Jo woke when it was still dark, her phone beeping with a message. Brian had just texted her the details of where and when to meet her client but had deliberately sent it early in the morning. Too early. Glancing at the clock, Jo flopped back into bed with a groan. He wasn't happy with her, that much was obvious, but if he was going to start making her life difficult in other ways, then Jo knew she needed to get out.

She wouldn’t get back to sleep now. Flicking on the light, Jo sat up and rubbed her eyes. This was ridiculous. Her life was ridiculous, doing whatever Brian wanted because she was afraid of what he’d do if she didn’t. Living in fear wasn’t living at all.

Yawning, Jo flung opened the curtains, hoping she could watch the sun rise from behind the buildings. There wasn’t any sign of it yet. Shaking her head, she went to fill the small kettle again, and even though the coffee wasn’t great, it was better than nothing. Sitting down in the small overstuffed chair, Jo stretched her feet out onto the edge of the bed, her cup of coffee warming her fingers. She would need to look over the client’s information again soon, to make sure she was ready for the meeting. Tension began to swarm up her throat, her stress levels rising. If Jo didn’t get this client, there would be hell to pay. She was already feeling the pressure.

Freezing in her seat, Jo felt a rush of heat flood her as she realized what was happening. She was turning back into her old self – and she didn't like it. Her city self. The one who stressed about Brian, who hated what she had to do but did it anyway. The one who was harassed and tense almost all the time, because she never had any time to do the things she wanted to do.

“What am I doing?”

The question echoed around the room. Jo stared blankly at the wall, realizing that she hated her life. She hated her job, hated the way Brian treated her, hated everything about her life. When she'd been with Nick at the cabin, she'd turned into a completely different person. She had been relaxed, more positive. Was that because of Nick? Or because he'd shown her that she could have a different kind of life?

Pulling herself to her feet, Jo snatched up her cell phone from beside the bed, slamming down her cup of coffee with the other. Dialing Brian's number, she held the phone to her ear, her pulse racing.

“Why are you calling me this time of the morning?” Brian whined, even though he’d sent her a text message only half an hour ago.

"Brian, I quit," Jo declared, feeling as though she would burst with excitement. "I'll get this client for you as discussed, but after that, I'll be handing in my notice."

“What?” Brian stammered, taken by surprise. “You can’t quit, Jo, you – ”

“I quit, Brian,” Jo repeated, louder this time. “I’ll email you my resignation letter this morning.” And with that, she hung up.

 

Staring around the room, Jo felt like jumping up and down with happiness. She’d done it. She’d quit her job, quit Brian – and now she felt free. “Nick would be so proud of me,” she whispered, a sad smile crossing her face. That did it. Deciding that she would go and see Nick on her way back home, Jo wondered what he would say when he found out what she’d done. Most likely, he’d be really pleased that she’d started to take control of her own life. He’d been the one who’d forced her to question what she’d been doing with her life and the least Jo could do was thank him.

 

 

“How are you feeling?”

Nick rolled his eyes at his brother. “Since when have we started asking each other that?”

Tom shrugged. “Maybe not often enough. Nothing like this has ever happened before.”

“I guess.” Walking over to the counter, Nick checked what jobs they had to do today. There weren’t too many.

“So, you’re okay?”

"I'm okay," Nick confirmed, walking away from his brother. "I'm going to go back to the cabin, tidy it up a bit." He hadn’t gone back there last night after Jo had left. Everything had been too raw. This morning, though, Nick knew he had to just get on with it. He just wished he'd thought to get her number before she'd left, but he didn’t expected things to turn out this way.

Tom glanced down at the list. “I can get on with things here,” he said, quietly. “You do what you have to.”

“Thanks.” Nick left immediately, not in the mood to stay and chat. Deciding he’d walk to the cabin, he strode into the wind, letting it bite at his skin. He hated what had happened with Jo, wishing that he could sort it out but there was nothing he could do. Maybe she’ll come back, he thought to himself, hoping that something, anything, might draw her back to him. She was part of him now, a part that he could never get rid of.

Tom sighed heavily as he watched Nick walk away. He had been mostly silent, saying very little and only when he had to. "This is all my fault," he mumbled, thumping the desk with his fist. Jo had meant more to Nick than Tom had realized, and now Tom didn't think that things could ever really be the same again. Nick had found his mate and needed her to be by his side. But because of him, Jo was gone.

 

Stopping suddenly, Nick stared ahead, his nose catching the scent of the Northern Wind pack. They’d been back here again, looking for them, wanting another fight. Sighing heavily, he walked closer to the cabin, his eyes narrowing and fists clenching. There was no sign of them anywhere, but he could tell that they’d been here. They’d been looking for him.

“This has got to stop,” he said to himself, his temper flaring. No matter how many times he said that he didn’t want to join them, they refused to accept his answer. They were constantly pushing, hoping that they could wear him down – or beat him down, whichever was easiest.

The cabin door sat crazily on its hinges, having been beaten down by large paws. Windows were smashed, but there was no damage inside. Nick growled as he took in the damage. Windows and doors were going to be expensive to fix, but the fact that they hadn’t touched the inside said enough. They would destroy his cabin if they had to. This was only a warning.

Nick shoved the door aside and walked into the cabin. He wouldn’t involve Tom in this, even though he knew his brother would want to join him. He would protect him, in the same way that Tom had tried to protect him from Jo. Nick accepted that Tom had never meant to hurt him, he’d been trying to protect him in his own way. Jo had already been mixed up in their fight, and it had chased her away, and Nick wasn’t about to pull Tom into this mess. Nick could feel strength rippling through his body, fuelled by fury, and decided that he would be able to take on the Northern Wind pack by himself. He had enough anger for the both of them. Tom didn’t need to be involved in this.

Walking to the kitchen, Nick felt the bear's strength ripple through his body. It wanted to be let free, wanted to find the Northern Wind pack and tear into them for what they'd done. A final battle, almost. "Not now," Nick growled, stopping the rattle in his throat from growing any bigger. He had to tidy up this place first before it got dark. Glass would need to be swept up, windows boarded and door fixed. Then, he promised the bear, he would go hunting. He would hunt the Northern Wind pack and get them off his back once and for all.