by Sara Summers
“Not really.” I folded my arms over my hurricane-stomach.
“How are you still a shifter?”
“I don’t know. Maybe because I’ve been fighting for shifter rights and equality ever since I graduated high school.” I snapped at him.
Closing my eyes, I tried to calm myself down so that maybe the sickness would go away just a little. Intense emotions always made it worse, I knew that from experience.
“I can make you shift.” Ross decided.
I held my eyes shut tight and kept calm, reminding myself that he was a cave-shifter, living back in the old times.
“No Alpha has been able to force someone to shift in fifty years. That doesn’t work anymore.” I monitored my breathing—in through my nose, out through my mouth. Calming down was vital.
“Whoever told you that has never been to the South.” Ross said, as if the suggestion was ridiculous.
“Whatever.” I closed my eyes and leaned my forehead against the freezing cold window. He acted like he knew everything, as if he could just walk in and solve every one of my problems just by flexing his alpha-male muscles.
My stomach clenched at just the idea of shifting, and I sighed. The cold window felt good against my forehead, but that didn’t fix the whirlwind of problems I was facing. Oh, why couldn’t Ross just be a normal guy? Couldn’t he just magically take away my sickness and whisk me off to a more perfect world where life was easy?
“You’ve been sick for three years?”
“Yep.” I didn’t look at him. He was too attractive, it would make me feel even more screwed over.
Don’t ask me for the logic behind that assumption, because I don’t know if there is any. That’s just how I was feeling.
“Sick how?” he checked.
“Think of any symptom and you can pretty much assume I have it.” I folded my arms over my stomach.
“Can you be a little more specific?” Ross was trying hard to be civil, that much was obvious, but all I wanted was some ice cream (which I knew would make me sicker but everything made me sicker so it would be worth it) and a seven-season TV series to binge watch for the next two weeks of my life.
“Constant nausea, indigestion, headaches, cloudy thoughts, constipation, diarrhea, exhaustion and fatigue, insomnia, puking every now and then…”
“Seriously?”
“Nope, I’ve been lying to you since we met.” I breathed in sharply. “Of course I’m serious.” I shook my head and closed my eyes again. My brain was throbbing, my stomach screamed at me, and my hands were shaking just to top it all off.
But when Ross didn’t reply, despite the sucky illness I was dealing with, I felt incredibly guilty. There, next to me, was my prince charming. My soulmate, my missing piece, my sexy alpha man. Who was literally an Alpha. That had definitely been a surprise.
I was sitting beside my superman, but I was the world’s suckiest Lois Lane.
“Look, I’m sorry.” I turned to look at him. That reminded me, yet again, that the man was gorgeous. I know I’ve said that like a bajillion times, but really.
Gorgeous.
And sexy.
Right, let’s continue.
“Just because we come from different worlds doesn’t mean we can’t make this work. We’ll figure something out.” I promised.
“Of course we will, we’re soulmates.” Ross said it like it was a given, like all soulmates were perfect and happy together.
I’d seen enough of the world to know that wasn’t true. If we wanted to make our relationship work, we’d have to put in the effort. Unfortunately, effort took energy, which I was lacking as of the past three years.
I could find energy somehow though, right? If I was determined enough, I could make it happen.
The exhaustion that weighed me down resisted that statement, but I ignored it.
“We must have something in common.” I figured, trying to distract myself from said fact that I was trying to ignore.
“Of course we do.” Ross agreed. He didn’t bother trying to figure out what that something was, though. He was still stuck on that “we’re soulmates and we’re absolutely flawless together” thing.
“Right.” I smiled faintly, turning to look out the window. While I wasn’t quite sure what would happen next, I had a feeling it would involve at least a pound of sickness and three gallons of Alpha-male.
Not going to lie, I was a little excited for that second bit.
Chapter 5
“How are you holding up, B?” Jazz had her arms folded over her chest. She probably had a plan prepared in her mind, a way to help Ross and I bond or something. Since her mate was Mr. Perfect, she thought every relationship would be that way right off the bat.
While I hoped that was the case, my luck had never been quite that good.
My stomach churned as I stepped out of the car, grabbing the door for support. My head spun as black spots took over my vision for a moment.
“Fine.” I gave her a small smile as the dots started to clear. She narrowed her eyes at me and I folded one arm over my stomach. Had I not been hanging onto the door for dear life, the movement might have looked tough or brave or something. Instead, it only made me look weaker.
“Ross, why don’t you step inside?” Jazz said it like it was a suggestion, but I knew she wasn’t suggesting anything. She wanted to talk to me, and she wanted Ross not to hear what she had to say. “It’s the yellow key.” She instructed.
My mate didn’t say anything, instead heading for the door.
The tiny smile fell off my face as soon as he went in the house.
“Are you okay?” Jazz checked.
She was a good friend. Really, she was the best friend I could’ve ever asked the Creator for. Jazz was like the sister I had always wanted.
“I don’t know.” I admitted, carefully sitting down on the dirt. My little house was in the middle of the forest, so there was no one else around to listen. That, at least, was a relief.
“You don’t have to pretend you’re not sick. If anyone will understand, it’s Ross. He’s your mate.”
“You say that like it’s the fix-all to my problems.” I muttered.
“It is.” Jazz grabbed my arm. When I looked at her, I saw the steel in her eyes. She wasn’t going to budge.
“Look, I know you’ve believed what that old lady said, but it’s not true. He’s a cave man. He thinks I sold my soul to the devil just because people can see my mate marks. He treated me like I’m some sort of mistake. I didn’t chose to be sick!” Tears filled my eyes.
“It’s like I’m a broken doll or something. Mate marks are so sacred no one should see them, and I’m fighting for the wrong side? He thinks I risked my life for nothing.” My arms tightened around my stomach, which was becoming more and more nauseas by the second.
“Calm down.” Jazz put her arms around me for a hug. “It’s going to work out, B.”
“That’s easy for you to say. Your mate thinks the world spins for you. He’s sweet and understanding and perfect, and he thinks you’re perfect.” I closed my eyes and leaned against the car.
“Be strong.” My best friend pleaded.
“I’m tired of being strong.” I yawned and closed my stinging eyes. My head felt about like it wanted to explode.
“I’d like a few minutes to talk to my mate alone.” Ross announced. I heard the door shut behind him, and opened my eyes.
Jazz hesitated.
“I’ll be fine, Jayday.” I gave her the best smile I could muster. It wasn’t that big, considering the overwhelming circumstances I was dealing with, but at least it was something.
“Okay. I’ll be just inside.” She nodded.
Ross came toward me as Jazz left. He leaned up against the car, folding his arms and looking down at me, where I sat on the cold, wet snow.
“Look,” he began. “I think we started out on the wrong foot.”
“That’s pretty apparent.” I nodded.
“We were raised differ
ently, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t perfect for each other. We’re allowed to have different beliefs.”
“Yep.” I nodded again.
“So, if you’ll just come home with me, we can figure everything out there.” He finished.
I raised my eyebrows.
“Excuse me?”
“Come home with me.” He repeated.
“This is my home.” I gestured to the old, crummy rental house in front of me. “All of my friends are here. I can’t just leave everything.” I folded my arms.
“I’m supposed to be your home. We’re soulmates.” Ross really didn’t seem that happy with me.
“I don’t even know you yet.” I protested.
“That’s why you have to come with me. We’ll get to know each other and then it will be clear why the Creator matched us together.”
“Why can’t you stay here while we get to know each other?”
“Because you’re the female. You join my pack as soon as I find you, that’s how it works.” Ross stood up straight, stepping away from my little car. “I’m your soulmate, you listen to me.” He growled.
It was my turn to stand up straight. Yes, Ross was extra sexy when he went all Alpha-Male on me, but I wasn’t just going to stand there and take whatever crap he threw at me.
“The world’s changing, Ross. Females have rights now, we get to vote and everything.” Yeah, I might’ve been a little overly-sarcastic, but he deserved every ounce of that sarcasm. “I don’t have to do what you say, and I don’t have to listen to you. I’m a person, not just your mate.”
I cocked my hip to the side, staring at my soulmate. You weren’t supposed to challenge Alphas, but well, he belonged to me.
My Alpha. That had a nice ring to it, I had to admit. And since he was mine, I could challenge him however often I wanted.
He growled again; I don’t think he realized that he wasn’t going to scare me into submission no matter how hard he tried. After he growled, though, I felt something that I hadn’t felt in years.
Dominance.
His power rushed over me, trying to force me to submit. Had I not been his soulmate, it would’ve knocked me to the ground. Since I was, it just pissed me off.
“That’s how it’s going to be between us?” I stepped closer to him. “When you don’t agree with me, you’re just going to throw your dominance around, trying to force me into submission? Come back when you learn to treat me like a person.” I spun around, flinging my hair at his face in the process. While I didn’t exactly mean to hit him with my hair, it felt good to show him that I wasn’t his ragdoll.
Ross growled again as I strutted into my house. He followed me to the door, but I slammed it in his face.
“Come on!” Ross shouted from outside.
I ignored him, sauntering into my kitchen. Jazz was on the couch, looking at me with an amused smile.
“He’s perfect for you.” She told me, as I reached into the fridge for some Powerade. For some reason, that was one of the only things that made me feel better; Powerade.
“I know.” I shrugged, pulling off my boots and sitting down beside her. That fact had become clear during that last argument. We were super different, but alike enough in stubbornness and willpower.
Ross knocked on the door, but I didn’t get up.
“How long are you going to leave him outside?” Jazz checked.
“Until he realizes he’s an idiot and grovels for forgiveness.” I smiled wryly. “I’ve got to teach him somehow.”
Jazz laughed, and I had to join in.
“Oh, did you see last night’s episode of Doctor Who?” she asked.
“Of course!” I grinned.
Ross banged on the door more than a few times as we nerded out together. The nerding made me miss having Jazz as my roommate, but even though I missed it, I would never go back in time. She had her Prince Charming, and I…
Well, apparently, my prince was more of a beast, but I wouldn’t protest that. Even the beast turned out to be a prince in the end.
“I’m going to take a bath.” I stood up and yawned. My stomach and brain were still aching, and baths always helped.
“He’s going to break the door down if you don’t open it eventually.” Jazz lifted her feet up onto the couch, putting them down where I’d been sitting.
“Especially if you tell him I’m getting naked.” I smirked.
I’d known he could hear our conversation. Ross was more animal than any shifter I’d ever met, so he could undoubtedly hear through the thin walls of my house.
“Open the door.” my mate demanded, banging harder. “She’s right, I’ll break it down if I have to.” He threatened.
“Break it down and you’ll have to carry me all the way to Georgia.”
I thought that would get him to stop banging so hard, but boy, I was wrong.
A moment later, my front door landed flat on the ground.
“Wow.” Jazz muttered.
“No kidding.” I gaped at my mate. He stood in the doorway, looking big and buff and sexy and furious.
“Okay now, let’s just stay calm…” I bit my lip, taking a step backward as Ross stalked toward me. When I hit the wall, he just kept coming.
He finally stopped when our chests were centimeters away from touching. I stared into his eyes—they were brown, deep, chocolatey, yummy brown.
“You’re my soulmate, and I will do whatever it takes to get you to Georgia with me. If that means kidnapping you and carrying you the whole way back, I’ll do it. You’re coming with me whether you want to or not.”
He stood in front of me for a few moments, daring me with his eyes to disagree.
“We’ll leave in an hour.” I told him, then pushed him backward so I could escape. “I really do need to take that bath.” I smirked, then sauntered away from my soulmate. I heard the growl that he couldn’t hold back and had to smile.
Jazz was right; we were perfect for each other. If my mate had been any different, I would’ve walked all over him. But me, with a stubborn Alpha?
That was undoubtedly the Creator’s doing.
Ross and I didn’t agree on, well, anything that I’d discovered, but I’d figure out a way to teach him how I saw things. And maybe, just maybe, I’d convince him to move back to Glacier with me.
At least, that was the plan. And you know how plans go.
Chapter 6
I dumped some bubble bath in as the tub filled—I needed the extra relaxation those bubbles would provide. Maybe if I could relax, my sickness would finally start to go away like that old lady claimed it would when I met Ross.
I turned on some music and slipped into the warm water, closing my eyes as I leaned back. My little old rental house wasn’t fantastic in many ways, but it did have one thing going for it. That bathtub was irreplaceable.
“Brooke?” Jazz called out, then opened the door. The lock was broken, so I couldn’t have kept her out if I wanted to.
“Yeah?” I opened my eyes.
“I’m going to head home.” She said. “I’ll get someone over to fix the door in the morning, don’t worry about it.”
“Okay.” I nodded. “Thanks, J. I’ll call you tomorrow, from Georgia.”
“Alright. Be safe, okay?”
“I will be. Love you.” she hurried over to give me a quick half-hug. “See you soon.”
“See ya.” Jazz gave me one last smile before leaving the bathroom. The door closed behind her, and I shut my eyes once again.
The hot water soaked away some of my headache and relaxed the knots in my stomach just a little. While it didn’t miraculously fix everything, the bath did make me feel a little better.
I soaked for probably half an hour, then sighed and climbed out of the tub. There was a lot to pack even if I was only going to Georgia for two or three weeks.
“Clothes, toiletries, peppermint oil, meds, hair and makeup stuff…” I rattled the list off to myself as I walked to my room. I only had thirty minutes or so before
we were leaving, and I needed to get going. That, of course, would’ve been easier if my stomach wasn’t doing somersaults for no apparent reason.
“AHH!” I screamed when I stepped into my room. There, on my bed, was a shirtless man.
“What?” Ross opened his eyes for a second. “You didn’t think I was going to wait outside, did you? It’s freezing out there.”
“I didn’t think you were going to wait in my room.” I sassed back, putting a hand on my hip. The other hand was holding both my towel and my phone, and it was getting a little tired from working so hard.
“Technically, this is our room.” He closed his eyes again.
Dang, he was good. There was no question whether or not Ross could hold his ground in a verbal battle with me. That was a good sign.
I wasn’t going to let him win, of course. I’d have the last word, he needed to realize that I wasn’t some submissive little lion. And, in this situation, there was only one thing to do.
I turned my back to my mate and pulled the towel off, using it to dry my waist-long hair instead of my body.
There was a “thunk” noise as something fell to the floor, and I heard Ross scramble a little. A grin took over my face, and I bit my lip just in case he was planning on coming over to me.
“Can you get my suitcases out of the closet? I need to start packing.” I asked, innocently, though still biting down hard on my lip to stop myself from laughing.
“Why do you need to pack?” Ross’s breath tickled my ear, scaring me and thrilling me at the same time. His hand brushed over the mate marks on my back, sending his desire swirling through me. “We’re running to Georgia.”
“I can’t shift.” I tilted my head, hiding the way I struggled to keep my cool. With his feelings rushing around inside me I could barely think straight.
“I’ll help you.” He whispered, trailing his hand down the center of my back.
Okay, I had to take a second to breathe. If I didn’t stop him, there was no telling what would happen. No telling, at least, but I could come up with a pretty good guess….
And we weren’t going there, yet. Ross was my soulmate, but if he wanted all of me, he had to prove to me that he loved me first. Though I would happily tease him until he did.
