3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Jayce

There was no way I was going into the Alpha's house in the middle of the night, reeking of skunk. The man would have me kicked out faster than I could blink. Heck, if I could kick me out, I would.

My car. My poor car and possibly everything in it were going to be horrific to clean out. What was it they said people should use? Tomato juice? As if that is a stain-free option. Ugh. Why did I have to try and make a few bucks? I doubted a store would even take them now.

I needed a good night's rest and to talk to Corey before I faced Aydan. How the hell was I going to explain that I got into a skirmish with a skunk and ended up sprayed? This was the kind of thing teenagers did. I knew that Aydan already thought I was an immature child, and this was not going to help.

Also, the fact that I was sleeping in my car in his driveway wasn't going to be good for me either. I really needed a comfortable bed and a long sleep after the past few days. Instead, I had my front seat and was smelling so horrific, even I didn't want to be around me. But it was what it was.

It was shocking that I fell asleep as easily as I did, but it felt like I'd only been asleep for a few minutes when I was yanked from my slumber. A knock on my window woke me up, and I nearly choked myself with the stench that had permeated the car. Would it ever relent? And how did it get seemingly worse?

I'd never seen Aydan before, but the alpha bear standing outside my window had to be him. He exuded the power of his position. He was intimidating as fuck, but also…yum.

His hands were on his hips as he glared at me. Great. He was as ticked off as I thought he would be. And still, I wasn't scared. Not really. His piercing green eyes pinned me down and knocked the air from my lungs—or perhaps it was the stench that made my breathing stop. It was hard to tell.

It was also very hard to concentrate. I needed coffee. And a bath… or ten.

He made the motion for me to roll down the window. I'd closed them when I stopped so as to not spread my grossness. Opening them would be a full-on attack to his senses.

I shook my head. He gave me an incredulous look and tried to pull the door, but I'd locked it. I shook my head again. He did not like that.

"Open the door." It was an order.

Ah, shit. Time to pay the piper, face the music, all those metaphors.

I opened the door and stepped out. The goddess was not on my side, because the wind shifted, sending a gust of air up behind me and hitting Aydan full force. For a moment, the angry look was knocked off his face, replaced by a look of pure disgust. Not that I could blame him. I felt the same way and it was me who was so yuck.

"What in the hell happened?"

I went to answer, and he closed his eyes and shook his head.

"You have to be Jayce. You couldn't possibly be anyone else."

"I'm Jayce. I stopped at a restaurant."

He looked at me as if he didn't believe me. I wasn't lying though, not really. They served food, so technically it was a restaurant. "And there was a skunk by my car." Maybe I was treading on lie territory now, but I was already in, so…

Aydan's eyes narrowed. I could practically see the gears in his head working as he picked apart my story. "A regular skunk or a shifter skunk?"

I was not about to outright lie to the Alpha. It was bad enough I toed the line and was already stretching the truth as far as it could go. "Shifter, probably," I said. "Based on how this scent is lingering."

He pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes squeezing shut. "This has got to be one of the most irresponsible things I've ever heard of."

I held back a snort. Clearly he hadn't heard many stories about me. And also, this lie was a thousand times better than reality. Gods, what he would think of me if I'd told him that.

"Now, wait one damn minute," I said, coming fully awake now. "First of all, if this is the most immature thing you've ever heard of, then you need to get out more. This doesn't even scratch the surface of my top ten list. And two, just fuck off."

Why did I open my mouth? I had no idea, but for some reason I wanted a reaction out of him, and did I ever get one.

His eyes flew open, and he pinned me with a glare. If he was anyone else, or if I was anyone else, perhaps I would've backed down. But something about this man just set me on edge.

"You dare speak to your new Alpha this way?" Part of me suspected he was impressed more than pissed. I wasn't going to push it, though. If he kicked me out of here, no place was going to let me check in. Not smelling like this, that was for sure. And besides, I really wanted to see Corey.

"You dare greet your new member this way? Not even bothering to ask if I'm all right or why I'm sleeping in my car? Instead of feeling welcome in your home, I was scared to come inside last night, so I slept out here." My vibrato was gone, and my vulnerability peeked through. "I didn't want to disturb your brother. I made a responsible choice not to wake him up in the middle of the night to worry him."

I knew the blow landed because Aydan softened. He stopped short of telling me I was right, but I knew that I had won this particular round.

"Welcome to Windridge," he said. "Grab your things and come inside. Hopefully, the stench hasn't permeated them too much." There was zero chance it hadn't. "I can show you to your room, and then I've arranged for you to have a tour in a little while. I'm sure that you can see Corey and the baby very soon." He rubbed his nose. "Maybe don't hold the baby smelling like that."

I didn't even address that because he was 100% right about that.

"I don't want to disturb them," I said, shifting uncomfortably. I didn't like feeling so vulnerable, but this was my Alpha—the Alpha of the den I was joining. If I couldn't be honest with him, who could I be honest with? Maybe I could talk to the healer first.

"Skunk shifter scent is not going to wash away with a simple shower. Last I knew, the only thing that cures it is time."

My stomach rolled, and not just because of the smell. My bear inside me whined. I wanted to see my best friend. I wanted to be welcome in my new den, but here I was, showing up looking like a disheveled mess, sleeping in my car, proving to Aydan that I was the irresponsible cub he thought I was. And on top of all that, assaulting him with every breath.

Aydan's hand landed on my shoulder and squeezed. My bear recognized its Alpha and relaxed.

"It'll be fine," he said. "We've all gotten into situations like this."

I wasn't so sure about that.

"Thank you, Alpha," I whispered.

"Please, get inside. At least try a shower, though." He took a step back, covering his mouth as he coughed. I could tell he was fighting back a gag. At least he was trying to be polite. It was well within his rights to give me a good dressing down. "I'll open all the windows."

For one of the first times in my life, I felt the desire to actually apologize for my behavior. I did want this to work out here, but I saw the disappointment in his eyes. Anger would've been better. Disappointment sucked.

It was not likely that I would actually be staying here. There was no reason for me to even unpack my bag. He hadn't really wanted me from the beginning. His brother hadn't said as much, but I pieced it together with what he didn't say.

Nonetheless, I grabbed it from the back seat, slung it over my shoulder, and followed Aydan into the house. Please let the goddess send a whole lot of breezes through the windows so the entire place doesn't smell like that skunk-hole. Aydan didn't need a reminder of this night every day for the next decade. It was memorable enough as it was.