Chapter Twenty

Alton’s heart was full. He stared down at his sleeping mate, loving the way her hair fell all around her while her mouth was parted just enough to breathe through. She was so out of it, she had no idea the sheet had slid down to expose her fantastic tits to his gaze.

It was early. The sun was just rising, but Alton knew instinctively this day was going to be long and insane. He’d spent all afternoon, evening, and night with his mate, but there was no way for them to play hooky from their respective problems today. They needed to touch base with their families and forge a path for the future.

As if he’d conjured his father unintentionally, Allister popped into his head. “Alton. You available?”

“Yes.”

“I know this is inconvenient, but you probably need to come into the office today.”

“I figured that would be the case. Planning on it.”

“And, son…”

“Yeah, you need me to come alone. I get it. I’m sure Joselyn will also need to head to Glacial. And I’m not any more welcome there than she is at Mountain Peak.”

“I’m sorry, Alton. I know this is a mess. And obviously you expected it to be too, or you wouldn’t have put off binding to her for all these years.”

“That’s right. And the timing stinks, but it also forced us to face our fears head on. Nothing’s going to come between me and Jos, Dad. You need to realize that. No matter how bad things get, she and I will stick together, even if it means leaving town and not returning.”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

Alton jerked his attention back to Joselyn when he realized she was awake and smiling. She reached for his arm and stroked her hand up and down. “Morning.” Her smile lit up his world. It made whatever they would encounter today worth it.

He leaned over to kiss her. He was overflowing with love and emotion. He wouldn’t have thought it possible to feel more for her than he’d felt for all these years, but he was wrong. The binding made their connection so much stronger.

“I have to go deal with my family this morning,” she declared.

“Yeah, me too.” He cupped her face. “I don’t like it.” More than that, he abhorred the idea. Separating from her so they could each go face a bunch of rabid dogs didn’t sit well with him. He had a bad feeling in his gut that told him to grab his mate, pack the SUV, and drive straight out of the city.

“We have to try,” she continued, undoubtedly reading his mind. “Heading into the office is not my first choice of fun activities for today by any stretch of the imagination, but we need to know we did everything we could to smooth things over between our families.”

He nodded, wondering how it was that she was the voice of reason this morning.

“I need to nose around a little. I’m not buying the idea that someone in your pack broke into my office and stole those mockups. I believe there’s got to be a leak in my pack. Someone who could easily walk into my office, take a few pages they knew I wouldn’t miss, and meet up with someone from your office to hand them off.”

“But why? Who would sabotage their own pack like that?”

She shrugged, running her sweet hand up to cup his face. “Money?”

He smirked. “More likely sex.”

She giggled. And then her face grew more serious. “Actually, that might not be a joke. What if it is sex?”

He frowned. “I was kidding. Who would trade company secrets for sex?”

She lifted a brow. “Someone who thinks they’re in love.”

He pulled himself to sitting and swung his legs over the side of the bed as Joselyn did the same next to him. “I’m in love, and even though there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you, no way would I share company secrets.”

“Obviously neither of us would, or we wouldn’t have found ourselves so shell-shocked Monday morning.”

He stood and turned around to straddle her knees, bury his hands in her thick hair, and tip her head back. He needed to see her expression, read her eyes.

She flashed him another of her amazing smiles. “Whoever stole those pages from my office was desperate. And even though I realize we’re half joking, I’m not going to rule out the possibility that sex is involved, which means at least one of us might be looking for a woman.”

He nodded. She was right. His uncles and even male cousins weren’t the only ones who could have pulled this stunt. And although it seemed simple that one of the grouchy, older generation would do anything to sabotage the work of their fierce competitor and long-time rival, maybe he needed to focus on someone younger. Possibly female.

When he got to the brewery, he would open his mind to the possibilities. Everyone needed to be considered a suspect.

He kissed her again. “I think we need to get out of town for a few days.” He hoped she would agree.

She smiled. “Best idea I’ve heard in weeks.”

“Good. So we’ll each head into our respective breweries, tidy up as best we can, and bail.”

She nodded. “Let’s take both cars, just in case our few days turns into longer.”

He hated to admit she was right. If things continued on the current path, they might need to let the masses simmer for a while.

“I’ll meet you back here later this morning. We can head out together. Follow each other.”

Except for the part about driving separately, he liked this plan. His mood perked up considerably at the thought of going someplace where no one knew them and no one would bother them. They wouldn’t have to jump up tomorrow morning and separate. “Perfect. Let me know when you’re done at the brewery.”

∙•∙

Joselyn had every intention of heading straight to the office, but as soon as she got in her car, her mother reached out to her. “Honey, where are you? Are you safe?”

“Of course. I’m just leaving Alton’s apartment. Heading to the brewery.”

“Glad I caught you. Come to the house first.”

“Okay. Everything all right?”

Her mother sighed into her head. “Nothing we didn’t expect.”

Joselyn decided not to push her mother. It would be easier to head to her parents’ house and deal with whatever was happening when she got there.

When she pulled up to the house, she noticed two extra cars parked out front. Apparently, the gathering included both her parents and her Uncle Marlin and his mate Josephine. Marlin was her father’s closest brother, in age and temperament.

For a moment she sat in her car, enjoying the silence. She stared at her childhood home, wondering when the world had turned upside down. The log-cabin feel of the enormous ranch house was deceptive from the outside. It blended in with nature, the only color being dark green trim that matched the evergreens. She had always loved the way it sat nestled among the trees, inconspicuously placed as if one with nature.

It looked too peaceful, incongruent with the war waging among the occupants. Easing from the car, she braced herself for a fight.

As Joselyn stepped onto the porch of her childhood home, she glanced around. The air was so peaceful. The universe had no idea there was a storm brewing among its inhabitants. It was a brisk morning, cold but tolerable. A thin layer of snow blanketed the land from the lazy flakes that had fallen all night long. A gentle breeze gave her favorite rocking chair a little push.

If she could stay in this place forever, she would. But she knew in her soul her days were limited. She wouldn’t stay in a town where half the population wanted her gone. And it was time to put her mate first above everyone else.

The front door opened, and her mother stepped out. “You okay, honey?”

“Yeah, just catching my breath.” Joselyn pulled her coat tighter around her and stuffed her hands in her pockets as if that would ward off the coming storm.

Rosanne smiled, cupping her daughter’s head and pulling her in for a hug. “I’m so sorry, sweetie. I can’t imagine what you’re going through, or what you’ve been through for the last several years. You’ve made some tough choices, and I feel bad I wasn’t able to help you.”

“Not your fault, Mom. You didn’t know, and there was no way I could tell you. I never told a soul. For good reason.”

“I know.” Rosanne rubbed a hand down Joselyn’s back. “Come inside. We’re discussing strategy.”

Joselyn followed her mother inside, feeling the warmth from both the heat and the occupants. Everyone in the house was on her side in this battle.

Her favorite aunt, Josephine, rushed over to give her a hug. “We love you, honey.”

Joselyn fought against the lump in her throat. She coughed to clear the emotion away and shrugged out of her coat while she joined her family sitting around the living room. It seemed her mother and father had been discussing the situation with her aunt and uncle for a while. Several mugs littered the coffee table.

Bernard lifted his gaze. His expression was serious. He hadn’t slept. His eyes were dark and tired.

“I’m sorry, Dad,” she said as she took a seat in an open armchair. “I never meant for this to happen.”

“I know, Jos. No one blames you.”

She lifted a brow, almost laughing.

He smirked. “Okay. No one in this room blames you.”

At least there was that.

“Did Uncle Carroll and Uncle Jaren insist on a vote yesterday? They can’t really force you to step down as CEO, can they?”

Bernard shook his head. “No votes were taken yesterday, but unfortunately yes. If they get enough support, they could take over the brewery.”

She wanted to scream. “And how would this be helpful? Neither of them ever showed an interest in running the brewery. I don’t think they’re capable. They would run it into the ground within months.”

Marlin sighed. “That’s what we’re afraid of.”

His mate looked toward Joselyn. “We’re hoping it won’t come to that.”

“Did you make any headway yesterday figuring out who might have leaked information?”

Her mother shook her head. “No. Nothing but a dead end. And more importantly, we can’t even come up with a plausible motive. Why would anyone in the pack intentionally undermine our own brewery?”

Joselyn pinched the bridge of her nose. “I can tell you what they shared was simple. Someone gave Mountain Peak early mockups of our ad. They didn’t need more than that. They had dates and pictures of the products. That was more than enough to hurry through the process, come up with a duplicate product, and set a launch date that was a week before ours.”

“Why, though?” Marlin asked rhetorically.

“I’ll resign,” Joselyn suddenly stated, knowing it was the only option at the same moment she spoke the words.

Her father groaned. “I don’t want it to come to that.”

“It’s the only choice. No matter what happens, half the company will always be pissed at me. Besides, I’m the prime suspect. There will be no way to convince anyone I’m not the leak without proving who did this. It’s possible you’ll never know.”

“Honey…” her mother began.

Joselyn sat up straighter. “I need to focus on my relationship now, anyway. Alton and I can’t continue this farce. We’ve wasted too many years. We can’t work for competing breweries without someone always being suspicious of what we share with each other. It’s understandable. Even if this was a normal human arrangement, one of us would need to resign.”

For the first time in days, she knew this was the right decision. It was time to move on. It would soothe relations among her pack and ease tensions.

“I don’t like it,” Marlin stated. “It’s not fair.”

Joselyn smiled. She felt like a weight had been lifted.

Why did she ever put so much importance in her job? She could get another one.

If she were honest, however, this never had anything to do with her job. It had to do with her family. Even her immediate family. Outing her relationship had always been something she knew would alter the course of her life.

But it was time to make those changes. Starting immediately.

»»•««

Two hours later, Joselyn stood at the entrance to her childhood bedroom and let her gaze roam over the space. It would be a while before she saw it again. So many memories.

She thought of all the nights she’d lain awake in her bed talking quietly on her cell phone with Alton. So many nights when she should have been in his bed.

Would it have changed the course of events if the two of them had left U of C together and forged a new life somewhere else instead of returning to Silvertip?

There was no way to be certain the exact same rift wouldn’t have formed even in her absence. After all, she hadn’t been the one to come up with the product launch in the first place. She had simply been the brains behind the scene who planned for publicity and advertisements. Another marketing director could have done the same thing.

The feud between her family and Alton’s had divided the entire town for decades. Joselyn couldn’t take the blame for perpetuating it.

What she could do now, however, was leave and let her family figure out what to do next without her presence hovering over the entire pack like a dark cloud. There was always the chance that if she left town, tensions would ease, and the angry, bitter half of the pack who blamed her for the leak would cease this incessant need to vote her father out of his position as CEO and even pack leader.

Everyone had left for the office. She was alone in the house. It was a relief to have the chance to wander around and say goodbye in her own way.

She had boxed up her mementos and left a note for her mother to hold them for her. Everything else she hadn’t already moved to Alton’s, she loaded in her car.

She was ready. She was a stronger woman than she had been two years ago. She would leave Silvertip knowing her parents loved her and supported her. Same thing for Alton. His parents had also welcomed them with open arms. To hell with the rest of their packs. They could stuff their hatred where the sun didn’t shine.

As she left the house and got in her car, she reached out to Alton. “How’s it going at Mountain Peak?”

“About what you would expect. I need to stick around here a bit longer. I don’t like the vibe I’m getting. I might be useful in some way. My damn cousin Vinson is MIA again today, which puts a bad taste in my mouth. I know in my gut he’s involved in this. As well as his father.”

Joselyn started the engine and headed down the long driveway, aiming for the main road. “I’ll swing by the apartment and pack a few things. Load up my car. Clean out your fridge.”

“Thanks, babe. Appreciate that. I’ll get there as soon as possible.”

She broke the connection and focused on driving. It didn’t take too long to get to Alton’s apartment, and an hour later she had the kitchen clean and her belongings back in the car. She hadn’t even unpacked the stuff she’d brought yesterday, so it wasn’t difficult to load it back up.

Her skin crawled with the need to get out of Silvertip. Why did it have to be like this?

She dropped onto his couch and stared at the ceiling when she ran out of things to do. She would let him pack up his own clothes and toiletries. Besides, her Honda Accord was stuffed full. They needed his SUV for anything else they wanted to take.

She glanced around. He didn’t have much. The place was small, and she doubted he was particularly attached to the furniture or knickknacks. The idea they might not return at all was never far from her mind. She wondered if he was having the same thoughts.

She didn’t want to interrupt him. Most likely he was in an extremely stressful environment having to defend himself to his pack and searching for answers. She was relieved she never made it to her own family’s brewery. It might have pushed her over the edge.

Her leg bounced up and down as she glanced at her watch for the millionth time. It was three o’clock. It had also been a while since she heard from Alton. She considered her options and decided she would get a head start and leave town without him.

“Alton? Do you have sec?”

“Yeah, baby. I’m so sorry. Time keeps getting away from me. I feel like police in an interrogation room.”

“I’m sure. Sorry you have to deal with that. Do you mind if I start driving? I’ll head toward Calgary and find someplace between here and there to stop for the night.”

He chuckled into her mind. “Is my apartment lonely without me?”

“This entire town is giving me the heebie-jeebies. I feel like I’m suffocating.”

“Go ahead, then. I’ll catch up. I’m trying to wrap things up now. But it might take me a few more hours.”

“Okay. I’ll let you know where I decide to stop and get us a room.”

“Love you.”

“Love you too.” Relieved, she stood and headed for the door. The idea of getting on the road and putting some distance between herself and the insanity that was her family’s rivalry helped her breathe easier. As soon as she was totally out of town, she would relax her shoulders and inhale fully.