“A total hoot.”
Suddenly, an evening of Samson and Tris glaring at one another seemed more normal than one having noodles with my grandmother. I washed my face, combed my hair, and prayed Hunan Palace didn’t serve anything controversial.
Chapter Thirteen
“You rang?” I asked in my best Lurch voice, popping my head into Samson’s office a few days later. He was on the phone but used two fingers to wave me in then pointed at the sofa against the wall instead of my usual spot in the hot seat right in front of his desk.
Weird.
I sat on the sofa and watched him do his alpha thing. He scribbled some things then argued with whoever was on the other line he didn’t believe whatever they’d suggested was the best course of action. His shoulders were broad and strong, and I wondered what it would be like to have those arms wrapped around me. Yeah, he was Tris’ twin, but for some reason, I knew being with Samson would be completely different than being with Tris.
I shuddered just thinking about it.
“Is it cold in here?” he asked, breaking me out of my bubble.
“No, not at all.” Gods, he must’ve seen me shiver. Men were so oblivious to what things really meant. “What’s up?” I asked, not able to deal with this tension between us anymore. It was almost easier not to see him—almost.
“I needed to get some things off my chest.”
Ooohh…shit. Here we go.
“Come sit down, Samson. You’re too far away.” I patted the seat next to me, and he complied, sort of, but sat a half foot away.
“I don’t know what to do with myself anymore, Christie. I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. Even when I’m trying to pay attention to meetings or a TV show, it’s no use. All my thoughts go to you.”
My breath caught in my lungs, and my entire body went rigid. This was it. He was finally letting go of his hang-ups and would be mine. My wolf rejoiced and rolled over inside me.
“I don’t see that as a problem.”
He pulled his hair at the roots. “I do. You’re mated to my enemy. What am I supposed to do?”
My heart fell out of my chest and smashed onto the floor. Not literally, of course. Just when I’d thought there was some progress between these two knuckleheads, they both acted like this. “Tris is not your enemy. And I’ve known for quite a while both of you are meant for me. You think all of this can be handled by just one man?” I waved my hands down my body, attempting to shatter the glacier between us and failing.
He didn’t crack a smile.
“He is my enemy, Christie. He betrayed this pack, and, when I took the alpha oath, I meant it.”
I put my hand on his, and, thank the gods, he didn’t pull it away. “We both know you didn’t know those words were going to be added to the oath. That was really sneaky of your father. You think anyone in this pack will take you less seriously because you overturned an antiquated manipulation of your trust?”
“Yes. It’s my nightmare. All I am is an alpha. I’m not mated. I have no children and no family. I’m alone in this world, so my pack’s trust is all I have. It’s all I have to hold on to.”
“Samson, you have me. You have Tris. I am your family.”
He swallowed and took his hand from mine to scrub his face. All of this was taking its toll on my mate, mentally and physically. Something had to give, or else I was sure he would pop from the pressure.
“It feels like betrayal. But not being with you feels like I’m betraying my mate. That’s supposed to be your first priority, your mate, and it makes me feel like I’m sinking. I can’t betray you, Christie. You’re everything.”
“But…” I prompted and then felt like a turd. What we should be doing is kissing or mating. Instead, we were having a therapy session. Everything with Samson felt like one step forward and ten steps back.
“But I just can’t yet. I…” He got up, and I could tell Alpha Samson had returned and in full force. The stern brow. The grinding jaw. They were all back. “Did you want to go with me later and search for the girl? Maybe find a trail and some clues?”
“Sure.” I mentally picked myself up from the floor, feeling like I’d been beaten.
“Christie, I’m sorry. I would understand if you gave up on me.” His words were so soft I barely heard him.
“It sounds like you’ve already given up on yourself, Samson. But the thing is, I’ve known you were to be my mate since…well, a long time. I loved you then, and I love you now. I will wait. You might give up on yourself, but I never will. Just don’t wait until we’re old and gray, okay? I’d like to have some of your kids one day.”
I didn’t wait for him to stomp on my heart anymore—didn’t give him the chance to answer. I simply left and shut the door behind me. No slamming. No stomping. Just quietly left him to his own misery.
Chapter Fourteen
I was upset, disgusted, and somewhat despairing, but that didn’t stop me from meeting my reluctant pain-in-the-ass would-be mate the following day to mount a search for the missing girl or any sign of her captor. I woke with a renewed desire to move forward in this relationship, to spend more time with him in hopes we could make progress, possibly by increments.
It might be foolish, but with mates, it was very hard just to walk away or let it go if things weren’t going smoothly. Luckily, the fates or the goddess or someone was giving me the strength to take another run at it.
My wolf butted me inside, offering support. She was more worried about the mate thing. If I couldn’t get this situation straightened out somehow, I wasn’t sure what would happen as far as she was concerned. But she wouldn’t be happy, and having one’s wolf unhappy was not what anyone wanted. They had their own ways of making it known, day and night.
And speaking of unhappy, when Gigi and I got home, Tris had been gone and hadn’t answered when I called before going to bed. I’d left him watching TV with Gigi, but, obviously, everything had changed. I first thought maybe he hadn’t felt comfortable being alone, but that didn’t explain why he didn’t answer. I finally texted to tell him where I’d be then grabbed a cup of coffee on my way out the door.
Samson was waiting for me at the alpha house, but none of his betas were in sight. Or anyone else. He opened my car door and extended a hand. “Ready to hit the trail?” Literally.
Considering how serious our mission, he seemed relaxed. I accepted his help and stood. “I am. No news since last night?”
“Not at all. We’ve had people combing the woods all night, but they have found absolutely nothing.”
“And now?”
“Now, they are sleeping, and I thought just the two of us might be a good stop gap. Maybe the perp or perps will think it’s safe to do something when they aren’t hearing a ton of wolves roaming the woods.”
“Like move the girls?”
“Like that. Or I don’t even know what.” His voice was so flat, I looked into his eyes. Dark circles were around them and his cheeks were pale. Hell.
“Did you get any sleep at all?”
He shrugged. “Not much, a catnap around dawn. But it doesn’t matter. What does is finding our pack members and shutting these guys down.” Without releasing my hand, he started toward the woods. “So, just you and me! Unless you’re afraid?”
“Me? Warrior chick?” I scoffed. “I hardly think so.”
The morning mist twined around the trees as we entered the woods, and I turned my face up into it, sniffing for any unusual scents. We were still two-legged, but my senses were still very attuned to similar things. Like someone not pack in our woods. The light fog would carry it easily. So far nothing, but that didn’t mean we wouldn’t have better luck after a while. I had cleared everything off my calendar for this day.
It seemed important. Well, it was important, of course, and for more than my precarious personal life. If the kidnapper or kidnappers continued to target the pack, soon we wouldn’t have any young, single women left to take.
“I guess that would resolve it,
” I said aloud.
“What would?” Samson asked, and I jumped a little. How could I get so lost in my head with him right here?
“You’re going to think this is weird.” Hell even I did.
He chuckled and tugged me into his side with an arm over my shoulders to pass a rock blocking part of the trail. As wolves, we would bound right over such things, or avoid trails altogether, but human form had a different set of abilities. Like talking to one another in words. When we mated, we’d be able to communicate much better in wolf form. Something I was reminded of often.
Past the boulder, he could have loosened his grip. There was plenty of room to walk side by side without being sandwiched together, but this was better. “Let me be the judge of what is weird. You wouldn’t believe what pack members tell me. I think a few of them live in an alternative universe.”
“It’s not that out there,” I protested, sliding an arm around his waist. “At least I don’t think so. How many girls do you think are in the age range the kidnapper seems to be going for? I mean in the pack, living on the lands right now?”
He was quiet for a minute, and I glanced up to see his lips moving, probably counting young women. Unfortunately, fixating on his handsome face led to not noticing a much smaller rock I caught the toe of my sneaker on. I gave a little squeak as I lost my balance and fisted the fabric of his flannel, trying to stay upright.
Of course, I needn’t have worried, not with Samson’s arm still over my shoulders. Or I shouldn’t have, except my flailing made it impossible for him to hold on to me without going down himself. Which I guess my grip on his shirt made unavoidable.
However it happened, we landed in the leaves on the side of the path, him on the bottom, me on top, and his hands slid from my shoulders to my bottom, pressing me tight against the swelling at his groin that told me he wanted me as much as I wanted him.
I extricated my hand from his shirt and buried both in his hair, the silken strands slipping between my fingers. He smelled so good. Of everything warm and sweet and pack. Of home. A sob swelled in my throat before I crashed my lips down on his, and then we were kissing, and I didn’t care about anything else. Just my mate, just Samson whose kisses and caresses drove me to a fever pitch. He rolled over so I was under him, still devouring my mouth, but when my back hit the forest floor, I yelped.
Samson lifted his head and looked down at me. “Did I hurt you? I’m sorry, I— It was just you were—”
“No.” I patted his chest, trying to get him off me enough I could get rid of whatever was stabbing me in the back. “There’s something here, and it’s poking me.”
He went up on his knees, taking me with him, and reached behind me. “I think we found a clue.” Samson showed me what was in his hand. “Unless this is your pendant?”
A silver star—the rays of which had been jabbing me—with a wolf engraved in the center. “Not mine, and look how shiny it is. If it had been here for long, wouldn’t it be tarnished?” I studied it. “I am almost sure I saw Virginia wearing something similar recently. I think you’re right, and we’re onto something.”
Just not lovemaking. Which, while it might have been foolish, in the moment I’d have sold my soul for. But the alpha’s duty was clear. So, we marked the spot with a strip of flannel torn from his shirt and headed back for yet another meeting.
Chapter Fifteen
“Back in my day, you just told everyone at the breakfast table. How things have changed,” Gigi ruminated out loud, taking in the scene. With all the hustle and bustle of our pack being under attack, Wendi and I hadn’t planned the extravaganza we’d wanted, but this was cute all the same.
And private and small and absolutely perfect. Gigi had come with me, but we had already talked about heading out of the party as soon as the cake was eaten. With Wendi having four mates and their happiness that would be overflowing shortly, I was sure they would need their private time.
Samson was going to Virginia’s house right after we found the necklace and told me he would keep me informed, but I had to be here though my thoughts kept straying back to the necklace and to what Samson and I had almost done right there in the forest. Yeah, we needed the clue, and it was welcome, but damn it all if I cursed it for interrupting me and him.
Gods, just thinking about it made my thighs go up in flames. I needed him so badly I felt like I might snap at any moment.
“What are you blushing about?” Gigi whispered into my ear while Wendi paced the kitchen. Her big announcement had been scaled down to me and Gigi helping her decorate the kitchen in various shades of pale balloons and picking up the cake while she made a buffet of all the foods her mates loved, which was a whole hell of a lot of food.
“Nothing.”
“Oh, it’s something. You’re all squirrelly. Something you want to tell me? Samson?” Leave it to Gigi to guess what was happening, but also what didn’t happen.
“I’m just thinking.”
She scoffed and straightened the strap on her overalls. Yeah, Gigi wore overalls. “That kind of thinking is called fantasizing, my dear girl. Now, give me the details.”
“Oh! Here they come!” Wendi yelled and then stopped dead in her tracks. Her face went completely white, and I thought for a minute I might have to rush over there and catch her.
Escher, Cash, Brandon and Moss walked in, already in some kind of rowdy debate about pack business, but when they realized what was going on, it all came to a halt. Brandon sucked in a breath, and Cash looked like he might be the next to keel over.
“Wendi?” Escher asked his mate in his flat but deep tone. All business.
“I…we put this together as a surprise. Um, there’s something I need to tell you.”
Boys were so damned daft when it came to these things. As soon as she said she needed to tell them something, they all rushed over to her and asked about sickness or school. They thought something was wrong. Yeah, because we decorate the house with pastel yellow balloons when she gets a bad grade.
Men, I swear.
“Christie, help!” Wendi laughed, but her eyes widened. She was having trouble and called for me to help. Always did, and I was more than glad to come to her rescue.
“Boys, please. Give the girl a minute and space to breathe. She has something really important to tell you, and she can’t if you are smothering her to death.
Each mate of hers chuckled but heeded my words, backing up and giving her a chance to take a deep breath.
“Okay. Go on, Wendi. You’ve got this.” All of a sudden, I was a pregnancy announcement cheerleader.
“I’ve actually known for a few weeks now, but I wanted to make sure everything was fine before I told you.”
Escher was balling his fists like he was going to throttle someone if she didn’t tell him quickly.
“I’m pregnant.”
As though she were a queen, her four mates rushed to her, but this time, like they had rehearsed the entire thing, they kneeled before her like knights. They sang her praises and told her how much they loved her, all of it coming out like a bass song, deep and low and almost tear jerking.
“Now, where is my hanky?” Gigi fiddled in her purse, her threshold for crying clearly breached. She finally pulled the white cloth from her purse before dabbing at her eyes.
It was beautiful. Not the overdone thing we’d planned, but simple and lovely in its own way. She didn’t need to announce it to the whole pack. Her men would do that on their own. After all, males were twice the gossips females were, though rumor said the opposite.
I stepped toward the window and looked outside to give Wendi and her mates a bit of privacy. I was honored to be invited and to be included in the planning, but right now, they needed a moment, and I hated to admit it, but I needed one as well. I wondered when the chaos in my life would be stilled. I wondered if there was a day when I would wake up, safe and secure in my matings and my males, knowing they were there, loving me.
Maybe there would be a day when there
was a babe in my belly as well, and I could share that joy with my men.
“It’s all going to be okay,” Gigi said, resting her chin on my shoulder and wrapping her arms around my waist from behind. I would never let Wendi know about this bout of sadness in the middle of her joy, but Gigi knew me better than anyone.
“I know. It’s just hard.” I bit back the tears, cursing them for attempting to come out.
“He will come around. He loves you. He’s just torn right now, but eventually when he realizes you’re the only one who can mend him, he will give in. It won’t be long now.”
“Do you really think so?” I whispered back to her.
“I know so. Now, let’s get some cake in these men before they drag your friend upstairs and show her how they really feel.”
I laughed as Gigi turned me around and sounded like a gaggle of geese while she gave orders about cutting cake and eating to distract them all. Wendi’s mates had thousands of questions, but were so happy it was infectious. Soon, I had forgotten all of my own troubles and chose to be wrapped up in their joy instead. We ate until we were stuffed then Gigi tugged on the hem of my dress.
“It’s time to go.”
We said our goodbyes, and, before we got to the edge of the porch, I heard Wendi giggling. Yeah, their celebration was far from over.
Chapter Sixteen
Wendi’s party cheered me up although it didn’t change anything in my life. I was still torn between two wolves who refused to bend. Yet they both somehow thought they’d be able to mate me while still refusing to mend their fences. And that was not going to fly.
Gigi believed things would work out in the end, but somehow…somehow, I didn’t have the same vision she did, and many days I wondered if I was fighting a losing battle. But no matter what happened in my love life, no matter how many babies Wendi might produce for her mates, no matter how many of the pack were kidnapped, all my professors wanted was their chapters read, notes studied, and papers turned in on time.
Tether: A Shifter of Consequence Tale (Shifters of Consequence Book 6) Page 5