Mikhail usually had patience, but his was at the breaking point. “What’s it going to be?” Jacque’s eyes narrowed at Mikhail’s demand, but he didn’t care. “I’m going back inside to be with Elise. If you have a problem with that, now is the time to voice it.” He knew it wasn’t smart to challenge the alpha, but Mikhail also knew her son wouldn’t respect anything less.
“Do you love her?” Not surprisingly, it was Gator who asked.
Mikhail’s heart felt like it swelled in his chest. “I do. She’s everything.” He put his hand over his heart and didn’t flinch from their dark gazes. “She might never be ready to mate again, but I’ll never willingly leave her.”
The last was a challenge to Jacque and the rest of the pack. It was important they knew he was ready and willing to fight for her. They already knew he’d physically protect her. Hell, he’d have killed Troy if she hadn’t stopped him.
“Shit, I need to think about this.” Jacque swept his gaze over his friends. “We need to talk.”
“Fine, you talk all you need.” Mikhail was done. He needed to be close to Elise, to reassure himself she was okay. “You know where to find me.” He deliberately turned his back on them and walked away. The small hairs on the back of his neck bristled. He knew they were all watching him.
Sage reached the door before he did and opened it. It still surprised Mikhail that his brother-in-law had sided with him. Reece followed them inside the house.
“I can’t figure out if you have balls of steel or if you’re just insane.” Reece made his pronouncement as he shut the door.
Mikhail shook his head and started toward the hallway, but he stopped when Sage put a hand on his arm. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
Mikhail released a breath and tried to shake some of the tension thrumming through him. “I hope so, too.”
Rina came down the hallway with her finger to her lips. “Shh, Elise finally fell asleep.”
Mikhail needed to see his woman for himself. He hurried past his sister, pausing long enough to kiss her forehead. His heart was pounding by the time he stepped into the bedroom. Give him a fight and he was rock steady. Only Elise had the power to upset his equilibrium to such a degree.
Gwen stood when he approached and eased Hannah away with her. “I figured you’d be back,” the alpha female told him. When he raised an eyebrow in question, she simply smiled. “Her pillows smell like you.”
He nodded but was through talking for tonight. “Thank you.” It was an acknowledgement and a dismissal. Gwen smiled and patted his arm. “Take care of yourself. You had a hard night, too.”
Mikhail dismissed his own minor aches and pains. His body had already healed the broken skin of his knuckles from where he’d beaten Troy. His only concern was Elise.
He crawled onto the bed beside Elise and wrapped his arms around her. Her scent teased his nose and her hair brushed against his face. Mikhail was home. He buried his face in her neck, pulled her tighter against his body, and closed his eyes.
The women left them alone, quietly closing the door behind him. He listened to the voices in the other room until finally silence surrounded them. They were finally alone. Both he and his wolf heaved a sigh of relief, even though they both knew their problems were far from over.
Elise held their fate in her strong, capable hands. He could only hope she was strong enough to choose him, to give their relationship a chance.
Chapter Twenty-One
Jacque stopped Louis when his brother went to follow Mikhail. “Let him go.”
“You can’t be serious,” Louis demanded. “You’re going to let him sleep with our mother?”
Jacque winced but nodded. “Yeah, I am. That’s all they’ll be doing tonight. Sleeping,” he added when Louis frowned. “I don’t want to think about what they might have done other nights.” Yeah, he really didn’t want to picture his mother in bed with Mikhail.
Louis growled and began to pace. “I don’t like this.”
“What do you object to most?” Gator asked. “That it is Mikhail, or the fact that your mother is a sexy, single woman.”
Louis stared at their friend in disbelief. When he finally found his voice, he demanded, “You think our mother is sexy?”
Gator, the bastard, grinned and shrugged. “Of course, she is. Ask any of the women. In fact, you can ask them right now.”
Gwen, Hannah, and Rina stepped out onto the porch and carefully closed the door. Jacque really didn’t want to think about his mother being alone in bed with Mikhail. He knew he was being unreasonable about this, but she was his mama, for God’s sake. He hadn’t grown up with affectionate parents and had grown used to seeing his mama as, well, his mama, not as a woman.
Jacque winced and knew he was better off keeping that to himself. He could only imagine what Gwen would say. “I need coffee,” he muttered. He went to his mate, grabbed her hand, and started back toward their home. “The rest of you might as well come.”
“Might as well call your mates,” Gwen told the men. “They need to be part of this discussion.”
Jacque sighed, his breath forming a plume of white mist in front of him. His mate knew him too well sometimes. Gwen knew he’d have to hash out this situation before he slept. He needed to know where the pack stood before he talked with his mother.
Mikhail was right. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew his mother would walk away from a relationship if she thought it would cause problems in the pack. Jacque was uncomfortable with having that much control over his mama’s life.
Maybe she had been lonely all these years. His father certainly hadn’t been any companionship or comfort to her over the long years of their mating. As his feet crunched lightly on the snow, he thought about his own mating. He couldn’t imagine Gwen not being his partner in all things. He certainly couldn’t imagine a time when he didn’t want her.
He stepped off the path and into their yard with the others closely behind him. Cole had disappeared, most likely to get Cherise. He assumed Gator and Armand had called their mates.
Jacque shouldered his back door open. As he expected, Cole’s parents were waiting for them. “How is Elise?” Corrine asked. There was tension in her voice, and her big mate stood behind her with his arms around her.
Jacque released Gwen and ran his hand over her hair and back. “She’s fine. Sleeping. But we all need to talk.” He left the room long enough to check on his sons.
They were asleep in their room, Nicholas on the top bunk and Aaron on the bottom. He stood in the doorway and gave silent thanks for all he’d been given. It wasn’t long before Gwen joined him. She slipped her arm around his waist and peeked in at their boys.
Jacque was as content as a man could get. Didn’t his mama deserve the same chance?
He shut the door, leaned down, and kissed his mate. As always, Gwen accepted him and loved him in return. He couldn’t imagine life any other way. How many years of cold, loneliness had his mother endured.
He slowly lifted his head. “I love you, chère.” He never wanted her to doubt that for even a second.
She ran her fingers over his cheek. “I know. I love you, too.” She sighed and looked toward the kitchen. “Everyone is waiting.”
He knew he wouldn’t get to take his mate to bed until he’d apprised the rest of them of the situation. With his arm looped around Gwen’s shoulders, he walked back to the kitchen. He wanted this over and done with so he could make love to her for hours.
As expected, Gator had taken over the kitchen. Coffee was perking, and he was assembling sandwiches. Jacque sniffed the air. Roast beef, if he wasn’t mistaken.
The door opened, and Anny stepped into the house with Armand right behind her. His cousin must have gone home for her. “I brought cake,” she announced, holding up a chocolate cake. She looked at Armand. “This seemed to be the kind of situation that called for cake.”
“I could use a slice.” Gwen slipped from beneath his arm and went over to hug Anny.
“Elias and Sue are with Amy,” Cole told him. “Billy went over to sit at Gator’s house and watch over Etienne.”
“Good.” Jacque wasn’t expecting more trouble tonight, but it was better to be safe. Plus, the children needed someone with them even if they were asleep.
Corrine was wringing her hands and glancing nervously at her mate. Jacque motioned to the chair on his left. “Sit down, Corrine.” It was hard to remember sometimes that Cole’s mama and his had been friends for a long time. “Mama will be fine.” It still infuriated him that she’d been hurt at all. “Mikhail is with her.”
Corrine frowned as she sat. “Mikhail? Why is he with her?” She looked up at her mate, but Joseph shook his head to indicate he didn’t know any more about the situation than she did. That told Jacque just how secretive his mama had been. If Corrine hadn’t been aware his mama was seeing Mikhail, then no one knew.
Except Gator, the bastard. Jacque still wasn’t sure how he felt about his friend keeping such a thing from him.
“Sit,” he told everyone. “I want to get to bed before the sun comes up.” His sons would be up not long after the sun. They were young and energetic pups.
Anny put the cake in the middle of the table while Gator poured coffee and Cole brought over the finished platter of sandwiches. When everyone was settled, Jacque addressed the pack. He knew Sage and Reece would fill Elias and Sue in on the details later.
“Mama was attacked by Troy Burdette. You all know this.” They all nodded. Corrine dabbed at her eyes and tears slid down Hannah’s face. “Mama was hurt, but she’ll be fine.”
“Why is Troy alive?” Anny asked. “Armand said you let him go.”
Jacque knew she was thinking back to the trouble she’d had with Armand’s father a decade ago. Her mate had killed his father in order to protect her.
“We don’t need trouble with another pack. Plus, Troy was beaten by a wolf not even alpha of this pack. He’ll be dealing with leadership challenges as soon as he gets home.”
“You want his own pack to take care of him.” Sylvie frowned and then nodded. “Smart.”
“I have my moments.” Jacque’s dry reply made Sylvie blush and everyone else chuckle.
He glanced at Hannah, wondering how she was dealing with the casual discussion of her father’s pending challenges and possible death. She kept her head down, and Reece had his arm wrapped around her. He felt bad for them, but Troy Burdette had sown the seeds of his own demise.
“But what does this have to do with Mikhail?” Confusion tinged Corrine’s voice.
“It seems they’ve been seeing one another. It was Mikhail who protected Mama and beat Troy to within an inch of his life. It was Mikhail she wanted with her after the attack.”
Corrine’s mouth dropped open. Then she looked hurt. “She never told me.”
“She didn’t tell anyone,” Jacque pointed out. “She was afraid to.” That still didn’t sit right with him.
“She’s afraid of men.” It surprised Jacque that it was Joseph that made the pronouncement. He was a quiet man who never spoke much, but when he did it was best to pay attention. Cole’s father had dealt more directly with Jacque’s sire. “Your father was a brutal man,” Joseph continued. “In all ways.”
Jacque met his brother’s gaze and saw his own anguish mirrored back at him. They hadn’t been able to protect their mother from that. No one had.
“The fact that she trusts Mikhail enough to spend time with him speaks volumes about how much she cares for him.”
Jacque knew Joseph was right, but that didn’t make the situation any easier for him to deal with. “What do you all think about it?” he asked the pack as a group.
Gwen frowned. “Why is it any of our business? I know,” she hurriedly added, “Elise is your mother, so naturally you’re concerned about her. But she’s also a grown woman. If she wants to have a relationship with an attractive, single man, that’s her business.”
“You think Mikhail is attractive?” Jacque didn’t like that notion one bit.
Gwen huffed in exasperation. “That’s what you got out of everything I said?”
“Do you?” he demanded.
“Yes, he’s attractive, but not nearly as hot as you are. Satisfied?”
Gator coughed and held his hand in front of his face to hide his smile. Armand shook his head, and unlike Gator, he didn’t even bother to hide the smile making the corners of his lips twitch. The rest were no better.
“Yes. I’m satisfied.” He leaned over and dropped a quick kiss on her lips.
“What I’m saying,” his mate continued, “is that your mother deserves a shot at a loving relationship. Maybe it won’t work out, but if she doesn’t try, she’ll be alone forever.”
“She’s not alone. She has us.” Even as he said it, Jacque knew that Gwen was right. His mama was alone. “Shit.” He looked to his brother. “Louis?”
Louis held his mate’s hand and looked as uncomfortable as Jacque felt. “Mama has always supported us. How can we do any differently for her?”
Jacque hated that his brother was right. “What about the rest of you?”
Predictably, Cole shrugged. The rest followed suit.
Jacque pinned Gator with a glare. “You got an opinion, since you knew about them?”
“Suspected,” Gator corrected. “I saw the way he looked at Elise, and I warned him to be careful with her. I think he has been. She is capable of turning him away if she doesn’t want him. I trust her.” He paused for a long moment. “I trust Mikhail, too. He won’t hurt her. He cares too much for her. But he will try to push her out of the protective shell she’s built around her.”
Sylvie leaned against her mate. Jacque knew if anyone understood what his mama was going through, it was his cousin. Sylvie had dealt with a brutal mate of her own before she’d finally mated with Gator.
“Then it’s settled. We let Mama set the tone of their relationship. If she doesn’t want to talk about it, we don’t push it. Otherwise, it’s business as usual.”
He was about to announce it was time for all of them to leave, when Gwen pointed at the cake. “Now that this is settled, I want some of that chocolate cake.”
Jacque resigned himself to another half hour with his pack. After that, he was kicking them all out so he could get naked with Gwen.
…
The sun was warm on her face, and Mikhail’s arms warmed the rest of her. Elise was content to drift along, partly awake and partly asleep. Her body no longer ached as it had last night. She knew her injuries were healing well.
She was also starving. Her stomach growled, and she slipped a hand down to press against it.
Mikhail’s big hand covered hers. “Hungry?” The deep rumble of his voice made her shiver. She’d never woken in the morning with a man’s body wrapped protectively around her. It was rather nice.
“Hmm.” She didn’t want to answer, didn’t want to break the quiet, tender moment. There was no need for Mikhail to get up and hurry away before the sun rose. For one thing, the sun was already up. For another, everyone already knew about them.
Mikhail eased away and rolled her onto her back. She missed having his big body pressed against hers. His hair was tousled and dark stubble covered his jaw. He ran his fingers over her forehead and along the curve of her jaw. “Most of the bruising is gone.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Should be completely gone by tomorrow. At least on your face. I’m not sure about the rest of your body.”
She was grateful for her werewolf genetics. Her wolf was quiet inside her, as exhausted as she was. “I’m a fast healer,” she told Mikhail.
“How are you feeling this morning?” Mikhail propped himself up on one arm and continued to study her. She couldn’t help but notice he was still
fully dressed. Too bad. She liked seeing his naked chest.
“Elise?” he asked again when she didn’t answer.
“You said it yourself. I’ll be completely healed by tomorrow, but that wasn’t what you were asking, was it?”
He shook his head. “No, it wasn’t.” He trailed his fingers down the curve of her jaw, sending tingles racing down her arms and chest. “How do you feel about us? About everyone else knowing?”
“It’s not how I planned for everyone to find out.” Elise had pictured maybe talking to Jacque and Louis alone. Maybe six months from now. She licked her dry lips. “I’m not sure.”
Mikhail briefly closed his eyes, but not before she saw a flash of pain. She’d hurt him, and that had never been her intention. “I’m sorry.”
He shook his head. “You feel how you feel.”
She desperately wanted Mikhail to understand. “It’s just that it’s so new, and I don’t know what will happen.” She had feelings for him, deep ones. She wasn’t sure it was enough to overcoming the fears holding her back.
“I don’t want to pressure you,” he began. Her stomach began to ache. Was he going to back away from her? Leave her alone? Now that it was a distinct possibility, she understood it wasn’t what she wanted.
“Give me time.” She touched his face, his morning stubble abrading her fingers.
His gaze softened. “You can have all the time you need. Just know that I’m not going anywhere,” he reassured her.
Relief blasted through her. He wasn’t going to leave her cold and alone. “I’m glad. I don’t want you to go.”
He turned his head and kissed the palm of her hand. “I won’t go far, but right now, I need to hit the bathroom and then the kitchen. We both need breakfast, and I’m desperate for some coffee.”
Elise watched him slide out of bed and amble into the bathroom. There was an emotional distance that hadn’t been there before. She’d kept the shields around her heart for so long that she was forcing Mikhail to create some of his own.
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