by Jess Buffett
Jordan let out a frustrated sigh. “Look. I’m f—”
“Everyone out,” Jake abruptly ordered, cutting off what Jordan was about to say. Surprised by the Kayan’s sudden outburst, he turned to leave, only to be drawn up short. “Except you, Jordan.”
He watched everyone else, including his mate, leave the room. They all looked at him with a mixture of worry, disbelief, and maybe even a little bit of disgust. What the fuck?
The doors closed behind him with a resounding thud, and Jordan chanced a look at Jake. When their eyes met, Jordan could see the disappointment there.
Jake crossed his arms over his chest. “Care to explain yourself?”
“I would if I knew what you were talking about,” he replied.
Jake’s eyes narrowed on him. “First, let’s address the fact that you were ignoring a direct order from your Kayan.”
Jordan opened his mouth to deny it, paling slightly when he realised that was exactly what he had just done. “Shit. I’m so fucking sorry, Jake. I didn’t even think.”
What the hell had he done?
“I have never had to bring up our positions in the Clan before, and I resent that you are making me do it now.” Jordan could scent the fury pouring of the man and didn’t blame him. “You are my friend, but you are also my Ishad. Don’t ever do that again, Jordan.” Jake growled.
“I won’t. I swear,” Jordan tried to reassure him.
“The worst part about this is the fact that it wasn’t even the worst thing you just did then. And you don’t even know it,” Jake said, shaking his head sadly.
Jordan frowned in confusion. He couldn’t think of anything else. Disobeying your Kayan was a pretty big fuckup.
Jake must have read the confusion on his face, and it just served to piss the Wolf off more.
“You just disrespected your mate in front of everyone, arsehole!” Jake bellowed, the windows shuddering at the loud tenor. The Kayan held his hand up to stop anything Jordan may have said. “You may as well have announced to the entire room that you want nothing to do with him. How do you think that makes him feel? How could you turn your back on your own mate? The man I knew would never do any of the things you are right now, so please, explain it to me.”
Jordan gaped at him. “Are you kidding me? Every time the little brat opens his mouth he says something to piss me off. It’s like his pierced, snarky, skinny arse goes out of his way to provoke me. How am I supposed to put up with that while I’m trying to get work done?”
Jake sighed. “Have you ever thought that his provoking you is to get your attention? What’s the saying? Any attention, even negative, is still attention. Have you tried focusing on him when you’re not mad?”
Jordan thought about it and realised that he hadn’t. Usually the next time he saw Colton, he was still annoyed at something he’d said in their last interaction.
“So basically we’re in a nasty cycle. I’m still mad from before, which makes it look like I’m just mad to begin with. He figures the only way I’m going to acknowledge him is if I’m yelling, and we continue from there,” he surmised.
“Pretty much,” Jake chuckled. “Someone needs to break the cycle, and after everything he has been through, I don’t think it’s a lot to ask that you be the one to do it.”
Damn. He was right. Jordan had been so caught up in reacting to Colton’s taunts that he’d never stopped to ask why his mate was acting that way. And after what had just happened, Colton must think he was the biggest fucking prick in the world.
Colton had suffered a great deal because of Potestas. Being raised in captivity had been bad enough, but Colton had been special. A genius child with a knack for computer programming amongst other things, Potestas had caught on early that Colton could be even more useful to them than his father who had been forced to work for them.
He suddenly felt like a rat bastard. “I do want him, Jake. I want to claim him and make him mine.”
“Then tell him. Better yet, show him,” Jake suggested.
Jordan nodded. “I will.”
He turned to leave, then stopped. Facing his friend, he said, “I’m sorry, Jake.”
“I know, you idiot. Now get out of here and fix things with your mate.” Jake dismissed him with a grin and a wave of his hand.
He quickly exited the study, heading to search for his mate. There was a boatload of grovelling he needed to get started on. Scenting Colton’s unique earthy scent, Jordan followed it down the hallway, not surprised when it led to the kitchen. Colton could always be found with a mouth full of food. His appetite was impressive for someone so thin.
Stepping into the kitchen, Jordan came to a stop when both Colton and Jayden turned to face him. Jayden was making a lunch Jordan was sure was for the younger man’s brother, Derrick. The latest McLeod sibling to be rescued had undergone a lot of trauma at the hands of Potestas, possibly more than anyone here. He now suffered from a mild form of brain damage on top of injuries he was still healing from. When they had found the man he had been in a bad way. Thankfully, he was doing better.
When Jayden roughly slapped the bread onto a plate, Jordan glanced up, surprised to see the look of fury on the man’s face. His eyes drifted to Colton, who hadn’t even acknowledged his presence. There was a droop in his shoulders and the saddest look of resignation of his face.
Clearing his throat, he began. “Colton, I wa—”
“You what?” Colton demanded as he cut him off. Holding up a hand, he quickly said, “No, actually I don’t want to hear it. I’m so sorry that my pierced, snarky, skinny arse keeps pissing you off. I promise not to get in your way while you work, it won’t be hard because I plan to stay the hell away from you from now on.”
Colton scraped his chair back and bolted for the door on the other side of the room. Jordan stood there stunned for all of a second before he gave chase. He heard Jayden shout behind him, but he really couldn’t care. He turned down another hallway, surprised when Colton was nowhere in sight. Damn, the Panther was fast.
Chapter 2
Colton
Colton ran as fast as he could, the pain of his mate’s words slashing through him. He knew he said things that usually pissed the older man off, but it seemed like the only way the Wolf paid attention to him.
Taking the corridors that led to the other side of the mansion the others called a house, Colton came to a stop outside his best friend’s room. Right now he needed to speak to Micah. The man had been there for him through everything. Even when his own brothers had blamed him for his father’s death, Micah had stood by him, defending him.
In captivity, emotions always ran high, and while Colton hoped none of his brothers had really meant what they had said, some things could never be taken back. Like hearing your own flesh and blood say, they wish it had been you who had died, or your own mate calling you a pain in the arse that he couldn’t stand.
Colton angrily wiped at the tears that fell. Wasn’t your mate supposed to be the one person who didn’t turn his back on you? Apparently not. Or maybe that was just one more thing that made Colton different from everyone else.
The door in front of him swung open abruptly, and before he knew it, Micah was dragging him into his arms telling him everything was going to be okay. The Wolf led him into the room, and Colton headed straight for the bedroom. He was exhausted, and knew that once he got everything off his chest, he would more than likely pass out. At least he could be comfortable while he did it.
Micah trailed behind, not saying anything until Colton made himself at home on Micah’s bed. “Want to tell me what happened?”
“Jordan,” was all he said.
Micah growled. “What did that fucking bastard do now?”
Colton shrugged. “Apparently I’m a pierced, snarky, skinny pain in the arse. He couldn’t even stomach the thought of working with me.” Leaning up on his elbows, he chuckled, mirthlessly. “You know he even went as far as arguing with the Kayan over having to. Yep. Tried to ignore th
e direct order in front of everyone in the meeting. If that isn’t a big old fuck off, I don’t know what is.”
He felt the tears coming again and desperately tried to keep them at bay.
“Damn.” Micah sighed. “I’m sorry. I know you may not want to hear this, but have you ever thought that maybe you sometimes, purposefully set him off?”
“I know I do,” he grumbled. “But how else will I get him to notice me? When I say nothing he ignores me. Plus, most of the time he’s already in a foul mood when he speaks to me.”
Shit. He sounded like a petulant teenager when he put it like that.
“Maybe because he is either still pissed at the last time, or expecting the same thing all over again, and just getting a head start,” Micah suggested. Damn the man’s logic. “Come on. You have to admit you don’t handle things the best.”
“Do you blame me?” Great, now he was whining. He wasn’t a fucking whiner.
Micah joined him on the bed, but instead of lying down, he propped his back against the headboard. Legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles, Micah crossed his heavily inked arms. “I don’t blame you. And I’m not trying to make excuses for him. He sounds like a dick, and it’s probably a good thing I haven’t had to deal with him yet.”
“But?” Because there was a definite “but” there.
“But…I’ve seen you lose enough, Colt,” he whispered sadly. It was a rare show of emotion from his best friend. “I couldn’t stand to see you lose your mate over misunderstandings and mistakes.”
Colton wasn’t sure whether he was ready to cry, groan, or shout, so instead, he snuggled down hoping to get some sleep.
“I take it this is your way of telling me to bugger off now so you can get some rest?” Micah snickered.
“Yes. I was up all night last night working on that tracking system the Kayan asked me to set up, and I’m seriously exhausted,” he grumbled.
“Why were you working on it at night?” Micah asked. Colton could hear the confusion in his voice.
He sighed. “Because Jordan was working in there all day, okay?”
“Ah, right. Okay, I’ll let you get some sleep. But when you wake up, we are having a serious talk on what you plan to do about this mate of yours. You can’t just ignore it all and hope it goes away, and I think you’ll regret it if you do.”
“Yes, Mum. Now go away,” he groaned.
“All right, I’m gone.” Micah laughed as he left the room, closing the door behind him.
Now, there was nothing but blissful peace. So why couldn’t he get to sleep? He growled. It was because of that stupid Wolf, with his golden-blond hair, and his dreamy hazel eyes that grew darker and greener the angrier he got. Which was a lot, when Jordan was around Colton.
Punching the pillow, he rolled over trying to get more comfortable when he heard a loud banging on Micah’s front door. Frowning, he tried to listen to what was being said but couldn’t hear. Getting up slowly, he made his way to the door and froze when he heard Jordan’s voice.
What did he want now? Colton didn’t have his defences up at the moment and really didn’t think he could handle anything else.
When he heard shouting and growling, he pulled open the door, careful not to make a sound, as he listened to his mate and his best friend. “It’s none of your damned business.” Jordan snarled.
Micah whirled around to face Jordan, jabbing a finger in his chest. “It damn sure is my business when my best friend comes to me gutted, because his bastard of a mate has humiliated him in front of everyone, denied him at every given opportunity, and then said cruel things about him. Whether they were in anger or not, you should never speak the way you have to, or about, him.” Micah leaned in, growling. “And Ishad or not, hurt him again, fail to fix this mess, and I’ll take you down.”
Jordan appeared to be struggling with himself, and Colton worried the man was losing control of his Wolf. “First, I’m not denying him. I know I’ve handled things terribly, but I want him more than my next breath. Secondly, I plan to do better. I want to prove to him that I want him. Thirdly, I understand what you are saying, but you need to back the fuck off before I can no longer control my Wolf. All he sees is you keeping us from our mate and threatening me.”
“Of course I’m threatening you. I won’t let you hurt him.” Micah growled.
Oh shit. This was not going to end well, especially when he saw Jordan begin to shift. Micah followed closely behind, and before Colton knew it, two huge fucking wolves were snarling at each other.
Unwilling to risk them harming each other, Colton allowed his own shift to happen. When he had become his Panther, he leaped out from behind the door, placing himself between both of them.
Micah went to lunge to the side, but after years of sparring with the other man, Colton knew what was coming and blocked the move. Unfortunately it put him directly in the path of his friend’s sharp canines. No matter how mad he was at Jordan, he couldn’t allow Micah to hurt him.
Colton yowled in pain as he went down. Micah was quick to unlock his jaw before it caused more damage, but it hurt like hell.
Damn. That really hadn’t been a smart idea.
* * * *
Jordan
It had taken longer than he thought to find his mate. Jordan had used his sense of smell to finally track Colton down, to a room on the other side of the main house. This end of the house had been given to those they had rescued from Potestas. While the Clan had wanted to give them roofs over their heads, Morgan and Jordan insisted there be some space between the Kayan’s family and those who had been rescued, until their threat level could be ascertained.
By the time everything had been worked out, those who remained were comfortable in their rooms and had decided to stay, instead of switching.
Jordan knew that Colton had a room near him, so his mate hadn’t returned to his own room. The question was, who did he run to? It gutted Jordan that when his mate was most upset, he was the one that had caused it, not the one that his mate came running to.
Knocking on the door where his mate’s scent had disappeared behind, Jordan waited impatiently. When the door was finally opened, it wasn’t by Colton.
The man in front of him was about the same height as himself, though he had long dark, almost black, hair. Tattoos ran up both arms in a unique pattern Jordan had never seen before. They seemed to be a mixture of symbols, though what they meant he had no idea. What Jordan did know was, the guy was a Wolf-Shifter, and if he was sensing right, just as strong as Jordan.
Piercing amber-brown eyes narrowed on him. “Can I help you?”
“I’m looking for Colton,” he stated.
“You must be Jordan,” the Wolf sneered.
Jordan cocked an eyebrow. “And you are?”
He knew the man would answer. The other man may be as strong as Jordan, but Jordan outranked him.
“Micah. Micah Olsen.”
“Well, Micah. Mind moving out of the way so that I can speak to my mate?” he asked. If Micah said no then Jordan had every intention of breaking the fucking door down.
Micah stared at him for a moment longer, then sighed. “You may as well come in. I can tell you’re not going away. But you better be here to make things right.”
Jordan bristled at the other man’s tone. “It’s none of your damned business.”
The Wolf turned on him, jabbing a finger in his chest. “It damn sure is my business when my best friend comes to me gutted, because his bastard of a mate has humiliated him in front of everyone, denied him at every given opportunity, and then said cruel things about him. Whether they were in anger or not, you should never speak the way you have to or about him.” Micah leaned in, growling. “And Ishad or not, hurt him again, fail to fix this mess, and I’ll take you down.”
Barely reining in his Wolf, who was gnawing to be let loose to teach this fucker a lesson, Jordan allowed his human half to dictate. He reminded himself this man was only looking out for his mate’s best i
nterests. “First, I’m not denying him. I know I’ve handled things terribly, but I want him more than my next breath. Secondly, I plan to do better. I want to prove to him that I want him. Thirdly, I understand what you are saying, but you need to back the fuck off before I can no longer control my Wolf. All he sees is you keeping us from our mate and threatening me. Think about it.”
“Of course I’m threatening you. I won’t let you hurt him.” Micah growled.
When Micah began to shift, Jordan followed. Micah snapped and snarled at him, and Jordan returned the gesture. The Wolf in him saw Micah as a threat to his mating and the Ishad in him saw this as a direct challenge to his authority. This fucker was going down.
Suddenly a long, sleek Panther leaped in between them, and Jordan growled when he realised it was Colton. What was he thinking? He could get seriously hurt.
Jordan watched helplessly as Colton rolled, the move put his mate directly in the path of his friend’s sharp canines. No!
Colton yowled in pain as he went down.
Micah began to shift back, holding his hands out in front of him. The other Wolf smiled at Colton, but it was a little sad. “Well, at least you defended your mate. That has to mean something, right? Just never thought it would be against me, you idiot.”
Colton shifted back. “Couldn’t…couldn’t let you hurt him.”
“I know.”
Jordan shifted back as well, worried about his mate’s injury. “Christ. What were you thinking?”
Colton blinked up at him, a frown forming on his face. “I may have defended you, you’re my mate, and that actually means something to me. But this is your fault, so don’t try to blame this on me.”
Jordan sighed. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I was honestly just worried.”
“Oh, okay then,” his mate said, rather sheepishly.
Jordan grinned. He didn’t think he’d ever seen his mate as anything other than snarky. It was a nice change. Checking Colton’s wound, he assessed it, happy that it wasn’t bad. It would most likely be healed within a few hours. While he checked it, Colton continued to stare at him.
