Chapter 39

Rose

"This place is amazing," I breathe out after I finally catch my breath. "How come your pack doesn't come here? Do they not know about it?"

"They know about it; they're just not allowed to."

His answer surprises me. "Why not?"

"It's Cade and Amber's getaway spot."

I sit up. "Are we not supposed to be here?"

"Relax. It's fine. Technically, since I'm beta, it's for me too. I just don't come here all that often."

"You should. It's amazing!" I close my eyes and let the sun warm my face.

"Only a few more minutes, and then you need to get into the shade," he says, interrupting my quiet.

"I don't want to go into the shade. This feels too good," I say with somewhat slurred words. I feel close to dozing.

"Come on, Healer. You can't fall asleep in the sun. You're probably going to be burned as it is." I give a small sound of annoyance. "Up you go." Suddenly, arms come around me and pull me to my feet.

"Maverick, I was resting," I complain.

"You can rest in the shade where you won't burn," he says. I glare at him while I put my flip flops on and follow him. We settle in the shade under one of the trees. We're not exactly on the sand anymore, so it's not as comfortable but I don't mind. "This is amazing, Mav. Thank you for bringing me here." He doesn't say anything, not that I expected him to. We lay there for a while. I'm in that happy place, dozing but not quite sleeping when he gives me a little shake. I open my eyes and use my hand to shield my face against the sun.

He gives me an apologetic look. "We have to go back. Sorry. Cade's calling me back."

"That's okay. I can just stay here."

"Nope. You're with me, Healer." I groan as he helps me to my feet and trudge through the sand behind him. When we get to the car, I turn to him.

"I need a towel so I don't get your car all wet; this one's all sandy."

"It's fine," he says, waving me off. I shake out my towel the best I can and then put it down and sit on it for the trip back. He's quiet for the drive back to the pack house. When we get there, he turns to me. "Here." He hands me my shirt and shorts.

It's my turn to wave him off. "I'm fine."

He puts them in my lap. "Put those on before we go in."

"I'm just going to run inside and take a shower."

"Healer, you're not walking around like that in front of my pack."

I glance down at my modest one piece confused. The shifters at the pool were less dressed than I am. "I'm more covered than the girls at the pool. I'm just going to run in and then shower."

I open my door and step out. He's in front of me seconds later. "Healer," he growls.

I sigh wearily. "Why are you making such a big deal about this?"

The front door to the pack house opens and Jacob and Daniel walk out. "Hey Rose," Jacob calls out.

Mav lets loose a growl and steps completely into me, pushing me against the car. I stare up at him. "Mav?"

"Nobody sees your body but me." His words are gravelly, and his eyes flash dangerously with the presence of his wolf.

His words shock me. He's never shown an ounce of anything like this before. My eyes prick with tears. I look down. Stupid tears. I know better than to overthink it; it's just his wolf responding right now. Still, it's hard not to let my heart respond; all I've ever wanted is to be loved. I've envied the females of the Northwoods Pack who have a mate that loves them and protects them ferociously. I swallow and meet Mav's eyes. There's a war going on in those dark eyes, and my heart tugs in my chest. If he would ever claim me as his, I would let him in a heartbeat. I don't think it would take anything for me to fall for this man. The thought hits me like a ton of bricks. I take that thought and tuck it away deep. Then I stare up at the man who's still leaning into me. I do my best to ignore the sensations running through me at the feel of his firm, strong body against mine; and I recall what the other girls have done when their mates start to wolf out.

I put my hand tentatively on his chest. "Okay," I say softly. "I'll put on my shirt and shorts." He says nothing, and I don't know what to do. "Um, you're going to have to give me space to be able to do that." Still nothing. I want to look around to see if somebody can help me, but all I can see is him. He's too broad and tall. "Maverick?" I say and hear the uncertainty in my voice. Something snaps him out of it. I watch as his eyes go back to their normal color, and he comes to himself. He stares down at me a moment before he steps back. I make short work of throwing my shorts and shirt on over my swimsuit. When I'm fully dressed, I chance a look at him. He gives me one more look that I can't begin to read and turns and strides away. It takes a moment to realize that he's leaving me. "Mav, wait," I call out and hurry after him. He stops but doesn't turn back to me. I get close to him but don't touch him. "Thank you for taking me to the beach. I had a really good time." I say the words softly, knowing he'll hear me. I stand there awkwardly for a moment, not sure what else to say. When he doesn't say anything, I turn around and head back toward the pack house.

"Healer."

I turn around. "I'll get dinner for us at six if you want to pick out a movie."

A smile forms on my face. "Sounds like a plan." I turn away before I do something dumb like give him a hug. I head inside and go straight to my room for a shower to get all the sand off. After my shower, I braid my hair and stand in front of my closet, debating what to wear. In my head, I know it's not a date. But I feel like things have changed between us...maybe? I groan. I know I'm overthinking it, but I can't not. "This is ridiculous." I pull on a pair of white shorts and a black top that hangs off one shoulder. I throw on a little bit of makeup and slip on my flip flops and a pair of small gold hoops and call it a night. I head out into the hallway a little early and knock on Ava's door a few minutes later.

She opens the door and gives me a onceover. "Soooo, things are going well with the wolf."

"Can I come in?"

She steps back and lets me into her room, closing the door behind me. I drop into the chair in the middle of her room. "Make yourself at home," she says dryly.

"You'll never guess what happened today." She eyes me but doesn't say anything. "Maverick took me to the beach, just the two of us. It was amazing. And now, he invited me to his room to watch a movie and eat dinner. I think he's finally starting to let me in." When she doesn't say anything, I lean back in my chair. "I mean, I know he's still Mav, but...I think there's maybe like a chance...for us. Maybe." When she still doesn't say anything, I take her in. Her face is pale, more so than usual. She looks so empty. "You okay, Ava?"

"I'm fine." Her comment isn't as snarky as what I'm used to from her.

I study her for a moment. "What's going on, Ava? You can talk to me."

She looks away, and I sigh. She's so hard to get through to. I don't know what, if anything, will crack through that hard exterior. "I don't want to be here anymore." Her soft words take me by surprise, and I do my best to keep the shock off my face. Her eyes find mine. "Would you hate me if I go back to the Northwoods Pack?"

My stomach pitches for a moment, but I push my own feelings aside. This isn't about me. "Ava, if you're not happy here..." The words won't form, and I swallow hard. This isn't about you. It doesn't matter. But that feeling of abandonment comes roaring to the surface with a vengeance. I squeeze my hands into tight fists and do everything in my power to keep my demons at bay.

Her eyes meet mine. "I don't want to leave you here by yourself." Her words are so soft, I barely hear them.

"It's okay," I force the words out even as I feel my heart breaking. "I—I want you to be happy. And if you're not happy here..."

"You won't mind?"

I shake my head because I don't think I can say anything without crying right now. Steeling myself, I meet her gaze. "I want you to be happy. And if that's not here, then I don't want you to stay here." I let my sincerity show through my eyes. As much as it hurts to be left here alone, I meant what I said. I don't want her to stay here if she's not happy. "Have you reached out to the pack yet?"

"No, I wanted to talk to you first."

My heart softens. "Thanks, but absolutely go back. Will you be okay living in the healer house by yourself?"

"Yeah. That's why I want to go back. I can't take being here anymore. I don't know how packs live all together under one roof. It's not normal to live with this many people."

I shrug. "I don't know. I kind of like it. I like that I'm never alone."

Ava snorts. "Well that most likely has to do with the fact that you have a mate here. How is that going anyway besides the beach trip? Is he being good to you?"

"Yeah. He is." I don't say anymore because I don't want to rub it in her face. I hated when the other females did that to me, not that they did it on purpose. They just can't help how much they love their mates. I lock down my emotions. "Want to call Garrett now and ask him if he can send someone? I'll sit here with you."

Her eyes brighten. "Yeah?"

"Of course. I wouldn't want to call Garrett by myself either."

She gives me a sheepish smile. "I was going to call Emma."

I laugh. "Yeah. Calling his mate; that's a smart move. He can't say no to her."

"Let's do it."

Her eyes meet mine. "Are you sure?"

I tighten that hold on my emotions. "Absolutely."

"Okay." She pulls out her phone and taps on the screen. A moment later, she holds it out in front of her and I hear it ring.

"Hey Ava, are you okay?" Emma's gentle voice comes between us, and I can't help but smile.

"I'm fine," Ava says quickly. "Uh, how are you?"

"I'm doing well." I can hear the uncertainty in Emma's voice, like she's not really sure why Ava's calling.

"I want to come back to the pack."

I blink at Ava's abrupt words and then hold my breath as we both wait for Emma's response. "Oh. Okay. Let me talk to Garrett and see when we can send somebody to pick you up."

I watch Ava's shoulders lower. "Really?"

Emma pauses. "Of course. You're pack, Ava. You can come here and live with our pack any time you want. The healer house hasn't been lived in since you left. So, if you're okay with it, you can move back there. Or..."

"Yes," Ava says, interrupting her. "I want to live in the healer house."

"What about Rose?" Emma asks. "Is she going to be coming to?"

Ava looks to me. "Hey Emma," I say so she knows I'm here.

"Oh, I didn't know you were with Ava. Hey, Rose."

Her warm voice wraps around me, and I suddenly miss her and the others in the Northwoods Pack.