fail to bond and mate by then, my hand will be forced.”
If I hadn't been supporting myself by the weight of the wall, I was certain I would have fallen down. There was more to this. There had to be! But when I heard Jude start to walk out of the office I took off to the kitchen. I grabbed the meat and ran as fast as I could back to the cabin.
When I arrived Jen had already left. I went on auto-pilot. Just this morning I wanted exactly what they wanted for Hunter and I. But everything was different. Our mating would be tainted by their words. By their actions. By their meddling in my life.
Why were people always making decisions for me? I felt my dark blood stir.
This new development explained why Jude was so insistent that I come with them from the beginning. He and Damien had plans for Hunter and me. It was another crushing betrayal that threatened to overwhelm me.
I cooked the food for our dinner, but my mind was distant. Damien wanted Hunter as Alpha. That didn’t really surprise me, but these lengths… I had until the end of this month with Hunter, then his hand would be forced, whatever that meant.
I had to warn Hunter. He was so adamant about not wanting to be Alpha when I first arrived. But everyone in the pack seemed to believe he would be Damien’s choice. It was the reason Molly tried so hard to get him. She was power hungry. Hunter was so against that. Betrayal felt like a cold knife in my heart. Or was it? Was this what he wanted as well?
None of that made any sense, though. Hunter didn’t want to be Alpha. No, they had to be acting on their own. If they made Hunter believe I would only be safe if he were Alpha, he would do it. But I don’t think I could bear him resenting me. I would never want him to feel the sting of betrayal from his own family. The only family he had left.
Hunter walked in much too soon. I was sitting at the table. The food was finished, but all romantic thoughts fled from my mind. I didn’t know what to do. He crossed over to me, as silent as only wolves can be, and knelt in front of me. He brushed my hair out my face, gently snapping me out of my trance. I looked at him. Really looked at him.
Hunter’s yellow eyes showed concern, his lips were turned down and tight.
“You did this?” He asked quietly. I kept staring at the black scruff adjoining his jaw.
“Yeah…”
“What were you planning?” Hunter sounded almost like he was asking himself.
He had looked away from me for a moment, but when his eyes met mine again I saw the acceptance. He wasn’t going to ask about what was so obviously troubling me.
“How did you know fajitas are my favorite?”
I looked away feeling bashful.
“I asked around.”
I tried to relax. If there was anything I had learned about Hunter in my time with him, it was that he never pushed me farther than I was willing to go. Hunter thought he had little control over his wolf; he worked hard to keep it from taking over. I knew that compared to others he did have it harder, but he had more control than he thought. His wolf was hungry. There was no doubt of that. But he never freed his wolf when he was with me.
“Thank you,” he sounded content.
I watched as he pulled the rice from the burner and I cringed when he opened it. The rice was completely ruined and burnt – I could smell it. Hunter gently placed the pan in the sink. Next he moved to the microwave where I had been warming the shells. He pulled them out and I could see that they were way too soggy to eat. When Hunter finally made it over the steak I was hoping for a miracle. Instead of making a big show of it, Hunter slid the pan onto the back burner and pull a new pot out from cabinet next to the stove. My special surprise was ruined.
Within twenty minutes Hunter had water boiling for noodles and a cheese mixture cooking next to it. I stood up to help him a bit after he started but he mostly made me do simple, easy work. I wanted to be kept busy. I didn’t want to think