Authors: Susan Bliler
Chapter 12
Back at the house, Willa busied herself by briefing the pack. Challengers were coming ahead of schedule; therefore, no one was to leave the territory for any reason. She didn’t want any Alphas getting their hands on a member of her pack. The last thing she needed was to be forced into acquiescence because some asshole had leverage.
After she had briefed the pack, they’d hurried into the living room, no doubt dying to get details of the battle from Cortez and Keryn. While she half-listened to the exaggerated retelling of the battle, she paced the kitchen, waiting for Barron to return.
She desperately wanted to check Barron’s wounds and talk to him. What was the motivation behind his claim? Was he helping? Was he challenging for her territory? Was it a fluke, something just blurted out? She stopped pacing to stare out the window, wondering if Barron had realized, post-fight, that he’d bitten off more than he could chew when he’d lied for her.
Is he already gone?
The thought was jarring. Barron could very easily have simply walked away. Despite the hollow feeling produced by the thought of Barron leaving them, Willa couldn’t blame him.
Worried now that he’d simply left, Willa hurried to the door. She opened it just as Barron stepped onto the porch.
“Barron!” She couldn’t help the surprise that laced her tone.
Apparently, he heard it too, because he flashed a lopsided grin. “You sound surprised to see me. Did you think I bled out in the woods?”
“No, I…” She didn’t want to admit that she’d thought he’d left them. And when the pack rushed from the living room, she didn’t have to.
“BARRON!” Sarya yelled. As she raced from the house to fling herself into Barron’s arms, Willa couldn’t help but notice that it looked like she’d been crying.
“Easy.” Barron laughed as he hugged the girl, then set her back on the porch. “Miss me?”
“We were worried!” Sarya swiped at her cheeks.
“Yeah.” Jase stepped around her and held his arms up, evoking another smile from Barron who complied with the silent demand by hoisting the boy up onto his shoulders. “Cortez said you won, but we were scared you got mad and left.”
Willa watched Barron’s expression closely. The children’s worries mirrored her own, and she was hoping to tell by Barron’s reaction whether he’d entertained the idea of simply walking away.
Dark brows furrowed and he frowned at the pack, slapping a hand to his chest in mock offense. “You wound me, kids.” He lifted Jase off his shoulders and set him on the porch before bending to look at him. “I would never leave without saying goodbye.”
As one, the pack sucked in a breath. Willa’s heart plummeted and when Barron whispered an “Aww shit!” she followed his line of sight to see Sarya, Jase, and Becca on the verge of tears.
“I’m not saying goodbye now!” he quickly amended, holding up his hands. “I’m not leaving.”
Jase smiled through his tears and leaned forward, wrapping his tiny arms around Barron’s massive shoulders. “Good, Alpha.”
Willa barely caught Jase’s whispered, “Cuz we need you.”
Great!
Her own throat clogged with emotion, and she blinked rapidly to dispel the tears that flooded her eyes before she coughed. “Okay. Everyone back inside. I need to get Barron cleaned up.”
Everyone shuffled back inside except for Arden, who stalled on the porch to cross his arms and stare up at Barron. “Cortez says you protected the Phina.”
Barron nodded, his eyes narrowing on the boy.
“Thank you.” Arden thrust his hand forward and Barron’s lips twitched before he solemnly accepted the proffered hand and shook.
Arden turned and went inside, but when Willa made to follow, Barron caught her. His hands gripping her hips, he turned her to face him. “You alright?”
Delicate brows shot up as green eyes rounded in incredulity. “
Me
?” She shook her head in disbelief. “You’re the one who…”
Barron’s finger over her full pink lips silenced her. Her breath caught as his gaze roamed up and down her frame.
“My wolf needs to know that you’re okay, Willa.” His eyes met hers. “Indulge him.”
“I’m…I’m fine.” She assured and lifted her arms to turn in a full circle, allowing both Barron and his wolf to scan her. When she turned to face him again, Barron had visibly relaxed and she wondered at that. Was it possible that the thought of her injured was so distressing to him? Her eyes slid down to his ripped and blood-soaked clothes. “My turn.” She turned and held the screen door open before pointing inside with her free hand. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.”
Barron smiled, and when he crossed in front of her, he stopped and turned to stare down at her. No words, no actions. He simply stared.
Willa’s breath caught, and she couldn’t help but wonder what he was looking at. What he was looking for. She wanted to ask, but his gaze held her captive, and for long moments they stood in the doorway simply staring at each other.
Sarya’s sudden screech had Willa blinking and shaking herself from her reverie as the girl raced into the kitchen and stopped to protest, “Phina! Jase has a grasshopper in the living room!”
“Do not!” Jase bellowed from the other room.
Rolling her eyes, Willa smirked conspiratorially at Barron. “An Alpha’s job is never done.”
He returned the smile and lifted a hand to hold the door over Willa’s head before ushering her in ahead of him and speaking loudly enough to be heard in the other room. “JASE. NO BUGS IN THE HOUSE.”
Jase’s response held none of the disappointment Willa had expected as he shouted with a smile in his voice, “OKAY!”
Willa grinned, but her heart contracted painfully. Why did it feel so natural to have Barron here, interacting with her pack? They were becoming too attached, and it was frightening. It was too soon after Garner’s death for the young ones to get attached only to have to say good-bye. The thought was disturbing. Part of her wanted to demand that Barron leave immediately, but another part wanted to drop to her knees and beg him to stay.
Inside the kitchen, she settled Barron at the table and disappeared upstairs to find the first aid kit. Alone in her bathroom, she stared at her reflection. She looked…stricken. And why wouldn’t she? She’d nearly been claimed by an outsider, and had another declaring she was his. Squatting, she hurriedly rummaged under the sink and pulled out the bright yellow first aid kit before hurrying back downstairs.
Back at the table she worked quietly to remove Barron’s shirt and clean his wounds. There weren’t many, but the ones he did have were vicious, and left her feeling compelled to apologize. Like a coward, she waited until she got to his back to say the words.
“I’m sorry, Barron.”
His reply was swift. “None of this was your fault.”
She rolled her eyes. Of course it was. It was
all
her fault, but she wouldn’t argue it with him. She had more pressing concerns. Like… “What are your plans, Barron?”
“I’ve just battled for you, Alpha Hutchinson.” He smirked over his shoulder. “In case you missed it, I won. Now, I plan to keep you.”
Chapter 13
The adrenaline from battle still buzzed through Barron’s blood, but not as violently as it had earlier. Earlier, he’d had to literally force his hands to stay fisted at his sides to keep from taking the rights afforded him by his victory. Other Alpha’s could fool themselves, but Barron wasn’t disillusioned for a second. Willa was the true reward, not her territory. He knew her head had to be spinning after his declaration in the woods, and he still found it difficult to be around her. Something about his declaration that she was his rang true and had his wolf itching to prove it, but he could scent her anxiety as she returned with the first aid kit, her actions jerky with unease and stress.
“What are your plans, Barron?”
He smirked at the question.
That’s my Willa. Straight to the point.
“I’ve just battled for you, Alpha Hutchinson.” He smirked at her over his shoulder. “In case you missed it, I won. Now, I plan to keep you.”
The response was meant to be playful, to lighten the mood. It didn’t.
Willa’s mouth fell open and she paled.
Shit!
He wanted her, but not like this. “Easy, gorgeous.” He got up from his seat and turned to face her. Her body instantly tensed, and he could tell she was fighting the urge to step away from him when he stepped closer to her. “I’m not taking anything without it being offered.” He dropped his hand, his eyes softening. “So. How do we make this work?” He was relieved when some of her color came back.
“What work?”
“Us. The favor.”
He watched as her delicate brows knitted. “Favor?”
“I came here to help you. Evander sent me, remember?”
He could tell when her expression cleared that she had, in fact, forgotten. He didn’t blame her. A lot had transpired in the past few days, and he’d almost forgotten himself that he was there to repay a debt. It didn’t feel like it anymore. Spending time with Willa and her pack had been easy, and that was scary. He had expected to find this errand unenjoyable, but that wasn’t the case. He liked the kids, he liked the farm, and most of all, he liked Willa. Perhaps too much. Defending her in the woods had come so naturally that it felt more than right. It felt true.
“I’m going to do what I can to help you and your pack. If that means letting others believe I’m challenging for you, then so be it.” He shrugged. “The challenge of battle is no hardship.” He rolled his shoulders. “In fact, I could use the exercise.”
“But…”
“But what?” He straightened. “It’s already done. Atkins and his Beta will spread the word. Now, we just wait to see who will come to challenge. Any new challengers will do so knowing I’m here and fighting for the claim. I don’t anticipate many will come.” He smiled proudly, knowing his reputation and name would deter many.
“You could get hurt.” She shook her head sadly, holding up the bloody cloth she’d been using to clean his back. “You’ve
already
gotten hurt. I can’t ask you to endure this on our behalf.”
“I’m not leaving.” His words were stern, and he was tempted to allow his Alpha authority to seep into his tone, but he didn’t. He wouldn’t do that to Willa…unless he had to.
Willa looked nervous, but he could see her mind working, her rapid blinking as she stared through him telling him she was gauging all angles. Finally, she looked at him. “We could move you into Garner’s old room. It’d look better if you were in the house.”
He smiled, liking that she was finally getting on board.
Tilting her head to study him, Willa’s eyes scrunched in uncertainty. “In exchange for something as simple as room and board, you’re willing to play this out?”
“To pay back my debt to Evander.”
She snorted. “It must be one hell of a debt.” Looking up at him with clear disbelief she asked, “And when challengers come?”
“I’ll claim that you’re mine and take down those who don’t agree,” he supplied coolly, jerking his chin toward her. “You already bear my mark.” He watched as her delicate fingers lifted to finger his fading bite. Pride surged through him at its presence, but was quickly followed by worry when he realized it was fading. He quickly tacked on, “That’ll need to be redone.”
Fear and excitement warred in her eyes, but he didn’t have it in him to back down from the demand. The mark as it was would stand, but he desperately wanted to get his hands back on her, his teeth back in her. She needed a more obvious marking.
“So, we pretend you’re my mate. You sleep in the house and take on all challengers, and when they stop coming, you leave? No claim on my territory, my pack, or…me?”
He nodded once.
“I don’t want the children getting hurt.
Any
of them.”
He knew she considered them all children, even Cortez and Keryn. “They won’t.”
“I’d appreciate it if you’d keep your distance from them. I can’t have them getting attached only to be let down when you go.”
He nodded again. “Anything else?” His wolf tensed, afraid she’d throw in some stipulation about him not touching her. He waited, knowing in the back of his mind that at some point they’d have to broach the subject of her needing to carry his scent along with his mark.
They stared at each other in tense silence. He could tell she was weighing her options and giving him a chance to back out. When she added nothing else he offered six final words.
“I accept your terms, Alpha Hutchinson.”
Chapter 14
The following day was a blur of activity. Keryn, Becca, and Sarya made quick work of cleaning out Garner’s old room. Fresh linens on the bed, a thorough cleaning with Pine-Sol, and Barron was ready to move in. Not that moving in entailed anything. He’d shown up with no belongings, so it was just a matter of letting the pack know the room was his. To Willa’s surprise nobody protested. She half-expected Arden to make a play for the room, but he didn’t. It was a relief, because the only other option would be for Barron to sleep on the couch or to share her room. The thought of him in her bed sent excitement shooting through her, but she tamped it down quickly. The last thing she needed was to make the foolish mistake of thinking any part of Barron’s claiming was real.
After moving Barron into the house, she talked him into going into town, which would be a good distraction. She couldn’t stop thinking about how he’d told her he’d need to reaffirm his mark. Every time she thought of his mouth on her, her belly knotted in humiliatingly eager anticipation. She struggled all through the morning to keep from bringing it up. She wanted to just get it done, quickly, so she could stop obsessing about it. However, another part of her knew there was potential for a total loss of dignity if she didn’t keep her wits where Barron and his “marking” were concerned.
The four youngest raced out of the house and swarmed the vehicle. While her black Suburban would seat eight, Keryn and Cortez opted to stay at the house. Part of her was wary about allowing it, but Barron assured her they’d be fine, and for some reason she believed him.
The drive to the nearest town, Hoyt Lakes, was long. Barron insisted on driving regardless of the fact that he didn’t know where he was going. At first, Willa had balked, but now, sitting shotgun with the windows rolled down, sun shining in, and Becca, Sarya, Arden, and Jase excitedly chattering in the back seat, Willa realized how nice it was to let someone else take the reins. Leaning her head back she closed her eyes and enjoyed the ride. It had been a long time since she’d enjoyed anything.
“You smell nice.”
Barron’s words pulled her from her tranquility. “Hmm?”
“You smell happy. It’s nice. I haven’t scented it on you before. It’s almost…addictive.”
She blushed and turned back to watch out the window as the trees thinned and flat prairie greeted them. “Almost there. Take the first off-ramp.”
Fifteen minutes later, Barron pulled the vehicle into the parking lot of the local mall. Before he could even pull the keys from the ignition, Willa sat up and engaged the auto-locks, stalling out Becca and Arden’s attempts to open the doors.
Willa turned to level serious eyes at the pack. “Do
not
leave the mall, and stay in your pairs.” She glanced at the clock on the dash. “We’ll meet at exactly two-thirty at Vaun’s for pizza.”
All heads nodded in unison.
“What time?” she demanded.
A chorus of voices rang out. “Two-thirty.”
Turning, she unlocked the doors and that fast, the kids were out. Becca and Sarya squealed in delight as they headed for the nearest entrance. Arden ushered Jase toward the doors as they devised plans for where they’d go first.
In the car Barron asked, “Should we have given them some cash?”
“No,” Willa smiled. “They’ve got some.”
When Barron stared, eyebrow cocked, she explained. “They earn money doing chores around the house. It’s not much, but it’ll get them a trinket and a coke.”
Exiting the vehicle, Barron hurried around to open Willa’s door, but she was already out. “And what are we going to do?” He caught her hand and pulled her toward the same entrance Becca and Sarya had used.
“I figured we’d find you some clothes.” She eyed his attire curiously. “You haven’t changed since you’ve been here, but…” Her cheeks flamed.
“You’re wondering why I don’t stink,” Barron filled in with a smile. When Willa nodded he explained. “At night I’ve been taking my clothes down to the lake and washing them by hand. I let ‘em hang dry ‘til morning.”
Willa felt bad. “Oh God, I’m sorry. I should have offered…”
“It’s fine, Willa.”
She ducked under his arm when he held the door open for her. “Well, just know you can use the washer and dryer anytime you’d like. I usually do laundry on Sundays and Mondays so if you just put your stuff in the laundry room, I’ll wash it for you.”
He followed her into the air-conditioned mall. “I don’t expect that.”
“Well, it’s the least I can do.”
Thirty minutes later they were standing in line at the dress-for-less clothing store. They’d found Barron several pairs of jeans, a dozen shirts, boxers, and socks. When the teller finally rang up the last item and gave them a total, Willa dug in her purse and pulled out her wallet. Before she could hand the girl her card, Barron had one whipped out and passed it to the girl.
“Hey!” Willa frowned. “I was gonna buy you those.”
“No,” he shook his head with a grin. “You weren’t.”
Putting her wallet away, she snorted. “I didn’t think you’d have money. You know, having spent the last few years in the wild.”
Barron grabbed the several bags off the counter and winked at the clerk, sending color flooding her cheeks. “I had savings from before I went
off the grid
.”
“Well, good. That’ll help some.” Willa stopped dead in her tracks and turned rounded eyes on him. “I don’t mean your money!”
He laughed.
“I just meant,” she tucked her hair behind her ear, “that not having to spend money on you will help…” She shook her head, flustered that she couldn’t explain herself more eloquently. “What I mean is, I haven’t worked in a while, because when Garner got sick I needed to be with the pack. I had a little in savings, but we went through that quickly. Garner left the pack his savings, and it’s what we’ve been living on, but it’s been tight. I haven’t even been able to pay the kids their allowance. They’ve only got the few bucks from when I last paid them, months ago. I need to get back to work, but…”
Barron’s expression darkened as he stood holding his bags and listening to Willa explain. “But you can’t leave the pack or your territory unprotected. What about Keryn and Cortez? Why don’t they work?”
“They did,” Willa supplied. “But with the threat of challengers, I wanted to keep them close in case I fell in battle, or in case anyone tried to attack them to get to me.”
***
Barron didn’t like the way Willa spoke so casually of falling in battle. Worse, he hadn’t even thought to ask if they were doing okay financially. He wanted to tell her that he’d take care of things while he was around, but he knew Willa would fight him on it. So he wouldn’t introduce the subject. He’d wait until they got back and simply start taking care of things that needed taking care of. In the meantime, he led her out of the mall and quickly stowed their purchased items in the vehicle before heading back in to meet the kids for pizza.
Willa led him to a quaint little restaurant that was decorated to look like an Italian pizzeria. The floors and walls were dark wood with a red and green canopy extending out from the walls to cover a row of booths, giving the indoor restaurant an outdoor feel. Red and white tablecloths covered the tables and the scent of baking pizza filled the air.
It had been a long time since Barron had pizza, and both he and his wolf were looking forward to it.
As soon he settled Willa at a long table, Sarya and Becca entered, still chatting excitedly.
“What did ya get?” Willa asked excitedly as she eyed their bags.
The girls took turns giddily showing off their purchases and talking about the numerous stores they’d perused. He could tell Willa wasn’t listening. Her eyes kept darting to the door and then to the clock on the wall over the cash register. She was worried about Arden and Jase.
Shoving away from the table, Barron stood, interrupting Becca’s diatribe on trendy fashion. “Excuse me, Becca.” He directed his attention to Willa. “Where should I look?”
Willa exhaled a pent-up breath and explained in a rush. “They like the game store on the lower level, and the music store just down that way.” She pointed. “It’s on the left.”
“I’ll be back.” He smiled at the girls and Willa in hopes of comforting the suddenly mounting tension. “Wait here.”
The girls nodded, and then for some inexplicable reason, Barron bent and wrapped his hand around the back of Willa’s neck, bending to place a kiss on her forehead. He felt her tense, and was shocked at his own actions. He brushed his lips across her warm skin and then whispered to cover himself, “In case anyone’s watching.” Willa nodded, brushing her hair against his lips. “No one leaves.” He commanded and she nodded again.
“Be right back.” Straightening, he winked at the girls. “Order us lots of pepperoni.”
Stalking out of the pizzeria, Barron wondered if the boys had run into trouble. Willa’s command had been clear, and her specified time even clearer. His eyes snagged on a clock that hung in one of the shops he passed. The boys were now fifteen minutes late, and he decided they’d better have run into some trouble or they’d have some serious explaining to do. Funny though, his heart did a little stutter at the thought of the boys in distress. He tried to dissect the foreign emotions that suddenly weighed on him and had him walking faster.
Is this what it feels like to parent?
Part of him was furious at the boys’ clear disregard, but a bigger part was worried that they needed him, worried they were hurt. He quickened his pace until he was practically jogging through the mall. Lifting his nose, he attempted to filter out the scents of the many shops and people to pick up on his boys. He chuffed a snort.
My boys?
Hurrying to the music store, he quickly scanned the shop but didn’t see the boys. He had just made it to the escalator that would take him down to the game shop when he saw Arden and Jase racing up the escalator to him, eyes wide in panic, and chests heaving from exertion.