Chapter Seventeen

Alton was furious. He held himself in check for his mate’s sake, but inside he was fuming with rage. His mate’s mind was more open to him today than it had been in all the years he’d known her. And he knew it had little to do with the binding and more to do with the fact that she was permitting him into her thoughts. And he wanted to hug her for trusting him.

Actually, he wanted to fuck the daylights out of her. But unfortunately, they needed to move from one fire to another.

He was proud of her. So proud he couldn’t even express himself in words. If he didn’t think half the people in her family would freak the fuck out and go postal on him, he would push her against the side of the SUV before opening the door for her and kiss her until neither of them could breathe.

What he was afraid of was that the number of people in favor of maintaining the feud and sending Joselyn camping was more than half. And if that was the truth, their troubles would be exponentially worse. Were they about to encounter the same thing from his own people? He feared so.

Joselyn leaned her weight into Alton’s side, slumping against him as they reached the SUV. He could feel her shaking.

“I’m proud of you.” He held her close, one arm wrapped around her middle.

She sighed. “Get me out of here before I start crying in the parking lot. I don’t want anyone to think they got to me.”

He nodded, unlocking the doors with his key fob and then opening the passenger door of his black SUV. With a hand steadying her, he helped her into the Explorer.

Seconds later, he was seated next to her. He started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot before taking her hand and holding it between them on the console. “It’s going to be okay.”

She nodded, her lips tucked under her teeth as she faced the window. He knew she was seconds from crying.

“I’m so sorry, baby.” He wished he could ease her pain, but there was no way. Instead, he decided to let her have a few moments of silence.

Finally, she wiped her eyes with the back of her free hand and sighed. “I knew it would be hard, but I didn’t expect my father’s loyalty to the pack to be challenged like that. Not just his job as CEO of the company, but his standing as pack leader.”

“I know.” Alton worried the same thing might happen when they got to his brewery too. “Do you want to go back to the apartment for a while?”

She shook her head. “No. Let’s go to my parents’ house. I’ll pack up some of my things. It’ll give me a chance to catch my breath and remain busy at the same time.”

“Good idea.” He turned at the next light to head for her parents’ cabin. Even though her family had owned the cabin for many years and they lived just a few miles outside of town, he’d only been to the place a handful of times, and never inside.

“I want you to know where I grew up. I want you to see my room. Lie on my bed. I want your scent in my parents’ home. Is that weird?” She turned to face him.

He glanced at her and smiled. “No. I felt a similar sense of connection to you the time you came to my parents’ home a few weeks ago. Even though it was crowded and no one knew we were a couple, I loved knowing your scent would linger over all the others—at least in my mind.”

She squeezed his fingers in understanding.

When they pulled up to the cabin, he took in the amazing view of the mountains in the background. Copses of evergreens climbed the sides, their scent prominent.

He jumped down from the SUV and quickly rounded to help her out of the passenger side. As he held her hand to aid her down from the high seat, she giggled. “I’m almost six feet tall, you know. And I’ve been exiting cars my entire life without help.”

He shut the door and then pressed her against the side of the SUV. The bulk of their coats kept him from getting as close to her as he wanted, but it was close enough to take her face and meet her gaze. “You’re mine, Jos. I’m just being chivalrous. My mother raised a gentleman. I know it’s been a few years since we had the freedom to go anywhere in a car together, but did I ever show you less respect when we were in Calgary?”

“No.”

“Do you think just because we’re bound together now I’m going to stop being the man you fell in love with and get all lazy?” He tried to lighten her mood with a half grin.

She rolled her eyes. “No.”

“Good. Because it won’t happen in this lifetime.” He closed the distance between them and kissed her gently.

She seemed to calm marginally, and then she led him to her parents’ cabin.

She’d always referred to it as a cabin. Everyone in their family did. The sprawling ranch with a rustic log-cabin look was actually an enormous modern home that made him feel every ounce of the love put into it the moment they stepped inside.

The great room was warm and inviting with a state-of-the-art attached kitchen and a view out the back row of windows that would make most people drool with jealousy. “This is beautiful.”

She glanced at him as she shut the front door. “Your family’s home is not much different.”

He shrugged. “Maybe, but I love the design.” He wandered in farther, not releasing her fingers because he had no intention of disconnecting from her in the near future. She humored him by following in his wake. The brown leather sectional facing a fireplace was large enough for several adults. He had no doubt all five of her family members had sat there together to talk or watch a movie on the huge flat screen many times over the years.

“Come on,” she whispered, tugging his hand. She led him down the hallway to the right side of the house and into a room he knew instantly to be hers. For one thing, it smelled like her. But more importantly, it had her feminine touch. Neither of her brothers would have had a room like this when they lived at home.

Her bed was made, but he smirked, wondering when she’d done that.

She swatted at his arm, obviously catching his drifting thoughts. “I came by here yesterday before I came to your house. I straightened up.” She tugged her hand free of his to take her coat off and drop it on the floor.

He pretended to buckle forward as if she’d hurt him with her soft swat before he removed his coat and dropped it on top of hers. “Hey, messy. Just curious,” he teased. She’d never been the tidiest woman he knew. He rounded on her and stalked forward, backing her toward her own bed. When she hit the edge, she fell onto her ass, sitting. He straddled her legs and tipped her head back to take her lips.

It was a bad idea. He knew as soon as he made a move like this they would have trouble packing her stuff and getting on with their day. At the moment, he simply didn’t care. No one was home, and he wasn’t about to miss the opportunity to ravage her.

Her hands landed on his waist, and she slid them around to his back before easing them under his shirt. “We should be packing,” she murmured into his mind.

“This is so much more fun,” he responded in kind. He reached for her hips, lifted her up, and dragged her farther across the bed so he could crawl over her and press his body against hers.

Her scent filled the room in a more overpowering way than he’d been exposed to in recent years. Even when she spent time in his apartment in Calgary, her scent had never fully filled his space. But this was her bedroom. The one she’d grown up in.

He broke their kiss and reached over to grab her pillow. Rising onto his knees, he pressed her pillow to his face and inhaled deeply.

Yes. Pure Joselyn. His.

She giggled. “You’d rather make out with my pillow than me?”

He dropped the pillow and lowered over her once again. “We’re taking that with us.”

“In a few days, everything in your apartment will smell like me, Alton.” She ran her hands up and down his biceps.

“Mmm. Maybe, but not as overwhelming as something only you have touched for several years.”

Her face flushed as she held his gaze. “I love you.”

“Eh, it’s just the binding. You can’t help it now. How will I ever know for sure?” he joked.

She giggled out loud again. “I’ll remind you every day.”

“Good plan.” He looked at the way her hair was panned around her face and thought he’d never seen anything more beautiful in his life.

Just as he was about to act on his need to claim her body, a door opening and slamming in the front of the house grabbed his attention and made him flinch. He groaned at the intrusion.

“Wyatt,” she whispered, not pressuring him to get off her.

“He doesn’t live here,” Alton pointed out unnecessarily.

“True.” She smiled. “But he’s here now, and he’s heading this way. I’m pretty sure he won’t hesitate to barge in whether you’re on top of me or not. Your call.” She grinned wider.

He sighed. Part of him wondered what Wyatt had come to say. That same part of him felt a bit defiant, thinking maybe it would be best to remain right where he was and let Wyatt challenge him. But that would be childish and unnecessary, so he opted to swing his leg over her body and climb off the bed.

He was straightening his shirt while Joselyn scampered to the edge of the mattress and Wyatt rounded the open door.

He didn’t look mad. In fact, he grabbed the frame and closed his eyes before he made a full appearance. He even covered his face with one hand as if shielding his view. “Is it safe to come in? You aren’t naked or something, are you?”

“No thanks to you,” Joselyn grumbled, as she stood next to Alton and leaned into his side.

Wyatt was grinning when he dropped his hand playfully. “Sorry. I thought you might come here, so I headed this way as soon as you left the office. Dad told me what happened. I was out in the plant.” He stepped more fully into the room.

“What made you think we’d be here?” Joselyn asked.

He ignored her and reached out a hand toward Alton. “You bound yourself to my sister, and I didn’t hear about it until afterward.”

“Sorry, man,” Alton responded as he shook her brother’s hand in a firm grip. “You weren’t the only one.”

“Yeah. I heard that too.” He turned toward Joselyn and set a hand on her shoulder. “Are you happy?”

“With my decision to bind to Alton? Yes. With the behavior of our pack members? No.”

“Fair enough. And to answer your question, I figured you’d come by the house to pack some stuff. Easy deduction.”

“Of course.”

Alton could tell Wyatt adored his sister. He released her shoulder, but not before toying with a lock of her hair. His voice softened. “Was it as bad as Dad said?”

“Worse,” she responded.

He groaned, glancing at Alton. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.”

Alton shrugged. “We expected something similar. Not shocking, really.”

“Have you gone to your family yet?”

“Nope. Heading there next.”

“To the brewery?”

“Yeah.” That’s where everyone was. They would all be at work, same as her family.

“You think that’s a good idea?” he asked, his face drawn, skeptical.

Alton sighed. He had no way of knowing. “Honestly, no idea. But we have to face them at some point. Better to see everyone’s true colors today while we’re on a roll. If a war’s going to break out over the two of us binding, it might as well get all the ammunition it needs on the same day. At least we’ll know where we stand.”

Wyatt turned back to his sister. “And where do you feel like you stand after that powwow in Dad’s office?”

She sighed. “Halfway to the Saskatchewan border, to be honest.”

“That’s what I suspected.” He turned back to Alton. “I know things are ugly. And they might get uglier. But I want you to know that not everyone in my pack is a jackass. Could be the majority. Not going to lie. But not everyone. Please do me a favor.”

“Sure,” Alton said, knowing in his heart that Wyatt would never request something of him he couldn’t deliver.

“Don’t take my sister away without telling me. It would tear my parents apart if it came to that. I understand it’s a possibility, but I’m begging you to keep us informed so we have a chance to work things out, or at least say goodbye.”

If Alton wasn’t mistaken, Wyatt’s eyes glazed over with emotion. He truly adored his sister.

“She’s my only sister. The baby. I was eight when she was born. I changed her diaper. I rocked her to sleep. I don’t want to lose her unless it’s absolutely necessary to ensure her safety. Don’t run from this town to avoid hurting her mother and father. They’d rather give up their business and their homes than lose their daughter. Isaiah and I agree.”

Joselyn gasped at his side. “Wyatt…” Her voice was soft.

He grabbed her arm again. “I mean it, sis. Don’t run from this out of some sense of guilt.”

The man was insightful if he’d learned of their binding only an hour ago and already knew what was going through her mind and by extension Alton’s.

Joselyn took a deep breath. “You know it could be worse than giving up the brewery or losing me. Dad could be voted out of his role as pack leader.”

Wyatt nodded. “I know. But neither Mom nor Dad care about Dad’s role within the pack as much as they love you.” He reached out and stroked a hand gently over her hair. “None of us do.”

Joselyn threw herself into her brother’s side and hugged him tight. She didn’t say a word.

Alton knew the reason she didn’t speak was because she couldn’t make the promise he was asking for. Alton knew his mate well enough to realize she would leave the province in a heartbeat if she thought it was for the best to save her family’s status in the community and the pack.

Wyatt returned her hug, kissed the top of her head, nodded at Alton, and turned and left the room. Moments later, the front door opened and closed again, and he was gone.

“We should probably get some of your stuff packed, Jos. The sooner we face the Montagues, the sooner we’ll know where we stand with them.”

She winced. “You really want to compare this to Romeo and Juliet? It makes me cringe.”

He lifted a brow. “You see much of a difference?”

She smiled and lifted onto her tiptoes to kiss him briefly. “Well, yes. I for one have no intention of committing suicide over my family’s hatred. Do you?”

“Nope. Not gonna happen. But I won’t let you be treated badly, either.”