Chapter 34

Ch apter 34

Rose

A knock at the door startles me, and I briefly panic. What if it's Maverick?

" Rose?" I breathe a sigh of relief at the sound of Amber's voice. I open the door. One look at my face, and her own face falls. "Oh, Rose."

And just like that, the dam bursts. She closes the door and gathers me into her arms. It's the most comfort I've had in a long time, if ever. I don't know how long I cry. When I finally pull myself together, she strokes my hair. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Something about her question fills me in. "You already know, don't you?"

She gives me a sympathetic look. "Shifter hearing," she says gently.

My shoulders fall. "The whole pack probably heard, didn't they?"

"No. Just Cade and I because we were at this end when it happened. Well, and the shifters on security." She looks at me as if debating what to say.

"You can say it. I know I'm a terrible person."

"Rose," she chides. "That was not even close to what I was going to say, and you're not a terrible person."

"But you heard the things I said to him," I say in a broken voice.

"I did." There is no censure in her voice; I almost wish there was. It would match the loathing in my soul. "But I also heard the things he said to you, and he and I are going to have words later."

"Please don't," I mumble.

She's quiet a moment. "I know we told you Mav's story. But did you know that his sister was small and petite with long dark hair and pale white skin and large brown eyes?"

Her words feel like a punch to my stomach. I put my hands on my stomach, trying to ease the pain there. "I want you to know I'm not here to defend Maverick. Heaven knows the words I'm going to say to that boy when I track him down. He has no right talking to you the way he did, but I want you to at least understand him." She shakes her head. "He's the most difficult man I've ever encountered." Her voice softens. "But I also know that he loves my daughter and would give his life to protect her. He buys her things all the time. Have you seen his room? There are traces of her everywhere." She puts her hand on mine. "I say that because he has this misguided sense that somehow he's protecting you by not mating you. Why? I have no idea. I can't begin to know how any man's mind works, but especially not that man's. But I know that trauma of losing his sister at such a young age, of not being able to protect her...it's driving everything. Everything that happened last night; it's because of his past." Her gaze softens. "It's not you." She squeezes my hand. "You are the most giving, loving person I know."

"Mav says I'm just wasting my life not doing anything. That I'm letting fear keep me from really living," I tell her, feeling empty inside.

She doesn't say anything for a few minutes. "Is there any truth to that?" she asks softly.

I pull a pillow to my chest and wrap my arms around it. "I'm healing people," I say weakly.

"You are, and I cannot begin to tell you how grateful we are to you for that. But Rose, we don't want you to not live your life." A pain-filled expression crosses her face. "Maybe Cade and I are responsible too. We don't want you to not be able to live your life, to experience things. Our goal was never to trap you here."

"You're not," I'm quick to argue.

Her eyes are sad. "But maybe we are. We've let our fear keep you captive, and that's not right, Rose. You have every right to live your life. To go shopping, go swimming, lay on the beach. I'm sorry if we haven't made you feel like you could."

I swallow hard, feeling uncomfortable. "You haven't."

"Maybe not intentionally." I don't say anything because I feel emotionally spent. "Do you want to go back to the Northwoods Pack?"

My head shoots up. "What?"

"Do you need to go back?" her voice is tight.

I stare at her, trying to read her. "Do you want me to go back?"

"No!" Her answer is swift and fierce. "I would never let you leave our pack if it were up to me, Rose." She smiles sadly. "You've become like family to us."

I blink. "Really?"

Her eyes widen. "Oh my goodness! Yes! Rose, how can you not know that? We love you. Paige loves you. We would die if you left our pack." She pauses. "But if that's what you wanted, we wouldn't stop you."

I still can't grasp her words. "You guys love me?"

"Oh, Rose." Her voice breaks and she reaches out for me, wrapping me in the warmest hug I think I've ever received. "Dear One," she whispers. "We've claimed you as family. Whether you stay or not, Cade and I will always claim you as family."

Her shirt gets wet under my cheek before I realize I'm crying. Again . When she finally releases me, I still don't feel like I have myself under control. I take a deep breath trying to steady myself. "I can't tell you how much your words mean to me," I whisper. "Thank you."

"It's the truth." She pulls back and pats my knee. "I want to show you something." I eye her warily. "Will you come with me?"

"Did Bryce's pack figure anything out?" I ask as we walk.

She sighs, and I immediately regret asking. "Not yet. Cade's got three teams working with Alpha Bryce's men, but each lead seems like a dead end." I hear the weariness in her tone and refrain from asking any more questions about it. "Have you been to the training gym yet?" she asks.

"No."

"It's not as large as the one you're used to..." she says with a smile. "But everything the Northwoods Pack does is huge." I can't help but nod at that.

When we get to the building, Cade meets us outside. He kisses Amber, and I look away. "Thanks for coming over," he says to the two of us. "I want to show you something Rose." He leads us inside, and I'm greeted with the sights and sounds of the training gym that remind me so much of the Northwoods. I wasn't in the gym many times, but it somehow always smelled exactly like this. I'm not exactly sure what it is we're supposed to be looking at, but I follow Cade's gaze and my stomach tightens. Maverick is in the ring with some poor soul, and Maverick is absolutely tearing into him. While I hate what he's doing, I can't help but be in awe of his physique and ability. Even from this distance, I can see his tanned skin with alpha markings and muscles. Soooo many muscles. I wince when the other shifter goes down and doesn't get back up. Somebody drags him out of the way, and another guy steps into the ring with Mav. "He's been doing this all morning," Cade says in a low voice. I glance at him in surprise. His arms are crossed over his chest, and he stares at the ring.

"Why?" I can't help but ask.

Cade doesn't look away from the ring. "He needs the release." He's quiet a minute. "And he won't go back to the fight ring, which is usually where he blows off this frustration."

I glance at him again. "He doesn't fight in the ring anymore?"

"Not since you were almost taken."

His words have an effect on me that I don't want to think about. I laugh. "I don't think that's why he's not..."

Cade turns his direct stare on me. "He won't go back to the fight ring and leave you in potential danger, so this is what we're left with." He shakes his head. "He's going to blow through every member of my pack."

"I really don't think it has anything to do with me. He—" My voice trails off, and I wince as another shifter hits the ground and doesn't get back up.

"He came in here early this morning," Cade says in a low voice. "And he hasn't let up since." He glances down at me. "I wanted you to see this—to know that he's upset." I balk at his words. "Not at you," he corrects. "At himself. He's mad at how he treated you, and this—" he points to the ring. "Is how he works it out." I'm at a loss for words. "I know he was hard on you last night, and it wasn't right. I laid into him." He glances down at me again. "I'm sorry for the way he treated you and for what he said to you."

I blow out a breath. "Did everybody hear our argument?" I mutter, trying to release some of the tension.

"I know he's not good with his words, and I know sometimes he's a jerk." Amber elbows him. "Okay, a lot of times. But I wanted you to see this so that you would know he's upset about it." He shakes his head slowly. "Even if the idiot never admits it."

I flinch when a shifter takes a jaw-cracking hit and hits the mat. "What do I do to stop it?"

"That's not on you," he says, his alpha voice coming through. "I'll stop him when the time is right."

"And how many more shifters will it take for the time to be right?" I ask. I don't wait for his answer as I walk across the gym floor. My heartbeat speeds up the closer I get, but I will myself to keep walking. You can do this. You're just going to talk to him. Be brave. Be brave. I walk over to the edge of the ring and stop next to Eli.

He looks down at me, but if he's surprised, he doesn't show it. I watch Maverick absolutely pulverize another shifter and feel sick to my stomach. I put a hand on my stomach and swallow hard. I hate violence. And blood. And... Don't focus on it. Be brave. I take a deep breath and step over the lower rope and into the ring.

"Healer," I hear Eli hiss behind me, but I ignore him.

Be brave. " Maverick." I don't say his name loudly. His head snaps up, and he locks eyes with me. I'm only about two feet away from him now. "Enough," I say softly.

His eyes rage as he stares at me, and I see the battle in them. The fury. The pain. The regret. And it makes my heart hurt. I wish he would let me close to him. He's so broken. And yet, if I ever said that to him...I shudder to think. I keep my head high and my shoulders back, just like Raechel taught me to do when facing an opponent. I count inside my head as I hold his stare, so that I don't look away. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight... At twenty-eight, he finally drops his head and looks away. I don't move from my spot. "Are you done?" I ask softly. He doesn't respond, but he does turn and stride for the edge of the ring. I take a deep breath and follow him. He shocks me by holding the top rope for me, so I can slip through easily. Now that it's done, my knees start shaking and I'm not sure if I can follow him. He turns back and gives me the slightest smirk.

"Don't tell me you lost your courage now after standing up to me."

His words light a fire in me, and I lift my head high and walk over to him. "Absolutely not."

"That's what I thought." Oddly enough, his voice sounds full of pride.