CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

ZAC

Jake and I didn’t talk on the way back. I was too heartbroken, and he understood.

I drop to my knees when I get home. The pain is unbearable. Brook was the best thing to ever happen to me, and I swear, if she comes back, I’ll tell her everything. I’ll leave nothing out.

My stomach growls. I haven’t eaten in a while. I get up and go to the refrigerator. Nothing looks good. I’ve lost the will to eat. But I haven’t lost the will to drink. I open a cabinet above the sink where the liquor is stored. Seemed as good a place as any to keep it.

There’s two bottles of Jack Daniels in there. One’s never had the seal broken, and the other is three-quarters full. I take that one out for starters, blowing the dust off and grabbing a glass. I shuffle to the living room and sit on the couch. I know what I’m about to do isn’t the answer, but I want to forget. Just for one day. Aren’t I allowed that much?

I pour a shot of liquor and begin the process.

Halfway through, I turn the ringer off on my phone. It wouldn’t shut up and I couldn’t stop myself from checking it. I didn’t want to miss Brook if she decided to contact me. But she didn’t. And she won’t.

I finish the first bottle, and when I start on the next one, Caleb and Jake barge in.

“You boys want some hooch?” I wave the bottle at them.

“What the fuck you doing, Zac?” Caleb walks over to me. “You stink, man, why don’t you go upstairs and take a shower.”

“Stink won’t bother you if you leave.” I take a swig of my whiskey and some dribbles down my chin. I discarded my glass a while ago and am now drinking exclusively from the bottle.

“What do you think Brook would say if she saw you like this?” Jake asks.

God, I miss her.

“Low blow, Jake.”

“I’m sorry, but it’s true. You need to pull yourself together.”

“Can you guys just give me this one night? Please.” To be honest, I don’t know if it’s nighttime or not. Not even sure of what day it is. The whiskey’s doing its job.

“Guess we can do that much for you,” Caleb says. “You want us to stay here with you?”

“I’d rather be alone.”

“Okay, but call if you need anything.”

I hold the bottle up.

They walk to the door. Caleb turns back around. “Where’re the keys to your truck?”

I slap my pants pocket.

He wriggles his fingers. “Give ‘em here.”

“Come on.”

“We’re not leaving otherwise.”

I spill whiskey on my lap as I dig the keys out of my pocket. Toss them in the general vicinity of Caleb. He has to walk five feet to pick them up. “We’ll swing by tomorrow to check on you.”

“Not too early.”

“Good night, Zac.”

“See ya.”

I lay in a stupor after they leave, wishing Brook would walk back in. I even watch the door for a bit. There’s nothing. I take a long pull from the whiskey bottle this time. If I continue at this pace, it’ll be gone soon. Don’t think that’ll happen, though. I’m about done. Can barely keep my eyes open. I try to set the bottle on the coffee table, but I misjudge and it spills to the floor.

Who cares?

I struggle off of the couch and start for my bedroom, but I fall. I crawl the rest of the way. Up the stairs and to my bed. Grab the blankets to help pull me up. I don’t make it.

* * *

When I wake up the next morning, I’m lying beside my bed in a puddle of vomit.

For Chrissake.

I will myself to the bathroom and peel off my clothes. I hop into the shower and stand under the water. “Won’t be doing this again for a while,” I mumble to myself.

Twenty minutes pass and I finally get out. Need some food and coffee.

I towel off, get dressed, and go downstairs.

What?

Brook is sitting on the couch.

“Are you for real?”

She smiles. “I am.”

I go over and sit beside her.

“Just visiting, or are you here for good?” I look away from her, embarrassed. That wasn’t very nice of me. I  notice the room has been cleaned. The whiskey bottle is gone. Now I really feel like an ass. It’s time to grovel. “I really missed you, Brook. It hurt like hell when I left you.”

Her eyes well up. “I missed you, too.”

She leans into me and we kiss.

I pull her onto my lap and say those magic words. “I love you, Brook.”

“I love you, too.”

Music to my ears.

“I’m selling the house and moving here,” she says.

“What? Why?”

“Because it’s not the same there without my parents.”

I nod. I can understand that.

She continues, “Besides. You’re here. And I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

That’s all I need to hear, and now it’s my turn. Confession time.

“There’s something I need to tell you, and it’s a secret.”

Her eyebrows squish together. “Are you married?”

“No.” I hum.

I gently slide her off of me. In case she wants to flee.

“What is it?” she says. “You can tell me anything.”

I hope so.

“This is going to sound way out there, but I’m a wolf shifter.”

She chuckles and slaps my chest. “Stop fooling around.”

“I’m not fooling. I can shift into a wolf.”

She draws backwards and becomes rigid.

“I’m serious, Brook. There is such a thing.”

She just sits there.

“Would you like me to continue? Would you like me to show you?”

She feebly nods.

“Okay, now don’t freak out. I’m going to take my clothes off, all right.” I hold my hand out like a crosswalk guard. “Don’t freak on me.”

“I won’t.”

At least she’s talking now, so that’s a plus.

“Here I go.” I shrug off my shirt.

She seems to like that.

I undo my pants and step out of them. Step out of my underwear, too.

She leans forward on the couch. She must think I’m doing this because I want to have sex. I do have a hard on, so I can see how she would think that. I probably need to hurry.

“You better sit back, because here it comes.” I’m just about to change when I remember something. It’s important. “Now listen,” I say. “This is going to be scary. But I won’t hurt you. I would never hurt you.”

“Okay,” she says.

“Okay, here I go.”

I make the change.

Brook’s eyes widen, but she remains seated. She doesn’t make a break for the door.

I ease over to her in my wolf form and lay my head on her lap, whining like a puppy. Who can resist a puppy?

She gently brushes my neck. “I can’t believe this is really happening.”

I yip and move away from her so I can transform back. I stand before her, naked, with a full blown erection. I’d give anything to fuck her right now, but I can’t. I need to know how she’s going to take things first.

“So, what do you think?” I ask and put my underwear and pants back on.

“I don’t know.”

At least she isn’t screaming.

I sit next to her on the couch. My heart is racing.

“You can’t tell anybody about this, Brook. Okay? If you walk out that door right now, the only thing I ask is that you tell no one.”

“I won’t say anything.” Her eyes narrow. “Are you the only one? Does anybody else know about this?”

“There are others,” I say. “Caleb and Jake. Natalie and Emily. Everyone at Empire Security. We’re all shifters.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Huh.”

“There’s one other thing, Brook. In my world, we have mates, and if we’re lucky, a fated mate. You’re my mate.”

“What?”

“A mate is our other half and there is only one for each of us. You’re mine.” She’s smiling now. “I knew it the moment I saw you.”

“So.” She raises her hands. “Now what?”

“I need to mark you and it’ll be complete. All other shifters will know that you’re my mate.”

“What do you mean, mark me?” She uses air quotes.

“I’ll need to bite you on the base of the neck. It’ll hurt, but not for long. Then I’ll lick you really quick and my saliva will make the pain disappear. It will help heal you.”

She grimaces like she can already feel it.

“I’ll have to do this all while we’re having sex.”

I twiddle. Talking about it has gotten my cock hard and my wolf is raging for me to take action.

Brook gets off the couch and holds out her hand. “Probably shouldn’t wait any longer then, huh?”

I take her hand and stand up. “You sure about this?”

“One hundred percent.”

“Let’s go.”

I lead her to the bedroom.