9. Chapter 9

Chapter nine

Connor

I wake to my ears ringing and my head throbbing. Rubbing my eyes, I look disorientated around me, trying to piece together what had happened. The rental car's passenger side had slammed against the trunk of a tree, but otherwise, the car seemed intact.

Undoing my seatbelt, I push open the door. As I step out of the car, the air is heavy with the scent of crushed leaves and burnt rubber. The sound of my heartbeat fills my ears, combating the ringing and drowning out the distant chirping of birds. My tongue is coated with the lingering taste of adrenaline, adding to the queasiness in my stomach. The world around me spins, a dizzying blur of colors and shapes. I grip the doorframe tightly, the cool metal grounding me.

The deer who had caught me off guard is nowhere in sight.

First, there was the failed meeting, snapping at Daisy, wrecking the car, and then missing my brother's call.

Carter!

I slump back into the car seat and feel around for my phone. When I finally grab it, I let out a groan of frustration. The device had flown out of its holder and smashed during the collision. The screen is cracked and flashes in a thousand tiny pixels. Frustration washes over me as I stare at my shattered phone, its broken screen reflecting the shattered fragments of my week.

So much for calling for a ride, let alone my brother back.

With a sinking feeling, I wonder if this string of misfortune is just a cruel twist of fate or something more sinister. At least I don’t think I sustained a concussion.

As I limp around the car, my eyes scanning for the extent of the damage, my foot catches on a gnarled root, sending me sprawling onto the rough ground. I land hard, my nose smashing against the unforgiving earth.

"Fuck," I grunt, rolling onto my side and pinching my now bleeding nose.

Could I possibly be so unlucky? What was going on?

As the blood trickling from my nose slows, I glimpse my reflection in the dusty silver rim of the tire. I am a mess. My face is smeared with blood, the dark circles under my eyes are a stark contrast against my pale skin, and my hair is a tangled mess of leaves and debris.

Maybe Daisy is right. Maybe I am working myself to death and could use a vacation.

With a grunt, I push myself off the ground. The passenger side is a mess, but after checking for other issues, the car seems driveable, my ego notwithstanding.

Maybe you're cursed.

"Not funny. The only thing I'm cursed with is your constant input," I say, leaning against the hood of the car as another wave of dizziness and nausea rolls through me.

Definitely a concussion.

It's a good thing you know a pretty nurse. I'm sure she could take care of you. And more than just your bloody nose and bruised ego.

"Shut up," I growl as I wedge myself back into the driver's seat. Each muscle in my body protests as I twist in pain, pulling the seatbelt across my chest. "We're only forty minutes from the airport. We can get cleaned up when we get there."

I turn the key in the ignition and wait.

Nothing.

We could always do it my way and run back on all fours.

"I'm not running to the airport as a wolf and leaving my stuff in the car." I look at the passenger seat floor, where my briefcase has fallen, its contents scattered everywhere: pens, papers, and my broken phone. I yell out in frustration, slamming my fist against the steering wheel. As the car horn blares, a flock of birds, startled from their perch in the trees above, takes flight, their wings a flurry of feathers against the darkening blue sky.

"Come on, car. I need to get to the airport," I say as I turn the ignition.

Nothing. Not even a hum of the motor turning over. Maybe it was more damaged than I could assess from the outside.

I wasn't talking about going to the airport. Where is the fun in that? I was thinking more along the lines of playing nurse and patient.

I pinch the bridge of my nose as I can nearly hear the smile in his voice, wincing at the pain and praying I didn't break it.

"I can't go back. Not only did I leave her—" Wanting and needy. I could smell her arousal, and feel the way she responded to my touch that night. Who knows where it would have led had the phone not rang and given me a second’s reprieve to clear my head of her intoxicating taste and smell. My dick begins to stir at the memory, pressing tight against my slacks.

At least something isn't broken.

She wants us. Go to her.

"I don't know if this is all some elaborate scheme of hers and she's tricked us from day one, wolf." With a groan of frustration, I lean my head back against the headrest, closing my eyes and letting out a weary sigh.

You'll never find out if you don't try. Think of the pack.

"I'm not discussing the pack with you right now." I inhale deeply through my nose.

That's because you don't want to admit I'm right. You don't want to admit that deep down, you were meant to be Alpha. You never even gave your brother a chance to step down.

"Stop." My knuckles blanch as I grip the steering wheel. "That's the past. This is now. What's done is done."

It's not too late for our little nettle.

"She's not our anything. For all we know, she's already dating someone." The words taste like ash on my tongue.

You know that's not true. You would have smelt them.

"It doesn't matter. She has her life, and we have ours. The car won't start anyway, and the airport is the shorter route," I say as I pack my stuff back into the suitcase.

Just try. Bat those beautiful blue eyes, click your ruby red slippers, and think of her.

"Third time’s the charm, right?" I roll my eyes at his absurdity, but my heart skips a beat as I turn the ignition, and the engine roars to life, a powerful growl erupting from the car's depths. Grinning, I glance up and spot the nearly full moon cresting the treeline in the darkening sky.

I told you so. Now, to our witch?

With a wrench of the steering wheel and a push of the gas pedal, the car jolts forward, the grinding sound of the metal against the tree bark replaced by the squelch of tires finding purchase on the ground.

"We've got business to attend to," I say. I signal my turn toward the airport and press the gas, but the engine coughs and dies, leaving me stranded in the middle of the road. A moment later, a large, gooey splat of bird droppings lands on the windshield with a sickening thud.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me."

I try the ignition, but the car refuses to turn on. Nor have I seen a single car pass this way since I woke up.

Don't mess with fate. This is a sign.

"Fine, you win." I let my thoughts freely think of Netti, the way she fidgets with her apron when she's nervous, the way she nibbles on her bottom lip. Those damnable green eyes of hers.

The engine purrs to life, and I flip a U-turn heading back to Rusthollow.

I park outside Magickal Morsels and rush inside.

"Where is she?" I demand the blond-haired woman behind the counter. A couple of patrons seated nearby turn around in their seats to get a look at me, but I don't acknowledge them as I walk over to the register.

"Excuse me? Are you okay? Do I need to call someone for you?" Her eyebrows crease in worry as she looks me over.

"No, I'm fine. There was just a little accident." I wave her off until I catch a glimpse of my reflection. I look like a madman. I couldn't meet Netti looking like this. "On second hand, I need to use your restroom."

Following her direction, I quickly splash water on my face, brushing leaves out of my hair and smoothing it back. It wasn't the best; my clothes are still stained with dirt, but my cuts were already starting to heal, thanks to my shifter magic. When I return to the front of the bakery, she hands me a steaming travel cup of coffee, then leans forward and straightens the top of my button up.

"There you go, much better. Now, who is it you're looking for?" She crosses her arms over her chest.

"Netti. I'm looking for Netti Ellsworth. Is she working today?" I ask impatiently.

Her eyebrow arches in skepticism as she purses her lips, gesturing with a sweeping motion that takes in the entire room. "Does it look like she's here?"

"I need her," I say, setting down the coffee and placing my hands on the counter.

"And I need customers to act nicer and a vacation, but I don't see that happening anytime soon." She shrugs and picks at her fingernails.

Connor. My wolf's voice is a low warning rumble in my chest.

"Please tell me where Netti is. It's important I talk to her." I say, attempting to will my body to relax.

"It's her day off," the baker replies.

"What do I have to do to find out where she is?" The desire to see her, inhale her scent, and run my fingers through her hair had become unbearable since I returned. "I need to... apologize for my behavior."

"Well, in that case, she's out at dinner at Noble Noshes," she replies.

"Thank you." I turn on my heel out the door and punch the address into the car's GPS, thankful it was working since my phone was as good as dead.

"Estimated travel time, ten minutes," the electronic voice pipes over the car speakers as I pull onto the main road. The moon, a few days from its peak, ascends in the sky, its face nearly complete, radiating a luminous light on the town around me. My thoughts, however, are completely absorbed by Netti and what I was going to say when I got back to her.

The next thing I knew, I was pulling up to a charming modern restaurant, its silver and black sign proudly proclaiming "Noble Noshes."

I quickly find a parking spot and hurry toward the front door, but I am stopped at the bustling host stand. The hostess, her brow furrowed with concern, shifted her attention from my ragged appearance to the bustling scene behind her, then back to me again.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes, I'm here for dinner." The words spill out of my mouth, and I straighten my cuff sleeves.

"I'm sorry sir, but we are not taking walk-ins at the moment, reservations only."

"I'm meeting someone. They're already here." I stand a little taller, feeling a wave of irritation wash over me. I had never been refused entry to any bar or restaurant, but tonight, I wasn't acting or looking like my usual self.

"I see. Can I have their name?" She pulls out a list.

"Netti Ellsworth," I say, praying she made the reservation.

"Ah yes, here she is. The reservation was nearly an hour ago, though." She frowns, looking at me as though she’s seen a ghost.

"There was an accident," I say as I gesture to my disheveled state. "If you could just point me in the right direction?"

"Of course, right this way, sir." The hostess leads me to a table tucked away in the back of the room, where I immediately spot Netti next to who must be her friend—her pink hair pulled back in a bun and her figure outlined by a clinging black dress. Then, my eyes land on the nearly identical reflection of my face sitting beside her. No wonder the hostess had been confused. She must have thought she was seeing double.

"Carter," I growl, my voice low and intimidating, as I make my way to the table. As I approach, hushed conversations and laughter fade into the background, mingling with the soft music. The clinking of glasses and cutlery adds a discordant note to the already-charged atmosphere.

At the sound of my words, his attention is abruptly torn away from the two women beside him. Their conversation fades into the background, replaced by a deafening silence that hangs in the air as the three of them turn to face me.

What was he doing here, let alone at dinner with my nettle? My skin crawls with a mix of jealousy and anger, a prickling sensation that seems to seep into my very bones.

"Connor?" he asks, his voice cutting through the ambient noise like a sharp blade.

Netti's gaze meets mine and her lips part, eyebrows lifting in surprise. "Connor?"

"Netti, this is your Connor?" Her friend peers over her shoulder at me and whistles. “You didn't tell me he had a twin who looked as good as him.” She glances between the two men.

"He's, well he's not–" she stammers.

"What are you doing here?" I ask my brother, my words dripping with disbelief and anger. My fist clenches tightly at my side, my knuckles turning white as I try to contain my mounting rage. The tension in the room is palpable, a heavyweight that threatens to suffocate us all.

She's ours.

I glance between him and Netti, my eyes darting back and forth like a trapped animal searching for an escape. Netti's breathing quickens, a visible sign of her growing unease. A flush creeps up her cheeks, a rosy hue that hints at her inner turmoil.

My senses are heightened as I feel the pull of my wolf, every detail amplified in this charged moment. The scent of Netti's arousal lingers in the air, a heady mix of desire and temptation and it's all I can do not to act like a jealous barbarian.

"Netti." My eyes settle on her, and I can't help but notice how her dress clings to her, the fabric accentuating every curve of her body. Her nipples, perked and eager, press against the material. "I need to talk to you. Please."

"Connor, you're hurt!" She jumps from her seat and stands on her tiptoes, gently prodding my nose and the scraps along my jaw.

"I'm fine," I say, pulling her wrist close, my lips brushing against its soft skin and inhaling the sweet aroma of vanilla chai tea clinging to her. I'm a tangled web of jealousy, anger, and raw desire—anything but fine. It's left me torn between the urge to grab Netti and whisk her away from Carter and the need to confront him and demand answers.

"You're not fine. What happened?" Her brows draw together in concern.

"There was an accident with the rental car, but I'm fine. I just need to talk to you." My veins feel like molten lava is coursing through them, scorching my insides, while my skin feels like it's about to crack and split. I don't know how long I can control myself without ravishing her.

"How do you know my brother?" Carter's voice chimes in as he stands and puts a hand on Netti's forearm.

He touched our nettle. Brother or not, tear him limb from limb.

"Carter," I growl before inhaling deeply through my nose and exhaling. "Please take your hand off Netti and tell me what you're doing here with her."

He releases his grip, takes a step back, and folds his arms across his chest. I instinctively put an arm around her shoulders, my fingers brushing against her soft hair.

"I'm here in town looking to recruit from the college graduates. Daniela is stepping down to retire, and with the growing pack, we need more hands on deck. Something you'd know if you bothered to reach out or come visit us," he accuses. "Netti and I were just discussing the specifics of her contract if she were to accept the job, like a moving fee and sign-on bonus."

I bristle at his words, my heart warring. She needed a job? Money? How much did I not know about this female I could not get out from under my skin? And what would happen if she took a position in a clan I was no longer part of?

"It's nothing set in stone," Netti says, pulling away, and I miss the comforting weight of her against my arm. "You said you needed to talk? It's not about the scones again, is it? I promise—"

I hush her with a gentle finger against her lips, silently shaking my head.

"It's not the scones, and it's not you here having dinner. I was just shocked to see my brother. We haven't exactly seen each other in a few years." He snorts, and I shoot him a glance not to push me.

"You know, Carter. Why don't you and I grab a drink at Taboos and Voodoos? I need to drop the owner a business card," Rosemary says as she loops her arm through Carter's and drags him out the front door, pausing just long enough to turn and wink at us.

I glance around the restaurant before my eyes settle on her.

“I’m sorry,” I say, the rest of the words getting stuck in my throat.

“For what?” She nibbles her bottom lip and fidgets with the hem of her skirt.

“Can we talk privately?” I glance again at the people staring at us, at me in my dirty, torn attire.

“Oh, yes, of course. My roommate is gone for the weekend. We can swing by my condo before meeting up with Carter and Rose. I just need to pay the bill.” Before she can open her purse, I glance at the check, pull three one-hundred dollar bills, and lay them on the table.

“Connor, you didn’t have to do that,” she exclaims, eyes widening.

“I do, and I did. I behaved terribly the other day and I need to make up for it.” I smile, press a hand gently to her back, and lead her to my car.