Did I want her? Images of her flooded my brain. Fucking herself with the dildo. Pointing a gun at my chest—both times. Her bright smile. The tears that ran down her face when she confessed her lie.
“Yes,” I admitted. “Fuck, yes.”
“Then get her. Who gives a shit about Nathan and the others? We’re better off with him out of the pack. If your wolf says you have a human mate, then that’s the way it is.”
“What about pups? They won’t be able to shift.” I glanced at Boyd because Audrey was going to have a half-human, half-shifter pup in a few months. Who probably couldn’t shift.
“What about an asteroid hitting the planet? You can’t plan for everything, just like you never expected to find your mate next door.”
Were they right? Was I being a dumbass? My wolf thought so. Now that I was sober, or on the way to getting there, it was pushing me to go after Natalie. Willow. To make her mine. To grovel until she forgave me. Until she let me bite her and make her mine.
Human or not.
“I’m going,” I said. The moment I decided, my wolf perked up. Energy returned to my body, and the hangover instantly faded.
I stepped out the front door, only to find three cars pulling in our drive. “Aw, fuck.”
Boyd, Colton and Clint followed me out to see what had made me curse and added a few of their own.
It was Nathan Brown and his Madison Range kin, along with a half dozen of my pack’s elders.
I stood on the porch and waited. I was still their fucking alpha, even if they did want to commit mutiny. Colton, Boyd and Clint flanked me.
Art Grayback, one of the pack elders who cozied up with Nathan, stalked toward me, looking angry. “You mated the she-wolf intended for you to another male.”
I nodded. “She made her choice,” I said calmly. “And she didn’t choose me.”
Art crossed his arms over his chest. “Who did you choose then?”
I looked back at him evenly. Yeah, I had a fuck-ton of problems, but I was still alpha. I couldn’t show weakness of any kind. “I haven’t mated yet.”
“Rumor has it you’re interested in that new neighbor of yours. A human.” He sneered, as if human was a bad word.
If it were the new moon, I might’ve been able to keep my cool. But we were approaching full, which meant my temper—especially when it came to my mate—ran hot. I stalked down the steps and grabbed a fistful of his shirt. “That’s right. My wolf has chosen a human for a mate. Do you have something to say about it?”
Art paled and tried to push free. “Now listen here—”
“No. I’m done listening. I’ve listened. I’ve considered. I’ve made my choice. The human is mine. If you want to defect to the Madison Range pack and be with the others, be my guest. My brothers and I will be staying here in Cooper Valley. With or without the rest of you.” I released him, giving him a shove backward. “Make your choice.” I gave every male there my fiercest stare. “Right now. And know, all of you—if you walk away today, you’re not coming back.”
Nathan gave a mirthless laugh. “You just killed our pack, Rob Wolf. Now there won’t be anyone to carry your line to the next generation. No alpha to lead. Whether the pack members leave now or in twenty years makes no difference. The pack dies with you.” He spit on the ground. “What a fucking waste.”
One by one, the wolves got back in their cars and drove away.
I didn’t fucking care.
Fate sent me a human. That was who I was claiming.
If she’d have me.
I started jogging down the path toward her house. I need to fix things between us. And it couldn’t wait another fucking minute.
26
WILLOW
I watched Markle’s place from the master bedroom window all evening. His fancy pickup truck had been gone all afternoon. My guess was he’d gone to pick up the drugs from wherever Murrieta dropped them. I didn’t take Markle for the kind of guy to go pick up drugs. It was beneath a billionaire to get his hands dirty. But he was the minion now. Murrieta’s mule. Literally. Unfortunately, we didn’t know about that angle of the operation, but if we got Markle in cuffs and in an interrogation room, we’d be able to get the details. Especially if we had him with the drugs. To Murrieta, Markle was a little fish. As for Markle, he only cared about himself, and if he could finagle any kind of deal with the DEA, I figured he’d squeal like a pig.
I kicked myself for not seeing him leave, so I could tail him, but so long as I got him with the drugs now, we were in business.