He picked up a photo of his mate and his daughter together. It looked like they were at a carnival. Eliza's face was painted and she was holding a balloon. He closed his eyes and tried to sense them.
He felt like they were about an hour away. Why would she have left town? If she was in danger, wouldn't she have come to him? Had he done something to drive her away? What could have happened between now and then? Had Sutton said something to her?
A sick realization came over him. Did she think he was spying for her brother?
He had to find her. She wasn't going to answer his calls. She was just going to disappear. He had to explain to her that he wanted to be her partner, not her Alpha.
He got in his car and drove. She must have already crossed on the ferry. He did the same, itching to get out and run. But if she was driving, then he needed to be as well. Finally, he caught up with her. He tried sending her messages telepathically, through their bond. It wasn't something they'd ever done before as it was generally considered bad form to try to intrude on another shifter without their consent.
But he was desperate.
"Everleigh! Whatever happened it's not what you think. Please give me a chance to explain."
Since they weren't officially mated, and they had never strengthened the bond, he doubted that his message would come through word for word. But he hoped desperately that the sentiment behind it would. He needed her to understand that he would never again do anything to hurt her. It was going to be a hard sell, especially since he had harmed her so completely last time. But he wasn't going to give up.
There she was. She was at a playground. Eliza was on the monkey bars, her favorite. Hanging upside down as usual. "Roman!" she yelled.
Suddenly, Everleigh was in front of daughter, blocking her. "I told you I want you to keep playing. I am going to speak to Roman alone."
Her eyes were wild. She was clutching a basket with her sleeping cat inside.
To him she hissed, "Do not go near Eliza."
He took a step back. Something had obviously happened. Some horrible misunderstanding. He just hoped he'd get the chance to explain and make up for whatever it was.
She pointed to him. "You go sit on that bench. I need to make sure you can't move quickly."
He did as she said.
He was an Alpha wolf – if he wanted to move quickly, he could. But if it would make her feel better, he wouldn’t do it. "Everleigh, whatever has happened, someone has lied to you or I've miscommunicated, because I was on my way back to –"
She cut him off. "Why were you talking to my brother about me? Why?"
He would have to tell her the truth, even though it made him look bad. "Five years ago, I let your brother influence me. He was very against the idea of us having a relationship. Because of my own traditional pack rules, I agreed with him. I was wrong. I never should have let anyone else influence me. I will regret that every day for the rest of my life. But I also vowed not to make that same mistake again. I love you and I don't want anyone to come between us."
"That sounds very nice. Now tell me the truth. Were you watching me for my brother? He can't stand it that he can't control me."
"That's how it started out. I went to visit your brother as I do every year. We keep in touch. We always have. It's always bothered him that there was a rift between the two of you. I know it's his fault, but it bothered him. The last time I went to see him, he was extremely agitated, and I asked him what was wrong. He told me he'd come to find you, but that when he arrived, you had a daughter,” Roman said.
“So when I heard about you, I was struck with the impulse to come find you. He asked me to let him know who the father was. But as soon as I saw you, I knew that I could never do that. I didn't know I was her father yet, but I didn't tell your brother anything about your life. Not one damned thing. I haven't answered his calls or his texts. You can check my phone. You can get the phone records. I will do anything I need to do to prove to you that I was wrong."
She seemed to deflate. "You didn't tell him anything?"
"No. Why did you leave?"
"Because my brother got it in his head that my daughter and I should be in his pack. He even mentioned taking her back to the clan against my will. Obviously, I cannot let that happen. I would do anything to protect her."
He sat there with his mouth open. "I had no idea. I can't defend that. I would never ever try to take a child from her mother." He didn't think Sutton would either, but he certainly wasn't going to defend him at that moment. "That's inexcusable."
"I don't think he meant it," she said. "But I couldn't take that chance."
"I don't blame you. You shouldn't have to think like that. You're trying to raise your daughter and you’re doing a phenomenal job. Your brother doesn't get a say in that.”
“He is an entitled asshole. I'm never going to forgive him for this,” Everleigh said.
"I actually talked to him earlier today," Roman admitted.
"You did? Did you tell him I'd left?" Her eyes widened.