Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Blake hadn’t wanted to throttle his alpha this badly in years.

Choking back temper, his curled his fingers into fists and waited to speak until it wouldn’t come out as a straight-up challenge. "Lucas--"

"It’s not up for debate," he interrupted, his voice implacable. "Someone has to go."

"Mac and Connor can go. Or Jud."

"Jud is going. With you." Lucas straightened to his full height and threw his leather gloves across the work table. "You need the time, Blake. The space, too."

The anxiety that had been twisting him up since Lucas had called him out to the barn solidified. Leaving Ashley in the kitchen with Mac had been hard enough. Leaving her in the house with him while he drove his ass all the way back to that crowded, miserable city--

It would take all day to go back to that house and make sure nothing left behind could lead to anyone in the pack. Longer if they had to dodge nosy neighbors and gather up her belongings. Jud would make it easier--he knew how to get in and out of human places without being noticed--but the mating urge wasn’t likely to leave Ashley in peace until they managed to get back.

And if it struck while he was gone...

A growl rumbled through his chest and fought its way free. "She needs me."

"She needs someone," Lucas corrected. "Man, how’s she supposed to know whether that someone is you if you’re always there? And don’t try to tell me you haven’t been."

He ground his teeth together and said nothing.

"That’s what I thought." Setting aside the ax head he’d just sharpened, Lucas sighed. "I warned you, all of you. Don’t get too attached, not until you know."

Blake’s pride prickled. "It’s not about being attached."

"So you’d be fine if she mated Mac or Jud?" Lucas lifted an eyebrow. "If she mated me?"

He couldn’t even force out the lie. It was one thing to reconcile himself to the idea of the rest of the pack touching her. That was tolerable, especially when it enhanced her pleasure. She was blooming, growing into her skin before his eyes, and he could let Mac and Jud and even Lucas be a part of that.

Mating was different. It was intense, permanent. Ashley would never need anyone else, and her mate would have to fight back territorial instincts every time another male came near her.

Blake would lose the right to touch her, and the possibility sharpened his temper. "I’m not the only one who wants to mate her. We’ll all have to deal with whatever happens."

"You’re not the only one who wants a mate," Lucas agreed.

Except--maybe it wasn’t agreement. Because Lucas hadn’t said they all wanted to mate her. And Blake couldn’t conjure another image now even if he tried. Demure or fiery, blonde or redhead, any potential mate he could dream up turned into Ashley, naked and wide-eyed, her soft thighs spread open as she offered him everything and challenged him to take it.

Arguing was stubborn, futile. Such a human thing to do, grasping at rationalizations and near-lies instead of facing the truth. "I don’t want to leave her."

"You have to. You have to give her a chance, Blake."

The magic words. The only thing less tolerable than leaving her in Mac’s hands was staying, only to find himself being overbearing and intrusive. Especially when he’d told her the truth--his control wasn’t good around her. It would be so easy to simply...lean on her. Not even on purpose, but strength was power, and he had both. Enough to trap her in a corner if he wasn’t careful.

"Fine," he grumbled, relenting. "We’ll get her stuff and clean up the house."

"Good." Lucas hesitated, then reached for his gloves and continued, his tone bland and casual. "Take the opportunity to buy her something. A gift."

Something she wanted. Something to compete with Jud’s crepes and whatever Mac--most likely with Connor’s assistance--would unleash on her. Connor could type a few words into his damn computer and make anything appear. Blake just had...

The books. Her books, the ones she hadn’t wanted to leave behind. "I know what to do."

"Does it have a hope in hell of beating Jud’s I was a bad-boy gentleman thief routine?"

Was that a thing that appealed to human women? How was he supposed to know this shit when he rarely spent any time around them? "How the fuck should I know?"

Lucas scrubbed a hand over his face. "Good luck. You need it."

It wasn’t exactly a vote of confidence, which only strengthened Blake’s resolve. Whatever happened while he was gone didn’t matter. He’d give Ashley the space Lucas thought she needed, and wait for her to come back to him. If she did--when she did--

Woo the woman. Ravish the wolf. This time, he’d do both.