Winter was with Daphne all the time. At night, she slept in her room and he wasn’t big enough of a bastard to stop her from caring.
“Back to the wood chopping again.” Lucas appeared in front of him.
“It’s good for the muscles,” he said.
“What’s going on?”
“You tell me. Does the pack want my blood?”
Lucas chuckled. “Not from the last time I checked. You’ve got a lot of jealous women who want to know what the human’s got that they haven’t.”
“I’m not interested in them.”
“I told them she’s more interested in you than running the pack. We all know any wolf female who catches your eye is hoping for a place at your side,” Lucas said. “Speaking of humans, how is yours?”
He didn’t say a word as he brought the axe back down and sliced through a thick piece.
“That bad, huh?”
He chopped up another slice of wood.
“I don’t suppose you’ve told her about the baby?”
Again, more silence.
“I know you consider yourself a badass alpha, and I really do appreciate it. We all do, but you’ve got to start seeing the value of actually talking. It’ll be good for you,” Lucas said. “I’m a friend, here. I haven’t come as a beta or to try to convince you to get rid of the woman or the baby.”
He finished slicing through the wood and looked at Lucas. “Winter won’t talk to me right now.”
“Why not?”
“We had sex. I was her first. Then we dealt with Daphne. End of discussion.”
“And your dick is wanting to take her out for another test drive.”
“I don’t talk about this with anyone,” Rocko said.
“I’m getting the sense you’re not used to women, Rocko.”
“I’ve had my fair share of women, Lucas. Be careful.” He grabbed another piece of wood, lifted the axe, and brought it down.
“You’re the one who’s having women trouble, not me.”
“Have you ever been with a virgin?” he asked.
“No.”
“Then you can’t help me.” He’d finished chopping wood. He was bored and needed to clear his head, so he made his way toward the perimeter.
“If you want my advice, I’d say you need to get home early enough to spend time with Daphne and in turn, Winter.”
“I didn’t ask for your advice.”
“I’m going to give it regardless. Winter clearly loves Daphne. You can see it. She was willing to be shot at to protect her. That’s your way into Winter’s heart.”
“I’m not wanting her to fall in love with me,” he said.
“So it’s the sex you want.”
Rocko paused, tensed up. The scent in the air was different.
Lucas stopped talking.
Slowly, he edged toward the clearing.
The fence showed no signs of being tampered with, but he smelled something.
“Call ahead to the security feeds. I want to see the footage for the last twenty-four hours.” He checked the trees and saw the cameras were working.
Lucas was already on it.
Rocko breathed in the scent. It was male and human.
“They’re ready,” Lucas said.
Heading back to the main town, he ignored the glares of his men and the looks from the women as he entered the security building. No one acknowledged him as he made his way to the main floor, and there was Brian. He bowed his head, showing his respect.
He turned to Lucas. “I want you to alert the men who have shown me disrespect. From this point onward, I will see any signs as a direct challenge, and I will fight every single one of them.”
“On it.”
He sat in the main chair as Brian sat down beside him. “Who manned this desk over the last twenty-four hours?” he asked.
“I’ve got the logs. I can check.”
“Do it.”
He found the camera he was searching for. Twenty-four hours, he slowly began to forward the footage, paying close attention to the feed as Brian pulled up the relevant information.
“I would really appreciate it if you would be at my and Amber’s wedding,” Brian said.
“I’ll be there.”
Brian cleared his throat.
Rocko focused on the screen. “Speak clearly, Brian. I’m not in the habit of playing guessing games. Tell me what it is you want, and I will see if I can fix it.”
“I know some of the pack do not agree to what you’ve done, taking in a human female, and then of course using a nanny from one of our captives, but I would like for you to invite them.”
Rocko paused and looked over at Brian. “She isn’t my mate.”
“But she’s important to you. You’re protecting her from her own and from the pack. A wedding is a good place to show your intentions.”
“Brian, my intention with the nanny is to fuck her. She won’t be my mate.”
“Still, what about your daughter? Daphne, I believe her name is. I just want to say that I think it’s a good thing. I was worried you had no compassion in you.”
“You’re worried that I’m not weak enough?” Rocko asked.