“If you hadn’t come by, that wouldn’t have happened,” Nick growled, his fists clenching.
“It might have,” Tom contradicted. “The Northern Wind pack are determined to get you – get us – any way they can.”
“You didn’t have to fix her car.”
“I know, but it’s for the best. Really.”
Nick slammed his fist down on the counter, making Tom jump. “Since when is it your business to tell me how to live my life, Tom?”
Tom could feel the tension coming from his brother. “It’s not. I’m just trying to protect you.”
“I don’t need protecting!” Nick roared, spittle flying from his mouth. “She’s my mate, Tom! Don’t you get it?”
Tom’s mouth fell open. “Your mate?” he stammered, his eyes wide with shock. “She can’t be, Nick. You’ve made a mistake. Jo’s not a shifter, she’s a human.”
Closing his eyes, Nick nodded. “I know that,” he said, more quietly. “It doesn’t make any more sense to me, either, but all I know is that the bear has found its mate.” His anger ebbed away, leaving him feeling exhausted. “I’ve been trying to stay away from her, Tom, but the bear has only called for her more and more.”
Finally, Tom realized what a struggle Nick had been facing. Finding a mate, only for her not to be a shifter? That was almost too difficult to understand. "So that's why you couldn't stay away from her."
Nick nodded, running a hand through his hair. He was more than just upset, he was almost distraught at the thought of Jo leaving him. She was his mate, he was sure of it now. There wouldn’t be someone else, not ever. “I was with her,” he explained, simply. “The bear was quiet so I went for it. I couldn’t help myself.”
“And you didn’t hurt her?” Tom asked, surprised.
“I didn’t. Not once. The bear was quiet, almost peaceful. It was like we were meant to be together. She’s the only one for me, Tom.”
“Then I’m really sorry,” Tom replied, honestly. “I didn’t know.”
“How could you?” Nick sighed, closing his eyes and almost groaning with misery. “It doesn’t make sense. Shifters don’t touch humans.”
“At least now she knows who you really are,” Tom said, after a moment. “You don’t have to hide that part of you anymore.”
“She wouldn’t talk to me.”
“What?”
“She locked the cabin door and wouldn’t talk to me.”
Tom sighed, his mouth twisting into a rueful smile. “Can you really blame her, Nick? Just give her a chance. She’s seen something she was never meant to see and it must be terrifying for her. Let her think about things for a while and then try again.”
Nick glanced at his brother. “You think?”
“Yeah,” Tom shrugged. “I’m sure she just needs some time.”
Nick wanted to believe him, but the sound of a car caught his ears. Striding outside, he waited as it drew closer, his eyes catching sight of Jo’s car as it drove towards him. His heart lifted, hoping that she was coming to talk to him – but instead, she just drove straight past, her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.
“No!” he shouted, sprinting after her. “Jo! Come back!” His bear was roaring, wanting him to catch up with her, never to let her go again. Your mate is leaving. Running as fast as he could, Nick waved frantically, hearing the sound of the engine revving harder. She was driving away from him as fast as she could and in the end, he had to let her go.
Jo checked into a hotel room for two nights, with both dinner and breakfast delivered to her room. There were going to be no more motels. If Brian wanted her to drive instead of fly, she was going to stay in style. Charging it to her work credit card, Jo thanked the receptionist and walked to her room.
Flopping onto the plush bed, Jo wanted to curl up into a ball and cry, but she’d done far too much of that on the way here. She’d caught sight of Nick in her rear view mirror, saw the way he chased after her with a desperate look on his face. Instead of stopping, instead of talking to him, she’d pressed the accelerator harder, leaving him behind.
Now that the pain and panic had begun to die away, Jo was beginning to think that she'd made a mistake. She'd never faced up to her problems, running away from them the way she'd run away from Nick. That was why Brian was able to take advantage of her because she never stood up for herself. Was that really the way she wanted to end things with Nick?
Sighing, Jo pulled herself up and began to sort her luggage out, thinking that she might have a bath later in the evening. Her cell phone rang, and her heart jumped in her chest. Was it Nick? Had he called?
It wasn’t Nick. It was Brian. Sighing, she answered. “Yes, Brian. What is it?”
“I’ve just seen your recent transaction,” he said tightly. “A little expensive, Jo.”
She shrugged. “And?”
There was short silence. “I beg your pardon?” His voice began to go into a slightly higher pitch. She was annoying him.
“Brian, I’m staying in a nice hotel. What’s the problem?”
“The problem is that we are on a budget,” he exclaimed.
“And that’s not my concern,” she replied, calmly. “I’m staying somewhere reasonable, Brian, not some crummy back road motel.”
“The cost is ridiculous!”
“Then you should have paid for me to fly,” Jo said, firmly. Her stomach was churning, but she kept her voice calm and determined. “If you expect me to drive to meet clients, then I’ll be staying overnight in a decent hotel. That’s all there is to it.”
Brian spluttered for a few moments, while Jo waited with bated breath for his response. Was she going to be fired? And if she was….did she really care?
“Fine,” he muttered, eventually. “Since you’re available a little earlier, I’ll phone the client and have him meet with you tomorrow.” Back to business, he was now all professional. “I’ll text you the details.”
“Thanks,” Jo replied, hanging up immediately. Her lips curved into a light smile as she looked down at the phone. Nick had been right, she shouldn’t let him treat her like that. And look what had happened when she’d stood up for herself – she’d kept both her job and her hotel, making it very clear that she wouldn’t be doing the motel thing again. “What would have happened if I’d stayed with Nick?” she murmured, putting down her cell phone and wandering back to the bed. Would she still be there? Would they have managed to sort things out?
Putting on the small kettle, Jo shook her head to herself. He’d told her – through the door – that he was beginning to care about her, but at the time, she hadn’t wanted to listen. Admitting that she felt the same was terrifying, but now she had calmed down, Jo couldn’t hide the truth from herself. Yes, there had been a physical attraction to Nick, but it had been the way he’d helped her sort herself out, listened to her when she talked about Brian and held her when she’d cried, that had made her fall for him. He’d told her that she needed to stand up for herself, made her question her life and what she was doing - and then she’d run away from him.
“But he changed into a bear,” she muttered to herself, shaking her head. She could still see him change, his skin ripping open to reveal dark fur. It had been completely terrifying to watch, but for some reason, she was beginning to accept it.
“Maybe I should go back and talk to him on my way home,” she said aloud, making herself a cup of tea. There was a lot she wanted to ask and perhaps it was the only way she’d get him out of her mind. Physically and emotionally exhausted, Jo switched on the tv and sat back on the bed, coffee in hand. She’d think about it all again tomorrow.
CHAPTER 17
Jo woke when it was still dark, her phone beeping with a message. Brian had just texted her the details of where and when to meet her client but had deliberately sent it early in the morning. Too early. Glancing at the clock, Jo flopped back into bed with a groan. He wasn't happy with her, that much was obvious, but if he was going to start making her life difficult
in other ways, then Jo knew she needed to get out.
She wouldn’t get back to sleep now. Flicking on the light, Jo sat up and rubbed her eyes. This was ridiculous. Her life was ridiculous, doing whatever Brian wanted because she was afraid of what he’d do if she didn’t. Living in fear wasn’t living at all.
Yawning, Jo flung opened the curtains, hoping she could watch the sun rise from behind the buildings. There wasn’t any sign of it yet. Shaking her head, she went to fill the small kettle again, and even though the coffee wasn’t great, it was better than nothing. Sitting down in the small overstuffed chair, Jo stretched her feet out onto the edge of the bed, her cup of coffee warming her fingers. She would need to look over the client’s information again soon, to make sure she was ready for the meeting. Tension began to swarm up her throat, her stress levels rising. If Jo didn’t get this client, there would be hell to pay. She was already feeling the pressure.
Freezing in her seat, Jo felt a rush of heat flood her as she realized what was happening. She was turning back into her old self – and she didn't like it. Her city self. The one who stressed about Brian, who hated what she had to do but did it anyway. The one who was harassed and tense almost all the time, because she never had any time to do the things she wanted to do.
“What am I doing?”
The question echoed around the room. Jo stared blankly at the wall, realizing that she hated her life. She hated her job, hated the way Brian treated her, hated everything about her life. When she'd been with Nick at the cabin, she'd turned into a completely different person. She had been relaxed, more positive. Was that because of Nick? Or because he'd shown her that she could have a different kind of life?
Pulling herself to her feet, Jo snatched up her cell phone from beside the bed, slamming down her cup of coffee with the other. Dialing Brian's number, she held the phone to her ear, her pulse racing.
“Why are you calling me this time of the morning?” Brian whined, even though he’d sent her a text message only half an hour ago.
"Brian, I quit," Jo declared, feeling as though she would burst with excitement. "I'll get this client for you as discussed, but after that, I'll be handing in my notice."
“What?” Brian stammered, taken by surprise. “You can’t quit, Jo, you – ”
“I quit, Brian,” Jo repeated, louder this time. “I’ll email you my resignation letter this morning.” And with that, she hung up.
Staring around the room, Jo felt like jumping up and down with happiness. She’d done it. She’d quit her job, quit Brian – and now she felt free. “Nick would be so proud of me,” she whispered, a sad smile crossing her face. That did it. Deciding that she would go and see Nick on her way back home, Jo wondered what he would say when he found out what she’d done. Most likely, he’d be really pleased that she’d started to take control of her own life. He’d been the one who’d forced her to question what she’d been doing with her life and the least Jo could do was thank him.
“How are you feeling?”
Nick rolled his eyes at his brother. “Since when have we started asking each other that?”
Tom shrugged. “Maybe not often enough. Nothing like this has ever happened before.”
“I guess.” Walking over to the counter, Nick checked what jobs they had to do today. There weren’t too many.
“So, you’re okay?”
"I'm okay," Nick confirmed, walking away from his brother. "I'm going to go back to the cabin, tidy it up a bit." He hadn’t gone back there last night after Jo had left. Everything had been too raw. This morning, though, Nick knew he had to just get on with it. He just wished he'd thought to get her number before she'd left, but he didn’t expected things to turn out this way.
Tom glanced down at the list. “I can get on with things here,” he said, quietly. “You do what you have to.”
“Thanks.” Nick left immediately, not in the mood to stay and chat. Deciding he’d walk to the cabin, he strode into the wind, letting it bite at his skin. He hated what had happened with Jo, wishing that he could sort it out but there was nothing he could do. Maybe she’ll come back, he thought to himself, hoping that something, anything, might draw her back to him. She was part of him now, a part that he could never get rid of.
Tom sighed heavily as he watched Nick walk away. He had been mostly silent, saying very little and only when he had to. "This is all my fault," he mumbled, thumping the desk with his fist. Jo had meant more to Nick than Tom had realized, and now Tom didn't think that things could ever really be the same again. Nick had found his mate and needed her to be by his side. But because of him, Jo was gone.
Stopping suddenly, Nick stared ahead, his nose catching the scent of the Northern Wind pack. They’d been back here again, looking for them, wanting another fight. Sighing heavily, he walked closer to the cabin, his eyes narrowing and fists clenching. There was no sign of them anywhere, but he could tell that they’d been here. They’d been looking for him.
“This has got to stop,” he said to himself, his temper flaring. No matter how many times he said that he didn’t want to join them, they refused to accept his answer. They were constantly pushing, hoping that they could wear him down – or beat him down, whichever was easiest.
The cabin door sat crazily on its hinges, having been beaten down by large paws. Windows were smashed, but there was no damage inside. Nick growled as he took in the damage. Windows and doors were going to be expensive to fix, but the fact that they hadn’t touched the inside said enough. They would destroy his cabin if they had to. This was only a warning.
Nick shoved the door aside and walked into the cabin. He wouldn’t involve Tom in this, even though he knew his brother would want to join him. He would protect him, in the same way that Tom had tried to protect him from Jo. Nick accepted that Tom had never meant to hurt him, he’d been trying to protect him in his own way. Jo had already been mixed up in their fight, and it had chased her away, and Nick wasn’t about to pull Tom into this mess. Nick could feel strength rippling through his body, fuelled by fury, and decided that he would be able to take on the Northern Wind pack by himself. He had enough anger for the both of them. Tom didn’t need to be involved in this.
Walking to the kitchen, Nick felt the bear's strength ripple through his body. It wanted to be let free, wanted to find the Northern Wind pack and tear into them for what they'd done. A final battle, almost. "Not now," Nick growled, stopping the rattle in his throat from growing any bigger. He had to tidy up this place first before it got dark. Glass would need to be swept up, windows boarded and door fixed. Then, he promised the bear, he would go hunting. He would hunt the Northern Wind pack and get them off his back once and for all.
CHAPTER 18
Jo tried to smile as the client’s manager talked on and on about how wonderful a painter his client was.
"Yes," she murmured. "And, of course, that's why we want his work displayed in Liberty Art." To her frustration, the man didn't even stop for breath, praising his client over and over. Jo sat back in her chair with an inward sigh, keeping a professional outward manner at all times. Her mind began to wander, her eyes drifting away from the manager. She wondered how Nick was doing, if he was missing her the way she was missing him. There was a desperation growing as the man continued to talk. She wanted to get away from him and be on her way back to Nick, a sense of urgency almost forcing her to her feet. "Of course, of course," she murmured, wishing the man would simply stop talking and make his decision.
Tom was another issue, of course. He’d obviously wanted her far away from Nick, and now that she’d seen him change, she could understand why. Fixing her car faster than she’d expected had been a clear sign to leave, but in a way, Jo was glad that he had done it. It had given her the time she needed to clear her head, get over the shock and decide what it was she really wanted. And what she really wanted was to go back and see Nick.
“Excuse me,” she said, interrupting the manager. “I must press you for a decision. I have oth
er places to go and other people to see and I’m on something of a tight schedule.” She gave him a bright smile, hoping that she hadn’t come across as rude.
The man sighed. “I must be honest with you, I was hoping you would push harder for the job.”
“Listen,” Jo replied, sitting forward and folding her hands in her lap. “Liberty Art is an excellent gallery. You know that. What’s the point in me trying to convince you when you’re already aware of our reputation?”
He pressed his lips together. “You do have a point,” he mumbled, not meeting her gaze.
“We want your client’s work, as you know, and I’m sure it would be great exposure for him, but at the same time, we can’t sit about and wait until a decision is made. We are a business at the end of the day, which I’m sure you understand.”
The man nodded, getting to his feet and holding out his hand. “Thank you for being so frank with me. I’ll send the contract over to Liberty Art this afternoon.”
Jo smiled widely, shaking his hand firmly. “Thank you very much. I look forward to seeing his work in our gallery.” She watched him leave, a sense of satisfaction in her chest knowing that she’d done what she’d set out to do. Brian could have no issue with her resignation now, not when she’d managed to get the client. That part of her life was over now. Grinning to herself, Jo flipped open her laptop and emailed Brian, letting him know that he should expect to get the client’s details this afternoon and also attaching her resignation letter. Closing it carefully, she sat back in her chair and looked around. Everything was exactly as it had been a minute ago, but it all felt completely different. She was free. She could do anything she wanted, go anywhere she wanted and be with anyone she wanted. And she wanted to be with Nick. Picking up her laptop, she got to her feet and practically ran back to her car.
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