Terr4tory (11 page)

 
Chapter 20

“Maybe not so much next time,” Willa offered before asking, “Were there any young females in your old pack?  Did you have any little nieces or younger sisters?”

Barron growled and dropped the wrench he’d been using to change the spark plugs in Willa’s car.

“You undermining me?”  He asked without any bite as he squared his shoulders and smirked at her.

It’d been three weeks since he’d chased Delano away, and each night was spent in Willa’s bed.  It had been exquisite, but he could still sense her hesitancy to accept what was happening between them.

“I’m not.”  Willa shook her head, looking contrite.  “Seriously,” she shoved her hands in her pockets.  “I’m not trying to undermine you, I’m just…trying to help.”

“By busting my balls?”

Her cheeks reddened.  “I wasn’t.” She turned to walk away but he caught her elbow, pulling her to him.  She’d been hovering over him the past few days, watching his interaction with the pack, the girls in particular.  Apparently, today she didn’t approve of the amount of money he’d given Becca and Sarya as their allowance.

“What’s this all about then?  The twenty questions, the close guard?”

Willa’s eyes lifted to his.  “I just know what it’s like is all.”

“What
what
is like?”

When she suddenly looked embarrassed, he decided he really needed to know.

As usual, when she was saying something she felt was particularly difficult to get out, she looked anywhere but at him.  This time, her gaze disappeared off to his side somewhere.

“The problem with being Alpha,” she swallowed hard, “with being the strongest, is that no one ever asks if you need help.  No one ever asks if you’re ok.”  She shook her head. “I just thought…”

He smiled.  “You just thought you’d give me what you would want in the same position.”

Her eyes cut to his and she jerked out of his hold.  “We’re not talking about me.”

He stepped closer, forcing her to have to tilt her head back to look up at him.  “Aren’t we?”  Unable to stop himself, he lifted a hand and cupped her cheek.  She tried to step back, but he caught her hip and held her still.  “Willa, if while I’m here there’s ever a time when you feel you need my help…”

She turned her head away from his hand.  “I don’t.”

Her stubbornness infuriated him, but try as she might, she couldn’t hide her protector’s soul from him.  He saw now what she’d been trying to do.  She’d been trying to take care of him.

Grabbing her chin, he bent as he turned her face to his.  He kept lowering his head until their noses touched and never once did he take his eyes from hers.  “I want you to know that I
see
you.”

Her lips parted and she inhaled sharply, her body going tense.

Barron’s eyes darkened as his wolf neared the surface and he repeated more quietly, “I see you, Willa.”

She tried to pull away again, but he’d had enough.  Standing tall, he pulled her flush against his body.  “Now, tell me what it is you’re trying to get at with all this protective crap?  Does it seem like I’m failing to you?”

Shit!
  She hadn’t thought he’d take it that way.

His arms tightened.  He scented her guilt and smiled inwardly knowing he could use the emotion to get her to confess.  A little of his own guilt bit at him, but he shoved it back.  Sometimes Willa was too damn stubborn to come to him willingly for what she needed.  It was only when she felt as if
she’d
offended
him
that he could see her plans clearly.  “Tell me, Willa.”

“I just wondered,” she looked away from him.  “If it could work like that.”

“If what could work.”

She shrugged negligently. “Since we’re playing house.  I thought it’d be nice to see if two Alpha’s could share the burden.  Help each other out where they can.  I’ve never seen it work that way, but...”

He smiled at the blush on her cheeks.  “You want to know if it’s possible for a male and female to share the lead?”

“No!” Her angry eyes snapped to his.  “It’s not about the lead.  It’s about the burden.”  She shoved at his arms. “I wanted to know if a male and female could
help
each other.  If they could find a happy middle ground where they’re both equally as valuable to the pack, equally respected.”

“No.”  His tone turned serious and had her stilling her attempts to escape.  “They can’t.”

Under the veil of her sooty lashes, she tried to hide the regret that flooded her, but Barron grabbed her chin and forced her head up, his eyes colliding with hers.

“An Alpha female will never be equal to an Alpha male because she’s worth so much more.  The female is the heart of the pack, Willa.  The male is just the fist.”  He dropped his hand to grab one of hers before lifting it to his lips and kissing her knuckles.  “A body can survive without a fist, without a hand, but it’d die without its heart.”  He smiled. “You’re worth ten of me, Willa Hutchinson.”  Suddenly, he released her and turned back to his work.  “And don’t get it twisted.  It is I, who am trying to live up to you.  Thank you for sharing your pack with me.  I’ll try to be more…
suitable.
”

Willa stood staring at his back, dumbfounded.  Why did he always know the perfect thing to say?
Does he rehearse this? 
Impossible.  He’d had no idea she’d approach him with her veiled attempt at seeing if they could actually make it work.

Turning to leave, she stopped and turned back to him.  She couldn’t leave it like that.  He vowed to try and be more suitable, but that’s not what she was after.  “Barron?”

He pulled his head from under the hood of the car and stood tall. “Yes, beautiful?”

“You’re more than suitable for this pack.”  She swallowed hard. “And
I
thank you for protecting this pack, for protecting
me
.”

His gaze bored into hers.

“A false claiming isn’t an easy thing for anyone to endure, and I…  I want you to know that I recognize that, and I appreciate you going through the effort it takes to take us on and to not make me feel…
sullied
for my choice.  I’m grateful for all you’ve done, and when the time comes for you to go, if there’s ever anything I can do…”  She lowered her gaze to kick at a rock distractedly before lifting her head and locking eyes with him.  “Well, I am in your debt, Alpha Kane.”

The corner of his mouth barely lifted, and he nodded once.  It was all the cue Willa needed to turn and hurry back to the house as anguish surged through her.  She didn’t want to talk of Barron leaving, because she didn’t want him to go.  The past four weeks he’d been with the pack had been the most enjoyable four weeks of her life.  The pack had taken to Barron, and she had to admit that, despite her best intentions, she’d taken to him as well.

Making her way up the front steps, she smiled weakly at Cortez and Keryn as they hurried from the house with towels slung over their shoulders.

“We’ll be at the swimming hole, Phina.”

She nodded at Cortez’s announcement, too distressed to speak.  Once in the house, she set about busying herself making dinner.  Tonight they’d barbecue, and tomorrow she’d talk to Barron about when he intended to leave.  The subject would have to be broached soon.  It had been three weeks with no more challenges, and despite how much she yearned to keep him around, she knew that the longer he stayed, the harder it would be on the kids.  Tears flooded her eyes as she pulled eggs, chicken, pickles, and mayo from the fridge. 
Damn kids!  They should’ve known better than to get too attached.
  She sniffed as she lifted a delicate hand to the mate mark on her neck.

Chapter 21

Dinner was fabulous.  Barbecued chicken was accompanied by creamy potato salad, baked beans, cheese-flavored tortilla chips, and strawberry shortcake for dessert.  Over the time that Barron had been with them, Willa found that she’d enjoyed cooking more than ever.  Perhaps it was because Barron attacked everything she prepared with such manly appreciation that she felt proud of her culinary skills.  Regardless of the reason, she found herself carefully planning each meal and discovering nearly as much appreciation for Barron’s reaction as he apparently found in each meal.

After dinner, the kids hurried out back for a game of volleyball at the new net Barron had purchased and set up earlier that day.  He’d taken all three boys and gone into town that morning for what he’d said was a trip to buy spark plugs.  He’d returned with enough groceries to feed the pack for a month and the volleyball set.  It wasn’t the first time he’d bought groceries either.  No, he’d snuck into town early one morning and when he returned he’d brought some things for dinner and the following morning’s breakfast.  What had really shocked Willa though were the receipts he’d produced that showed he’d paid her gas, electricity, and car insurance for five full months.

“I call first serve!” Becca yelled as the pack disappeared out into the warm summer’s evening.

Willa smiled and stood, picking up an empty plate as Barron crossed to the fridge and grabbed two cold bottles of beer.  “That’ll wait.”

Her eyes lifted to his in question as he held out one of the beers.  “Come on, let’s go for a walk.”

Eyeing the table, Willa decided there’d be no harm in letting the dinner dishes wait.  Accepting the beer, she preceded him out the front door and waited at the top step.  Barron laced his fingers with hers as if it were the most natural thing in the world before he led her toward the woods.

Because they were away from the city, the crickets’ chirping seemed louder, the stars seemed brighter, the moon fuller.  Willa could feel anticipation flaring within.  Her wolf was anxious.  The she-wolf wanted to play with her mate, but Willa had to keep reminding them both that Barron wasn’t really theirs.

Barron broke into her reverie.  “Dinner was…sensational.”

She smiled warmly.  “I’m glad you liked you.”

“Why weren’t you mated, Willa?”

The smile left her eyes so suddenly that he wanted to punch himself in the nuts.

“I…” she shrugged.  “I didn’t have time.  I was helping Garner bring kids in, and then he got sick.  It left me caring for him and the pack while still trying to work to pay the bills.”

“Did you have offers?”  He felt like an ass when her cheeks flushed with the tell-tale sign that no males had been interested.  “Fucking fools!” he hissed, squeezing her hand tighter.  “You’re a phenomenal cook, an outstanding den mother, an exceptional Alpha, and an exquisite mate.”  He grinned down at her and winked.  “Stupid bastards, but lucky me.”

“Lucky you,” she mimicked, then tacked on more quietly, “for now.”

He stopped suddenly and bent in front of her.  She watched his shoulders bunch and flex as he knelt in the moonlight to pick her a wildflower that was growing near the path they were walking.  Still kneeling, he turned and held it up to her with a smile.  Willa’s heart soared.  He was the perfect mate.  Considerate, patient, strong. Hell, she’d never met a more impressive man or wolf in her whole life.  With him kneeling before her, she thought of his wolf.  The magnificent beast was large and intimidating, yet beautiful.  For a moment, she envisioned his wolf stalking prey under a full moon and knew instantly that he was a creature of the night, born for hunting under the veil of darkness.

Barron rose to his full height.  “We should talk.”

Willa’s belly dropped. 
Here it comes.

“It’s been several weeks and there have been no more challenges.”

Willa nodded numbly, trying to brace herself for the impact.

“And I think we should address where we’re going from here.”

No!
  Pasting on a steely façade Willa forced herself to stay put, to keep from flinging herself into Barron’s arms and begging him to stay.

When Barron’s head snapped to the side, Willa realized she hadn’t even heard the rapidly approaching slap of feet on packed earth until they were nearly face-to-face with a puffing Cortez.

“S-Stranger!”  He exclaimed, bending over to rest his hands on his knees and huffing again, “Stranger!”

Barron snarled and took off at a breakneck pace toward the house, and for the first time since the whole mess had started, Willa was glad that a challenger had come.

***

Willa shifted and raced for the house, her white wolf a blur in the darkness of the woods.  Following her lead, Cortez shifted as well and raced to catch up.

When Willa hit the edge of the tree line, she was startled to find Barron embracing another, slightly smaller, male.  Three other shifters were with the male, and all were smiling and talking excitedly.  Cautiously, Willa approached.

“Willa,” Barron boomed happily.  “This is my brother, Evander.”

Evander bowed his head in a show of respect.  “Pleasure to see you again, Alpha Hutchinson.”

Barron motioned toward the male he’d just been embracing then gestured toward the others.  “This is his mate, Bethany, his Beta, Weston, and Weston’s mate, Charin.”

The elation at the prospect of a few more weeks with Barron vanished.  There would be no more challengers, and his brother had come to collect him.

Unwilling to shift in front of strangers, Willa nodded by way of introduction and then motioned with her head toward the house.  Barron nodded once, showing he understood that she was going inside to shift and dress.  It was widely known to shifters in the south and the east that wolves of the northwest had the ability to regenerate clothing with their shifts.  It was a gift that was lost the further from the source a shifter lived.

Cortez had none of Willa’s modesty and shifted where he stood.

As Willa entered the house she heard Evander laugh.  “Christ, brother.  Teach your pack to generate clothing.  What are you doing out here?  Living like barbarians?”

Everyone laughed, but Willa’s hackles rose.  She shifted just inside the door, just out of sight of their guests.  Keryn, Sarya, Becca, and Jase were standing behind Arden who had his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.  “Challengers?” he all but growled.

Willa smiled, seized by a moment of pride in her little Alpha-in-training.  “No.  Barron’s pack.”

They were the wrong words.  Sarya instantly burst into tears.  “Is he going home?”

Jase teared up too, and Willa had nothing to offer in way of comfort.  She had no doubt that Evander and his pack had come to take Barron home.  “Wait here,” she commanded as she hurried up the stairs to change.  It only took a few moments to pull on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.  When she came back downstairs, her brave little pack were all clearly fighting to hold back their emotions.  She smiled reassuringly, feeling none of it herself.  “Be strong, babies.  Let’s be grateful for what we had.”  Then she led the pack outside.

Descending the front steps, Barron and his packs conversation halted.  Willa saw Barron tense before he quickly crossed to her, eyeing the pack behind her.

“What’s wrong?”

Willa shook her head once, unable to put voice to her and the pack’s fears.  Instead, she side-stepped Barron.  “Alpha Kane,” she addressed Evander.  “Let me introduce you to my pack.”  She turned to Cortez.  “I assume you’ve already met my Beta.”

Evander chuffed a laugh.  “That we have.”

“Good.” Willa lowered her voice, even though everyone could hear as she directed Cortez to go inside and get dressed.  “This is the rest of my pack.”  She turned.  “This is Arden.”  She watched as the boy scowled up at the Alpha.  “He’s just coming into his Alphahood.  Please, take no offense.”

Evander smiled and nodded to Arden.  “I know what it’s like.  I’m sure he’ll make a fine Alpha one day.”

Barron appeared at her side and placed both hands on her shoulders, taking over introductions.  “The blond bombshell is Keryn.  The fiery little redhead is Sarya, and the brunette beauty is Becca.  And this,” he released Willa and crossed to hoist a still-sad Jase up into his arms.  “Is my little man, Jase.”

“Pleasure to meet you all.” Evander turned to introduce his pack, but didn’t get the chance when Jase suddenly bellowed, “We don’t want you here.  Leave!”

“Jase!”  Willa’s eyes rounded in shock as embarrassment flooded her.  It was no way to treat visiting Alphas, and certainly not ones who’d sent them aid.

“Hey,” Barron chuckled as he bounced the boy up and down soothingly.  “They’re not challengers, buddy.  No one’s here to hurt the pack or Willa.”

“THEY ARE!”  Jase shouted, and began kicking his legs wildly until Barron placed him on the ground and dropped to a knee.

“Buddy, what’s wrong?”

By this time, Jase was all-out crying and Sarya followed suit.

“Barron…” Willa began, hoping to explain, but Jase wouldn’t be stopped.

“They’re gonna ruin our pack!”  Then he turned and raced for the house with Sarya and Becca fast on his heels.

“My apologies.” Willa offered, turning to Barron to whisper, “I’m sorry.”  As she turned to go after the kids she stopped and looked at Keryn and Cortez.  “Get our guests fed and situated.”

When she went to take a step, Barron gripped her arm. “Willa?  What in the hell is going on?”

She didn’t want to have to explain in front of Evander and his pack, and it wasn’t out of embarrassment at her pack’s antics.  No, she was worried that she too would burst into tears and cause a scene.  “Later,” she whispered, thankful that her voice didn’t break as she pulled from Barron’s grip and hurried into the house.