CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER TEN

“Closer.”

“Dude, I’m practically fused to the side of your body.”

“Not close enough.” Eli pulled her onto his lap and settled his chin at the crook of her neck. “Better.” Using the heel of his foot, he rocked the porch swing, enjoying the small solitude he’d have with his mate before the day officially began.

They’d already been for their morning run—he’d actually grown to enjoy their jogs, although that was mostly because he liked seeing her delectable ass encased in the little running shorts she wore. More, he liked whipping off the shorts afterward so he could take her against the tiled wall of the shower.

Sunlight peeked through the towering, weathered trees and glimmered off the long grass. The breeze was light but cool. The birds perched in the nearby tree chirped and fluttered their wings. Wolves playfully barked in the distance.

Nuzzling his mate, Eli breathed in their combined scent, letting it override the smells of pine needles, clean air, and moss. His wolf rubbed up against her, more secure in their mating now that their scents had mixed and she wore him on her skin. The beast wasn’t happy that she’d soon be leaving them, though—he’d no doubt sulk until she returned, just as he usually did.

Eli slid his hand under her shirt and danced his fingers up her belly. “Damn, I love it when you’re not wearing a bra.” It meant he could now idly pet, cup, and doodle patterns on her soft, creamy breasts.

“You know,” began Casey, “I don’t understand how the human race can invent AI, endless NASA shit, and do all kinds of other weird and wonderful stuff … but they can’t invent a bra that’s comfortable. It’s like they haven’t even tried.”

“They don’t have their priorities right.”

“Exactly, thank you.” Sighing, she went back to admiring their surroundings. “It’s a real pretty view you have here, Eli.”

It was. Especially with the faint mist that had gathered around the mountains, hazing the trees, river, and meadow. “It could be your view. Our view.”

She tensed. “Eli—”

“Just hear me out a sec.” He turned her so that she was straddling him. Now that their bond had progressed a step, it was time they had this conversation. He’d already rehearsed it in his head several times. “I won’t push you to transfer to my pack if you don’t think you can be happy here. But let me just say a few things.”

She gave a slow nod.

Eli tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. “I know you love your territory. I get that it was the only place you ever felt safe growing up. And I understand that it would be hard for you to leave the people who gave you refuge when you needed it. But, baby, you don’t need that refuge anymore. I’m your point of safety now.

“There’s your soccer team to consider, yes. But Adrian will let you continue playing for the Hounds no matter where you are. I’d never try to interfere with that or ask you leave the team. Never. Soccer is all tied up in who you are.

“You love being an enforcer, I know. But you could be an enforcer here. You’re needed here. We don’t have as many enforcers as Adrian does, and our pack will keep on growing, so it needs more people to guard it. I won’t lie, I’d feel like I was deserting my pack mates if I left, but I will leave if it’s what you want.”

She touched the side of his face. “I know you will, but you don’t need to.”

Eli blinked. “You’ll move here?” His wolf went completely still, waiting on her answer. “Seriously?”

“Seriously,” said Casey. “You’d never be content in my pack, since you’d have to be demoted to an enforcer. You’d also miss your family, and I know how important they are to you. I don’t have family who’d miss me at the Craven Pack, so there’s no one holding me there. Other than my teammates, of course. I hope you mean it when you say you wouldn’t ask me to leave the Hounds, because it would hurt like hell to do it.”

“You think I would do anything that would cause you pain?”

“No.”

He caught her hand and kissed her palm. “Then you know I meant what I said.”

She bit her lip. “Do you think Nick would take me on as an enforcer? I’d need a position, Eli. I wouldn’t cope without one.”

“You don’t have to tell me that. And yes, I do think he would.” Eli played with the end of her braid, tempted to untie it so he could run his fingers through that sleek hair. “He’d be stupid not to, given how strong, capable, and fierce you are. My brother is a lot of things, but not stupid.”

She took a deep breath. “Well then, if Nick is truly okay with appointing me as an enforcer and nobody insists on me leaving the Hounds, I’ll switch to your pack.”

As both satisfaction and relief settled over him and his wolf, Eli rested his forehead against hers. “Thank you, baby.”

“Thank you for being willing to put my happiness before yours.”

“I’ll always do that. Always.” Eli pulled her close and pressed a long, lingering kiss to her mouth. “When?”

“Hmm?”

“When will you move here?”

“After the games are over. Don’t pout. There are only two left to go.”

“I know. But I’m selfish, I want you close.” He rubbed his nose against hers. “I want you here with me. I’ve wanted it since I first found you.”

“And you’ll have it once the games are over.” Casey almost laughed at his frown. He always seemed confused and surprised when she didn’t let him have his way. Her mink found it sort of cute. The animal had no issues with switching packs; her loyalty was to Eli, not the Craven minks. Plus, the animal liked Eli’s land and preferred his lodge to her apartment.

“I want us sharing the same space,” Eli went on. “I want your things mixed with mine.”

Casey almost rolled her eyes. He was so spoiled. “And they will be, just not yet.”

“I don’t like the idea that if you ever need me throughout the day, it would take me time to reach you.”

“That could apply even if we were living together,” Casey pointed out. There would be times when she’d bend, but there would also be times when she’d dig her heels in and refuse to budge. He’d walk all over her otherwise. “Look, leaving isn’t going to be easy for me, Eli. As you said, Craven Pack territory was my refuge, the only place I felt safe and accepted growing up. I already have plenty of things distracting me from the games—Miles, Ignacio, Sherryl. I don’t want anything else shaking my focus.

“You know this isn’t a simple hobby for me. I didn’t train this hard and long to fuck it up at the last minute and let my teammates down by not being at my best.”

Eli squeezed her nape, getting it. “All right.”

“You need to talk this over with your Alphas first and be sure they’re okay with me joining your pack.”

He snorted. “Are you kidding? They keep bugging me to ask you to move here.”

Casey suspected that was mostly because they didn’t want him moving to her territory, but it was still nice that they wanted her there, whatever the reason. “You sure they’ll be fine with it? I know Shaya’s happy for you, but sometimes I get the feeling that our mating makes her … not sad exactly, but … I don’t know, I can’t really describe it.”

Eli rubbed her thigh. “It’s not about us. You know it’s not common for true mates to recognize each other at first sight, right? Many things can block the frequency of the bond, which means some people can go a long time without sensing it. But Nick and Shaya recognized each other straight off. The thing is … Nick initially walked away from her.”

Casey blinked. “Walked … he walked away?”

“Yes. It’s a long story, which I’ll share with you another time because we’ve got a busy morning ahead of us. He did it thinking it was best for her. Months later, he realized his mistake, tracked her down, and did what was necessary to fix his fuckup. Luckily, she forgave him. You’ve seen for yourself how happy they are. But hearing that I claimed you instantly, with no hesitation whatsoever, must remind her of the simple and painful fact that he didn’t do that with her.”

“Ah. If you’d walked away from me that night, I think it would have killed something in me. I think I also might have killed you. I’m not as forgiving as Shaya.”

“You say that as if I could have walked away from you.” He cupped her jaw and breezed his thumb over her lower lip. “From the second I realized you were mine, you became the most important thing to me. I honestly don’t know where Nick found the will to stay away from Shaya. If what he told me was true, she did initially try to take his head off with a bat.”

“Can’t say I blame her. I’d have done a lot worse in her position. But then, I’m not as good a person as she is.”

Eli smoothed his hand up her back and tugged her closer. “You might be a proper badass, but you’re all soft and squishy on the inside. Don’t think I haven’t seen you passing candy to the pups when you think no one’s paying attention. Adrian told me about some of the things you take upon yourself to do for your pack mates, like checking on or doing favors for the elderly or pregnant members.” He almost smiled at her blush.

“Until you came into my life, I had spare time—it was no biggie to spend some of that time helping the more vulnerable members.”

“Soft and squishy,” he repeated in a whisper.

“Whatever.”

He chuckled. “Back to what we were talking about earlier … If you need time before moving here, I’ll give it to you, but I can’t promise I won’t grumble about it when the mood strikes me.”

“Knowing you as well as I do, I wouldn’t expect anything different.”

Eli kissed her. “Let’s tell Nick and Shaya about your decision, and then we’ll need to tell Adrian.”

“Okay.”

He smiled. “Okay.”

A short while later, Eli and Casey sat opposite the Alpha pair in Nick’s office. Eli could almost feel his brother’s relief when she revealed that she was willing to switch to their pack. He also felt Casey’s surprise when Shaya pumped her fist and hissed, “Yes!” Nick only rolled his eyes at his mate.

“We really appreciate you agreeing to join our pack, Casey,” said Shaya. “We know it can’t have been an easy decision to make, and we hope you know that we don’t just want you here so that we can keep Eli with us. You’re our family now, and family is important to us.”

Casey swallowed. “Thank you. I will be continuing to play for the Hounds—I hope you can support that.”

“It’s not a problem for us,” Nick told her, hooking his arm over the back of his mate’s chair.

“There will be times when my pack commitments might collide with my training sessions or the games themselves,” Casey pointed out.

“We’ll make it work.” Nick held up a hand, adding, “And before you say it, yes, I do know you’ll need a place in the hierarchy. Adrian told me about the skills you possess and the amount of training and experience you’ve had. He said I’d be a complete fool not to welcome you into my ranks as an enforcer. The things I’ve heard about you from Eli supports that theory. My brother’s Head Enforcer; I trust his judgement. If he says you have what it takes to be an enforcer here—and no, he wouldn’t say that simply because you’re his mate—I believe him.”

The Alpha pair weren’t so happy to hear that Casey wouldn’t immediately join the pack, and Eli figured they worried she’d change her mind at some point. But they claimed to understand her reasons, and he highly suspected Shaya would still arrange a “welcome to the pack” party—if for no other reason than to communicate to Casey that she was wanted there.

After the meeting was over, Eli drove Casey to Adrian’s house, which was located deep in Craven Pack territory. The Alpha welcomed them inside with an easy smile, but that smile faded when Casey shared the reason for the visit.

Settled in an armchair, Adrian blew out a breath. “I can’t say this is a surprise. I’ll be sorry to lose you, Casey. You’re one of my best enforcers, and this will be a heavy loss to the others. I can proudly say that, collectively, my enforcers function like a well-oiled machine. Taking away a piece of that machinery will rock them. But I can see why you’ve decided to leave, and I can’t disapprove of you putting your mate first.” His gaze cut to Eli. “You’re a lucky man, Axton. I hope you know that.”

“I do,” said Eli, his arm draped over the back of the sofa, where she sat beside him.

“I also hope your pack will see her value. Casey’s meant for better things than hanging around, seeing to this and that. She’s an enforcer straight down to the bone.”

“I know that better than anyone.”

“Yes, I suppose you do.”

“I want to continue playing for the Hounds,” Casey told the Alpha. “Eli has promised to be supportive of that, and Nick has assured me that it won’t be an issue. I’m hoping it won’t be one for you either.”

Adrian looked at Eli. “You and your brother are both certain you can fully support this in the long-run?”

“We’re sure,” said Eli.

“Good.” Adrian slid his gaze back to Casey. “I have no problems with it. I suspect your team would go on strike if I didn’t allow you to remain part of it anyway.”

Smiling, she gave a short nod. “Thank you.”

“When will you be packing up?” Adrian asked.

“Not until after the games are over.”

“Ah. You don’t want the emotional upheaval to throw you off your game—no pun intended.”

“Exactly.”

The Alpha shrugged. “Well, there’s no rush on my end.”

“Until I officially leave the pack, I want to continue working my enforcer shifts.”

“You think I’d stop you? I’ll be happy to—” Adrian frowned as a fist hammered on the front door. He stood. “Excuse me.”

The fist pounded on it twice more before the Alpha even stepped out into the hallway. Casey exchanged a look with Eli.

The hinges of the front door creaked, and then Adrian snapped, “What the fuck is your—?”

“Where is the little bitch?”

Hearing Mallory’s voice, Casey glanced at Eli again. She was sure they were both thinking the same thing: she knows. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

“Calm down, honey,” urged Preston.

“Don’t you tell me to calm the fuck down, asshole!” Mallory yelled. “I know she’s here—the wolf’s SUV is outside!”

Adrian cursed, and then high heels click-clacked down the hardwood floor of the hallway, getting louder and louder.

Squaring her shoulders, Casey stood, readying herself. She’d let her cousin get one hit in, she decided. Just one. After all, the other female had a right to her wrath.

Mallory stormed into the room, and her eyes blazed as they fixed on Casey. “You bitch,” she spat, closing in on her fast.“You fucking, fucking, fucking bitch.”

Growling, Eli slid in front of Casey, shielding her. “No,” he told Mallory, who stumbled to a halt.

Mallory bared her teeth. “Step aside.”

“It’s fine, Eli,” said Casey with a sigh. “Let her pass.”

“No,” he told Casey, though his eyes remained on the female in front of him, “because I know you’ll let her hit you, even though you don’t deserve it.”

Mallory fisted her hands. “She’ll totally deserve it.”

“What the hell is this all about?” demanded Adrian, sidling up to her.

“Oh, you don’t know?” Mallory let out a bitter, humorless laugh. “Well then, let me tell you.” She jabbed her finger at Casey. “That bitch fucked my mate!”

Standing behind Mallory, Preston rubbed at his temple. “It was one night,” he told the Alpha. “It happened before Mallory and I started dating.”

“Days before.” Mallory’s eyes narrowed to little slits of fury. “Bitch, you should’ve told me! I had to hear about it from Sherryl. Sherryl.”

“That’s my fault; I asked Casey not to say anything,” said Preston. He grabbed his mate’s arm, but she shook him off. “It’s not Casey you should be pissed at. It’s me. This whole thing is on me.”

“Oh, is that right?”

“Yes. I put her in an impossible situation. If I’d thought for even a second that I’d come to feel even half of what I feel for you now, I’d have told you about the one-night stand in the very beginning. But I didn’t, and then I was scared to tell you because I didn’t want to lose you.”

“You think that makes it okay?” Mallory propped her clenched hands on her hips. “Tell me the truth. Did you love her?”

“No. My ego was bruised, even though I knew she was right that it would be a bad idea for a member of the team to get involved with one of the Hounds’ staff. That’s all it was.”

“Then how come Sherryl told me you were so determined to change Casey’s mind that you thought you’d try making her jealous? If it had worked, you’d have left me for her, wouldn’t you? Wouldn’t you?”

Preston shoved his hand into his hair. “I’d like to think not. Honestly, I didn’t really believe it would change her mind—she’s more stubborn than anyone I’ve ever met.”

“But you wanted to hurt her, and so you used me to do it.”

Adrian stepped between the couple and shot her a pointed look. “Not sure you’re in a position to judge him too harshly on that one, Mallory. How many times have you done such a thing to others? Seems like karma came knocking on your door.”

She gaped at her Alpha. “Now hang on a minute—”

“You’ve tested the endurance of your bedsprings with a lot of males in this pack,” Adrian forged on. “Do you think that’s any easier for Preston to live with than this will be for you? I don’t recollect any of those males being his cousins, but I know that at least one of them is his friend.”

Mallory winced. “He still should have told me. She should have told me.”

“Like you told Casey about the times you slept with her ex-boyfriends? And what about the times you lured males away from her?”

Mallory’s mouth bobbed open and closed. “That’s different. None of them were her mate.”

“Just as Preston wasn’t your mate back then. He was a single male, free to do as he pleased. He didn’t betray you.”

“But he did lie to me. They both did.”

As his mate’s guilt traveled down their bond, Eli cut in, glaring at Mallory, “You do realize all this is fucking pointless, don’t you? What he did was an asshole-move—I’m with you on that one. But you’re both exactly where you want to be. If Casey had originally told you about what happened, you would’ve broken things off with him—presuming you even believed her—and you wouldn’t be mated to him now. You might be pissed at him, but you wouldn’t want to undo that even if you could.”

“Eli’s right,” said Adrian. “It’s Sherryl you should be angry with.”

Some of the staunch leached out of Mallory, who suddenly looked unbelievably sad. “She was laughing when she told me. Laughing.”

No doubt feeling the extent of his mate’s pain, Preston squeezed his eyes tightly shut for a moment. “She doesn’t find any of it funny, Mallory. She’s bitter and angry and it’s twisting her up inside. She laughed because she wanted to get you all riled up and itching for a fight.”

“Well, it worked.” Mallory looked at Eli. “I noticed you don’t seem surprised by any of this. Casey told you?”

“She told me,” Eli confirmed. “At the time, she was agonizing about the fact that she hadn’t told you. I’ll say to you what I said to her—there was nothing to gain from her telling you. All it would have done was hurt you, which was the one thing she wanted to avoid. Everything she’s done or hasn’t done was all in an effort not to cause you any pain. Going by the shit you’ve done to her in the past, I don’t think you’d have been so concerned about her feelings if the situation were reversed.”

Shoulders slumping, Mallory averted her gaze and swallowed hard. Preston put his hand on her shoulder, offering his silent support. She didn’t shake him off this time, but she did stiffen.

Sensing that her cousin was no longer on the verge of snapping, Casey said, “For what little it’s worth, I am sorry that you’re hurting. You’re a real bitch, but I still wouldn’t purposely hurt you.” Much. Most of the time.

Preston stroked his mate’s hair. “And I’m sorry, honey. So fucking sorry.”

“But I’m certain Sherryl’s not,” Adrian cut in. “And she needs to be dealt with.”

“She will be,” said Casey, face hardening. “I warned her to back off and she hasn’t. I don’t think she has any intention of doing so. There’s only one thing for me to do now—I’ll have to challenge her. But not until after the games are over.”

“Why wait?” asked Eli.

“If I do it before then and I end up killing her, there’ll be so much rage circulating among her pack and mine that it will filter over onto the teams and then there’ll be a bloodbath on the damn field.” That sort of thing had happened before, and Casey didn’t want to see it happen again.

“You’ll only get to play the Seals in the final if you defeat the Washington Weasels—and I’m sorry, but that’s a dumb name for a soccer team—in the semi-finals,” Adrian pointed out.

“We’ll make it to the finals.” Casey had to believe that. “And we’ll annihilate the heifers. If we don’t make it, I’ll challenge Sherryl once my team has been eliminated from the competition.”

Adrian gave a satisfied nod. “She’ll be expecting you to wait, though. She’ll fuck with you in any way she can in the meantime, hoping to provoke you.”

“Oh, I know,” said Casey. “And I’m not saying I won’t smack the bitch down if she comes at me. Just that I’ll postpone issuing the challenge.”

“All right,” said Adrian. “In the meantime, she’s banned from our territory. She doesn’t get to visit her family here, she doesn’t get to attend any games.”

Preston’s brow puckered. “What about the cemetery? You intend to keep her from it? Her mate is buried here. She visits his grave at least once a month.”

“Not anymore she doesn’t.” Adrian lifted his chin, his mouth set into a determined slash. “A ban is a ban. I’ll negotiate an arrangement with her coach that allows her to come here only to play with her team, but nothing else—and she’ll be followed the entire time by one of my enforcers.”

“She’ll probably run crying to her Alphas and try to sic them on you,” said Eli.

“If they contact me, I’ll inform them that I’ll lift the ban if she apologizes to Mallory, Casey, and Preston. If I come across as fair and not cruel, her Alphas will have no reason to take this further. They’ll simply tell Sherryl to swallow her pride and apologize, which she won’t do—it’s not in her nature.”

“She’d rather swallow glass,” agreed Preston.

Adrian’s shoulders lowered. “It pains me to have to ban her from coming here—she was one of my minks once. But it seems that that doesn’t mean much to her now, and so I won’t let it mean shit to me.”