by T. S. Ryder
What am I going to do now?
***
Xavier waited on Amelia's front steps. He had driven out here so that they could work through this, and for him to explain both Timothy's past and his temperament. When he found that she wasn't there, he hoped she was at work. But she wasn't. As the hours ticked by, he sat on her step, two equal fears warring in his brain.
One: Timothy was right, and she was with another man.
Two: she went to the packlands to try to talk with them.
When she pulled up and he saw the tears streaming down her face, Xavier knew which one it had been. His shoulders slumped as he stood. She had seen Timothy, and he had lashed out, as he was prone to do. Amelia's expression was a mix of disbelief and anger when she saw him. He let out a slow breath. His years of being with Timothy helped him know how to handle his partner's outbursts, but Amelia would have no idea how to. No doubt she pressed, making it worse.
"Hi," she mumbled when she got out of her car. "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to talk with you. You've seen Tim, haven't you?"
"How could you tell?"
Xavier sighed. "Whatever he said—"
"—Doesn't matter because I can't be with someone who thinks I'm a liar and a cheat and won't listen when he's angry." She walked past him and stomped up her steps, keys clinking together in her hand as she searched for the right one. "I deserve better than that."
"Yes. You do. Timothy isn't usually like this. He has issues, yeah, but he's learning how to work through them. It's just because he feels vulnerable."
Amelia dropped her keys. She stared at them for a long moment before she just sat on the steps and shook her head. "I can't take it. I thought… I thought that maybe I would finally meet someone who respected me. I can't handle this."
Xavier silently picked up the keys and unlocked the door.
"I can do that myself."
"I know that."
Amelia bit her lip. He offered her a hand and gave her a small smile. "Let's go inside and talk. Please?"
Amelia's lip trembled, but she accepted his hand and nodded. "Okay."
Chapter Seven
Amelia was thrilled when she saw Xavier sitting on her steps. Too thrilled. The way her heart lifted like it was full of helium. The hope that maybe he didn't hate her was so powerful that she knew it would kill her when he repeated what Timothy had said. She wanted to just turn around. Go somewhere far, far away. Like Pluto.
Maybe Mercury. Amelia hated the cold.
Don't be silly. He wouldn't have driven all this way just to say that he hates you. But Amelia was already so raw that she didn't want to trust him. She didn't want him there at all. Even if he wasn't looking for a fight, she might just turn it into one anyway. Still, she let him lead her inside.
"I don't know if it's a good idea to talk right now," she sniffed, expecting that if she started to cry he'd run off like all her previous boyfriends had.
To her surprise, Xavier gently turned her to face him and wiped her tears away. "We don't have to talk. If you just want me to hold you, that's okay. I just hope Timothy didn't say anything unforgivable… He wants you, Amelia, and so do I. It's just hard for him to put his heart out there."
Amelia's lip wobbled and she bit down on it, not wanting to cry anymore. Xavier's explanation was so gentle and believable that of course, it made sense. It was just her luck that on top of the anger and heartbreak she was feeling, guilt would have to come, too.
But he said that they wanted her. And right now she wanted to believe it so bad that she had to think it was a lie. It hurt too much to think it was true.
"I don't want to be held," she mumbled. "I don't want to… I just want to be alone. But I don't want to be alone."
Xavier slowly put his arms around her, so slowly that Amelia thought he must be waiting for her to pull away. She leaned into him instead, grateful that he at least was trying to calm things down before they escalated further.
Goodness knows I'm no good at that. She said what she thought and acted on how she felt. Sometimes what she meant to say in the heat of the moment was a lie once she calmed down. It's exhausting being me.
With his arms still around her, Xavier led her to the couch, settling her down before he kissed the top of her head. "I'll make you some tea."
Amelia sniffed and nodded. She closed her eyes, leaning her head back. Her fight with Timothy played back and she felt terrible. Yes, he had no right to dismiss her like that, but she also didn't have to react the way she had. She certainly didn't have a right to push the issue, entering his home without permission and not letting him walk away.
Xavier brought her a mug that smelled of lemons, and Amelia cupped it between her hands, not drinking, but comforted by the warmth just the same. Xavier put a hand on her shoulder, moving it down to her elbow and back up in a soothing touch that relaxed her despite the trials of the day.
After half an hour, Xavier stirred again. He took the tea from her and pulled her into his lap. "Want to tell me what happened now?"
Her tears were dry, but Amelia still had a hard time getting the story out past the lump in her throat. It all seemed so stupid now. She started with what Lucinda told her, and how she had stupidly believed the female werewolf. He didn't interrupt, except to reassure her that what he and Timothy had told her from the start was the honest truth. Amelia found herself telling him far more than she intended, including all about Mr. Abs, their disastrous dating experience before she met the Alphas, and why she agreed to a date again.
Finally, she ended with the fight she and Timothy just had. By that time, she was crying again and wiped her face with her sleeve, embarrassed by how much liquid was leaking out of her.
Xavier kissed her lightly. "I know it seems bad now, but I can talk Timothy around. He's a great Alpha, and is very firm in what he feels is right, but when it comes to personal relationships… Well, you know how dysfunctional his home life was. And it's not just that his mother and father didn't get along. Tim idolized his dad growing up, but was never good enough for him. The old Alpha saw all his own flaws in Tim and punished him for it. Tim's determined not to be like him, but…"
Amelia snuggled deeper into his arms, enjoying the way they felt around her. "But if we always react to each other like we did here…? How would it ever work? I don't want to be the type of girl who marries someone she is always fighting with. It wouldn't be fair to any of us."
"Any of us?"
"Timothy, me, whatever kids might end up in that situation. Or you. Especially you. You'd always be caught in the middle, playing mediator. Having to pick a side."
"Or we could take our time getting to know each other, like the original plan, and I set up deliberate fights between the two of you so you can learn how to communicate during your disagreements."
Amelia jerked away at that suggestion. "Excuse me?"
Xavier grinned at her. "Well, it would force the two of you to learn how to talk through your problems. Either that or prove that you're just too different from each other. Either way, it's the only thing I can think of that will help to minimize future regrets, one way or another."
Deliberately making them fight still didn't sound like a good idea, so Amelia gave him a dirty look and wiggled off his lap. She drank her now room-temperature tea. "The real question is where we are now. After that blow-up… I need to apologize."
"And so does he. But he'll need a little time to cool off. It's one of the hardest things of being with him, learning when and how to let him walk away so he can bring himself under control before we can talk." Xavier shook his head. "But I will talk to him, and everything will work out in the end. You'll see."
Amelia nodded, hoping he was right. He pressed his lips to hers briefly and wiped the remnants of tears from her face.
"I need to get home now, but I'll call you."
Amelia nodded again. She hoped that it wouldn't take long for Xavier to talk Timothy around to seeing her again. If he even
could.
***
Timothy paced round and round in the house, tugging his hair to its ends, alternately grabbing his phone to call Xavier and throwing it away. He knew what Lucinda had just told him couldn't be true. It was impossible. His partner – his best friend – wouldn’t betray him like that. Xavier would never attempt to cut him out of the leadership of the pack. It wasn't in his nature.
But there was that niggling doubt in Timothy's brain. Everybody knew that he had his issues, his temper being at the top of the list. How many times had his father told him that a hothead couldn't possibly be a good leader? How many times had Xavier told him that he needed to develop some techniques to stay calm or to see a therapist to help him work through his issues? How many times did he insist there was nothing wrong with him?
His temper wasn't the only thing, either. He made snap judgments. He didn't listen or forgive easily. Wasn't that what he was doing with Amelia right now? Why couldn't he just try to believe her? Why couldn't he say, Yes, this time, I believe you, but it will never happen again? What was wrong with him, that he had such a hard time giving second chances?
He heard Xavier pull into the garage and sucked in a deep breath, counting to ten, telling himself to remember to listen to his partner before he leaped to any conclusions.
But when Xavier walked into the room, Timothy could smell Amelia all over him. It was clear what had happened. Lucinda's words rushed back.
"They plan to mate each other and force you out."
At first, Timothy was too shocked to react. But then Xavier smiled at him. Actually smiled. A growl burst from Timothy's chest.
"You slept with her."
"What?"
"You slept with Amelia!"
"Calm down—"
The fact that he didn't deny it made all of Timothy's frustrations erupt. It had been years since he last had a physical outburst, but he was so blinded by rage that the only person he could ever truly trust would do this to him that he didn't think. He leapt at Xavier, fists flying.
Chapter Eight
Amelia tried not to worry when Xavier didn't phone her. He did say that he was going to try to talk to Timothy first thing when he got home. She didn't even look at her phone until the two hours it took to drive from her place to the packlands were over. When an hour after that passed and she still hadn’t heard anything from the Alphas, she carried it around in her hand, Xavier’s number ready to be called, trying not to imagine fiery car crashes or that anything else that might have happened to him.
A frantic knocking came at the door. Amelia was so wrapped up in her silent phone that the noise startled her. She rushed to the door, throwing it open to find Lucinda, stark naked, panting on her step. Amelia's eyes widened, then narrowed.
"What are you doing here?"
"It's Xavier and Timothy. I made a mistake – a terrible mistake!" Tears ran down Lucinda's cheeks and she grabbed Amelia's wrist, dragging her from the house. "You have to come. I'm afraid they're going to kill each other!"
Amelia's heart stopped. Her eyes widened, and she let Lucinda pull her along – until they started towards the forest. Instantly her suspicions rose again. What if the werewolf just wanted to lure her into the woods to kill her? Amelia yanked her wrist away.
"Why should I believe you after the lies you've told?"
Lucinda's eyes widened. "Please! I didn't mean for this to happen, I just didn't want them to pick you. Ever since I was a little girl, my grandfather has told me that I should be the Alpha female, and I was angry that they would rather have a human than me. I didn't intend for this to happen. I think you're the only one who can stop it. Please believe me. Please!"
Amelia hesitated. There was no reason for her to trust the werewolf, not after the way she had acted. Yet, there was something about her that screamed of the truth. Finally, she nodded. "But I need to take my car."
"No time," Lucinda said. "It's faster to go through the forest, rather than around it."
"I'm not exactly dressed for a hike."
Lucinda rolled her eyes. That was rich, coming from her. Amelia opened her mouth to tell her just that, but before she could, the other woman had backed up against her, picking her up piggy-back style. Amelia yelped, instinctively holding on. Lucinda began walking, and she didn't show any signs that Amelia was heavy to carry. Amelia yelped again, not comfortable being so close to the naked woman.
"I'm not really that type of girl—"
"Hold on," Lucinda interrupted. "I'm going to shift now. Try not to fall off."
Amelia responded by clutching the werewolf tighter. Somewhere in the back of her mind she was disappointed that her first time riding a Wolf wasn't with either of her Alphas, but she dismissed the thought as Lucinda began to shift. She did it slower than when Amelia saw Timothy shift, but that was probably so her rider could adjust her hold as necessary.
The Wolf Amelia ended riding was the size of a horse, and it was all she could do to hold on. Wind whipped in her face, snatching away her breath as Lucinda dodged trees and branches. Searing pain slapped over Amelia's exposed arms and legs as they rushed through the forest, unable to avoid all the twigs that snatched at her. She gritted her teeth and held on tighter.
By the time they emerged from the trees, Amelia's arms and legs were aching with the effort of holding on, and Lucinda was clearly tired, her pace having slowed significantly. A motorbike was sitting just outside the trees. Lucinda shifted back to human form, letting Amelia drop, and climbed onto the bike.
"Get on," she ordered even as Amelia was scrambling on after her. She wrapped her arms around the Wolf's naked waist, too worried about her Alphas to be embarrassed. She could hear fierce snarling in the air already.
The sight that greeted her at the Alphas' house had her heart in her throat. Two giant wolves, both coal-black, were tearing into each other, growling and snarling. Fur was flying everywhere, teeth sinking into flesh. Abruptly, it stopped and they backed away from each other, staring one another in the eye.
Lucinda grabbed Amelia's arm when she jumped off the bike. "They are fighting for dominance. The right to be Alpha and mate you."
"If I don't get both of them, neither of them gets me," Amelia snarled back.
Her voice seemed to jerk the one on the left back from whatever was going on in his brain. He lunged forward again. He grabbed the other one by his scruff, flipping him onto his back. That one responded by kicking with his back legs, hitting his attacker in the stomach. The front paws pressed against his attacker's neck until he choked and released his prey.
"Stop!" Amelia shouted. "Both of you, just stop."
The one that had attacked the other turned ever so slightly. Green eyes shone from the black fur. Timothy. Even in his Wolf's form, Amelia could see the hurt in his eyes. A low growl erupted from Xavier's chest and Timothy glared back, his hackles rising.
They were going to start fighting again, and the cause was clear: her.
After years of friendship, she was the one to come between them? Had Xavier pushed too hard when he told Timothy what she had told him? Her heart broke to see the two Alphas snarling at each other. She dashed forward, ignoring Lucinda's gasp, and planted herself between the two wolves.
The growling stopped immediately.
"You two are going to stop fighting and tell me what happened!" she shouted, looking from one to the other as tears filled her eyes. She pointed at Timothy. "Whatever is going on in your head, you can just forget about it. I want you! Yeah," she continued as his eyes widened, "I want you. But unless you can take your head out of your butt and put a little trust in me, it's over. Today, one way or another, either the three of us are going to be together or I leave, never to see either one of you again!"
Both wolves began backing up from her. Timothy's gaze went from her to Xavier. He shook his head, as though finally coming to his senses. Amelia held her breath, waiting. What would she do if they started fighting again?
"Please," she whispered. "Timothy
…"
***
Xavier could only hope that Timothy would listen for once in his life. He didn't like how Amelia was between them, but if there was one thing he knew, it was that Timothy wouldn't harm her. His attack on Xavier was because of Alpha rage. He assumed there was a threat to his position and mate, and thus reacted to it. His instincts to protect his mate would be even stronger than his need to establish dominance, though.
Slowly, Xavier shifted back to his human form. Timothy growled when he stepped up beside Amelia, but the Lakeland Alpha didn't move.
"Tim, come on. We have been best friends our whole lives. You said that I betrayed you. How? What did I do? I didn't sleep with Amelia. All I did was hold her while she cried. I would never betray you. You know that."
The growl lessened and Timothy cocked his head to one side. Regret flashed in his green eyes and Xavier let out a deep breath. Good. The Alpha was retreating from him, returning as his friend and partner. Cautiously, he stepped away from Amelia, towards the other werewolf.
"Let's talk."
Timothy's form shifted from Wolf to human and he dropped to his knees, bowing his head. His chest heaved, fingers clawing into the dirt. After letting him recover his senses for a long moment, Xavier knelt beside him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Let's go inside."
Timothy nodded. "Do you really want me?"
"Yes. Yes, I want you."
"Let's get inside and patch up these scrapes," Xavier said, helping his partner to his feet. He winced as his ribs ached. "Then, we need to talk. You need to tell us what happened."
Timothy grunted, and his head swung round, focusing on Lucinda. She paled and backed up a step.
"You will wait for us inside," Timothy ordered.
The female dropped her head and nodded, following the triad in.
Chapter Nine
Amelia forced herself to not interrupt while Lucinda confessed to what she did and why she did it. The Alphas both looked grim and told the werewolf female they would decide what to do with her at another time and sent her on her way. After she was gone, Timothy hung his head, staring at the floor as he stumbled over an apology.