He grinned in his wolf form. He didn’t need a scenting ceremony to know she was his. There had never been a question in his mind, but the wolf had needed to reacquaint itself with her, and so he’d let it.
He watched from a distance as she pulled the sheets from the line. The shorts she’d put on covered her—barely—and the T-shirt stretched across her ample breasts. He half considered staying in his wolf form all night and guarding her, but then he wouldn’t be any better off. Come morning, he’d still be stuck in his wolf form with no clothes to wear to meet her in person.
She’d be safe enough overnight. He’d spent the past hour marking the forest around the cabin. No one would come close. With one last look at her tempting figure, he loped away. He’d waited twenty years for her to come back, he could wait another night. Besides, he’d be back tomorrow and bring his tools. The steps to the cabin needed fixing, as did the dock. Hell, that thing probably needed to be replaced entirely. It was long past time he started taking care of his mate.
The sun was sinking low in the sky by the time he got home. Even the sight of Emmet standing there, leaning against the side of his pickup truck, scowling like his face would shatter if he stopped, couldn’t dim his joy.
Shifting as he approached, Jaxon ignored his brother’s scowl and smiled. “Hey. What’s up?” he asked.
“I’m wondering the same damned thing. Bruce noticed your truck was still here and called to ask me how come you hadn’t left for Blue Creek yet.”
Emmet growled and shifted his weight to his good leg, grimacing as the pain he always tried so hard to hide reared its ugly head.
“I don’t need to go—”
“Like hell you don’t. You need a mate. We’ve talked about this. You fucking agreed. So, I ask again, why the hell are you still here?” he growled.
“She’s back,” he answered once his brother’s wolf settled and his rumbling died down.
A deep groove furrowed Emmet’s brow. “Who’s back?”
“Who the hell do you think? The one person I’ve been waiting for my whole damned life, that’s who.”
Emmet stilled and scratched his beard. “Are you shitting me? And she’s not mated?”
Jaxon drew a deep breath. “Not as far as I can tell.”
“You didn’t think to ask her this while you were over there? I’d think if you were going to blow off the mating event of the year, you’d have made damned sure.”
“She’s not fucking mated or married. And I couldn’t ask her. I was shifted.” The wolf had made sure there was no other male’s scent on Maple’s body, so unless she lived separately from her husband and never had sex, she wasn’t married.
“For your sake, I hope you’re right. The pack needs—”
“A strong Alpha pair. I know,” he cut in.
Emmet looked at the ground at his feet and sighed, his frustration clear. “I’m glad your mate’s back. I hope things work out for you this time around,” he said with a smile that didn’t come anywhere near his eyes.
“How pissed will Mrs. Wolfe be if I don’t show up?” There was no way he was leaving now that Maple was here, but he had to know if he’d have to do any grovelling later when he spoke with Aric again.
Emmet shrugged. “She’ll understand. Mates come first. Always.”
“You should go,” Jaxon said, but Emmet was already shaking his head before the words were completely out. “Hear me out. You never know—”
“I’m not in the market for a mate. Send Mick.”
“Emmet…”
“Not happening. Either apologize over the phone, or send someone else. I’m not going.” With that, his brother got into his truck and slammed the door shut, preventing any further conversation.
Of course, as Alpha, he could order his brother to go, but he wouldn’t. He’d let Emmet deal with his shit in his own way—for now.
Four
Maple woke slowly, blinking against the bright sunlight streaming between her curtains as the warm breeze drifted in. None of the street noises from the city or the aggravating sound of her alarm clock greeted her. She could get used to this.
As tempting as rolling over and getting another hour of sleep was, she had to get into town. After mulling things over last night, she had few options. One, she could find a plumber and see if they could come out and fix the shower. She groaned at the thought of the overtime she’d have to put in to cover that cost once she got back to the city, and pushed that idea aside. Two, she could go to the library and get a Do-It-Yourself book. She’d never done anything like it before, but she’d never been one to shy away from a challenge. How hard could fixing a faucet really be? Or three, she could keep showering outside. It wasn’t ideal, but it would work if need be.
Stretching, she climbed out of bed. Library first, then hardware store. With a loose plan in place, she headed to the kitchen to get her coffee going.
“What the hell?” She lifted her foot, now dripping wet, from where a puddle of water pooled on the linoleum in front of the fridge. Absolute silence filled the kitchen. The fridge had been humming happily along when she’d cleaned it yesterday, but she hadn’t checked it again. She was pretty sure it had been cold when she’d fixed her dinner, but now, she couldn’t say for sure. She’d been distracted after her encounter with the wolf.
She opened the
