Series: Mated for Life Series by Stacey Espino
Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 44685 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 179(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44685 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 179(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
“You okay?” she asked.
Joe looked up.
He hadn’t been doing any work but looked very focused. “Yes.”
She stepped into his office and closed the door behind her. “Are you sure?”
“Actually, I want to apologize to you,” he said. He got up and nodded at the chair, taking a step back and leaning against the wall. “I shouldn’t have touched you. I knew you were Caleb’s and I was a prick. I shouldn’t have done what I did.”
“Please don’t worry about it.”
“I can’t help it. I … you saw what he was like.”
“You’re worried about turning into a rogue?”
“It’s always there, Bethany. Each one of us is at risk.”
She laughed. “Joe, you’re not going to turn into that kind of monster.”
“I killed him.”
“And he had killed so many. You’re not going to end up like him.” She watched him as he ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head.
“Some of the survivors of my sleuth are returning.”
“How do you feel about that?”
“They want me to lead and I can’t do that,” he said, shaking his head. “I ran, Bethany. I can’t allow them to think I’m something I’m not.”
“You won’t. You did kill him,” she said. “You saved them all. You saved all of us.”
“With help.”
She chuckled. “Does it matter?”
“Yes. I was going to run. I was terrified.”
“You had a right to be,” Caleb said.
She hadn’t even heard the door open and she quickly stood to look at her man. He was so damn sexy. She wanted him, but rather than tell him that, she offered him a smile. Caleb ignored her, focusing on Joe.
“You can’t blame yourself for wanting to run. I didn’t get it until I was fighting him. He was the strongest man I’d ever gone against. I get why you did what you did.”
“It doesn’t make it right,” Joe said. “To be an alpha, you don’t run.”
Caleb sighed. “I wasn’t always an alpha, Joe. I was part of a pack. Look at me, I’m huge and the alpha in charge at the time, he didn’t like it. He considered that I was too much of a risk, and so … he expelled me from the pack. I ran. I was ashamed. Embarrassed. I didn’t fight for my spot. For my chance to be part of that pack. Along the way, I found Reese, Brian, and David. They became part of me. Now I have my woman.” Caleb put his hands on her shoulders and squeezed. “You did what you needed to do. What any of us would do in that situation. Don’t blame yourself. What you’ve got to do now is be there for your people. Be strong and don’t fail them, ever.”
Joe nodded his head.
“Can I steal my woman?”
“Sure, go ahead. Will I be able to keep her for much longer?” Joe asked.
“I love working for you. I don’t see a reason why I won’t stick around.” She winked at him but followed Caleb out to his waiting truck. This was the first time they’d been alone together since she’d been taken.
She climbed in, aware of his hand on the base of her back, helping her inside. That one touch and all she wanted to do was wrap her body around his and forget about the world and everything else inside it.
Sitting her ass down on the seat, she waited for him to climb on inside. She was angry at him. Confused. He’d pushed her away and she’d nearly died. Their lives could have come to such a quick end. Didn’t he feel that?
The cab of the truck was uncomfortably quiet.
She took several deep breaths in an effort to control her anger, but it was hard. She’d given up everything to be his mate. Now he’d gone from hot to cold.
He didn’t speak.
He drove.
They were strangers now. The fairy tale was dying before her eyes.
She knew they were heading home, which didn’t surprise her. He always had distractions and she was left wondering why the hell he’d mated her in the first place.
They arrived at home and of course, David and Heather were there, as were Reese and Heather’s Uncle Benjamin. She didn’t want to see who else was watching. Climbing out of the truck, she stormed toward the house, ignoring Caleb’s call.
He wasn’t going to get everything he wanted. Marching into Joe’s office, asking for her, and then what? Doing absolutely nothing about it. She wasn’t going to give in to him.
She didn’t go to the kitchen, but to their bedroom.
Wrapping her arms around her waist, she went straight to the window and looked out over his beautiful land. It was supposed to be theirs. Their life together was supposed to be beautiful, not this.
“Why did you run?” he asked. Caleb stepped into the room, closing the door. She wished the deep baritone of his voice didn’t affect her so much.