Rise

by Heather MacKinnon

   But I hadn’t won. I’d lost, and it had almost cost me my life.

   In some ways, the fight with Tom was like redemption for me. Sure, he wasn’t an enforcer like Calvin had been, and he probably was only trying to hurt me and not kill me, but I’d still beaten him. He hadn’t even gotten one strike in before I had him in my jaws.

   Honestly, it felt amazing to know I could hold my own. Even a little. That I wasn’t completely helpless. That if the Calvin thing were to happen again, I’d be ready, I’d be deadly, and I’d come out on top.

   Despite what Abraham thought, I had a bad feeling this wasn’t the last time I’d need to defend myself. My lessons with Bea were more important than ever now.

   And where had Abraham even come from? One second, I was winning my fight against Tom, and the next my fiancé had his teeth around his neck.

   I knew it was logical for his first instinct to be to protect me. I was his mate, and he was the bigger, more dominant one in the relationship. I knew enough about werewolf dynamics to know that meant he’d always worry about my safety.

  Why he was so angry at me was the problem I couldn’t figure out. Why he’d want me to quit my lessons with Bea when they might have saved my life didn’t make sense, either. He was acting irrationally, and I didn’t even know how to talk to him.

  When I was done in the shower, I twisted my long blonde hair into a braid before I left the bathroom in search of clothes.

  That reminded me that I ruined a set out at the farm. I’d have to see if my sneakers made it or not.

  Once I was dressed in a t-shirt and jean shorts, I stood in the middle of the bedroom, unsure of what I should do.

   I knew Abraham wouldn’t really lock me in that room, but I had a feeling he expected me to stay there. I had an even stronger feeling that if he came back and I was gone, any grip on his sanity he’d managed to restore would quickly dissolve.

   With a sigh, I checked on Charlie real quick before gathering up the environmental texts and lugging them out to the sitting room. Actually, I had to return a couple of them to Callie because I’d already finished them.

   The more I read, the more I was starting to understand how I could contribute to Callie’s team, and the more excited I got. I couldn’t wait to start my new job and kept begging Abraham to speed up the construction.

   Unfortunately, although I had the time to study, I didn’t have the headspace. It was all devoted to my missing fiancé.

   I wondered where he was. He said he was going for a drive, but I had no idea where to. I knew he said our lake was a place he liked to go to think, but you couldn’t get there by car and I didn’t think he’d want to go there right then, anyway. It would remind him of me, and he was clearly trying to avoid me.

   So, where would he have gone?

   A bar?

   A restaurant?

   A movie?

   There were endless possibilities, and each one made less sense than the one before.

   I’d just decided to give up on the books when I heard footsteps walking down our wing. It could have been anyone, but I’d have recognized those strong, sure steps anywhere.

   The hall door opened, and Abraham stepped through. He was clothed, thankfully, in a pair of mesh shorts and a muscle tank. I was trying to not get distracted by his golden biceps, but it was hard.

   “Hey,” he said, his voice so quiet and sad my heart lurched.

   “Hey.”

   He took a deep breath and stepped farther into the room. “Are you still mad?”

   I shrugged. “Not really. More confused.”

   He nodded slowly and blew out a big gust of air. “Wanna go for a ride with me?”

   I could tell he was hesitant. That he wasn’t sure of my answer. Given the fight we’d had, I didn’t blame him. We’d never argued like that before and it was kind of scary that we did, but I think that’s what happens when you love someone so much. You fight hard, but you love harder.

   Despite the hurt feelings, the decision was easy. When I told him I was all-in, I’d meant every word.

   I stood from my chair and reached for his hand. “Of course.”

  Chapter 19

   We were quiet as we walked out to his truck. Once there, he opened the passenger door for me, and I climbed up and slid to the middle. When Abraham got in on the other side, I could tell he was surprised by my choice of seat, but he didn’t comment. Instead, he started up his truck, threw it into gear, and wrapped his big, warm hand around my bare thigh.

   We drove in silence as he navigated the steep drive and then the country roads onto the highway. He exited in downtown Asheville and I watched the eclectic city pass me by. Finally, he pulled into a spot on the street and turned his truck off.

   “Where are we?”

   He squeezed my leg once before pulling away and unbuckling his seatbelt. “There’s something I want to show you.”

   I followed him out of the truck and took a look around the city block. There was a café, a bicycle repair shop, a restaurant, a couple retail stores, and what looked like residences above them all. I still had no idea where we were or why he’d brought me there.

   He took my hand and led me across the street to a nondescript door with peeling paint and an old doorknob that looked like it’d seen too many winters. Abraham pulled out a key and unlocked it, ushering me inside.

   When my eyes adjusted, I took in the room. It was just one big space, but it was filled with building material and equipment. There was a little table pushed against one wall and I wandered over to it. Across the surface was a blueprint of the space. I did my best to analyze it but could only really understand that the big space we were in was going to be cut into smaller sections of varying size.

   “Is this our new office?”

   I could feel Abraham come closer. “Yes.”

   I wandered further in, seeing they’d already blocked off where the rooms would be built. As I passed them by, I came upon one that was different from the rest. I walked into the space, trying to decide what made it stand out.

   I took a deep breath, and that was when it hit me. The scent. It smelled exactly like Abraham. Like soap and spearmint.

   I knew he’d spent time in here before, but his scent was so strong, he had to have been in there recently.

   Suddenly, the puzzle pieces clicked into place and I turned to Abraham. “This is where you came when you left?”

   His eyes darted away, and he ran a hand through his dark hair. “Yeah.”

   I crossed my arms and leaned against a wall. “Why?”

   “Why did I leave?”

   “No, why did you come here?”

   He looked away again before he took a few steps closer. “I thought I could come here and get my mind off you, but it did the opposite.”

   “Why’s that?”

   He looked around and shrugged. “This is your new office.”

   My eyes searched the soon-to-be room with keen eyes. “So, you came to this construction site to get away from me and wound up sitting in my new office?”

   He sighed and ran a rough hand down his face. “I wasn’t trying to get away from you.”

   “Sure looked like it.”

   The words were flippant, but they sliced into my throat on their way out. It hurt that he’d left. That he felt he needed to get away from me. Now I knew how he must have felt all those times it was me doing the running and I felt even worse.

   Abraham crossed the distance between us and wrapped his hands around my biceps. Last time we’d been in this situation, he’d been yelling at me. When his eyes tightened, I knew he was thinking the same thing.

   “I didn’t need to get away from you.”

   I tipped my chin up and met his blue, blue gaze. “Then why’d you leave?”

   I could tell he wanted to look away again, but he held my stare. “I needed to get away from mys
elf.”

   “What do you mean?”

   He dropped his arms. “You called me irrational, and you were right. I wasn’t making any sense. I couldn’t even think straight.” He paced away from me, his hands fisting at his sides. “I saw you two from a distance. Saw him leap at you that last time and you catch his neck in your teeth. It didn’t matter that you had the upper hand. It didn’t matter that you won. All I could see was the threat against my mate and I reacted.”

   I nodded slowly. “I understand why you attacked Tom and I don’t blame you for it. What I don’t understand is what happened afterward. Why were you so mad at me? Why did you forbid me from the lessons that might have saved my life today?”

   Abraham paused his pacing and looked at me, the color draining from his face. “The fact that your life could have possibly been on the line today is a reality I can’t accept.”

   I took a step toward him. “We knew not everyone would be okay with me becoming alpha. You said that yourself when you assigned Bea to teach me to fight. That was all your idea.”

   He blew out a big breath and dropped his head into both his hands. “I know.”

   I took another few steps. “Instead of being grateful that I knew how to defend myself and proud that I did so, you lost your damn mind and threatened to lock me in our room.” I stopped when I was a few feet away from him and crossed my arms again. “You’re gonna have to help me out, Abraham, because that just doesn’t make sense.”

   He lifted his head from his hands and speared me with a look that almost stopped my heart. “Do you have any idea what it did to me the night Calvin took you?”

   I swallowed and shook my head. Of course, I could guess it had been difficult for him to find my apartment wrecked and not know where I’d been taken. We’d talked about that night a lot, but Abraham had never mentioned his feelings about it. I’d assumed he’d rather not revisit them and left it alone.

   “You were taken from me, El.” His Adam’s apple bobbed. “I didn’t know where you were, I didn’t know if you were okay, I didn’t know if I’d ever find you. If I’d ever see you again.” His voice got quieter the longer he talked, almost as if he was afraid to say the words too loud.

   I took a step closer. I couldn’t help it. Abraham was my sun and I was a helpless planet stuck in his gravitational pull. Seeing him so upset hurt me in a way I couldn’t describe.

   “Then, when I finally found you, when I saw you on the ground underneath Calvin, you weren’t even moving, El. I had no idea if you were conscious, if you had brain damage, if you were dead, for fuck’s sake.” He grabbed the back of his neck roughly. “I can’t do that again. You can’t ask me to do that again.”

   I closed the distance between us and put a hand on his arm. “I’m okay, Abraham. I wasn’t kidnapped. I wasn’t even hurt.”

   He let out a deep breath and shook his head. “I lost you once and that almost ruined me.” His dark eyes latched onto mine. “I know because we’re fated that I can’t live without you, but, El, I couldn’t live if someone hurt you. If you were injured, and I wasn’t there to protect you again, it would kill me.”

   “I wasn’t injured, Abraham. I’m okay.”

   He watched me for a long time before he spoke again. “I know you’re okay and I’m grateful you had the skills to defend yourself.”

   “Then, why did you tell Bea she can’t train me anymore?”

   He took a deep breath and let it out, his shoulders deflating until he was almost hunched. “I was afraid, El. I was so afraid today.”

   His words broke something inside of me. I was still upset at him and he had a lot more to explain, but I had to hold him. My arms physically needed to feel him between them.

  I stepped closer and wrapped myself around him. He paused for only a moment before pulling me into his embrace. We stood there for a long time, his chin propped on my head and my face against his steady heartbeat.

  Finally, he pulled away and looked down at me. “I’m sorry, El. I shouldn’t have reacted that way and I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. I’m just a man who’s terrified of losing the one person in the world he can’t live without.” He traced the back of his hand along my face before tucking some hair behind my ear. “Forgive me.”

  I searched his eyes, seeing the truth behind his words for myself. He was sorry, and he’d only acted out of fear. I could admit that I’d let fear rule my actions more often than I should have.

  I dragged him close again. “It’s okay,” I said against his chest. Pulling away again to look at him, I added, “As long as you let Bea keep training me.”

  He tugged me back against his chest and sighed. “Okay, Rocky. I won’t take you out of the ring.”

  I laughed against him, inhaling his scent and letting it soothe my frayed nerves. Fighting with Abraham was awful. He was the most important person in my life, and I hated when he was upset with me.

  “What about Tom? Do you think it was the right decision to kick him out of the pack?” I asked.

  Abraham took a deep breath, his chest rocking me backward. “I’ve let too much shit slide around here. I was trying so hard to not be the terrible dictator my uncle was, but I can’t allow Tom to remain in the pack after what he did. There’s just no other option.”

  I nodded against his chest and settled back into his arms. I understood where he was coming from and I wasn’t going to fight him on this. To be honest, I didn’t want Tom in the pack anymore, either. I just didn’t like feeling like it was my fault he got kicked out. But he was a grown man, and he made his own decisions. He’d have to live with the consequences.

  I pulled away one more time. “We okay?”

  He leaned down to brush his lips against mine. “As long as you forgive me.”

  “I do,” I whispered.

  His body trembled slightly beneath my hands and I smiled against his mouth. His lips curled into a grin too. “What are you smiling about?”

  I gave him a soft kiss. “I like the way I affect you.”

  He pulled me closer, his erection already pressing against my belly. “You affect me in a lot of ways, El.”

  His mouth trailed down my neck as I fought off a shiver.

  “Like how?”

  He kissed my shoulder, his lips hovering over my chest. “Like when you walk in a room and my fuckin’ heart pounds.” He kissed along my collarbone. “Or when you smile at me and I feel a hundred feet tall.” His lips skimmed up my throat until they reached mine. “Or how when I’m deep inside you and I know I’ve found my place in this world. That it’s wherever you are.”

  My heart raced at his words and I couldn’t take the tension anymore. I fused my lips to his, eliciting a surprised grunt from him before he wrapped his big hands around my waist and pulled me closer.

  We kissed as our hands roamed and the clothes fell off, one article at a time. Finally, he pulled away, his chest heaving. “There’s no place in here clean enough for me to lay you down so I’m gonna fuck you against this wall.”

  I closed my eyes and let his words race through my system. They were wild and savage and tore at my insides.

  He reached down to grab my thighs before he lifted me into his arms. I wrapped my legs around his hips and held on as he walked me over to the wall he’d promised. When I hit the cold surface, my back arched, pressing me closer to him.

  Without warning, he slid deep into me, finding no resistance whatsoever. Our eyes were closed and our breaths were ragged as we adjusted to the position. Finally, he began to move, and I could do nothing but hold on.

  He made love to me like it was the last time. It was somehow rough and tender all at once. His hips slammed into mine repeatedly, but his rough hands cupped my face like I was his most precious possession. It was enough to drive me to the edge.

  “Abe,” I panted.

  “Yes, baby. I love you so much.”

  “Oh my God, I love you too. So much, Abe.”

&nbs
p; His thrusts got harder and deeper as I dug my fingernails into his shoulders, and suddenly, it was too much for me and I came hard. Abraham was right behind me, groaning against my neck and squeezing my hips as he emptied himself.

  When we’d caught our breath, he slid me down his body to my feet before wrapping his arms around me. Abraham kissed the side of my head and whispered against my ear. “I’ll do anything to keep you safe, El. There is no limit for me. I can’t help how I react when your safety is threatened.”

  I pulled far enough away that I could look in his eyes. “I’ll never expect you to sit on the sidelines when I’m in danger. That’s not in your nature and I’d never ask you to change. But you can’t hover, and you can’t prevent me from living my life. I’ll stay as safe as I can, and I’ll train hard with Bea. Can that be enough for you?”

  His eyes searched my face for a long time. I’d just accepted the fact that he couldn’t handle what I’d proposed when he nodded once. “Okay. I can try.”

  I just barely held in a laugh, but my smile was unstoppable. At least he was honest, right?

  I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his lips to mine. “I can work with that,” I whispered.

  When I finally wrenched my mouth away from his again, I realized we were standing in a construction zone in the middle of the day and there were no workers around. Then, I remembered how naked we were and panicked.

  “Holy shit, Abraham. What are we doing?”

  I swerved around him, searching for my clothes and desperately tugging them on.

  He laughed. “What’s wrong?”

  I glared at him as I hopped on one leg, trying to get them both in my jean shorts. “Couldn’t your men be here any minute?”

  He smiled and shrugged. “They have the day off.”

  I frowned. “Why?”

  He rolled his eyes. “It’s Saturday, El.”

  Jeez. I’m unemployed for a month and already can’t keep track of the days. I shook my head to clear it. “Oh, okay.”

  He crossed the room, a big smile on his face. “You think I’d fuck you in here if there was a chance someone could walk in?”