Page 42 of His Wild Mate

“What sort of Alpha order did Thomas issue to stop it?” Katherine inquired.

“Basically that no one can touch Paige or harm her in any way,” Lily explained.

“But he excluded Emmett from that, right?” Winnie asked.

I bit my lip and shook my head. “No, he didn't.”

The room went quiet, and concern was evident on their faces.

“I can't even believe he went into work today,” Kate said.

“They've had some issues and a few of the cowboys have threatened a walk-out. He just got promoted to foreman and there's a big mess over there to clean up. He can't afford to look weak right now or be unavailable. His presence is important, especially now,” Winnie tried to explain. “I can't even imagine how difficult this must be for him.”

“A mating male who can't even touch his mate? That's awful,” Angel said. She gave my arm a squeeze.

“He could have taken you with him,” Winnie suggested.

Lily snorted. “Not a chance. He begged me to come hang out with her today. There was no way he was going to let her near any unmated males.”

I frowned. “You don't have to hang out with me. I'm used to taking care of myself. I don't need a babysitter.”

I was ready to flee and retreat back to the safety of the closet.

“No! Paige, that's not how I meant it. I'm just trying to say that it's that bad. Of all the guys, Emmett is the least likely to ever ask for help. He's kind of stubborn that way. So it's a big deal and shows just how important you are to him that he asked.”

“Yeah, he hides behind jokes and tries to make light of serious things. It's not like him to admit he needs help or that he's afraid to leave you alone,” Kate agreed.

“He's a really great guy, though. Funny, but also stubborn,” Winnie added.

“One of the best,” Angel told me.

Katherine grinned. “Because we aren't biased at all. Get real, he's family. The Six Pack are closer than brothers. Mate one and you're stuck with them all.”

“And us, which makes you part of our family now too,” Lily said with a grin.

I didn't know what to say to that. Even my own family didn't want me. But it was nice to feel like I could be a part of something someday. It gave me hope. Wolves weren't meant to be alone, and hanging out with these ladies didn't make me feel so lonely, which brought up all sorts of strange new feelings.

Emmett

Chapter 11

Being away from Paige was the hardest thing I'd ever done. I thought leaving her was difficult, but staying away was so much worse.

I was struggling to concentrate on anything work related, and I knew I was snapping at people unnecessarily. It was the last thing I wanted, but my wolf and I were both on edge with her out of sight.

The morning had passed by quickly, putting out one fire after another. The previous foreman had made a mess of everything. The schedule had to be redone. A new section of the ranch was opening up to include farming. That was not my area of expertise, but it was going to need to be just to understand what all it would entail and what sort of staffing was required.

Most of the guys were hesitant to approach me and guilt was written all over their faces. A few of them couldn't even look me in the eyes. It made for an awkward day.

“Don’t take it personally,” Wyatt told me. “They all know what they did, and word has spread that she's your mate.”

“I don't blame them. I don't even think they knew what they were doing. I mean, you saw them. She had them in some sort of trance or something.”

“Like a siren out of water.”

“What did you say?”

“That's what it reminded me of, the tales of the siren, a beautiful woman of the sea that lures men to their death. She bewitched them in a similar way.”

---