Confusing Hearts (Westin Pack Book 4)

by Julie Trettel

  Finally, Sunday would come around. We had our room on constant reserve at the library, but without a lock on the door, it was never the best place to be alone. We did somehow manage to keep that time somewhat sacred and free of intruders, but overall there didn’t feel like there was any place on campus we could just be alone.

  Six weeks had passed since I’d met my beautiful mate. I couldn’t complain about how things were going, even if my wolf was unsettled and anxious for us to complete our bond. However, I selfishly just wanted some alone time with her. I wanted more than just a few stolen kisses, and I was a man used to getting my way. Maybe it was the spoiled brat syndrome of being the youngest, maybe I was just too stubborn to hear the word no, but as I began formulating a plan, I realized it was the best thing for the both of us.

  It was early on a Saturday morning and I awoke to a ringing phone. I snatched it up without even looking at it. Only one person would call me at that hour.

  “Good morning, beautiful,” I said in a deep, sleepy voice.

  “Well, good morning to you as well,” a much too chipper voice returned. I pulled back the phone and saw my realtor’s face pop up on the screen. “Probably not who you expected, but two new properties just hit the market. We gotta move fast. They won’t last.”

  I groaned. “Okay, give me twenty.”

  “Great, I’m texting you the first address now.”

  I got up and took a quick shower, shaved, and dressed in record time. I grabbed my coat and was out the door before anyone else in the house even stirred. It didn’t take long to drive over to the address she sent.

  “This better be good, Collette, for you to drag me out this early on a weekend,” I grumped as I opened my car door to find her already waiting.

  “We can go right up,” she said, handing me a cup of coffee. I took a deep sip, surprised to find it exactly the way I liked it.

  It had been two weeks since I had gotten the brilliant idea to buy my own place off campus. I hadn’t told Jenna, and it was getting exceedingly difficult to keep it to myself. My thoughts were that if we had our own place, we could finally get some time alone.

  When I had confided my plan to Kyle, he had laughed. “That’s pretty extreme for a little booty action,” he had said, and I growled and threatened to come through the phone and rip his throat out. It was a good thing he was my brother and only laughed harder. As my Alpha, if I had been anyone else making such threats, I’d be lucky to still be alive. We had ended that call with a reminder: “Mom never said there was anything sane about a mating male.”

  It was true. Kyle, Patrick, and Liam had all had their fair amount of insanity during their mating periods, and they didn’t have half the battles Jenna and I were facing.

  Collette led me up to the fourth floor of a high-rise apartment building. It was small and tight inside, and my wolf was uncomfortable. Still, it had all the basics and it was literally the first place available in weeks. I had no doubt, if I waited until May to buy I’d have my pick of anything, but I didn’t want to wait that long. Archibald Reynolds wasn’t the only college in the area, so housing was limited.

  “No,” I said sadly. “It makes me feel claustrophobic in here.”

  Collette smiled. “I knew you’d say that, but I’m not sure another rental will come available before May.”

  I groaned in frustration.

  “But—”

  She got my attention, I liked ‘but’ in this case.

  “—how do you feel about buying?”

  I hadn’t really considered that as an option.

  “Now,” she continued, “just hear me out. There’s a hunting cabin nearby. It’s only five minutes from the campus’ main gate. It’s secluded, with an open floor plan and five bedrooms. I realize that’s way more than you need, but your mortgage would still be in the range we discussed. First floor has everything you’re looking for, just with an added second level.”

  “Okay. I hadn’t really thought about buying, but I like the sound of the place. Let’s take a look.”

  She led the way back downstairs to the cars, and I followed her the short distance to the next place. When she turned off the main road onto a hidden driveway, my interest increased tenfold. We drove another quarter of a mile before it opened to a clearing where a log cabin sat. I felt an overwhelming sense of calm and knew this was going to be my first home. I didn’t even care how much it would cost me. There was a swing on the front porch where I could already see myself with a cup of hot coffee, a blanket, and my mate tucked into my side.

  “It’s perfect,” I said.

  Collette laughed. “Would you like to at least look inside first?”

  “Yeah, okay. How many acres does it come with?”

  “Three acres for just the house, then there’s another parcel of thirty acres they’re selling off the back, but you’ll have about half an acre buffer from the back of the house to the property line,” she explained.

  “How much for all of it?”

  Her eyes rounded in curiosity. “Two hundred and fifty thousand. Just the cabin is only one hundred forty-seven thousand, which is a steal. Owner died, and his grandkids just want money fast.”

  “Great, offer them two twenty-five, cash, for both lots,” I said.

  “Cash? And sight unseen? You don’t want to even see the inside?” she asked.

  “Oh yeah, well, we can look, but I’m going to have this place,” I assured her.

  Inside was even better than I imagined. It was a little musty smelling, like it had been closed up for a long time, but it had a big open floor plan, a loft that would make the perfect study area, and two bedrooms on each side. Another large master bedroom was on the main level. I knew Jenna was going to love the master bath with the large soaking tub. The kitchen had a nice island I could see us eating breakfast at, and everything we would need conveyed, even a washer and dryer. It was perfect.

  “Make the offer,” I told Collette.

  She whipped out her phone and got down to business before I could change my mind. It might have seemed like an impulse buy to her, and maybe it was, but I knew I wouldn’t regret it and couldn’t wait to surprise Jenna.

  The owners accepted the offer on the spot. Since it was a cash transaction, closing was scheduled for fifteen days later. I could hardly wait to tell Jenna, but I was determined to keep it a surprise.

  Two more weeks dragged on and Jenna showed signs of equal frustration, since we had not had a single moment alone. It weighed heavily on both of us, but I knew it would be coming to an end soon.

  Collette dropped off my new keys the day before closing. The money was already secured in escrow and closing was essentially a done deal.

  “The last of the stuff the owners wanted has been removed from the property. Anything remaining conveys to you,” she informed me.

  “Can I get in tonight even though closing isn’t until tomorrow?”

  “Yes, it’s all yours. Tomorrow’s just a formality of signing the paperwork, since it’s a cash transaction.”

  We said goodbye and I thanked her profusely, staring down at my house key in disbelief.

  It was Wednesday morning and I was late for class. Worry hit me as I entered the room, only it wasn’t coming from me. I should have sat in the back, sneaking in as inconspicuously as possible, but Jenna needed me. I made my way down to the front, as the professor’s back was to us as he worked a problem on the whiteboard.

  I was already sitting in my usual seat, next to my mate, when the professor turned around. He simply nodded my way and kept teaching. Getting through the next two classes was going to be hell. I was so excited to take Jenna home, our first home together.

  She wrote something on a piece of paper, and then slid it over to me that asked, are you okay?

  I wrote back, never better, and added a little smiley face then slid the paper back to her.

  Anita was watching us closely, so I ignored further attempts at interrogation.

  When the class
finally ended, I headed out and Jenna ran to keep up.

  “What is with you today?” she demanded. “First you’re late to class. Now you’re ditching me?”

  My eyes widened as I turned to her. I wanted desperately to pull her into my arms, but I saw Anita walk out of the class and look curiously in our direction.

  “Just keep walking,” I told her. I made no attempt to reach out to her as I wanted. I didn’t even talk to her again until we were in our class. Then I turned to her. “I’m so sorry. Anita’s been hinting to Matt that she thinks something’s going on with us. I didn’t think you wanted even her to know.”

  “That’s why you were late this morning?”

  “No, I’ll tell you all about that at lunch,” I assured her. “But that’s why I was trying to rush out of our last class and not linger. I didn’t mean to make you feel it was because of you.”

  She relaxed visibly. “My afternoon class cancelled today. Maybe we could actually get away for a little bit today?”

  I grinned from ear to ear. My mate was missing time alone with me, too, though little did she know I had already solved that problem. Now I just had to wait and count down the seconds until our classes ended. Of course, that meant they both dragged on for what seemed like forever.

  With five minutes left in our photography class, the lights dimmed as the professor showed us pictures from the Renaissance period, I checked the time on my phone one last time. There were five minutes left in class. I grabbed up my things and headed out, sending a text to Jenna as I did.

  I heard her phone ding and chanced a look back at the confusion on her face when she answered it before leaving the room and then sprinted across the campus.

  CHASE- faculty parking lot at the back, as soon as class ends.

  Jenna sent back a thumbs-up emoji. By the time she arrived, I had made it across campus, picked up my Jeep, and was waiting. She came out and looked around, standing on her tiptoes and straining in search of me. I honked the horn and waved her over.

  “Whose Jeep is this?” she asked as she slid into the passenger seat.

  “Mine,” I told her.

  “You’ve had a car this whole time? Why are we just now using it?”

  I really hadn’t thought about that previously. There were many places off campus we could have gone to get away. I just shrugged guiltily.

  “Sorry, until now I just didn’t think about it.”

  “Why were you late this morning? I was worried.”

  I waited until we were off campus and stopped at a red light to pull her towards me and steal a kiss. “I love that you worry about me, and if you can just be patient, I’m going to show you why.”

  “Okay, okay. I’m not really good at surprises though, just so you know.”

  “Now you tell me?” I asked incredulously.

  We drove in silence and she felt nervous. I wasn’t used to her being nervous around me, not since the early days of our mating. I hadn’t felt it like this then though. It was a sign our bond was strengthening.

  I pulled off the road a short time later and down the long drive. Our drive, I thought. I could see the confusion on Jenna’s face as I pulled up to the log cabin.

  “What’s going on, Chase?” she asked.

  I got out and walked around to get her car door. I pulled her up by the hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

  “Come on, I’ll show you.”

  We walked to the front porch and I opened the door, then scooped her up in my arms and carried her inside. She giggled and punched me until I let her down.

  “What is this place?” she asked.

  “Well, first, what do you think of it?”

  “Huh? It’s amazing. Look at it. Needs a little cleanup and some new furniture, but it’s great. Where are we?”

  “Home,” I said simply, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her back against me. “Our first home. We close on it tomorrow, but since the money’s already in escrow, they gave me the keys a day early.”

  “Our home?” she asked slowly, her faced flushed. She turned to look at me to make sure I was serious.

  “If you really don’t like it, I’ll put it back on the market tomorrow after closing and we can keep looking.”

  “Not like it? Are you kidding? Look at this place.” She wandered around checking out each of the rooms, then the back yard. “It’s huge. Why do we need so much space?”

  I shrugged. “I liked the solitude. I’m tired of sharing you and worrying about getting caught all the time. We can just be together, be ourselves, here.”

  “You bought me a house just to spend time alone together?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, basically.”

  “Chase, that’s insane! How can you even afford this place? We’re in college.”

  I looked at her oddly. I hadn’t considered that we had never really spoken about our finances. It felt like we talked about everything.

  “Have a seat,” I told her, pointing to one of the rocking chairs that had been left on the back deck. I took the one closest to her. “How much do you know about wolf packs?”

  She shook her head. “Not much. I mean, I know you tend to live in groups and instead of a King, you have an Alpha. I think that’s right, at least.”

  “That’s true. Westin Pack is one of the largest packs in the world. My however-many-greats-grandfather started the Westin Foundation as a way to fund our pack. It deals with a lot of charities and investments. It sets us apart from other packs. We were civilized earlier. We carry no debt. Everything in San Marco, where I’m from, is a front or hobby for the town itself. The Foundation pays a monthly stipend to all wolves in the pack equally. It starts when your wolf surfaces. For me, I was sixteen. I was an early shifter,” I told her proudly.

  She rolled her eyes. “Why am I not surprised?”

  I laughed. “Basically, that means I’ve been accumulating money for the last four years and just banking it in savings and personal investments. I’ve never really touched it, till now. Don’t worry, though, this place is only about three months of earnings.”

  I let that sink in for a minute.

  “You’re, like, rich? Like, really rich?”

  “I don’t know what your pack, or family, or whatever you call it, is like, but with me, princess, you will never want for anything. I have more than enough for the both of us, and when we are bonded, you will become a full pack member and receive your own monthly allowance from the Foundation.”

  She snorted as she laughed. “Chase, I’m a panther. I’ll never be pack. They won’t just turn over all that money to me. It’s a sweet thought, but let’s be real here.”

  “They will actually. My bonded mate will be accepted into the pack, period. It doesn’t matter what you are.” I begged her to understand that.

  “That’s a nice thought, but I live in the real world. Cats and dogs, they don’t mix.”

  “Are you saying we don’t mix? Are you saying we’re not right for each other because my animal spirit happens to be a canine and yours is a beautiful feline?” I let my fingertips drift lightly up her arm and watched in satisfaction as a shudder wracked her body. I let that sink in and changed subjects abruptly on her. “What are you plans for spring break?”

  “What?” she asked, sounding a little dazed and I knew it was from my touch. “Oh, um, the sisters are heading to Cabo for spring break.”

  “And you?” I asked.

  “I’m expected to go with them,” she admitted.

  “Can you get out of it?”

  “I don’t know, to be honest.”

  “Will you try? I’d really love to take you home with me for spring break. You can meet my family and my pack and see how it goes.”

  Tears welled up in her eyes. “Chase, you don’t understand. Even if your family and pack opened their hearts to take me in, Daddy would never allow it. My family will never accept you.”

  I pulled her over to my lap and held her while she cried. I honestly hadn’t thought abou
t that. I could give a shit if her father accepted me. I could easily provide for the both of us, and if he was that insistent, we didn’t need him in our life, but I hadn’t considered how that would affect Jenna.

  “Shit, I’m sorry,” I said, stroking her hair and toying with the ends. “I’ve been so busy working out things on my end to ensure you had everything you could need or want, and I hadn’t stopped to think that would include your family.”

  “He’ll disown me, Chase. Panthers aren’t like your kind. We’re okay alone. Being banned isn’t as devastating a thought as you’d think, but still. He’s my father. He won’t let me see or talk to Tessa and Mother once this gets out. I’m not saying he’s a complete tyrant. He’s a very good man and a strong leader, but he’s very elitist and insistent that we protect the purity of our breed.”

  “What do you want, Jenna?” I asked, knowing I’d do whatever it took to give her what she wanted or needed most. If that was her family, it would hurt like hell, but I’d back off and give her that.

  She shivered, so I got up and led her back into the house. We sat on the leather couch that had been left. The cabin was mostly furnished. The few things the owners had taken seemed to be artwork and personal items instead of the big stuff.

  She seemed to be deep in thought, so I stayed quiet. She rubbed her hands down her pants. It was another nervous tick I had noticed. The confusion and frustration on her face seemed to disappear and I could see her resolve strengthen. I wasn’t sure I really wanted to hear the outcome.

  Jenna reached over and took my large hands in her small ones, and when she focused those beautiful, exotic eyes on me, I felt more vulnerable than I ever had in my life.