So, why didn't Cassidy see how precious their relationship was? How sacred? How private?
Samson felt like he had found his mate—but Cassidy had found a science experiment.
Why wasn't what they had enough for her? Did she think she was the only one paying the price for this bond?
The questions flew through Samson's head as he stormed away from the cabin. He needed some space to think. Some distance between himself and Cassidy's intoxicating scent to figure it all out.
He kept a brutal pace, hiking over the hills and past redwood groves and hollows of dense ferns until all the sweat he'd washed away was back.
It only took him a few minutes to reach the highest point on his land. Looking out over the sea of green, Samson sat down on a fallen log and drew in a deep breath.
Fuck.
He could still pick up traces of her in the wind.
And he always would, he realized. From now on, Cassidy would always be there. On his land. In his house. In his bed.
The thought both thrilled and maddened him.
Leave it to him to bond with a beta as stubborn as she was smart. With all her books and papers, Cassidy knew damn well what alpha life was like. What his life was like.
She'd been there when Ty had all but called them outcasts. Had she forgotten the disgust shining in his friend's eyes? The scorn?
Maybe she had.
Samson dusted his hands off on his thighs before rising back to his feet.
That was fine. He would just have to show her.
Chapter Eleven
Cassidy stared at the blank page of her notebook, trying to concentrate. It had been a little over an hour since Samson had stormed away.
At least, she figured that's how long it had been. Without a clock, it was hard to tell. In her heart, it felt like forever, but the slowly moving shadows outside the window indicated otherwise.
She didn't know why she was worried. It wasn't as if Samson was going to run away and never come back. This was his home. His property.
And now it was hers too.
Maybe that was why she wasn't freaking out even though he'd left in anger. Even though she had no idea where he was or when he'd return.
If Cassidy were an omega, she would have been climbing the walls because he'd been gone so long. The hormonal need to be near enough to draw in a constant stream of his pheromones would drive her crazy. If the separation went on days or weeks, her entire endocrine system would shut down, killing her.
But only if she were an omega.
Which she wasn't.
So instead, Cassidy sat at the kitchen table, staring at a blank page and desperately wishing that she could focus long enough to document even a few details about the last twenty-four hours.
But she couldn't.
Every time she touched the tip of her pencil to paper, the image of Samson's hurt and angry face flashed in her mind. The pain in his voice echoed in her ears.
Because it's our life. Yours and mine. It's no one's business.
He was right, of course.
She thought that she'd be able to persuade him with the promise of anonymity, but it was clear now that wasn't enough.
Beyond that, there were the ethical concerns. While some of her colleagues had no problem publishing without the consent of the subjects they studied, Cassidy would never dream of doing so. No matter how important a discovery she had on her hands, if she couldn't get Samson to come around, she would never submit the paper for publication.
Cassidy let out a slow breath. She closed her notebook just as Samson walked through the door.
"Get up," he said by way of a greeting. "We're going out."
"Going where?" Cassidy sputtered, rising from the chair.
He didn't answer. He simply grabbed his keys from a hook by the door and headed out again.
By the time Cassidy scrambled to find her shoes and bag, Samson had already climbed in the truck and started the engine. The second she was inside, he started down the drive.
"Do I get to know where you're taking me?" she asked when he made the turn onto the Central Road.
Samson's jaw tightened. So did his grip around the steering wheel. "Where do you think?" he said.
To Evander's Bar.
It had to be. It was the only destination in this direction…except for the boundary. And Cassidy knew in her bones he wasn't taking her there.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" she asked. Ty hadn't exactly been at his friendliest when they'd left there.
"Why not?" he said, speeding down the road. "I usually go to the bar at some point. And like you said, my life hasn't changed."
So, that's what this was about.
"Come on, Samson," she said, reaching across and touching his arm. The coiled tension that radiated from his muscles gave her pause. He was pissed, sure, but his emotions ran a hell of a lot deeper than that. "I didn't mean it like that."
He took his eyes from the road just long enough to shoot her a look—hot and pointed. "Then say what you mean."
"I just meant…"
Shit.
What had she meant? That her life had been changed more drastically than his? That she was the one making all the sacrifices? That given enough time, his life would go back to normal, but hers would be forever altered?
Cassidy felt like an asshole even thinking those things. Samson might not receive any dramatic letters from university departments officially casting him out. Still, alpha society—his brothers—had their own form of punishment for breaking society's rules.
And truth be told, it was a hell of a lot harsher than anything that would be whispered about her in the beta world.
"That's what I thought," Samson said when her silence had stretched on too long.
"All right," Cassidy said, curling her fingers around his arm even tighter. "You're right. I was totally wrong. I admit it. Now, turn around."
Samson
