Suddenly Wolf(37)

“Why?” It probably made him an awful son, but he didn’t like the feeling of being manipulated and was finding it hard to believe anything coming out of his own mother’s mouth. Considering some of the comments she’d made over the past few weeks—and her refusal to meet Andrea—he suspected she might even be behind part of the unrest within the pack.

“It’s dangerous. Emotions are running high, and she could get hurt. You wouldn’t want your mate to get hurt, would you?” Great, now she was laying the guilt on a little thick. She had a point, though.

“I’ll discuss it with Daegan and get back to you.” He disconnected the call, wishing he still had his flip phone so he could have slammed the damn thing shut. Pressing a tiny little off button just didn’t satisfy the anger grinding through him.

“Is Xavier all right?”

“Relax, sweetheart,” Isaac said as he pulled Andrea’s hand into his own. “Close your eyes and concentrate on him. You should be able to sense his mood. The mating link should be strong enough even from here.”

She did as he asked, and Isaac tried to hide his own fear from her. They were still at least fifteen minutes from the compound, and the winding switchback roads had never annoyed him more than they did today. Trying to go faster would likely lead to tragedy, so he ground his teeth and hoped Xavier was safe.

“Oh, wow,” Andrea said with a small giggle. “That is one pissed-off wolf.”

Isaac smiled, relieved to know that Xavier seemed okay. His cell phone rang a moment later.



* * * *



Andrea could sense Xavier’s urgency and knew without seeing the caller ID that it was him on the phone. She snatched it from Isaac’s hands before he could let her hear only one side of the call.

“Hello, sexy,” she said by way of greeting. “You mother tells us there’s been a bit of trouble at the compound.”

“My mo—” He cut himself off and got straight to the point. “I’m sorry, Andrea, but I’ve got Sheila and some soon-to-be ex-pack members stirring up trouble. Tell Isaac and Daegan I want you to head back down the mountain and find a hotel for the night. I’ll join you as soon as I can.”

“No.”

She didn’t elaborate. Just said the one word and waited for Xavier’s reaction. If she wanted to be accepted by the pack, she needed to show she wasn’t intimidated by any of them—especially her new mother-in-law. Andrea took a deep breath, holding it as she waited for Xavier to say something. She’d thought her last mother-in-law had been a bitch, but compared to her new one, her ex’s mother had been a sweet old lady.

Xavier seemed to be weighing up everything he knew, all the pros and cons, the good, the bad, and the ugly truth about some of the members in his pack, but in the end he uttered a single word in reply. “Okay.”

Andrea couldn’t hide the relief running through her. She could feel Isaac and Daegan’s fear for her very clearly, but she could also sense their confidence in her and drew strength from it.

“Xavier,” she said into the phone, “we’ll be there soon.”

“I love you,” he said at the same moment that she felt his emotions wash over her. Just like Isaac and Daegan, he was worried about what might come her way, but he had faith that she could handle it.

“I love you, too.”



* * * *



Xavier tensed when he saw the truck turn onto the driveway. Sheila, with the help of his mother, had the pack so riled up that they actually jeered at the approaching vehicle. He’d managed to get everyone settled down enough to listen to calm reasoning, but Sheila had riled them back up with a few shouted words.

It was kind of ironic that Sheila had the leadership skills an alpha’s mate needed to deal with a pack. Too bad she was selfishly focused on her own agenda and didn’t give a shit how her ambition affected her pack.

Xavier growled, physically thrusting his pack mates aside so that he could get to the gate and try to calm the situation once more. He had to smile when, bold as brass, his mate stepped from the truck’s cabin and called Sheila out.

“Come on, Sheila. Get your skinny ass out here so we can discuss this problem you seem to be having.”

Xavier caught his mother’s expression and almost burst out laughing. Judging by her openmouthed shock, she’d expected Andrea to cry and flee like a frightened human. He smirked and raised an eyebrow when his mother glanced his way. She should have made time to get to know her new daughter-in-law before deciding she wasn’t good enough for him, so she deserved every shock she would get.

He also noticed that Isaac and Daegan had taken up positions either side, but slightly behind Andrea, showing to the rest of the pack that even though they supported her, the lady was the one in charge. The crowd grew quiet, waiting for Sheila to step up and defend her honor.