by Cecilia Lane
“Wade talks to the Oracle. She guides the pride so we can prosper.” She huffed. “But if you’d see our campers, I don’t think she’s doing a very good job.”
“You move around a lot? No territory to call home?”
“Staying in one place is the best way for hunters or other shifters to find us. It’s better to keep on the move.”
Her story made his scars itch. Too similar. He didn’t grow up with an alpha whispering to some godlike adviser, but the demands and punishments and keeping everyone else apart were spot on. It was harder to control those under you if they had outside influence.
“I appreciate what you did for me today,” she said. “I’ll leave when they move on. They’re never in one spot for long. A few weeks, at most.”
Anyone choosing to leave—like Everly—wouldn’t be wished well and allowed to go easily, either. Absolute power like that derived from control. Dissent in any form couldn’t be tolerated. Hell, he’d paid a price to leave his birth clan even when Curtis made it clear that to stay would mean his death.
Her fight wasn’t done with a few words and a marriage. Sawyer knew deep in his bones that Wade wouldn’t give up trying to take Everly.
The man didn’t have a hope of success if Sawyer had a say. His bear clawed at him hard enough that he was surprised nothing broke through his skin.
He wanted her. Every breath he took filled his nose with her scent. He wanted to untangle her hair and let it fall down her back and wrap it around his fingers. Her curves were made to be loved. Properly, not as property.
He wanted the sham to be real. He wanted his mark on her skin.
But under the wants were the haunting words of his birth clan. He lacked. Strength. Power. No one would want him for the long term because they’d see through his mask. He could only hold himself together for so long before he broke apart and his bear raged.
He wouldn’t be a good mate to her. No matter how much he wanted it, no matter how hard his bear pushed him to keep her, he couldn’t give her what she needed. A home. A family. He didn’t have a place he felt truly himself. How could he give a woman in need of stability after a shitty situation a place to settle when he couldn’t do that himself? He had a thousand backup plans ready to go in case life with the Strathorns soured. He didn’t invest himself into anything because tomorrow could see it all vanish.
And if he did give it a try, did let her behind his mask, what would happen if his family was right about him? What if he turned out just like the men who hurt her? He couldn’t bear to see the light in her eyes die just like he’d seen it fade from his mother’s.
He didn’t want to be like his stepfather. He didn’t want to be like Wade. Neither of those men deserved what they attempted to keep for themselves.
And deep within himself, his bear roared. Fury at the pain they endured. Rage that Sawyer wouldn’t let them heal. Salvation stood a handful of steps away if he would just reach for her.
No. He’d fucked up enough. He wanted her more than he wanted to breathe, but he wouldn’t be like those other men. He wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of knowing their demons still ruined the lives of others.
If she wanted to go after her family moved on, he’d let her. It’d kill him, but he’d set her free.
But dammit, he was going to prove that they could be good together. His bear demanded that much.
By the Broken, he was a fucking basket case with his seesawing emotions.
Sawyer cleared his throat. He’d been quiet for too long. That was the first lesson he needed to take to heart. His long silences went unnoticed without another soul in the house. He needed to put words to air with Everly around. “Until then, you can have the bedroom. I’ll bunk on the couch. I’ll be up early for work tomorrow, but you sleep in if you want. We can both stay in here until we’re sure Wade isn’t watching.”
“You’re not going to…?”
Take her every which way he could join their bodies. Hear her cry out with his name on her lips. Feel her come apart under him, on him, filling his senses.
He barely kept the groan locked away at the push of images his mind conjured up.
“No. Not until you want me. If you ever want me.” He inched a hand forward and brushed his fingertips against the skin of her arm. “I’ll play your husband in public in case your pride is watching. But in here, you’re not mine to touch.”
Yet.
Chapter 8
True to his word, Sawyer didn’t attempt to force his way into her bed. He largely left her alone through the afternoon and evening. They were stuck together and watched each other warily, but he didn’t try anything.
It unnerved Everly more than anything. She was used to knowing what others in the pride wanted. Sawyer confounded her at every turn and she wasn’t sure what he required of her. There had to be something. No one would readily agree to a fake marriage without expecting some payback.
She tried to puzzle it out all afternoon and into the evening. But apart from asking her what she wanted to eat, he left her alone. It was like he wanted to lure her into speaking to him. The game wasn’t one she wanted to play. With her cat’s tail twitching, she kept the silence until it was time for bed.
Even then, he left her alone. He pulled a change of clothes from his dresser and made himself comfortable on the couch.
She woke when he did, after a night of tossing and turning and jerking awake at every creak from the living room. The closest he came to pushing was when he paused outside the bedroom door. A barely audible growl reached her ears, and then he stomped out of the house before dawn.
Too many emotions warred inside of her. She was still angry at being forced into his truck to begin with. Relieved that she no longer had to deal with Wade. Appreciative that Sawyer had stepped up to help in her time of need.
Above all, she was curious. About the man, his bear, his life. What went into making a man that would steal a woman off the side of the road and marry her without a word of discussion.
She clung to wariness like a life raft. She would not be the cat that curiosity killed.
With her stomach growling, Everly forced herself from the bed. She wasn’t comfortable staying still for long. Unless they were traveling, she had work to do. Now that she was a married woman, that meant caring for her husband. She had no other job available to her.
The cabin was as empty as it sounded when she poked her head out of the bedroom. She found a note from Sawyer in the kitchen telling her to help herself to anything in the fridge or order something in from the menus that he had helpfully left out with a crisp bill on top. There was a hard dot of ink underneath the words, like he wanted to say more but decided against it before signing his name and adding he’d be home after dark.
The man kept invading her thoughts while she fixed herself scrambled eggs, ate, then cleaned up after herself. Sawyer, Sawyer. She didn’t like the feeling of sleep clinging to her skin and wanted to get out of her borrowed dress. That meant a shower and laundry. Sawyer, Sawyer. Back in her own clothes and still only early afternoon, she found cleaning supplies and tackled the bathroom.
Sawyer, Sawyer.
The day before was a reprieve, she decided. The other shoe was bound to drop. He was kind to her because of her ordeal, but they were married, and he would demand what was expected of a mate.
She grew on edge as the afternoon faded into evening. Her leg bounced every time she took a moment to sit. Her cat paced in her head and wouldn’t settle no matter what Everly did. The feeling grew worse as the sun sank below the horizon. He would be home soon.
He would take what was his.
Her hands practically shook as she tried to cobble together a dinner. She was always better with delivering babies than the domestic side of life. But for her husband, she had to get better than heated sauce and boiled noodles. She found a recipe book and tried to follow the directions to bread the pork chops in his freezer and then fry them up on the stovetop.
Then the clear
ing outside filled with the sound of engines, the porch rattled with footsteps, and her husband entered their home.
“I made you dinner,” she announced over the popping oil.
Sawyer watched her from across the room. He set keys and a wallet on a table near the door. “You didn’t need to do that.”
“It’s what’s expected of a wife, isn’t it?”
Other things, too. She wondered if he’d be gentle with her. He wouldn’t be the first man to take her to bed, but he’d be the only one with some claim on her. And if he put his teeth to her skin, then she’d be bound to him forever.
Her cat purred at the thought and Everly kicked her to the back of her head. Sawyer wasn’t their mate. Wouldn’t be. He would let her go as soon as her pride moved on. But until then…
She could barely take her eyes off him. He’d been in her head all damn day, and she thought she’d prepared herself. But him physically in front of her, dark hair slashing over his eyes and tight shirt stretching over his chest, her heart picked up the pace.
“I wouldn’t say expected. Pleasantly welcomed, sure. But you don’t need to do this for me. I’ve survived on my own for years.”
Still watching her, he didn’t object to her plating the chops and sliding one toward him. He even brought out the silverware for them both and carried the plates to the tiny table in one corner.
Still watching.
She found it hard to break eye contact, too. Her cat pushed and shoved her forward, urging her to rub against the man. She wanted to press her nose into the crook of his neck and let the storm break around them.
Not happening. Not her mate. Only temporarily her husband.
She waited until he cut a piece before she dug into hers. Pink showed under the breading. They were massively undercooked.
Sawyer coughed, and she glanced up, cheeks red, to see him drag a napkin to his mouth and discretely rid himself of the bite.
“I’m sorry,” she said immediately. Maybe if she was quick enough, she wouldn’t be reprimanded. “This isn’t what I’m good at. I’m lucky to not burn water.”
“Stop.” The sharpness of his words brought her eyes away from her lap. His chair scratched backward, and he edged around the table. “Stop apologizing.”
She snapped her mouth closed and prepared for whatever came next. She got herself into this mess. She would do whatever was necessary.
At least he wasn’t Wade.
“Come on,” Sawyer said. “The others have something they want to show you.”
He reached for her wrist and too many emotions shot through her. Panic and fear mixed with an unhealthy dose of desire. Heat whipped through her body and she wasn’t sure if it was all embarrassment for the ruined meal or her reaction to him.
Then her nose filled with anger. She jerked her attention to Sawyer’s face. His jaw was set in a grim line and his eyes flashed to gold.
She lifted her chin and let her own anger flow through her. She tried. She didn’t know how else to manage their situation. She tried to set his home in order and make sure he was fed. It was the least she could do. And now he was angry with her?
Her cat hissed and she nearly let the noise fall from her own lips.
His fingers tightened around her wrist for a split second before he dropped her hand and inclined his head, giving her his neck. Everly inhaled sharply. The man submitted to her.
No male would dream of doing such a thing in her pride. Even her sister didn’t hold a speck of power above the males, and she was the alpha’s mate.
“I’d like you to go outside with me.” Sawyer’s voice sounded like gravel.
Without a word, Everly pushed back her chair and followed him to the door. Was he kicking her out?
The clearing was full of quiet activity. Lights were strung and twinkled in the night. The smell of the grill kicking on reached her nose even as Nolan quietly tinkered with the settings. The other males carried boxes and bags to a table where Becca stacked them. The other mates laid out a spread of desserts.
Sawyer glanced down at her. “You didn’t get here by your choosing, but you decided to stay anyway. They want to welcome you to the clan.” His throat worked with a swallow and his eyes swirled with gold. “However short that stay might be.”
The other mates caught sight of them first. Rylee, eyes going wide behind her glasses, pointed and shook Leah’s shoulder. Meghan dropped the box in her hands and joined the three in a scramble to block the picnic table near Becca.
Sawyer bumped his shoulder into hers and then jerked his chin toward them. “Go on.”
Tentatively, Everly made her way down the porch steps to stand in front of the mates. All four nearly vibrated with excitement and the scent of it covered over even the waft of food hitting the flames of the grill.
“Well, you and Sawyer didn’t get any sort of engagement party or bridal shower or reception, so we decided to combine all three.”
“They’re all just a grab for gifts and food, anyway.”
“And if you’re staying, you probably need new things, so we pitched in and bought you some clothes.”
“Feel free to return them if they don’t fit or aren’t your style.”
The words came too fast for her to identify who said what. Everly gaped at the small pile of boxes and bags they stepped aside to reveal. “You did this for me?”
“Of course. It’s our way of welcoming you into the clan and convincing you to stay away from those assholes who had you before.”
They were insane. All of them. That was the only explanation she could conceive.
Sawyer picked her up on the side of the road and carted her back to his clan of insane bears. They all nodded and accepted it like kidnapping was no big deal. They went along with her crazy plan of marriage to avoid her alpha. And now they threw her a party.
Everly felt a laugh bubble out of her.
They were insane, and she liked it. She was probably just as crazy as they were.
With a chorus of squeals, she found herself at the center of a shifting pile of embraces and lingering touches. She thought her cat would hate being touched by virtual strangers, but the beast surprised her with no reaction but to yawn and watch.
From there, she was drawn into a whirlwind of food and activity. Presents and treats were shoved at her in an alternating pattern until shirts and pants and dresses were piled next to discarded wrapping and her stomach felt close to bursting.
Then came the call for food. Actual food, not the sweet stuff the mates plied her with. She wanted to resist, but the smell of steaks was too much to pass up after her disastrous first dinner with Sawyer.
She started to wiggle out of the picnic table bench, but her husband appeared at her side with a rushed, “I’ll get it.”
He pressed her back into the seat with a quick squeeze of her arm. “I’ll get it. Let me do this for you. It’s your party, after all.”
Then he disappeared into the line of hungry shifters.
Her party. It was something she’d never experienced before. Birthdays weren’t marked or celebrated in the pride. They didn’t participate in holidays. The only events celebrated were matings.
Meghan’s phone chimed, and she pulled it from her back pocket. Gray came up behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist while they watched a video play out on the screen.
“This is exactly what I’ve been worried about,” she said with an angry shake of her head. “Another bombing in Wichita and no one is doing anything about it.”
“I know, Hollywood, I know. If anyone can get through to the general fuckface populace, it will be you,” Gray soothed.
Before she could ask when, a tiny cough at her side stole her attention. In the hubbub, Leah disengaged from the others to join Everly in her quiet bubble.
“You know, I was in a similar position as you are now.” Leah pushed on at Everly’s raised eyebrow. “Oh, yes. Human who stumbled into an enclave? Callum rescued me from a car wreck, but I saw some of the guy
s shift. Beans spilled, he insisted I stay here.”
“Isn’t he your mate? How did you get over that?” Everly lowered her voice to a hiss. “He kidnapped you.”
“He protected me, too. There were others who wanted to live by the old rules and kill me for being human. He put a stop to that and set me up with a life here.” She dragged her gaze to the man with a happy sigh and raised her voice. “Plus, he’s not half bad in bed.”
“I heard that!” Callum shouted over his shoulder.
Leah’s grin widened but she didn’t give him any response. “I’m not saying you need to fall in love with Sawyer or take this whole marriage of convenience seriously. But he’s given you a gift, and I’d hate to see him hurt. Be gentle with him, Everly. That’s the only thing I ask.”
Becca plopped down next to them, legs facing outward, and rested a plate of food on her stomach. “I only ask that you stay and take over all my appointments.”
“I couldn’t. You already have someone. I don’t want to step on any toes.” Especially if she’d be gone before Becca gave birth.
“That’s what you did, isn’t it? Midwifing? So without that, you’re just sitting around all day. Which sounds nice, but I also have ankles the size of Nolan’s arms, so my opinion is going to be different than yours.”
“I cleaned some and tried to make dinner.” A terrible, horrible, boring day. The lack of activity made her feel caged up. Even if temporary, she wanted something to do. Maybe she could get references when she moved on. No one in the pride would vouch for her. “I guess I could see if there’s an opening for me.”
Becca’s face lit up and Rylee pressed in from her other side. “I can give you a ride to the clinic tomorrow if you want. That’s where my lab is.”
“I don’t care where the appointments take place, so long as Dr. Cold Fish Hands never touches me again.”
“Please,” Nolan begged. “Please do this. I will get on my knees and beg if that will stop the hunt for a new doctor.”