Chapter 17: Lucas

“Dude, calm down,” Jaden said as we drove back home.

We had a meeting we couldn’t miss today with a neighboring pack Alpha. It was just a video call but it was a long one. So it was best to do it at the packhouse to ensure we had all the information on hand that we needed. The meeting went well, but that didn’t do much for my anxiety. Or Rhonen’s. I’d had to completely block him out to get through the conversation with Alpha Thane. Tarrah’s updates hadn’t done much either.

Sutton had been… cold towards me before I’d left this morning. She was pulling away from me again already. I don’t know what happened but I was ready to cancel the entire day right then to figure it out and fix whatever was going on. Jaden practically dragged me out of the house. Now, I was speeding through the streets to get back to her.

“Tarrah said Sutton’s doing just fine,” Jaden said, practically gripping the dashboard. “They’ve been getting along great.”

“I don’t care how well Sutton’s getting along with someone else,” I snapped. Jaden gave me a defensive side-eyed look. I exhaled roughly. “I’m sorry. I do care that they’re becoming friends. But it’s not the relationship I’m most concerned about right now.”

“I know,” Jaden said. “But giving her some space will help.”

I shook my head but didn’t say anything. He couldn’t understand. Sutton had been open to our bond this morning. I was ready to tell her because I felt that she would consider accepting me. She wasn’t going to be afraid of what it meant. I wanted to tell her. But then her attitude toward me changed so suddenly. I knew she felt our bond, but she was going to talk herself out of what she was feeling. Now, she’d had hours to do so.

My grip on the steering wheel tightened and my foot pressed down further on the accelerator. I pulled into the driveway a few minutes later, barely taking the time to cut the engine before getting out and rushing inside. As soon as I opened the door, I was greeted by Sutton’s intoxicating scent. It had already begun to penetrate into the house, feeling like a lifeline I could never live without again.

I could hear Tarrah and Sutton in another room and followed the sound. They were in the kitchen. I stopped dead in my tracks when my eyes fell on Sutton. She was barefoot in a flowy white button-up and jeans as she stood next to the kitchen island. Her honey-brown hair fell over her shoulders in soft waves framing her face. Makeup covered the black eye and bruises, disguising much of her injuries, giving me a glimpse of what she truly looked like behind the trauma.

Goddess, she was fucking perfect.

My mouth watered at the sight. My body almost going into overdrive as my heart raced and heat surged through me.

“MINE.”

The word escaped in a low rumble that drew their attention. Their heads snapped toward me. I didn’t even notice Tarrah between us as I took a step forward. Sutton backed up in response, making me freeze as she lowered her head and turned away.

“Alpha,” Tarrah said, trying to break the awkward silence, “Sutton wanted to cook dinner as a thank you. We were just making sure we got everything she needed.”

I glanced at the counter and noticed the grocery bags they had been unpacking.

“Did you take her out?” I snapped, advancing on Tarrah.

She raised her hands, unfazed by my aggression. “Calm down. We had it all delivered,” she insisted.

Sutton shot me a glaring look as if our exchange had convinced her of some suspicion. But when I met her eyes, she quickly averted them again, returning to the bags on the counter.

‘Fix this,’ Rhonen growled.

“Tarrah, can you give us a moment, please,” I said stiffly.

She looked between the two of us. “Sure. I’ll go see if Jaden is going to join us for dinner,” she said as she brushed past me.    

I finally closed the distance between Sutton and me, gripping her arm to get her full attention.

“Tell me what’s wrong, Sutton,” I demanded. “Tell me why you won’t even look at me. Did Tarrah upset you?”

She pulled away, still not looking up at me. “Nothing is wrong, Alpha,” she said formally. “Your Luna has been very kind and accommodating to me.”

My Luna? What the hell was she talking about? There was no way Tarrah would have said she was our Luna. And she was specifically told not to say anything about Sutton being my mate. I made it clear that Sutton didn’t know and wasn’t going to be told by anyone else.

“Sutton, I don’t know what you’re going on about but…”

“Oh, really?” she hissed, finally meeting my eye. “I know I seem like an easy target, but I already told you — I won’t be your plaything. You want to keep a pet human on the side, whatever. But it won’t be me. And stop trying to convince me you’re any better than Mason and Anders. Bringing me here… nursing me back to health to fulfill your own sick fantasy while you throw your mate in my face. Forcing her to care for me when you’re betraying her…”

“What the fuck are you talking about, Sutton?” I interrupted incredulously. “Tarrah is not my mate. She’s my Beta’s sister.”

Sutton looked surprised for a brief second, but then her eyes narrowed as she refused to believe me. She really believed I had set her up in the house I shared with a mate. I couldn’t blame her for believing I was capable of such a thing. Not when her only experience was with bastards who were. But her words told me something else. Something more important.

She absolutely felt our bond. She felt the attraction between us. There was no way it was one-sided. I just needed to clear things up. Get her to understand. I grabbed her hand and started to lead her back upstairs.

“No,” she yelled, yanking herself free.

“Sutton,” I said through gritted teeth, “come with me. I will ex…”

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” she replied defiantly.

If that’s the way she was going to play this… fine. Without another word, I dipped down and lifted her up by the waist. She yelped as I threw her over my shoulder. Ignoring her kicks and protests, I carried her towards our room. She was going to listen whether she wanted to or not.