ROMANCE: Mason (Bad Boy Alpha Male Stepbrother Romance Boxset) (New Adult Contemporary Stepbrother Romance Collection) (19 page)

He stood like that, clamping me against him for a while, and then he slipped out of me and let go of my legs, setting me down. My legs felt like they were made of jelly and I fought to bring my breathing and my heart rate back under control. Argos kissed my face, my eyes, my cheek, my forehead. He took my hand and led me to the bedroom. I lay down, and he curled his arms around me, his ear over my heart. He fell asleep, and I cradled his head like he was a child.

Maybe we were going to be able to beat this. Maybe it was just a bad spell. Maybe we would be okay.

Chapter 5

“I don’t think we’re going to come out tonight. Thanks anyway,” Argos said over the phone and hung up. He sat down next to me on the couch and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, kissing me on the head.

“What was that?” I asked. I couldn’t hear his conversation the way he could hear mine. The downside of just being a human meant I couldn’t eavesdrop on phone calls.

“That was Roy. He asked if we wanted to go out, the inner circle are going out for dinner.”

“You said no?”

He nodded. “I know you don’t really feel comfortable hanging around with the pack.”

Two weeks has passed since our fight, and Argos has turned himself around. It looked like it was just a rough patch. He was back to his attentive self, and he looked after me. I had my husband back.

“Do you want to go?” I asked.

He shook his head. I looked at him and knew he was lying to me. Not because I could smell it, but because I knew my husband.

“You want to go, don’t lie to me,” I said.

He grinned. “You sure you’re not werewolf?”

“I don’t mind going,” I said. “We can go.”

“Really?”

I nodded. I didn’t really feel like I was part of the pack yet, but if it was inner circle that meant Candra would be there, and I didn’t mind seeing her again. We weren’t best friends now or anything, but she didn’t reject me as pack, which was saying something.

“Call them, let them know we’ll be there.”

Argos looked at me a moment longer, probably trying to see if my feelings contradicted my words. When he was satisfied, he pushed off the couch and dialed Roy’s number. After he spoke to the he glanced at his watch.

“We’re meeting at eight. I have some business to take care of before then, so I’m going to run out and then I’ll pick you up just before we leave, okay?”

“What business?” I asked. He usually tried to make sure the weekends belonged to us.

“Just a few things I need to talk over with some of the wolves before full moon.”

It was three days away, and I could see Argos getting restless. The rest of the pack would be getting restless too. The moon’s song becomes stronger and stronger as full moon creeps closer, and when the moon is completely full it’s usually only the wolves with completely control that manage to keep themselves in check. The alpha and the inner circle have that kind of power, that’s why they are where they are in the pack hierarchy. But the rest of the wolves can lose it easily, and the stronger wolves are there to protect them.

Full moon is also often the time vampires and witches choose to attack, because in a way it makes the wolves vulnerable. That’s what Argos explained to me, but I never understand how a rogue werewolf, powered and driven by the light of the moon, is suddenly more vulnerable. To me vulnerable means not able to defend yourself. Not unable to be gentle.

“Alright,” I said. The pack came first when it came to full moon. I wasn’t going to argue with Argos on that. I would always be Argos’s second, but come full moon I took last place on the priority list unless it was something serious.

And I didn’t mind.

I got dressed closer to eight. I chose white pants and a black shirt, with a spring-green shawl and high heels. I tied my hair up and put on my make-up, making sure it was dark and dramatic, enough to make me feel as powerful as I should, being the alpha’s mate. When I looked in the mirror I was happy with what I saw. A fierce woman.

I hoped I could act the part.

Argos was late. At quarter past eight I phoned his cell and it went straight to voicemail. I took a deep breath and tried to suppress the knot of nerves that clamped down in my gut. It was nothing. Pack business often ran late.

At half past eight the car finally pulled up in front of the house. I grabbed my handbag and walked out, locking behind me. Argos was in the car, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. When I came closer he got out. He leaned against the car with a suave attitude, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

“You’re late,” I said.

“We’ll be fine. Let’s go.”

He leaned in to give me a kiss… and I smelled alcohol on his breath.

“You’ve been drinking,” I said, jerking my head back. Argos rolled his eyes, and that’s when I knew. The loving, caring, gentle alpha was gone. The aggressive, selfish son-of-a-bitch was back.

“Who were you with?”

“I told you, it was pack business—“ he started.

“Don’t lie to me!” I shouted and stomped my foot. He swallowed the rest of his sentence, which was a big deal because he hardly ever backed down. I held out my hand.

“I’m driving,” I said. Argos opened his mouth to argue, but I glared at him. He dropped the keys in my hand and walked around the car. He got in, slamming the door much harder than was necessary, but I wasn’t going to react. I was suddenly furious.

We pulled up in front of the restaurant and we were the last to arrive. The inner circle, seven other wolves, stood up when we walked in. They looked down out of respect. Argos walked to his seat at the head of the table, and I sat down on the corner next to him. When I looked up Candra was looking at me, and her face told me she’d noticed. They must all have smelled the alcohol on him.

When the waitress came I ordered water and a salad. The wolves all ordered meat. Argos ordered brandy.

“Don’t, Argos,” I said softly, putting my hand on his arm, but he pulled it away from me and refused to look at me. I took a deep breath and blew it out again.

“How was your meeting earlier?” I asked. I knew that he hadn’t seen them, knew it for a fact, but I was going to make a fool out of him in public. I was furious.

“Meeting?” Roy asked. He looked from me to Argos and back.

“Yes, Argos told me he was meeting with the pack. It ran very late.”

Roy opened his mouth and moved his jaw like he was trying to find words. He closed it after a moment without saying anything.

“Is everything okay?” Candra asked.

“Everything’s fine,” I said with a smile. I wanted Argos to be ridiculous. I wanted him to say something.

“Rachel, darling,” he said, looking at me, and his eyes weren’t as loving as his words. “We don’t mix business with pleasure. Let’s not discuss pack matters.”

“You’re right. It’s got nothing to do with them when you’re losing control,” I said sweetly. His eyes changed color, going from black to amber like the life drained out of them. The tension in the air was suddenly palpable.

“Rachel,” Candra said softly. When I looked up at the other wolves I noticed there were more animals lurking around, hiding under their human skins. “Is there something we can help with?”

“No, Candra,” Argos snapped. She averted her eyes. She glanced up at me quickly before looking down again. A waitress brought Argos his brandy. The pack all squirmed in their seats, and I knew why. They were just as scared of that alcohol as I was.

Argos took a sip, tasting the alcohol, and then took a bigger gulp. When he put the glass down he looked different. Somehow his eyes were meaner, although they weren’t lighter. His whole attitude had become menacing.

“Let’s just enjoy the night, shall we?” he asked. No one agreed. No one raised their glasses to a toast. My face was hot. I was angry and humiliated. I was the alpha’s mate, and I couldn’t control what was happening. Across the table Candra looked at me, and whatever she meant to convey with her eyes, all I saw was disappointment. It was all I felt.

Chapter 6

When we walked through the front door Argos threw the keys down on the counter hard enough for the plastic of the car key to fall apart. I looked at and sighed, feeling my irritation growing.

“Who do you think you are admonishing me I public? And in front of the pack?” His eyes were still amber, not black, and I had a feeling my time with Argos, the human I married was running out.

“You lied to me, Argos,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm. “You lied to my face, and the only reason why the pack didn’t say anything about it is because they’re too damn scared of you. Especially reeking of alcohol the way you do.”

“They have no right to question my authority,” he said and his voice was low with controlled rage.

“They do if this has happened before. They’re just as scared as I am about the fact that you’re drinking again.”

He threw his hands up and rolled his eyes. “Everyone drinks. It’s not wrong to have a drink now and then – it’s not like I’m going to go out and slaughter something just because I’ve had one drink.”

He’d only had one drink at the restaurant. But that wasn’t the point.

“You’re an alcoholic, Argos. You can’t have even one drink. Your support group said you have to avoid even caffeine for god’s sake.”

He turned his back to me and I could see a shudder ripple through his body, the skin moving in a wave from his neck over his back and down his legs. He was practicing extreme self-control. I was relieved he was still at the point where he could.

When he turned to me again his eyes were a bright yellow and I could feel his power wash over me. It wasn’t hot, the way it had been the last time he’d lost control. It was a freezing blast that encircled me and I shivered. His anger had different flavors, different temperatures.

“I know in the human world it’s different. I know that in a relationship the woman is seen as an equal to the man most of the time. But in this world, in our werewolf community and especially in this pack, it doesn’t work that way. You can’t tell me what to do.”

I looked down at the floor. He was right, I couldn’t tell him what to do. But it wasn’t because I was his mate and the female, the lesser wolf – or not – in the relationship. It was because he was his own person, and the decisions that he made were his alone.

“I can’t keep doing this, Argos,” I said. When I looked up at him his face was expressionless. Only his eyes gave away that he wasn’t really himself, not yet. They were still liquid, gold, swirling with anger.

“What do you mean you can’t do this?” he asked and his voice was even colder than the room, if that was possible.

I took a deep breath and forced the words out that have been rolling around in my mind for as long as we’ve been married. I’d promised myself that as long as he was trying I would. But if he stopped…

“What I’m saying is that I’m going to leave if this keeps going. I love you, but I hate the person you become. It’s me or the alcohol, Argos. You can’t have both.”

“Are you asking me to choose?”

I shook my head. My whole body was slightly trembling, and I tucked my hands under my arms to try and steady myself.

“I’ve
asked
you once before. Now I’m telling you.”

He looked at me for a moment and I could see his mind working behind his eyes. The wolf slid behind them, straining to get out, but even though I knew he wasn’t alone in there, the wolf wasn’t going to come out yet.

“I’m not in the mood for games,” he finally said.

“You think I’m playing games?” I said, shocked that he was challenging me. That he thought I would offer up our relationship like that to force him to do something.

He turned around and walked away, shaking his head. I didn’t know if he was giving me an answer or if it was him dismissing me. I was betting on the latter.

I followed him into the dining room. He moved the large cabinet that stood against the wall halfway into the room, and with his eyes on mine he reached behind it and pulled out a bottle of Johnny Walker whiskey. I sucked in my breath and watched him uncork it and put it to his lips.

“Argos,” I whispered, but he took a swig, his eyes on me all the time like a big fuck you.

Something inside me snapped. All the pain and betrayal that I’d felt, all the sorrow and fear, leaked out of me like my character was cracked. The person that stayed behind was an unfeeling shell. And finally I felt free. I turned my back on him, something a wolf never should do with the alpha. But I wasn’t a wolf. I was a human. And I may have been the alpha’s mate, but I wasn’t going to be for long.

I walked out of the house and got in my car. I didn’t know where I was going, so I turned down the road and let the car take me. After half an hour of driving around, I ended up in front of a park. I parked the car in the one of the bays, and walked over the green grass to a bench that over-looked the play area.

I sat down and watched the kids. Human kids. Playing without a care in the world, and I tried to remember if I’d been a carefree human at any point in the past four years. I couldn’t find anything.

My phone rang in my pocket and I pulled it out, ready to switch it off. I was sure it was going to be Argos, ordering me to come home. Instead it was my mom. Not much of an improvement.