Beau drums his fingers against the wall behind him. “You know this isn’t about Amber, right? And it’s not about Emma, either. Not really.”
That’s got my attention. I finally turn to look at him. “Okay, then, Mr. Know-it-all. What the hell is it about?”
If he insists on poking the bear, he can suffer the consequences. I could do with another workout. Punching a bag wouldn’t be quite as satisfying in my current mood.
“It’s about Dad.”
I turn away, staring out at the treeline and the shadows gathering between the pines. This is not the conversation I want to have right now. I don’t think any conversation is the one I want to have right now.
“He spent your entire childhood telling you that you were destined to be a monster.” Beau continues. “A weapon that needed to be controlled by him.” He pauses. “And even though you know it was bullshit manipulation, deep down, some part of you believed him.”
My blood pressure rises, fire scorching a path through my veins.
“You think any of us would have done differently?” His tone sharpens. “You think Chase wouldn’t have ripped Kozlov’s throat out with his teeth if it was Natalie in that cabin? Hell, if it was any woman at all.” He shakes his head. “The only monster in that cabin was Kozlov and that piece of shit buyer. And you didn’t just save Emma, you saved every other woman they would have done the same thing to.”
I don’t have an answer for that as silence stretches between us, heavy and oppressive, like my mood. I’m waiting for him to tell me what to do about my mate, and how I’m fucking it up.
But he doesn’t.
“Mitch called this morning,” Beau says, changing the subject entirely. “Garrett’s making noise again. Pushing for a formal challenge.”
Why the hell does he think I care about this right now?
“Mitch can handle Garrett.” I grumble.
“Mitch is exhausted. He’s been holding things together for months, reluctantly.” Beau’s voice is matter of fact, not accusatory.
“If he doesn’t want to be there, he should go.”
Beau gives me a sardonic look. “He can’t. You know that.”
At least, not until I go back. That’s what Beau’s really saying. “I’m not taking over.”
He shrugs, as if it’s no skin off his nose. Which, I guess, it isn’t. He doesn’t live there, and he works here with Chase. He’s as disconnected from the clan as I am, apart from some infrequent visits since Dad’s been gone.
“Go to Black River,” Beau says. “Deal with whatever ghosts are waiting there for you.” He turns to look at me directly. “And when you’ve got your head straight, bring Emma. Show her your world. Let her decide if she wants to be part of it.”
There it is.
“She doesn’t want…”
Beau tilts his head as he challenges me.
“You don’t know what she wants. You haven’t asked her.” His expression softens slightly. “Check it out. At least you know she’d be safe there.”
It’s a dirty trick, but he’s right. If the challenge with Garrett is quashed, and Mitch is firmly in charge, there would be no safer place to stash my mate until this mess is over. Dimitri won’t be able to get past a clan of bears.
My beast rumbles in satisfaction, liking the idea of her living among us.
“Though you might want to actually mark her first in case someone hits on her. It might ruin your triumphant return if you murder one of the young males for looking at her.”
Beau claps me on the shoulder once, with brief pressure, then heads back inside. The door swings shut behind him, leaving me alone with the weight of everything he’s said.
From somewhere inside the building, I hear the muffled sounds of his team preparing to move out.
I should go to Emma’s cabin right now, knock on her door, and tell her everything. Instead, I make my way past the cabin and into the darkness to my usual spot in the trees.
The lights are on inside. Through the window, I watch her moving around the small kitchen, making tea, her movements tight with tension. She looks exhausted, and I know I’m the reason.
