Chapter 7

Wiley

I am fucking this up left and right.

I've never given much thought to who, what, or when the Fates would present me with my mate, which explains why I'm so ill-prepared to romance a human woman with a five-year-old child running from an abusive ex.

No, I suppose if I ever thought about it at all, I assumed I'd meet another wolf shifter. We'd scent each other across the woods, chase each other around for an hour, and then fuck like wild animals.

Simple. Easy. Effortless.

Boy, was I fucking wrong!

I shake my head and cross my arms over my chest to keep myself from reaching for her. If I could only get her in my arms, envelope her with my scent, and let biology and destiny take its course, this would be so much easier. But considering what she's been through, that wouldn't be fair to either of us.

My mate has to come to me willingly, and if she doesn't, I'll suffer the consequences silently and alone until the wild one finally takes over for good. "I don't know what to say, Geneva. How are you going to take care of Bo without money, identification, or protection?"

Her mouth falls open as if I've slapped her across her beautiful face. She shakes her head, tears falling freely down her cheeks. "I don't know, but I will."

Without a second thought, I round the table and drop to my knees in front of her. "You don't have to do this alone. I'm not going to force you to accept our help, but we're not ordinary people, and I promise we can protect you and Bo from anything that asshole throws at us."

"You don't know him."

"I may not know him, but I know men like him. More importantly, I know who my friends and I are. Me, Cricket, Erick, Kade, and Sly were Special Forces—with all the strengths, skills, and training that go along with it. When I say you are safe with us, I mean it."

"John was law enforcement. He has friends with access and privilege to things that normal people don't have."

"I also have friends. Powerful ones." Carefully, I slip my fingers under hers and pull her hand to my chest to rest over my heart.

This is killing me.

Her fear is palpable, but it's not because of me. I won't discount her feelings, even though I know this piece of shit human's worst temper tantrums can't hold a candle to my wild days after I shifted for the first time and wreaked havoc on my pack and family.

I was contained chaos in sheep's clothing until the day my wolf broke free, and then I was an absolute terror until I got him under control. I know he cost us our parents, but Nan refuses to let me carry that burden and has slapped the shit out of me the few times I've said it out loud. It's something we no longer talk about, which is probably a mistake.

"Give me a couple of weeks. Rest here, make a plan if you have to, and if you still want to go to Canada by the next full moon, I'll drive you over the border myself. My friends will give you and Bo new identities. Canadian citizenship, passports, credit cards—whatever you want."

Geneva searches my eyes for what feels like an eternity. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"It's not you, Wiley. It's just?—"

"You've been burned. I get it. And I know I'm asking a lot. Don't take me at my word. Let me prove it through my actions."

"Okay." She sighs, her hand flat against my pec, eyes glued to mine, voice barely above a whisper.

My wolf should be pacing right now, pushing me to close the distance, claim our mate's lips, roll to our back and pull her on top of us as my hands explore every curve, but he's being uncharacteristically quiet.

Maybe it's because the full moon has passed and she's safe with us that he's willing to chill. After what Kade went through last month, I really expected more from the asshole. If any of us were going to lose control and maul our mate in a frenzy to get to them, I would have put money down it would be me.

They don't call my wolf wild for nothing.

Reluctantly, I let go of her hand and push back on my heels to stand. "Would you like me to reheat your pizza?"

"I prefer room temperature."

"Would you be more comfortable relaxing on the couch? Maybe watching a movie or something while you eat?"

"Am I keeping you up?" She returns to her slice of pizza, tearing off a chunk. I know she emptied the contents of her stomach almost ten hours ago before Bumpkin the resident black bear stumbled upon them at the watering hole and scared the shit out of her. For the most part he's harmless, but he is one hundred percent animal and the chocolate cake did smell good.

"No. I'm a nocturnal creature."

"Which movie do you want to watch?" She stands and picks up her plate, making her decision.

"You tell me?" I push off the counter, grabbing her drink and the pizza box before motioning for her to precede me out of the kitchen into the living room. To my pleasure, she takes a seat in the middle of the couch, giving me no choice but to sit beside her without coming off like a creep.

I mean, I suppose I could plop down into one for the recliners, but why would I do that? "Do you have any feel-good movies you like to watch over and over again? Or maybe a newer movie you haven't seen yet?"

"I do have a couple of feel-good movies, but you'll think they're dumb." She pulls the blanket off the back of the sofa and covers her legs before resting her plate on her lap.

I set the pizza box down on the table, grab the remote, and move aside all the game controllers. "Try me. I'll share my most embarrassing one if you share yours."

" Pretty Woman ," she says with a light blush to her cheeks.

"That's not embarrassing. I happen to love that movie."

"Okay, so what's yours?" Geneva asks around a bite of pizza. I'm so glad she's eating.

I make a show of thinking about it. " Crazy, Stupid, Love ."

She relaxes into the cushions as I turn on the TV. "That's a good movie."

"And Dirty Dancing ," I add.

Raising her brow, she gives me a skeptical once over. "Your second favorite movie is referenced in the first movie?"

I sort through our movie library until I find Pretty Woman and press play. "I can do the move."

"The lift?"

"Yeah." I pop open the pizza box lid and grab a slice before leaning back, my shoulder brushing hers. My wolf adjusts, letting me know he's aware, but he still isn't bitching at me, which is a surprise.

According to Kade, his bear was constantly pushing him to mark and claim Dinah.

"Is that your big move?" Geneva giggles and it sounds like a symphony, causing my heart strings to tighten and play.

"It's one of my moves."

"You have multiple?"

We both watch the images on the screen—Edward leaving the party, driving down Hollywood Boulevard, picking up Vivian—but neither of us are paying attention.

I think we're flirting, in the most innocent way possible.

"It would be lazy for me to use the same move on every beautiful woman I meet, don't you think?"

She sighs, leans forward, and snags another slice out of the box. "So there are many moves for many women?"

"Not many."

Tread lightly, Wiley . Don't leave her thinking you're a whore, even if there have been times when you were. "I spend most of my time at the clinic or the hospital, and occasionally I take short deployments with my old military unit, or I'm doing something with the club, so I don't have time for a lot of moves these days."

"Hmmm. Nice save and good answer," Geneva muses.

"Noticed that, huh?" I turn to look at her with a wry grin on my face. The lights in the living room are off, so the only illumination is the TV or the kitchen lights behind us. Not that I can't see her perfectly with my shifter vision. Her bottom lip has a small scar in the left corner from being split recently, but it's mostly healed now. The bruises on her face are four to five days old and seem to be caused by a backhanded slap versus a fist since they spread from her cheekbone to her forehead.

I have an overwhelming urge to kiss those fading bruises and promise her she'll never have another one marring her pretty face ever again, but I resist, not feeling hurried by my wolf in the slightest.

"I wasn't always a mom." She stares back at me, her eyes searching mine. "Before I had Bo, I was a waitress during the day and a hostess at a high-end restaurant at night, and I was great at flirting. It really helps with tips."

"I would like to see that." The moment her pupils widen, I realize my wolf—the sneaky bastard—is pushing out our mating pheromone. He's so stealth, I hadn't realized he was involved until now.

"You would like to see me flirt?" she says breathily.

I toss what's left of my pizza slice down on the box and adjust my position, draping my arm over the sofa behind her head. "Happy people flirt. It's hard to do when you're miserable, right?"

"That's true." She licks her lips. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-eight. You?" My eyes follow the tip of her tongue—pink and slick and tempting.

"Twenty-six." Geneva tosses her crust on the plate and sets it aside on the sofa.

I already knew that. I know a lot more than I'm going to admit, for now. Junta found all kinds of information about her, to include where she graduated high school, where her parents are today—one is in prison, the other is deceased—and exactly where her son-of-a-bitch ex is at this very moment.

"You were young when you had Bo." I look down to catch her fingers digging into the holes of the crocheted blanket, her hands tightening into fists. She wiggles her ass a bit, maybe to fight the tingles gathering in her pussy as her body hums to a new tune.

My tune.

"I was."

Leaning forward, I trail my finger down her cheek. "How are you feeling with food in your stomach?"

"Good. Relaxed." Her chest rises and falls due to the short breaths she takes with her unspoken words.

Turned on, I'm guessing based upon the way her blood rushes through her veins and her heart pounds in her chest.

A truck door slams shut, snapping me out of my one-track thought process.

"Goddamn cockblocker," I project.

Sky chuckles. " Want us to come back later?"

"No. It's for the best. I have time and I don't want to rush her."

"Your wolf isn't acting a fool?"

"No, actually, he's quiet, which is freaking me out."

"Weird."

"Right? Come on in." I pull back and put space between me and Geneva. "In ten seconds, two men will walk through the door. It's Jimmy and Sly. They live here."

Geneva blinks multiple times to clear the sensual fog around us. "Okay."

Sly knocks before pushing the door open and does his best to not wrinkle his nose at the stench that is my mating pheromones.

I motion between them to make the introductions. "Geneva, this is Sly and Jimmy."

Geneva clutches the blanket to her lap. "Uncle Jimmy? You gave Bo ice cream yesterday."

"That's right." Jimmy smiles brightly.

"You also carried him out of the train car," she says slowly—a partial-guess, partial-foggy recollection.

"Yeah. We watched movies and played games until you woke up."

Tears fill her eyes. "Thank you for being so kind and taking care of my boy."

"He's a great kid. I hope to hang out with him more." Jimmy shrugs, a light blush hitting his cheeks.

Sly takes a step forward and offers his hand. "Nice to meet you, Geneva."

"Hi." She withdrawals into herself but tentatively offers her hand. Her anxiety spikes in comparison to greeting Jimmy, who did not broach physical contact. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. She was like this with Erick, Kade, and even Cricket at the ammo shop—keeping her distance and face obscured.

I suppose a woman in her condition finds alpha males—of which we all are, in our own way—intimidating, where Jimmy has a more childlike, approachable demeanor. Hopefully, she'll grow comfortable with us because I'm doing my damndest to mute my normally over-the-top self for her.

Sly exchanges a look with me and we don't need telepathy to know what each other is thinking. Winning her over is going to take time that I thankfully have. Of course, if I can't win her over in three weeks, I'm fucked.

"What kept you guys out so late?" I divert the conversation to everyday life versus focusing on my mate who isn't sure she can trust us.

"We went to look at a truck in Great Falls." Sly slaps Jimmy on the shoulder before plopping down in the recliner.

"I told you, I'm not going to let you buy me a truck." Jimmy stuffs his hands in his pockets.

"This town may not be big, but it's too small to not need wheels to go places outside of here, and in the winter you're definitely going to need a vehicle," I say.

Sly shakes his head. "It's not a big deal, bub, and after what we talked about, you're going to need a sturdy truck."

Jimmy lights up. "Can we tell him our idea?"

Sly looks at me and nods. "Go ahead."

"What's your idea?" I prompt.

"We figure you're going to need your own place sooner rather than later." Jimmy's eyes go to Geneva, and he quickly diverts his gaze to look at the ceiling.

Subtle. Not obvious at all.

I sigh and run my hand down my face, unable and unwilling to meet Geneva's eye. "Your point?"

"I can build a house from foundation to skylight. When I'm not working at the diner, I can take over the remodeling projects and get you a fully functional house in no time."

"Fully functional?" Geneva quips before slapping her hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry. It's none of my business."

Jesus if she only knew how much of her business it is.

With gentle fingers, I pry her hand from her mouth, and return it to her rest on top of her thigh—only this time I hold it and wait until she pulls away. "Don't ever feel like you can't ask questions or inject your opinions into our conversations. We welcome your feedback."

Sly kicks his feet up on the coffee table and slouches in his seat to diminish his size and appear as non-lethal as possible. "Three months ago, Wiley and I were watching the DIY channel and got a wild hair up our asses to demolish the kitchen. When we woke up the next morning and saw what we'd done, we came over here for breakfast and haven't been able to eat in the other house since."

"You have no kitchen over there?" She balks.

I shake my head. "Not our smartest evening."

"Not our dumbest." Sly points out.

"Shut up." I chuckle and turn my attention to Jimmy. "If you want to do the work, I'll be forever grateful."

"Maybe Geneva can help with picking out cabinets and fixtures, new appliances, shit like that?" Sly—the helpful wolf that he is—adds with a smile.

"Oh, I couldn't?—"

"That would be amazing." I quickly cut her off. "I have no idea what I'm looking for, and as you can see, Nan isn't the best at interior decorating either. Together, we're hopeless."

Squeezing her fingers with my lips curled into a sweet smile, I overplay the moment and draw attention to our joined hands. She looks down in confusion and pulls her hand away before glancing up at Jimmy. "I guess I could help until the next full moon."

Shit. She would say it like that, which means at this moment, she has her mind and heart set on crossing the border into Canada.

Nope. My mate is definitely not going to make this easy on me.