Joselyn wished her grandmother was there now. She suspected things were about to get ugly.
Her Uncle Carroll was the first to speak, his face red, his hand shaking in the air. He looked toward his brother Bernard instead of facing his own niece. “I can’t believe you’re supporting this farce of a union. Do you have no family loyalty, brother?”
Joselyn’s mother stepped into the center of the room, her head high. At five eleven, she towered over many human women, but her mate Bernard and his brothers ranged from six-six to six-eight. They were forces to be reckoned with. Or they would be to some other woman. Rosanne Arthur was not the sort of mother who would be intimidated. “All of you need to calm down.”
Several grumbles filled the room. Each of the four brothers had a mate. And none of their mates were pushovers. They were used to being put in their place from time to time, but they didn’t take kindly to orders coming from Bernard’s mate.
Rosanne continued, “Anyone who thinks these two kids have joined together out of some secret desire to piss you off and create upheaval need to get a head exam. You’re all fully aware how a binding works. Don’t act like a bunch of idiots.”
The slight hush lasted only a moment before Bernard’s other brother Jaren tossed his two cents in, staring at Bernard. “If your damn daughter wants to bind herself to one of those heathens, fine. But she needs to submit her resignation right now and clear out of the building.”
Alton’s grip on her hand tightened to the point of pain. A pain she welcomed under the circumstances. It kept her grounded. She wasn’t sure if he was trying to hold her back or if he was simply expressing his frustration. And then he spoke into her mind. “Let them argue, baby. Don’t engage yet.”
She nodded slightly in response, even though she had her back to him. Her heart raced from the adrenaline rush.
Her father stiffened beside her. She’d never felt such anger coming from him. He turned toward his brother Carroll. “Do you feel the same as Jaren?”
Carroll nodded. “Of course. It’s obvious your daughter’s the one who leaked all of our hard work to the enemy in the first place.”
Joselyn opened her mouth to defend herself.
Alton gripped her hand tighter and held her closer. “Let them shout at each other first.”
“You’re a damn fool,” her father said. “Both of you. Joselyn didn’t leak anything to anyone. As far as I’m concerned, one of you is more likely to have undermined this business than Joselyn. She worked hard on this project for six months.”
Jaren shook his head. “Work? That’s what you call sitting in her office all day coloring?”
Bernard’s eyes bulged, and Rosanne’s mouth fell open.
Joselyn pursed her lips to keep from screaming. God damn them both. She had a notion to tell them to go fuck themselves and then take her shit and get out of the building. If they thought the marketing position was so useless, let them handle the department all on their own.
Except that would hurt her father too.
Jaren twisted his head to glare at Joselyn. “Look me in the eye and tell me you didn’t rat us out to the Tarbens.”
Joselyn’s spine stiffened. “I did not. Never said a word about our launch, even though Alton is my mate and it felt wrong.”
Carroll jerked in his seat. “Doesn’t mean your damn mate didn’t steal the information from you at some point. He would have had opportunity.” He glared at Alton, sending goose bumps up Joselyn’s arms.
She shook her head. “He has never once been to my home, nor have I been to his. We’ve seen each other so infrequently that I want to kick myself for ever caring what any of you would think,” she shot back at her uncle. “The only thing I’ve ever had on me when I’ve seen my own mate was my damn cell phone.”
Spittle shot out of her Uncle Carroll’s mouth as he shared his next thought. “Phones are damn smart these days, little girl. They’re like computers. Anything you have on there is easy to access. You telling me you always took your phone to the bathroom with you?”
Apparently, Alton had heard enough. The vibe running from him to her was filled with frustration. “I have never once touched Joselyn’s phone. I don’t even know her password. I do not dig around in my mate’s private belongings without her permission.”
Joselyn’s mother stepped between everyone, holding up her hands and glancing back and forth at every face. “Stop this nonsense before someone says something they regret.”
Joselyn was surprised at how calm her mother appeared outwardly while she knew she was fuming inside.
“I say we call a vote,” Carroll said. “We call the board in and take a vote. Now. This morning.” He pointed at Alton. “And you need to get the hell out of this building.”
Alton spoke again, releasing Joselyn’s hand to wrap one arm around her middle and set his other hand on her shoulder possessively. “You people need to watch your language, and if any of you disrespects my mate again, you’ll find my fist in your face.”
He didn’t address the way her uncles were treating him personally, but her heart rate soared when he instead insisted on supporting her.
“Don’t you dare speak to me that way, you son of a bitch,” Carroll shot directly at Alton. “You have no business coming here and a lot of gall. You should be ashamed of yourself for even showing your face in the parking lot. You come from a family of thieves.”
Joselyn couldn’t hold her tongue again. “For God’s sake, what the hell are you talking about?”
Carroll turned his hateful gaze toward her. “Stole land that rightfully belonged to our pack, and they know it.”
Joselyn couldn’t stop herself from rolling her eyes. “You mean over a hundred years ago?”
“Doesn’t matter when it happened. What matters is that it happened. It’s in their blood. Bunch of damn thieves.”
Alton stiffened. “I’m sure if we were having this conversation at my brewery, my uncles would be calling all of you murderers. It’s nonsense.”
Jaren growled. “We ain’t no murderers.”
“Really? Because the same legend you’re referring to concerning a homestead on the west side of the river includes a little boy stabbed to death by one of your ancestors.”
Jaren fumed. “You can’t call an entire pack of people murderers because two little boys got in a fight and had an accident, you fool.”
Joselyn felt Alton relax at her back. “Nor can you call an entire pack of people thieves because one man set up a homestead on public land a hundred years ago.”
She was proud of him. He never lost his temper as he tried to reason with her damn family. She knew it would do no good trying to get them to see the light, but Alton still took the high road.
Jaren wasn’t done, however. “If we’re going to point fingers, your ancestors are the real murdering sons of bitches since y’all retaliated by killing our boy’s mother. Shot her for no reason.”
“Enough,” Joselyn’s mother shouted.
Alton seemed to shake off his frustration and leaned forward, getting in Jaren’s face, still holding Joselyn against him. “Like it or not, I’m bound to Joselyn now. We didn’t make this choice lightly or flippantly. But we love each other, and I’m going to have to demand your respect. Family feud be damned. It’s time to put aside your stupid differences and let bygones be bygones. I’ll expect the same from my own family. Holding a century-old grudge is absurd at best. No one’s even alive who started this feud.”
“Nevertheless,” Carroll continued, “you work for the competitor. A competitor, I might add, who stole our idea and took credit for it, launching it as your own.” He pointed at the door. “Not going to say it again. Get out.”
Bernard put himself between Joselyn and Carroll. “No one’s leaving, Carroll. Stop shouting at my daughter and her mate. If you can’t calm down and have a reasonable, productive discussion, you need to leave my office.”
For a moment, Joselyn thought Carroll might actually shove his
older brother. His face was red, his hands fisted at his sides. “Like I said before, let’s take a vote. Now.”
Bernard shook his head. “Don’t be absurd. We aren’t taking a vote on anything. Don’t forget who’s the head of this pack, brother,” he warned.
“Oh, trust me, I’m clear on that. And if you don’t get this fucking Tarben out of the building in the next two minutes, I’m likely to call a vote on that too and challenge your rank among our people. You aren’t fit to be leader.”
Joselyn couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She’d always known her uncle was foul and ignorant, but this was going too far. This situation was far worse than she ever imagined. She’d known that outing her relationship with Alton would be damaging and perhaps challenged, but she hadn’t expected anyone to challenge her father’s leadership role within the brewery, and certainly not his role as pack leader.
The air was knocked out of her lungs. She wouldn’t let this happen to her parents. “Dad, I’ll leave.” She permitted her communication to be heard by her mother, her father, and her mate.
“Not a chance in hell,” her father responded.
“Just for now. For today. Let emotions simmer. Nothing good is going to happen here today. And I’m not splitting up from Alton today.”
Bernard spun around to face his daughter. So did Rosanne, tucking her arm into her husbands. His eyes were narrowed in a scowl. “I don’t want anyone in this room to think they got the best of you. Or me, for that matter.”
Jaren groaned behind them. “Can we please get back to work while you three leave us out of your stupid private chat?”
Bernard spun around. “Hell no. Sit your asses down. We aren’t done here. But Joselyn and Alton have other business to take care of, and I’m not inclined to force them to remain while you continue to say things you can’t take back. I’ve told them to go grab something to eat.”
It was a white lie, but she recognized what her father was doing. Not admitting defeat, but soothing the tension at the same time.
“I still say we move to the boardroom and call for a vote,” Carroll grumbled.
“Well, that’s not going to happen, brother,” Bernard said. “We don’t operate that way in this building. I’m in charge. And I say we’re not calling for any vote of any form.” He stood taller, puffing out his chest.
Joselyn grabbed Alton’s hand at her waist and tugged, luring him out of the room. She could feel anger wafting off him, but he held his tongue while they walked silently down the hall and stepped back into her office. One minute later, coats on, they headed out the front door.
Chapter Seventeen
Alton was furious. He held himself in check for his mate’s sake, but inside he was fuming with rage. His mate’s mind was more open to him today than it had been in all the years he’d known her. And he knew it had little to do with the binding and more to do with the fact that she was permitting him into her thoughts. And he wanted to hug her for trusting him.
Actually, he wanted to fuck the daylights out of her. But unfortunately, they needed to move from one fire to another.
He was proud of her. So proud he couldn’t even express himself in words. If he didn’t think half the people in her family would freak the fuck out and go postal on him, he would push her against the side of the SUV before opening the door for her and kiss her until neither of them could breathe.
What he was afraid of was that the number of people in favor of maintaining the feud and sending Joselyn camping was more than half. And if that was the truth, their troubles would be exponentially worse. Were they about to encounter the same thing from his own people? He feared so.
Joselyn leaned her weight into Alton’s side, slumping against him as they reached the SUV. He could feel her shaking.
“I’m proud of you.” He held her close, one arm wrapped around her middle.
She sighed. “Get me out of here before I start crying in the parking lot. I don’t want anyone to think they got to me.”
He nodded, unlocking the doors with his key fob and then opening the passenger door of his black SUV. With a hand steadying her, he helped her into the Explorer.
Seconds later, he was seated next to her. He started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot before taking her hand and holding it between them on the console. “It’s going to be okay.”
She nodded, her lips tucked under her teeth as she faced the window. He knew she was seconds from crying.
“I’m so sorry, baby.” He wished he could ease her pain, but there was no way. Instead, he decided to let her have a few moments of silence.
Finally, she wiped her eyes with the back of her free hand and sighed. “I knew it would be hard, but I didn’t expect my father’s loyalty to the pack to be challenged like that. Not just his job as CEO of the company, but his standing as pack leader.”
“I know.” Alton worried the same thing might happen when they got to his brewery too. “Do you want to go back to the apartment for a while?”
She shook her head. “No. Let’s go to my parents’ house. I’ll pack up some of my things. It’ll give me a chance to catch my breath and remain busy at the same time.”
“Good idea.” He turned at the next light to head for her parents’ cabin. Even though her family had owned the cabin for many years and they lived just a few miles outside of town, he’d only been to the place a handful of times, and never inside.
“I want you to know where I grew up. I want you to see my room. Lie on my bed. I want your scent in my parents’ home. Is that weird?” She turned to face him.
He glanced at her and smiled. “No. I felt a similar sense of connection to you the time you came to my parents’ home a few weeks ago. Even though it was crowded and no one knew we were a couple, I loved knowing your scent would linger over all the others—at least in my mind.”
She squeezed his fingers in understanding.
When they pulled up to the cabin, he took in the amazing view of the mountains in the background. Copses of evergreens climbed the sides, their scent prominent.
He jumped down from the SUV and quickly rounded to help her out of the passenger side. As he held her hand to aid her down from the high seat, she giggled. “I’m almost six feet tall, you know. And I’ve been exiting cars my entire life without help.”
He shut the door and then pressed her against the side of the SUV. The bulk of their coats kept him from getting as close to her as he wanted, but it was close enough to take her face and meet her gaze. “You’re mine, Jos. I’m just being chivalrous. My mother raised a gentleman. I know it’s been a few years since we had the freedom to go anywhere in a car together, but did I ever show you less respect when we were in Calgary?”
“No.”
“Do you think just because we’re bound together now I’m going to stop being the man you fell in love with and get all lazy?” He tried to lighten her mood with a half grin.
She rolled her eyes. “No.”
“Good. Because it won’t happen in this lifetime.” He closed the distance between them and kissed her gently.
She seemed to calm marginally, and then she led him to her parents’ cabin.
She’d always referred to it as a cabin. Everyone in their family did. The sprawling ranch with a rustic log-cabin look was actually an enormous modern home that made him feel every ounce of the love put into it the moment they stepped inside.
The great room was warm and inviting with a state-of-the-art attached kitchen and a view out the back row of windows that would make most people drool with jealousy. “This is beautiful.”
She glanced at him as she shut the front door. “Your family’s home is not much different.”
He shrugged. “Maybe, but I love the design.” He wandered in farther, not releasing her fingers because he had no intention of disconnecting from her in the near future. She humored him by following in his wake. The brown leather sectional facing a fireplace was large enough for several adults. He had no doubt all five
of her family members had sat there together to talk or watch a movie on the huge flat screen many times over the years.
“Come on,” she whispered, tugging his hand. She led him down the hallway to the right side of the house and into a room he knew instantly to be hers. For one thing, it smelled like her. But more importantly, it had her feminine touch. Neither of her brothers would have had a room like this when they lived at home.
Her bed was made, but he smirked, wondering when she’d done that.
She swatted at his arm, obviously catching his drifting thoughts. “I came by here yesterday before I came to your house. I straightened up.” She tugged her hand free of his to take her coat off and drop it on the floor.
He pretended to buckle forward as if she’d hurt him with her soft swat before he removed his coat and dropped it on top of hers. “Hey, messy. Just curious,” he teased. She’d never been the tidiest woman he knew. He rounded on her and stalked forward, backing her toward her own bed. When she hit the edge, she fell onto her ass, sitting. He straddled her legs and tipped her head back to take her lips.
It was a bad idea. He knew as soon as he made a move like this they would have trouble packing her stuff and getting on with their day. At the moment, he simply didn’t care. No one was home, and he wasn’t about to miss the opportunity to ravage her.
Her hands landed on his waist, and she slid them around to his back before easing them under his shirt. “We should be packing,” she murmured into his mind.
“This is so much more fun,” he responded in kind. He reached for her hips, lifted her up, and dragged her farther across the bed so he could crawl over her and press his body against hers.
Her scent filled the room in a more overpowering way than he’d been exposed to in recent years. Even when she spent time in his apartment in Calgary, her scent had never fully filled his space. But this was her bedroom. The one she’d grown up in.
He broke their kiss and reached over to grab her pillow. Rising onto his knees, he pressed her pillow to his face and inhaled deeply.
Grizzly Secret (Arcadian Bears Book 3) Page 18