“There, that’s good.” I realise his arms are still wrapped around me, but I can’t seem to let go.
“I’m going to have a word with Alpha about them if they don’t stop tormenting you.” His chest vibrates against my cheek as he grinds out the words.
I pull away and move my hair out of my face. I make sure to communicate the words to him without saying them out loud; I can’t risk anyone hearing me.
“No, you mustn’t tell my father anything, Nixon! I don’t know how he’ll react when he finds out what they’ve done. I’m scared he’ll banish them from the pack or worse, hurt them. I’ll tell him everything as soon as I’ve figured it out myself. I need to try and handle this on my own.”
My words obviously displease him but he doesn’t argue, just pulls me back into his warmth. “You won’t be on your own, Angel. I’ll be right here if you need anything.”
He rubs my back and I hear a growl in the distance followed by a similar rumble coming from Nixon’s chest. I pull away and look up at him again. His eyes glare off into the distance. Following his line of sight I spot the twins standing near a car. Tyler stands with his arm resting on his open door glaring our way. Talon stares much the same, but instead his eyes are focused on Nixon, the muscles in his neck tense, his jaw stiff and his hands in fists at his side as he tries to control his wolf.
“Their wolves want us. They don’t want to see us in another man’s arms,” Faith says within me, sounding melancholy.
“Well you can tell their wolves that I don’t enjoy seeing other girls in their arms either,” I think back as I slowly disengage myself from Nixon’s arms.
A few seconds into our staring contest I hear two louder growls and the boys eyes shining in the distance; obviously Faith passed along the message.
“I see his hands on you again, I’ll rip them off. I don’t care if we aren’t together, you are still our mate and you better show some fucking respect,” Tyler echoes in my head.
“You two are such fucking hypocrites,” I growl back full of anger. I hope they can feel the burn of the glare I send their way. I turn back to face Nixon.
“Angel, wait… please.” I hear Talon’s despondent voice in my head, but the walls are back up and I’m not letting those two back in.
I look Nixon over and notice his chest heaving, the knuckles on his balled fists are white and his lips curled in an evident snarl. I place my hand on his bicep ignoring the growls from behind me.
“Let’s go inside, Nixon,” I whisper calmly. He whips his head down to where my small hand lies, then looks up at me as his anger slowly dissipates.
I pull him towards his front door and he follows. Once we’re inside Nixon shows me the guest bedroom. I flop down onto the lavender coloured comforter and look up at the ceiling, thinking about Nixon instead of my own issues. From the corner of my eye I see Nixon leaning against the door.
“So your parents told you, huh?” He says.
I turn my head to look at him and nod. “You should have told me. I don’t understand why Jax’s pack was so horrible to you.” I lay in the same position on the bed not having the energy to lift myself into a seated position.
“One day I’ll tell you my story, but right now you don’t need to take on the burden of my past as well. Even though we don’t know each other all that well, from what I’ve seen at Point Bright and here, you allow other peoples issues to torment you. Stop worrying. All you need to focus on right now is the now.” He sighs as he flops down next to me on the bed.
After a few minutes of silence I say softly, “The name Nixon suits you better though. I like it.” I turn my head to look back at him and smile. He smiles back and we both continue to look to the ceiling in comfortable silence, before the sleep that has become so elusive finally takes over.
****
I’m woken up in the morning by Faith’s voice nagging at me to let her run free. I get out of bed and walk through Nixon’s quiet cabin. I can hear him snoring in the room at the end of the hall so I tiptoe my way down the hall with my duffle bag in one hand and shoes in the other. Making my way out of his house I make sure to close his front door without making a noise. The sun is about to rise as I quickly make my way through the foggy woods towards the lake. The nights fog still rests over the lake and the morning air is still crisp and fresh.
I stop at the wooden dock and look out into the lake taking in the beautiful scene. After a few moments I find a bush, making sure that I’m hidden from sight before I start stripping. I’m feeling really hesitant about shifting again.