Page 9 of Desire Him

CHAPTER FOUR

The drive back to Brook Mountain isn’t as long as Wayne thought it would be. His mind keeps reeling, replaying what Jesse had said to him. He warned him, and that worried Wayne. He knows the city is dangerous, but how dangerous has it gotten? Should they pull their shifters from the university? Ban all of their shifters from going there? These are all questions that Logan has to answer. Wayne is in no position to do such things.

He pulls onto the road that’ll lead him up the mountain, and as he does so, the worries of the city float away. He starts thinking about this morning, about what he had done last night that caused both Val and Logan to keep something from him. It must have been big because neither of them wanted to voice it aloud. What had he done that was such a big deal? There was no girl in his bed . . . there was no stench of wrongness in the air. Whatever it was, perhaps they could both forget about it, chalk it up to alcohol, and move on.

As much as he tries to forget about it, he dwells on it all the way to the village, and before he knows it, he’s parking in front of Logan’s cabin.

Wrenching open the car’s door, Wayne climbs out of the car. His boots crunch on the snow, and he takes a deep breath of the fresh, crisp mountain air. It’s nothing like the city air clogged with factory smoke and pollution.

Above him, the clouds are sparse, a rarity. They’re high up in the sky, smudged like pale smears. Usually, it’s cloudy and snowing. Today, the sun is a bright orb in the sky, sending the snow in sparkling and blinding white hues. It’s a beautiful sight even among the full, snowy pine trees that cause the branches to droop.

He looks to the alpha’s house and shuts his car door at the same time that the front door opens. Val walks out and shuts the door behind her. As she does so, she turns and meets Wayne’s eyes. She must have felt his stare, so he gives her a small wave. She doesn’t wave back. Instead, she holds his gaze for a moment, shakes her head a little, and continues on her way to the village square where the rest of the businesses are. He gets the feeling that she’s still holding the same grudge that she had this morning, and he wishes that, yet again, he knew what it was.

He watches her go, wondering if he should follow her and ask her what exactly he did last night. He almost does until a female calls his name.

“Wayne!” she says.

He turns to the sound. As beta, he’d recognize that voice anywhere. He knows all their voices as it’s part of his job. “Viola.”

Viola jogs to greet him. She looks exhausted, eyes puffy and swollen as if she’d been crying. “I was hoping to catch you.”

“Oh?”

She nods and looks at his car. “Is it done?”

“Jim?”

“Yes. Is he gone?”

Wayne can’t imagine what she’s going through. To lose a fated mate this way . . . it’s like having your dream and then being absolutely restricted from keeping it. Viola would be better off if Jim were dead rather than knowing he was alive and not being able to have him. Hell, his mark is still on her neck. How is she supposed to move on from that? “Yes. I took him to the city myself.”

“And . . .” she pushes black hair from her face. “Did he go okay? Did he cause trouble?”

He reaches forward and grips her shoulders over her coat. “He didn’t cause any trouble, but that’s not what you’re really worried about, is it?”

She looks down at her boots. “No.”

“Then, what is it?” He has a feeling that he knows what it is, but he doesn’t want to guess out loud. He’s never been in the same situation as she finds herself.

She’s silent for a moment, and he wonders if she’s embarrassed to admit anything. But finally, she confesses, “I don’t want him to be alone.”

He bends so that he captures her gaze. All he finds are watery tears behind her blue eyes. “He chose this path. He betrayed you, your son, your alpha. He’s lucky he’s not dead. Okay? He’s lucky he’s still breathing, and that’s something to hold on to.”

She flinches at the word ‘dead.’ “I’m in Logan’s debt for that.”

“Logan doesn’t hold this against you. He knows that you had nothing to do with it.”

She shrinks in on herself. “It feels that way.”

“Why?”

She shrugs and sniffles. “I should have known. He’s never liked Logan. I should have known that he would have something to do with . . . something nefarious.”

Wayne’s heart softens for the lady. She blames herself, and she shouldn’t. He supposes this might be a natural thing. “It wasn’t your job to know. It was your job to love him, and nothing more. You did that perfectly, and he’s the one who ruined it. Okay? Do you hear me? This isn’t your fault.”

She nods and begins to sob into her gloved hands. Wayne pulls her close and hugs her. He’s a sucker for crying women. He can’t stand it. God, he can’t imagine what she’s going through, but it’s his job to see her through it. It’s his job to make sure she’s okay. And if that means standing here in the cold, holding her, he’ll do it.

Eventually, Viola pulls away and wipes her tears with the back of her glove. “Thank you, Wayne.”