I set my elbows on the steering wheel and looked out the windshield, unseeing. “My wolf found our mate, but she’s human.”
I left out the part that she’d fooled me, that she was a liar. That wasn’t part of this. It was about the wolf’s connection to another.
“Human,” she replied, surprised.
I blew out my breath. “Yeah, you can see why that’s a problem. If your dad wants you matched to an alpha, you can see that my pack wants me to be matched to another wolf.”
“You don’t want me then,” she said, without the least bit of upset in her voice.
I shook my head. “And you don’t want me.”
“You know what we should do?” she asked. “We go out there and tell everyone we found our mates.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s going to go over like a lead balloon.”
“So? Don’t you want to be happy?”
Happiness.
Happiness was out of fucking reach for me. Fate made sure of that when she paired me with a lying human. “I’m alpha,” I said more sternly than I meant to. “My needs and happiness come second to my pack.”
“That’s not fair,” she countered.
I started the truck and turned it around to head back. “One thing you’ll learn with age is that life sure as fuck isn’t fair. Where’s your mate now?”
If I couldn’t have my mate, it didn’t mean Kara couldn’t be happy with hers.
“On his pack land.”
“I’ll summon him here and arrange the mating myself. As alpha, I can see it done.”
Her mouth fell open, and I remembered when Natalie had done the same thing. All I’d thought about at the time was what my dick would look like with those full lips around it. With Kara, I thought nothing of the sort.
“Really?”
I reached over and gave her hand a squeeze. “You found your mate. Nothing should keep you apart.”
I let go, then rubbed the ache in my chest. My words rang true for everyone…but me.
I wouldn’t have Kara, although she seemed to be a strong, kind, smart woman. She’d make an excellent alpha mate, but she didn’t belong to me. And honestly, I wouldn’t have her.
My wolf wanted Nat—Willow—even though I’d known all along I couldn’t have her. Her duplicity was the perfect excuse I needed to steer clear. She’d do her job and go home, wherever the fuck that was.
I’d had fun. My wolf had had some fun times. Enough to carry us over until the moon madness finished us. I’d just ensure the alpha line was secure before that happened.
24
WILLOW
I marched to the end of the Shefield property and split the barbed wire to step between it.
Rob and I had repaired the fence where the bull came through, but I had yet to confront Markle about it. I’d been saving it as an excuse to be on his property at some point. And truthfully? I’d been too wrapped up in spending time with Rob for the last week to use that excuse.
Now? It was time.
I’d wasted a week, but now I was back on the job.
Except the time hadn’t been wasted. It had been everything I needed to live. Now it was all gone. Returning to the life I had before Rob felt like jumping in a lake with cement shoes on.
Nothing could be done about that.
I’d hurt him. He wasn’t going to forgive me. Even if he did, I couldn’t stay. I had a job back in Phoenix. Or wherever I went on assignment next.
Except that thought made the brick in the pit of my stomach sink even deeper.
I walked toward Markle’s barn and stable, keeping a wary eye out for that damn bull, in case Markle had moved it again. I couldn’t decide if he’d put it on my property to scare me or as revenge for dating Rob.
I saw the young ranch hand come out of the stable. Jack, if I remembered correctly.
“Hi!” I made my voice bright and friendly and waved with a smile when he looked over.
God, I used to love playing this part—the sexy girl next door asking for a cup of sugar. This time, it turned my stomach.
I didn’t want to live a lie any more.
I didn’t want to do it ever again.
Which meant… my life had been completely blown to smithereens.
“Hi!” The young ranch hand walked over and tipped his hat. “Mr. Markle isn’t around right now.”
“Oh, okay. Maybe you can help me. The other day, I found his bull on my property.”
The young man’s eyes widened. “Oh no.”
“Yeah, it scared the bejeezus out of me. Lucky for me it wandered back, but I was wondering if you knew how it got over to my side of the fence?” I laughed gently. “I mean, it didn’t fly over.”
Jack took his hat off and scratched his head. “No ma’am, I don’t. I’m sorry. I will check all the fences right away.”