing you can do is be here for your pack. Abraham will be home soon and you two will be together again. In the meantime, you need to put your duties before your heart and do what’s best for your pack.”
I let her words swirl around my head. I hadn’t really thought of it like that before. That the pack needed me more than I needed Abraham. It filled me with a renewed purpose. With a desire to be there for my pack in any way I could.
Abraham mentioned that with all the turmoil coming our way, they’d need to turn to me, but I hadn’t believed him. I’d thought for sure they’d find out I was the only alpha left and just wait until Abraham got home, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe I could be of some use. Maybe I could help ease their minds and prepare the pack for the confrontation coming our way.
I looked up and met Ms. Elsie’s wise eyes and knew she was right. My place was here. My role was to lead the pack. I needed to stow my sorrow and pack away my longing because I had a job to do.
I slid off the stool and walked around the kitchen island. When I was close enough, I wrapped my arms around Ms. Elsie and squeezed her tight. She froze for the briefest second before hugging me back even harder.
She kissed the top of my head and pushed me back until she could look in my face. “You’re doin’ a good thing here, Ellie. It’s no time to stop that. You need to be stronger than ever now.”
I nodded slowly. “I know. You’re right. I’ll get my act together, I promise.”
Ms. Elsie pursed her lips. “You can still miss him, hon, but you need to keep livin’ in the meantime. You got folks countin’ on you now.”
I nodded again. “I know. I’ll figure it out.”
She squeezed one of my cheeks. “I know you will. Now, go get some sleep.�
��
I gave her one last squeeze and left the kitchen. Once in our room, though, the old sadness crept in as I looked around at all the empty space. It was strange being in here without him. And I knew sleeping in that big bed was going to be almost impossible. With a sigh, I picked up Charlie, hoping he’d be enough company that I’d get some sleep. I had a feeling it wouldn’t matter much, though.
Just as I reached the big king-sized bed, I heard the hall door open and several sets of feet pad across the sitting room before there was a knock. I lifted my nose in the air, but the scents I was getting were layered one on top of the other and I couldn’t make sense of it.
I walked over to the door and opened it to find all four McCoy sisters standing there with pillows and blankets in their hands.
I frowned. “What are you guys doing here?”
Evey shoved past me and the rest of the women filed through. “We’re havin’ a sleepover.”
My frown deepened. “A sleepover?”
“Yeah. We knew you’d have a tough time tonight, so we thought we’d all join you,” Del said as she walked across the room to the bed.
I raised a brow and shut the door behind them. “And who says I want company?”
Del and Evey laughed while Bea and Callie just smiled. “You’re family now,” Evey said. “You don’t get a choice.”
My heart was so full, it felt like it would burst. When my nose started burning with tears for the hundredth time that day, I willed myself to calm down. There was no reason to cry over a sleepover.
I walked over to the bed where all four sisters were making themselves comfortable.
“You sure we’ll all fit?” I asked, eyeing the mattress.
Evey shrugged. “We’ll just have to snuggle. If it’s too tight of a fit, we can just make Bea sleep at the foot of the bed.”
“Hey! How come I have to sleep down there? You’re the smallest, it should be you.”
“Well, this was my idea in the first place, so I get to decide the sleeping arrangements.”
Rise Page 28
