by Shannan Rhys
Ash snorted back. “Be nicer to me, or I’ll never stay.”
“You’ll never stay anyway,” she mumbled, and those words were like an arrow right into his heart.
Was it really time for him to hang up the traveling shoes? Helena, or no Helena…
No.
For some reason, he couldn’t imagine No-Helena.
But he needed to make this decision for Lisa. For himself. It was time to stop trying to reclaim something he felt he’d lost. Time to be a man.
Chapter Thirteen
Adam had yanked her up onto the front of his horse and they were riding toward the VonBrandt house. The trot was making her butt sore and she didn’t have stirrups to help alleviate the jolting. “We could’ve taken the car.”
“I didn’t want to leave Janey out here by herself. This knocks out two birds with one stone. I can put her in the main stable for now and take you to Aaron.” He paused. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk to your alpha instead?”
Helena’s body stiffened. “I can’t.” The words croaked out between the bumps of the horse’s gait.
They finally emerged from the forest road and turned around the large barn toward the massive red brick house. People were everywhere, but Adam stopped the horse and turned to watch a large man stomping angrily back to a sheriff’s blazer parked in the main drive. Fear licked up her spine and she couldn’t help the shiver that ran through her body.
“Why are the police here?”
“That’s my brother, Allan. He looks pissed. Which means he and Aaron were probably fighting again.” Adam swung down from the saddle and reached up for her. Helena let him lift her off the horse and set her on the ground. “How’s the leg?”
“Fine. Just a dull ache, but it’s not bad like it was earlier.”
He grunted something inaudible and handed her the reins of the horse—Janey. “You stay with her till I get back here with Aaron. If we need to avoid your alpha, then this conversation needs to stay out of the house.”
Helena nodded and reached for his arm. “Thank you.”
Adam shook his head. “I don’t know why you’re afraid of your alpha, but Aaron isn’t some big pushover. He’s gonna be pissed that you’re connected to someone in his town. At least you didn’t shift in front of your townie, did you? Please say no.”
“I didn’t. He doesn’t know anything.”
“At least there’s that. Hang tight. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Helena watched as Adam walked away. Watched every step until he entered the house and disappeared from view. What was she going to do about Ash? What would the VonBrandt alpha want her to do? Despite Adam’s warning, she was much less afraid of Aaron VonBrandt than she was of her own grandfather. What did that say about her pack? Intolerant. Unforgiving. Scary. That about covered it.
A few minutes later, Adam reappeared through the back door. His brother—the VonBrandt alpha—stalked behind him, his face hard and his eyes dark. A blind man could’ve seen the anger waves rolling off his back. Helena gulped and took a tiny step backward. Janey tugged on the reins, reminding her that at least she wasn’t alone. She rubbed the animal’s warm neck and took a deep breath. If nothing else, her grandfather was more likely to beat on her than the Somewhere alpha. At least she hoped that was the case. She still wanted to shift and roll onto her back. Surrender was her best option at this point in time.
“Why is it that you’re the one who keeps informing who’s mixed up with whom?” Aaron growled at his brother. Adam just grinned and let his brother’s anger bounce right off his good mood. He really would be a catch…if only she weren’t bound to a human.
“Just timing, I guess. Look, she’s pretty freaked out, so be nice, bro.”
“I’ll handle it. You take your horse and go.” Aaron’s voice was deep and gravely, but not as angry as Helena had expected.
Adam laid a soft hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “Chin up, little bit. Aaron will sort it all out. He’s really good at keeping secrets. He makes sure the whole town is blissfully unaware of all of us.”
“Adam,” Aaron said, his voice deepening with warning.
“I’m going.” Adam threw up his hands, taking the reins from Helena and leading the horse away. She was left her with his much older, taller, and more imposing brother—who just so happened to be the alpha.
“Adam said you didn’t tell the man you’re a wolf.”
“No. He doesn’t know anything,” she whispered, staring at the dirt ground beneath her boots.
“You’re positive.”
“He’s human. I wouldn’t be so careless. Except that I—”
“Slept with him and started a mate bond. Didn’t you feel it when you touched him? Even a weak bond would’ve made itself known with physical touch.” Aaron used two fingers to lift her chin so she had to look up at him. He wasn’t rough. The anger had drained out of his gaze, replaced by resignation and something Helena couldn’t quite pin down.
“I was a little drunk. We both were,” she admitted, heat flaring up her neck into her cheeks. “I don’t think I would’ve felt lightning strike.”
“You know you can’t walk away from him. You’ve started the bond.”
“Ash is human. I can’t be with him.” She shook her chin free and took another step backward. What she wanted didn’t matter. In her pack, it was impossible.
“Humans make fine mates,” Aaron said, his voice hardening. “Why do you have a prejudice against them? My wife is a human. Both of my sons are mated to human women.”
“Well, I know it’s possible to mate a human, but it’s not a good idea.”
Aaron spluttered, “What are you talking about?”
“But you can’t have a Fate match with a human.”
“Girl, who is fillin’ your ears with horse shit?” The alpha shook his head, looking off toward the house. Like he knew. “So, if you can’t have a Fate match, I suppose you imagined the bond you’re feeling right now?”
She didn’t have an answer for that. The man was right. Why wouldn’t her grandfather have told her it was possible to have a Fate match with a human? What was wrong with him?
Aaron blew out a breath. “Where is this Ash?”
“He lives a couple blocks from that bar—Everyday Joe’s. It’s a cute white bungalow. His sister lives there with him.” She remembered seeing the big black numbers on the house before going inside to do…other things. “I remember the house number but not the street. Four twenty something or other. Why?”
“Because you owe him a conversation. Do you think you’re the only one feeling him? He’s human. We can only hope he’s not running through the town screaming about phantom touches. How many people have touched you today?”
“I—don’t—”
“He’s felt everything. And he’s probably scared. Neither of you have had time to learn to control the bond. Hell, Tonya and I—half the time—still don’t filter it. That takes work. You’re the wolf here, Helena, it was your responsibility to pick up on the signals and you failed. It’s too late now.” The alpha pulled out a cell phone and sent a couple of texts before shoving the device back into his pocket. “My most important job as alpha is to protect this town. Keep our secret. I work hard to keep us beneath its gossip radar.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause—” Her heart sped in her chest, thumping so hard she thought it might break free. He’d said too late. Too late for what?
“Drunken one-night stands never work out for anyone without consequences. Not even humans. That’s just how life works,” Aaron said, releasing a small sigh. “I’m going to fix this, Helena. And you’re going to do exactly what I say.”
“Yes, sir,” she whispered. “Please just help me.”
“You may not like the way I fix it.”
Helena gulped in a quick breath. “Anything will be better than what my grandfather might do.”
“Phillip is a hard ass, but this is my town and I’d rather handle this my way. B
ut you’ll have to deal with your grandpa later. You do realize that, don’t you? This is my territory, but he’s your alpha.”
“I’m trying not to think about it.”
Aaron frowned and pointed to the back door of the house. “My wife is in the kitchen. Go sit with her and wait for me to call for you.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I mean it. Do not go anywhere or talk to anyone about this except Tonya. Consider that an order from your alpha. Got it?”
“Got it.” She swallowed. He had an in-trouble voice, and she couldn’t help feeling like it would have been better if she’d never come to Somewhere, Texas.
“I’m gonna stay,” Ash said, clomping down the hall after his sister. “I don’t need until the end of the month.”
Lisa froze in the living room, turning slowly to face him. “You’re not serious.”
“I am.” He caught up to her, shoving the phone into his back pocket.
“What did your girlfriend say to get you to promise that?”
Ouch. She was full of barbs. But truth be told, he deserved it. “It was a jackass thing for me to imply I’d stay for Helena, and not for you. I’m sorry, Lis.”
Tears welled in her eyes, and she leaned back against the liquor cabinet, letting out huge, heaving breaths. She crossed her arms over her chest, not speaking. Ash limped toward her and took her in his arms, wrapping her up in a big hug.
“I know I haven’t been much of a brother to you since you graduated.” He held her as she started to cry, and he just let her tears come. “I’ve been a jerk. Really. I shouldn’t have ever left you.”
“It felt like you just abandoned me, Ash,” she said into his shoulder, and the words sliced him hard.
He’d never intended for things to get this way. The first winter he’d joined Tyson in Montana, it had felt amazing to escape all the responsibilities tying him to Somewhere. At that point, he’d been father and brother and mother to his little sister for six years. His whole adult life had been spent taking care of her. Driving trucks for F&S Trucking and working shifts at the Allnighter, and then Joe’s Bar, just to pay the bills. He’d never had a chance to be a kid, because before their mom had left, he’d been taking care of her.
He’d felt powerless to chart the course for his own life.
Lisa had told Ash to go to Montana. She’d already had a job by then, so he’d felt okay about leaving. He’d sent most of his money home, anyway, and the house was paid off.
But that one adventure with the magnificent seven had spiraled into many, many more.
“I know. I’m sorry, kiddo.” He slid his hand into her ponytail and yanked it like he used to when they were kids.
Lisa’s laughter was immediate, although she still seemed to be crying into his chest. “You’re really gonna stay?”
“I’m really gonna stay. I guess this injury was a wake-up call, like you said.” He stepped back, careful to keep the pressure off his bad foot, and looked around the house. When they’d finished the last mortgage payment—which his parents had started before he was born, when they were both still together, still working, still living there—he’d felt like the house was a pair of cement boots, weighing him down.
Helena had given him the real wake-up call, of course. She was the first woman he’d ever wanted to have in his home. The first woman who’d made him want to make a place for her in his life. Though it was way to early to feel that way, he did.
“I get why you kept leaving,” she said, sniffing. She moved toward the kitchen, and he trailed after her. “There’s only so much you can do when all your friends are gone, right?”
I could have made new friends, he thought but didn’t say. That would have been too much truth.
There were a lot of things he’d given up for his family, and he’d tried to take them all back by turning life into a grand adventure—into two to four seasons spent in different places. But he hadn’t stopped to think about how it was affecting Lisa.
“Dammit, Lis. I’m such a selfish bastard.” He gripped the back of his neck, leaning against the open threshold between the living room and the kitchen. “Why do you even put up with me?”
She snorted, opening the refrigerator. “The house is half yours?”
“Seriously.”
“You know I love you, you doofus,” she said with a quick glance back at him. “Now. What kind of sandwich do you want? Peanut-butter-pickle, tuna-salad-cotton-candy, or turkey?”
A knock sounded at the door and Ash smirked at his sister on his way out of the kitchen. “None of the above. Surprise me.”
“You do like surprises,” she called after him, a smile in her voice. It felt like something had opened between them. A line of communication, maybe. They still had a lot to talk about, but they’d already covered a lot of important ground.
He still had plenty of atoning to do.
Ash came around into the little entryway, and saw two big, beefy strangers through the window in the front door. Cocking his head to one side, he pulled the door open. He’d barely opened his mouth when one of the guys lunged at him, putting a hand over his mouth.
The other beefcake opened a needle, flicked the end, and charged toward him. Ash tried to scream a warning to his sister, but he couldn’t get the words out. The prick of a sting in his neck, and he felt his body start to go limp.
Beefcake One put Ash’s arm around his neck, and Beefcake Two did the same with the other. They walked him down the steps, down the sidewalk, and into a big black SUV as the whole world started to swirl.
His last thought, before everything went black, was relief that it didn’t seem like they were going back for Lisa. They had what they came for.
Chapter Fourteen
Helena trudged toward the house. The weight of her choices made her want to find a corner of the forest where she could hide and pretend none of this had ever happened. That she hadn’t met Ash. Slept with him. Started a mate bond. Ruined any chance she had of escaping her pack for another.
A prick on her neck made her whirl around, looking for wasps, but there weren’t any. Her wolf ears would have heard them anyway. Hands on her shoulders…no, not her shoulders…
Ash. Someone was touching him. What were they doing?
Just as suddenly as it had begun, the feeling stopped. Helena sighed and yanked open the heavy wooden back door, walking through the mudroom full of flip-flops, sweatpants, and T -shirts. A variety of sizes were available for shifters without clothes. The tiniest smile tugged at her mouth. A regular family wouldn’t stock their mudroom with extra clothing for people wandering in naked.
Of course, shifter families weren’t regular families. That was the problem, wasn’t it?
The kitchen was half empty of people. A small group sat at the little banquette tucked into the sunny alcove. A larger group—a more familiar group—sat at the long kitchen table. Her grandfather was at the head. They were talking about unbonded wolves, but the conversation cut off as soon as she walked into the room. Her grandfather and cousins headed toward her, but Daniel was notably missing.
“Grandfather,” she said, hoping she’d find him in a better mood today.
“Helena,” he groused out under his breath. “Gretchen said you and Kate went to town last night. Don’t be getting into trouble in VonBrandts’ territory.”
“I—” Helena gulped a breath. “We just went dancing.”
“Mmmph,” he muttered.
“Grandfather, the Overton financing went through. I finalized the invoice, so the sale will be ready to go through as soon as we’re back in El Paso.”
“You finalized the invoice?” Her grandfather’s voice darkened. “Why isn’t Daniel doing that? Where is Daniel?” He looked around, but her cousin was nowhere to be seen. Typical. “I already told you, you don’t work here anymore.”
Helena shook her head, a burst of self-confidence coming from somewhere deep inside. “I did all the invoicing. All the scheduling. All the payroll,” Helena said,
her tone sharpening with each sentence. “I was the one who kept our ranch running. Most of your beloved grandsons would prefer to ride broncs and hump buckle bunnies.”
The guys standing around Grandfather squirmed and several even took a step away from their alpha.
“Not anymore,” he growled. “You’ll not be lifting another finger on the ranch. Do you understand me? The men will run the ranch as it’s supposed to be run. I don’t want to see you in the main office again. I expect you to have a wolf mate to present to me by the end of the summit.”
Helena stood frozen as he pushed past her along with her male cousins, who were still more capable in his eyes despite the fact that she’d kept the ranch running for the last four years.
Find a mate by the end of the weekend.
The last thing she wanted her grandfather to know was that she’d already found one, and he was human.
The Quade wolves walked out of the kitchen, their black boots clomping heavily on the slate floors. She waited until the very last of them had made it outside before she took a deep inhale and turned toward the center of the kitchen.
Tonya stood near the stove, her arms crossed over her chest. Her mouth was tight and her eyes narrowed. “Does he always speak to you with such disrespect?”
Helena nodded. Even when things were going well, her grandfather rarely had a kind word for her. And he never willingly acknowledged her accomplishments. “My father married a human. He tried to get the pack to accept her, but they wouldn’t. So he lived in town and on the ranch. He went back and forth my whole life. And my grandfather hates him for it.”
“So he takes it out on you as well?” Tonya waved her toward a sink full of dishes. “Come help me and let’s talk.”
Helena filled the right sink with clean soapy water and began scrubbing. “My parents used to love each other. But my mother never felt comfortable on the ranch—my grandfather made sure of that. Eventually, it got to a point where she wouldn’t even visit. She tried to get my father to leave the pack completely…” She rubbed at a particularly stuck-on spot and dunked the pan into the scalding water again. Her hands burned in the water, but the tinge of pain was a welcome distraction.