“We’ve drawn a crowd,” he warned as he took her bag. He swung the door open and stepped out.
Kira followed, gasping when she saw he wasn’t lying. The crowd that had gathered was more than just her neighbors. Her stomach twisted, and her hands clenched into fists automatically. She moved instinctively closer to Joshua as they started walking.
“That was quite some wedding,” one of the women said, staring hard at Kira. “What was going on anyway?”
They were all staring at her. Kira’s lungs didn’t seem to want to inflate.
One of the men slung his arm around the woman. “Gotta admit we were pretty shocked when we heard. So what’s this about?”
A few of the crowd nudged each other in the ribs and pointed at Kira’s stomach. It was obvious—they thought she was pregnant. She wasn’t sure what was more humiliating, that assumption or the truth. If people knew this was about her witch status, they might be getting their pitchforks ready. Or maybe they would all start looking into their heritage, trying to find evidence that they were witch descendants so that they could snap up Michael while he was still single.
“I’m surprised that you actually went through with it,” a woman said as she moved to the front of the group. Kira thought her name was Sandy.
Joshua put an arm around Kira’s waist. “There was some miscommunication. My fault. Kira was right to be angry with me at the wedding, but we’ve settled the issue now.”
Sandy moved closer. “But why even marry her to start with?”
Kira shot a glare at the other woman. Really? She expected people to whisper and wonder why they got married, but not to say it so blatantly to her face.
“It’s only natural to marry one’s mate.” Joshua pulled her tighter against him.
The woman’s eyes flicked toward Kira, looking her up and down. Kira couldn’t stop the look of shock on her face. Sandy saw it, and a grin of satisfaction spread over her face. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and put her hands on her hips. Her chest puffed out, making her boobs look bigger. They were a decent size, too. Kira glanced at her own chest. She was wearing a sports bra and—
Oh! She’d left all her cooking! Joshua’s arrival had driven it entirely from her mind.
“Are you sure?” Sandy laughed as she wrapped a hand around Joshua’s bicep. “I’m not saying that you’re lying, of course, but how could she be your mate? Aren’t you worried she’ll bolt again?”
Kira opened her mouth to say it was none of Sandy’s business, but stopped. She closed her eyes, hating that Joshua had put her in this position in the first place.
“My relationship is not for you to question,” Joshua growled at Sandy.
Sandy laughed again, brushing up close enough that her boobs pressed into Joshua’s side. “It’s just so unlike you.”
Kira’s stomach dropped. She recognized that seductive, familiar tone. Sandy must be one of Joshua’s women. She couldn’t stay here any longer. Joshua was trying to move them forward, but the crowd was so thick that it was difficult to make progress. So she twisted herself free.
“I left the stove on,” she blurted, grateful for the excuse.
She hurried away before she could see the disbelief on Sandy’s face. Titters followed her. Kira’s shoulders stayed hunched, her head bowed. Great. This was just what she needed, wasn’t it? To be disrespected and humiliated on top of being an outcast.
Chapter 6 - Joshua
Sandy tutted as Kira walked away. “Looks like I was right. She’s bolting.”
Joshua’s wolf growled low and dangerous. The woman still had a grip on his arm. He’d been trying to be polite, trying to detangle himself without causing more of a spectacle. It was certainly frustrating that his attempts to improve Kira’s standing with the pack had backfired so spectacularly. He didn’t realize she would be so disgusted with him that she’d walk out of the wedding like that!
“It’d be a shame to spend your wedding night by yourself,” Sandy said, a slow, flirtatious smile spreading over her face.
That did it. Joshua ripped his arm away. “Go fuck yourself because I’m not doing it.”
Sandy’s jaw dropped. Her cheeks colored, and she stepped back, one hand clutching at her chest. Her mouth opened and closed several times. The crowd, which was still watching, had various reactions, mostly shock, but Joshua didn’t have time to care about what they might be thinking about this display.
“I’m a married man. I’m not going to cheat on my mate just because she walked away from being disrespected to her face,” he snapped, taking a step back, toward Kira. He wanted to rush after her, but he needed to set this crowd straight. His wolf kept growling as he narrowed his eyes at Sandy. She was still beet-red, her eyes widening. “I’ll not be so understanding if this happens again.”
With that, he turned on his heel and stormed back toward Kira’s house. He had finally made some progress, and then thishappened! He should have done more to stop the crowd from gathering. Maybe he should have accepted Kira’s offer, stayed the night at her house. It would be awkward, and he wouldn’t have his work, but that was better than what happened.
What stung the most was that Sandy actually thought he’d entertain another woman. And worse… that Kira might believe it, too. He understood her leaving, just as he had when Sandy was throwing herself at him. He rubbed his hands over his face, trying to think of what he’d say. How could she think that he would entertain another woman after he’d told her that he wasn’t going to do that?
Well, that was pretty simple to explain. She didn’t trust him. He knew it would take time, but he hadn’t thought they’d have such a dramatic hiccup on their very first night as a married couple. Fuck, if it had only stayed between the two of them, maybe they’d have gotten through a conversation without getting pissed off at each other.
