My bear snarled, instantly on alert. A growl lodged in my throat. The thought of my brothers getting anywhere near Charlotte…
“Tell them to mind their own business,” I said, my voice dipping an octave. “I don’t want any interference. None.”
“Beck—”
“That’s an order.”
Everett’s voice went quiet. “Understood, Alpha.”
I swallowed hard, trying to calm the beast pacing beneath my skin. Everett had used my title deliberately. He and the other bears would follow my orders. But they wouldn’t like it if they thought I was steering the clan wrong.
And Charlottewasrelentless. Everett was right about that.
“I need to think,” I said.
“Should I call a meet?”
“Not yet.” I rubbed my free hand over my face. “Give me a few more days. Let me figure this out.”
“All right. But Beck? Be careful. With her, and with yourself.”
After I hung up, I went to my office and pulled out the bottle of whiskey I kept for emergencies. I poured a glass and drained it in one swallow, the burn doing nothing to ease the knot in my chest.
I was fifty years old. I’d led men through blizzards and avalanches. I’d made hard decisions as alpha, doling out orders that kept the clan safe even when they cost me sleep.
But Charlotte Mills was the hardest challenge I’d ever faced. Because somewhere between that first moment I’d faced her in the foyer and now, I’d fallen for her.
And I had no idea how to tell her the truth without losing her completely.
Chapter
Five
CHARLOTTE
Ididn’t go down for lunch or dinner. I couldn’t face Beck again after he’d looked me in the eye and lied to my face.
So I stayed in my room with my laptop reviewing data until the numbers blurred on the screen. Anger simmered in my chest.
But hurt throbbed there, too. For the past three days, Beck had cooked meals for me. He’d carried my gear and acted interested in my experiments. And the whole time he’d led me in the opposite direction of the places I needed to be.
My stomach released a low, mournful rumble. Outside, the sun had long since slipped beneath the horizon. Stars twinkled in the sky, and the forest was barely visible as dusk slid into night.
I’d skipped three meals, and now I had to pay the price until morning. As if that wasn’t punishment enough, the aroma of Beck’s cooking drifted under my door. Whatever he’d prepared smelled amazing, the scent of savory spices and fresh bread floating toward me like one of those steamy trails from a cartoon.
My mouth watered, and I glared at the door before turning back to my screen.
A half hour later, a soft knock brought my head up.
“Charlotte?” Beck rumbled on the other side of the wood.
My heart thumped faster, and indecision tugged at me. He deserved to be ignored. On the other hand, starving myself wouldn’t accomplish anything.
Besides, maybe he’d come to apologize…
I scrambled off the bed, crossed the room, and opened the door.
Beck held a plate heaped with breaded chicken slathered in some kind of creamy gravy dotted with green herbs. Green beans nestled on one side, and a plump dinner roll glistening with butter sat on the other.
