Ally gave him an understanding smile. “Yeah, it will come as kind of a shock. This isn’t going to be easy. I don’t envy you having to explain it to her.”
“And if she were to ask me to confirm that she was, without question, my true mate, I wouldn’t be able to prove it until we felt the pull of the mating bond. I don’t know if my belief that she’s my mate would be enough for her. Not when she still holds back from me.”
“She only holds back because she doesn’t realize this is serious for you.”
Zander ground his teeth. “I marked her. I told her that she’s mine.”
Ally snorted. “Everyone knows shifters are territorial over pretty much everything, even over what we consider temporarily ours. Unless you’ve told Gwen in no uncertain terms that you want something long term with her, she’s unlikely to be aware of it.”
Well, no, he hadn’t been clear about it. He was regretting that now. “There’s so much shit going on around her. The question is . . . if I tell her she’s my mate, will it make her happy, or will it make her feel like yet more stuff is being piled on her?”
“I don’t know.” Expression thoughtful, Ally worried her bottom lip. “Look, I know this will be hard on you, but maybe . . .”
“What?”
“Maybe it would be best to keep the true-mate thing to yourself for now. Tell her this is serious for you. Make her believe it. Let her see that she’s important to you. If she’s secure in what you feel for her, she’s more likely to accept that you’re mates than if you simply blurt it out at a time when she’s still unsure what’s going on between you.”
Zander scrubbed a hand over his jaw, knowing Ally was right but not liking it because . . . “Not telling her, resisting the urge to claim her, will be extremely difficult for me and my wolf.”
“Yes, but with all this crap going on, she needs something good in her life right now. At the moment, that’s you. Keep being that good thing that’s distracting her from the bad. Keep being the person she can relax with. When she’s ready to hear it, you’ll know.
“You’ve already lured her to you, Zander. Now you just need to keep her with you. Use everything you have in your arsenal, including your pack mates. We’ll be behind you on this. If she’s yours, she’s also ours.” She patted his arm. “Congrats. Your days as a bachelor are long gone.”
“Why are they long gone?” asked Bracken as he and Derren joined them.
Zander told them his belief that Gwen was his mate. All the while, he kept his eyes locked on the source of his current emotional mayhem, letting the knowledge that she was his mate sink in and fill him up.
“Makes sense.” Bracken took a swig of his beer. “Just because you can’t feel the pull of the bond doesn’t mean it isn’t there, Z.”
Derren nodded. “It just means something’s blocking it, and that could be any number of things. Do you think she’ll react well to being part of a pack?”
Ally drummed her fingers on the table. “According to Marlon, when Gwen was a kid, she used to wish that she was part of the pack that occupied the land near the trailer park where she lived.”
“Marlon really does like to chat,” mused Zander.
Ally shrugged. “He wants her happy. He thinks you could make her happy. Anyway, my point is that I think it would help if we all sort of embrace her and make her feel like she’s one of us, which she is—though she doesn’t know it yet. If she can associate our pack with safety and security, she’s less likely to freak out when she realizes she will be part of it.”
“I’m not so sure Nick will be happy to embrace her,” said Zander. Before he’d left pack territory after their brief visit, Nick had pulled him aside to talk about Gwen.
“I have it on good authority that Gwen’s not a threat to the pack—if I didn’t believe that, I wouldn’t have let her in the same house as my mate and daughter. Derren won’t tell me why she can be trusted, only that it wasn’t his secret to tell. I don’t like that, but I respect it. Still, I’m hoping that you’ll tell me at some point, because it has to have been something big for her to have won over four of my wolves, especially Derren—he’s almost as jaded as you are.”
“It’s not my secret to tell either,” said Zander. “It’s hers. I won’t break a promise. I gave her my word, and that means something to me.”
Nick lifted a brow. “And the fact that I’m your Alpha doesn’t?”
“Why don’t you just say what you really want to say instead of asking probing questions.”
“All right. You’ve marked her. Earlier, you glared at us all like you’d gut us open if we did a single thing to upset her. This isn’t some casual thing for you, especially if her feelings come before our concerns. So, I have to ask myself if this means you now have divided loyalties. She already has you keeping secrets from me for her, so you can’t say my concerns aren’t valid.”
“If Shaya asked you to keep something quiet from the pack, would you?”
“Yes . . . but Shay’s my mate, Zander. Gwen Miller is just someone you marked. Unless there’s something else you’re not telling me?”
Zander gave a quick, sharp shake of the head. “She’s not just someone I marked. She matters to me. Do I have divided loyalties? Depends on what it is you’ll ask me to do.”
“And if I asked you to stay home, to send Eli to Oregon in your place, would you?”
“No. I promised her that I’d see this whole thing through with her to the end.”
“Something you shouldn’t have done, since you initially agreed over the phone that if I asked you to come home, you would.”
“Bracken agreed,” Zander corrected. “I didn’t.”
Nick thought about it for a moment and then shot him a glare. “You’re a sneaky fucker, Zander.” Then he sighed. “Go. Keep me updated. It was good to see you.”
Zander snapped out of the memory and said, “The one thing Nick didn’t want was this shit making its way to the pack. If Gwen’s one of us, her shit becomes our shit.”
“It’s not ideal that your mate has trouble dogging her heels,” said Derren. “But that doesn’t mean Nick won’t want her to be one of us. Harley had trouble with extremists, but he didn’t ask her to leave—he knew Jesse wanted her as his mate, and that was enough for Nick. Hey, don’t worry so much about that. Concentrate on Gwen.”
Like Zander could do anything else. As the hours went on, he kept watch on her. Now that he knew she was his mate, it was as if he was looking at her through a different lens. A lens that wasn’t clouded by uncertainties, mistrust, or a need to guard himself. He saw her so clearly.
She was no longer someone who simply mattered to him, no longer someone he simply felt possessive and protective of. She was more. She was everything. And that knowledge seemed to take down every defense he had. It wasn’t that his walls were gone. No, but she was inside them now. Safe and close to him. Closer than anyone else had ever been.
It was hard to stand there and do nothing, to act as though his life hadn’t just been upended. His muscles fairly quivered with the effort to remain where he was instead of following the primal urge to cross to Gwen and claim her. Soon. He’d claim her soon. It had to be at a time when it was right for both of them.
Later, shortly before her shift ended, Zander turned to Derren. “Watch over Gwen for me while I use the bathroom.”
It was as he was washing his hands in the restrooms that Chase entered, the smells of greasy food and cigarette smoke clinging to his clothing. Zander turned to face him, meeting his gaze head-on. The bold stare pissed Zander off, but he didn’t want to hurt the man who would soon be his brother-in-law.
Chase crossed his arms over his chest. “I could start this by casually introducing myself, asking your name, and then subtly quizzing you while also doing my best to look all intimidating. But I don’t play games. I know who you are. I’m pretty sure you know who I am. I’m also pretty sure you know what brought me over here.”
Zander liked his directnes
s. “Gwen.”
“Gwen,” confirmed Chase. “If you know who she is to me, to my fiancée, you know exactly why I’d be concerned about her.”
“I’m not going to hurt her.”
Chase snorted. “I doubt you even could. Gwen’s an emotional badass. It’s more likely that she’ll hurt you.”
Zander couldn’t even argue that.
“No, what worries me is that you marked her. I may not understand all the ways of shifters, but I do know that branding someone is no small thing. Does she know that?”
“You’re insulting Gwen’s intelligence by asking that question.”
Chase made a sound of impatience. “Gwen isn’t a person who lets people mark her as theirs in any sense of the word. She runs a mile from possessiveness. Did you play it down and tell her it was a hickey?”
“Why don’t you ask Gwen these questions? Probably because she’d tell you to mind your own business. Tell me why I shouldn’t say the same thing.”
His jaw hardened. “She’s practically my sister-in-law. I look out for her.”
“Yeah? If you’re so protective of Gwen, why haven’t you thrown Aidan out?”
“Because you’re here, and I knew you were involved with her. I figured it would be a good thing for him to see her with someone. Then maybe he’ll let her go. At some point, I will punch him in the dick. For now, I’ll teach him the same lesson you’re teaching him.”
That Gwen was taken. “If you don’t have an issue with Gwen being with me, why does the mark bother you so much?”
“Because the Gwen I know would never say she belonged to anyone but herself.”
“Then I guess you don’t know her as well as you thought. You made assumptions based on how she acted with her past partners. I’m not them.” Zander strode past him, heading right for the door. As he was leaving, he heard Chase’s voice behind him.
“I hope that’s true, because those were all assholes. She doesn’t need another asshole.”
Speaking of assholes . . . the moment Zander stepped out of the restrooms, he saw Aidan making a beeline for Gwen near the bar. Son of a bitch.
“Do you not like breathing? Is that what this is?” asked Gwen. Why else would Aiden try talking to her when four shifters would happily take him down for even sharing her air? Gwen didn’t fail to notice Zander signaling for the others to hang back, gesturing that he’d deal with it. “Really, Aidan, you should go.”
“I saw the bite,” Aidan clipped.
Yeah, it had gotten a lot of people’s attention. The other waitresses fairly swooned at the sight of it. Chase had glowered like she’d petitioned to cancel Christmas. And now Aidan was staring at it, face scrunched up in revulsion. But she sensed that the revulsion wasn’t born of any antipathy toward shifters. No, the glitter of bitterness in his eyes told her he just didn’t like what the mark represented—essentially, that she was no longer single.
“Are you mated to him now?”
“Aidan, do you honestly think it’s a good idea to confront me like this while Zander can see? I’d say use your brain, but, well, that’s a little like telling Colt to find his balls—utterly pointless.”
“Unless he’s taken you as his mate, you’re nothing to him but a body he doesn’t want to share. Like a kid with a new toy. Is that what you want? To be his toy?”
She smiled wickedly. “Oh yeah.” It was certainly fun.
Aidan’s lips thinned. “This isn’t a joke, Gwen. You think I’m wrong? That he’ll stay with you? Are you really that naive?”
She snorted softly. “Apparently not as naive as your parents since they didn’t use a condom. Aidan, seriously, just back the fuck off and go back to your date—this isn’t fair to her.” But he didn’t, and it was too late anyway because two arms curled around her from behind and held her gently but possessively.
Zander nuzzled her. “How’s my baby doing?”
“Fine,” she assured him, knowing he was pissed despite how carefully he handled her.
Releasing her, Zander then edged around her—placing himself in front of her like a barrier, forcing Aidan to back up. “Didn’t I warn you to stay away from Gwen?”
Aidan spluttered. “You can’t stop me from talking to someone.”
“Really? Let’s take a walk.”
“Yeah, a walk sounds good.”
Gwen almost jumped at Bracken’s voice. She hadn’t even realized he was behind her until he spoke. He followed Zander, who fisted Aidan’s collar and dragged him out the door.
She stood there, torn over whether to follow and be sure they didn’t kill Aidan. Not that his life meant anything to her, but being an asshole wasn’t a reason to die. Still, if she did anything to defend Aidan, he’d see it as a green light to keep badgering her. Maybe she should just let him learn his lesson the hard way.
Decision made, she headed into the kitchen. Damn, it was hot, despite that they’d stopped serving food, since it was near closing time. As per usual, she helped the staff clean up and carried the garbage bags outside into the side alley. She tossed the first bag in the dumpster, then the next, and was just about to toss the third, when she heard the slight scuff of a shoe.
Whirling, she dropped the garbage bag . . . and then sagged in relief as she saw it was Zander. She frowned, opening her mouth to ask why he’d gone down the alley instead of just reentering the building through the front door. But then he smiled, and Gwen tensed. Zander didn’t smile. Not like that. His mouth curved and quirked, but never spread into a huge toothy smile. He also didn’t wax his eyebrows or slick back his hair. And then she noticed his clothing was now different. Which could mean only one thing.
She was about to say, “You must be Rory.” But the guy that Zander had described would love to know that Zander talked about him. So, instead, she frowned. “For a minute there, I thought you were someone I know. I’m guessing you’re related to Zander Devlin.”
His smile faltered. “I’m his brother Rory.”
“Damn, I can’t believe he never mentioned he had an identical twin. Does he know you’re here?”
“No, I was hoping to surprise him.”
Yeah, she was just betting he was. She wondered if he’d been hanging outside the front of the building but scampered down the alley when Zander hauled Aidan outside. If so, it was most likely pure chance that he’d managed to confront her here.
“Well, I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to see you.” Her pulse jumped as Rory began to advance on her. Keeping her eyes on him, she leaned down to grab the bag, discreetly slipping her other hand into the pocket of her shorts to feel for her switchblade.
“You’re not my brother’s usual type. Far from it. But I can see why he’s trying a new flavor.”
Flavor? What was she, ice cream? She smiled, as if flattered. “Aw, thank you. You should go on inside and talk to him. I’m sure he’d love to see you.”
“No, I don’t think he would.” Rory tilted his head. “And I think you know that.” In a flash, he was right in front of her, both hands gripping her hips—and one of those hands had clearly unsheathed its claws, because the razor-sharp blades dug into her side threateningly. “Walk with me.”
She snickered. “God, you’re dumb.”
“Excuse me?” He froze. Well, of course he did. What sane man would move when someone was pressing the tip of a switchblade against their ball sack?
“I suggest you sheathe those claws, Scooby.”
Nostrils flaring, he bared his teeth. “And I suggest you drop that fucking knife.” He dug his claws tight enough to break her skin.
Hissing at the sting, she pricked his ball sack with her blade. He inhaled sharply, clamping his lips tight. “You should really let me go, Rory. I get nervous when I’m threatened, and nerves make my hands twitch. I don’t think you want me feeling nervous right now.”
He lowered his arms with a harsh curse. “Drop the knife.”
“Hands up first. Call me weird, but I don’t trust that you won’t—”
His eyes snapped toward the door and widened a little, and she got the feeling he heard something that she didn’t. He leaped backward so fast it took her breath away. He backhanded her, sending her crashing into the dumpster. Her head hit the metal so hard she was surprised she didn’t hear something crack. He fled like hell’s army was on his heels.
“Bastard.” She struggled to her feet, dazed and pissed off.
The door swung open, and Zander came rushing out with the other wolves behind him.
She pointed down the alley in time to see Rory disappear. “That way! The motherfucker went that way!”
If she hadn’t swayed, making his stomach bottom out, Zander would have joined the others in pursuing his twisted brother. Instead, he grabbed his mate by her elbows, steadying her. “Gwen, baby, where did he hurt you?” His voice shook with barely contained fury and a need to hurt. But she came first.
“I’m okay. Really. Banged my head, though.” She prodded the back of her skull and winced. “Gonna have a goose egg for sure.”
He growled, gently probing the area she’d touched. “I can smell your blood.” There was only a hint of it in the air, but it was enough to send yet more rage coursing through him. His wolf paced within him, growling and snarling.
“Oh yeah, he pricked my side with his claws.” She peeled up her shirt and saw small, shallow puncture marks—blood had seeped to the surface, but it wasn’t pouring down her side or anything. “Your eyes just flashed wolf.”
“My beast is pissed right now,” Zander told her. “He wants to hunt and kill the fucker responsible.”
“It was Rory,” she said quietly, hating that the knowledge might hurt him.
Zander tore a strip off the bottom of his shirt and pressed it against the punctures even though the wounds weren’t bad. “I know,” he rumbled. He took a long breath, seeking a calm he knew he wouldn’t find for at least a few hours. Gwen didn’t need his rage right then. “Ally had what she calls a flash-vision. Most of the time, her visions are at least a couple of minutes long. But occasionally she just sees a single flash of the future—like a photograph. She saw him putting you in a car.”