Luke's Dream (22 page)

They both smirked at me. Bollocks. I was
still sore from the last attack.

“Jim. Carlos. Perhaps you two could escort
them,” Winifred added.

If she thought her intervention would win her
any favors, it wouldn’t. The five of us filed out of the room,
leaving the two Elders. Jim fell into step beside me.

“Teach me a cool English phrase for when I’m
mad. But keep it PG, because there are two cubs who are going to
learn it.”

I glanced at Jim. “Why aren’t you mad too? It
was your scent on the bike.”

Jim nodded. “Yep. You took it on my watch.
But, getting mad at you didn’t do Emmitt any good. You laughed. He
got madder. The only one his anger is really affecting is
himself.”

“Shut up, Jim,” Emmitt said from behind
us.

“So,” Jim said ignoring him, “instead of
getting mad, I’ll just let you owe me for forgiving you for taking
the bike.”

“Owe you.”

“Yep. Like I owe Emmitt for losing it.”

“And what do you expect for payment?”

“A favor at some future time,” Jim said with
an easy smile. “It’ll probably involve food. Speaking of…” he said
as he pushed open the doors of the commons.

The large room was fairly empty. A couple
with four cubs, two young and two almost grown, played games at the
tables. The young ones called out to Emmitt as he entered. He
joined them.

While Jim went straight to the kitchen, I
went to one of the comfortable chairs. The same one Clay had pulled
me from several weeks ago. I sat in it with a grin. Clay remained
stoic, but I knew he remembered, too.

The smells coming from the kitchen made my
mouth water. Charlene and a few other women were making traditional
American fixings for Thanksgiving. The sweet and savory smells
begged to be sampled. From within the kitchen, I heard Charlene
scold Jim. Sampling wasn’t encouraged. Still, he managed to leave
the kitchen with several sandwiches in one hand.

My grin faded as the minutes, and Jim’s
sandwiches, disappeared. The need to check on Bethi crawled along
my skin like an itch. I wasn’t the only one having issues. Clay’s
knee bounced as he watched the doors.

When the doors finally opened, the man was on
his feet and standing in front of the women before I could get to
my feet. His bulk blocked them from view. Well, not the top of
Michelle’s head. Only Gabby and Bethi. I understood he was
concerned for Gabby, but blocking me from Bethi was not
acceptable.

“She’s fine, big guy,” Bethi said from
somewhere in front of Clay. “But my stomach’s really hurting. Would
you mind—”

“Move already,” I said as I pushed Clay
aside. Did she really have to spell it out for him? Couldn’t he
smell her pain and hunger?

With him out of the way, I saw Bethi wobble
on her feet and lifted her into my arms. Bethi’s gaze remained
locked on Clay and Gabby. There was no mystery why. I could smell
his annoyance and anger. Tough.

“I’m fine,” Gabby said. “Bethi’s not. We’re
supposed to get her something to eat.”

I turned and found Emmitt blocking my way,
the two cubs chasing each other around his legs. What was with
these people? Only the presence of the cubs kept the urge to push
Emmitt out of the way in check. Not by much. I impatiently
growled.

Bethi reached up and lightly smacked the back
of my head. “The decisions you make and the words you speak
influence the people around you. Be aware of your influence,” she
quoted.

She remembered. I looked down at the boys.
“Excuse me, please.”

They scampered out of the way, and Emmitt
stepped aside, his gaze on Michelle. The scent of Bethi’s pain
continued to swamp the air as I carried her toward the chair I’d
left.

“Didn’t you take the pills?” I asked.

“I took them. Nana mentioned something about
food,” she said, looking toward the kitchen.

That was what had taken so long. Winifred had
gone to Bethi. My annoyance grew. Bethi and I needed to talk and
then get out of here. She winced, and I realized we wouldn’t be
going anywhere for a while.

“I’ll get it for you,” Michelle called,
moving toward the kitchen.

I sat and settled her in my lap and watched
Emmitt follow closely behind Michelle.

Clay and Gabby sat across from us, Gabby
perching on one of his knees. The sight didn’t bother me as it once
would have.

“How long have you two been together?” Bethi
asked them.

“Clay has been living with me since the end
of August.” Gabby smiled. “But I just recently Claimed him.”

“Not Mated?”

Gabby shook her head, and Bethi’s scent
soured. She had no reason for jealously. I belonged to her, heart
and soul.

Michelle returned with a sandwich. “Here you
go.”

Bethi took the plate. “Thanks. How long have
you and Emmitt been together?” she asked before taking a bite of
the sandwich.

“I lived with Emmitt for several weeks before
I Claimed him. That was several months ago. We’re planning a winter
wedding.”

Bethi’s scent soured further. I wasn’t the
only one picking up on her odd mood. Emmitt watched her
closely.

“What about you two?” he asked.

Bethi shrugged and took another bite. I
remained quiet as she chewed then swallowed, interested in her
answer.

“He has a problem with my boobs.”

Problem? Hell no. Wait. Yes, I did have a
problem. I adored them, and I shouldn’t. Not yet. The feel of them
in my palm returned. I clenched my fist, and a choked noise escaped
me as she took another small bite of her sandwich and proceeded to
talk with her mouth full.

“Secretly, I think he’s hoping if he waits
until I’m eighteen they might grow a bit more.”

She needed to stop talking about them so I
could stop thinking about them. My hands shook, and I struggled not
to reach out and cover her mouth.

“They’re kinda like the elephant in the room.
We’re not allowed to talk about them.”

She wasn’t going to stop. I stood, turned,
set her in the chair, and strode toward the doors.

“That’s usually how he reacts if I do talk
about them,” Bethi said from behind me.

“So you haven’t Claimed him yet?” Gabby
asked.

Pushing out the doors, I strode into the
hallway, willing the trembling to stop. I didn’t go far. I
couldn’t. So I heard what Bethi said in response to Gabby’s
question.

“Nope. He won’t let me. He’s pretty quick to
protect his precious neck. I got smacked in the face, like, at
least fifty times on the trip here.”

“That makes no sense,” Gabby said. “I was so
sure.”

I paced and shook my hand. The feel of Bethi
remained firmly in my palm. She was killing me. She knew it, too.
Why did she need to keep pushing? She had enough to deal with right
now. Adding me and my obsession to the mix wouldn’t help her.

A moment later, the doors opened. Gabby
looked surprised to see me pacing the hallway. Clay didn’t. He
knew.

“What’s going on with you?” Gabby asked,
stopping to watch me.

I gave Clay a look and then tried to ignore
them both.

“He’s trying not to—”

“I thought you didn’t talk,” I said,
interrupting him. “I liked you better that way.”

“And I thought I’d sent you to your Mate,”
Gabby said. “I mean, you feel a pull, right?”

I stopped pacing and turned to face her. “If
the pull was any stronger, I’d be glued to her backside.”

“Then, why aren’t you letting her…?”

Frustration crept into my tone. “How can I
possibly let her? She’s sleep deprived, had been chased by mutts,
injured, and she’s not even eighteen. Now doesn’t seem like the
right time to throw an obsessed werewolf onto the list.”

“If you keep telling her no, she might think
you don’t want her and start looking at—”

“I’ve made my stance very clear. She knows
I’m interested, but waiting.”

Gabby slowly shook her head. “I think your
rejection hurt her. Don’t wait too long.”

“I won’t. There’s too much happening right
now.” Like unprecedented attacks on my future mate. “Can I ask you
something?” She nodded. “When you were with Sam, were you ever
attacked by any unmated males?”

“Attacked? No. But human men hit on me all
the time. It’s always been that way, though.”

“So you’ve never been attacked or put at
risk?”

“No.”

“Yeah,” Clay said at the same time.

Interesting. “When?”

“After she left for school. A mutt challenged
me while we were out for a walk. Gabby was there.”

Challenges happened. It was part of who we
were. But challenges typically didn’t happen around females or
cubs. There was too much risk and our numbers were still too low
for accidents. Just look at what had happened to my mother.

“Did you report it?”

He nodded toward Gabby. “She called Sam. Sam
told Joshua. That was the last one near her.”

Gabby met my gaze steadily, and I believed we
were thinking close to the same thing. She’d been fine with Sam all
those years, but as soon as she moved away, trouble had found her.
And, once again, Joshua had been involved.

She and Clay left me in the hall. After a few
deep breaths, I returned to the commons. Bethi wasn’t in her chair.
Before I could worry, I heard her in the kitchen. I sat in the
chair and waited.

“This should help,” Charlene said.

“Can I carry that for you?” Emmitt asked.

I watched Bethi shuffle from the kitchen,
Emmitt and Michelle closely following her. Emmitt had a loaded
dessert plate in his hand, which was good. Bethi needed the
food.

“She doesn’t look so good,” Gabby said
softly. “Just don’t miss your chance.”

I glanced at Gabby, seeing her concern for
me…for Bethi…for our future. Bethi had laid some serious stuff down
for all of us.

“If you’re feeling tired,” Emmitt said,
drawing my attention, “you could take this back to your room.”

Bethi stopped and turned to him. “I’m not
really tired as much as I just want to be alone for a while,” she
said. “So going back to my room sounds great. Would you come get me
when something interesting happens?”

Emmitt nodded and the three left. Bloody
prick.

“You’re wrecking the chair,” Gabby said.

I looked down at my clawed hands and the
small tears in the arm. My marks weren’t the first.

“He needs his tail handed to him,” I
said.

“I think everyone needs that at least once in
their lives,” Clay said. “Ready for your turn?”

“Yeti’s don’t talk,” I said, standing.

“I don’t think she wants you to follow her,”
Gabby said.

“You just told me not to wait. Now, I’m
supposed to wait?”

“Are you going to her to let her Claim
you?”

“No.”

“Then, yes, I’m telling you to wait.”

“I’ve never been good at listening. Or
waiting,” I said, walking away.

When
I opened the door to our apartment, Bethi was in her chair with her
fork in her mouth and all the pie missing from her plate. The scent
of her melancholy had filled the room.

“So you want to be alone, huh?” I said,
stepping in. “A bit rude, don’t you think?”

“No more rude than you running off in a drama
queen fit so ‘Little One’ follows you,” she said.

I moved to stand before her. She tilted her
face up to glare at me. I couldn’t help but feel amusement.

“You’re jealous.”

“No kidding. Look, either want me or don’t,
but stop playing the middle ground. I’m tired of waiting for
you.”

That killed my humor. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I had to suffer through a dream
where I was drowned as a baby. If you would have let me Claim you,
I'd have more control over the dreams. If you would have stayed by
me, I wouldn’t have dreamed that at all.”

“Bethi, I’m sorry about leaving you. The
Elders had questions and wouldn’t be ignored.”

“I won’t be ignored, Luke. Decide.”

She continued to glare at me, her anger and
frustration boiling in her scent and her gaze.

“There is no decision. We are meant to be
together.” She had to know that by now. “We just need to be patient
for a little while longer. When you turn eighteen—”

“Just stop,” she yelled. “Do you hear
yourself? Do you even know what you’re saying?” She changed her
voice in a poor imitation of me. “‘Bethi, I want to be with you,
but first I need you to suffer for three more months. Being killed
another ninety times—minimum—isn’t asking too much so I can feel
virtuous when I allow you to Claim me.”

I crouched before her and took the plate from
her hands. “Bethi, I swear. I will not leave you again. I won’t
allow you to suffer another death.” Brushing the loose hair back
from her face, I tried to comfort her. Her dreams were too much for
someone her age, and I hated that she suffered them.

“I already suffered one too many,” she said,
knocking my hand aside to stand. “If you add up all the years I’ve
lived across all my lives, I celebrated my one thousandth birthday
a couple of decades ago. You’re not cradle robbing, you’re grave
robbing. Think on that.”

I couldn’t understand why she was so
determined to rush into Claiming me when sleeping beside me solved
the problem. Sighing, I stood. Her angry gaze held mine. She was
everything and more to me. The heart to my existence. Waiting
wasn’t easy. It wasn’t fun or entertaining. But, it was what she
deserved.

I stepped close and brushed my finger over
her skin, tracing her right eyebrow and then running my fingers
into her hair. Her eyes softened and the hue changed ever so
slightly.

“You have the most amazing eyes,” I said.

“I’ve heard that before.” The anger was
absent from her voice. I wanted her so badly. Leaning forward, I
inhaled her sweet scent and listened to her pulse pick up speed.
Her lips begged for my attention, and I ached with the need to give
in. How could she not understand?