Page 51 of Broken Chains

I grabbed Oliver by the arm and started walking towards the stairs. I was grateful when he didn’t stumble, but I also didn’t say a word until we were in our room with the door shut and the dampener on. Then I turned to face him.

“What the hell happened?” I asked.

He grimaced. “I’m sorry, babe. I lost my job today.”

“And that means you go out drinking? I know you aren’t drunk, but you’ve had more than a drink, too. Did you see the look on Kenneth’s face? What are you doing? So you lost your job. There are other jobs out there.”

“I wasn’t drinking because I lost my job. I tried to get a new job and the interview didn’t go so well,” he said.

“So you hit the bar after that?”

“No, no, no, the drinking was the interview.”

“What kind of stupid job did you apply for that requires you drinking in an interview?”

“The kind that doesn’t exist,” he said and slumped down on the edge of the bed. “It took a lot to push down my pride, but I went to the plant just outside of town to ask for a job. Most Larkens work there, Pey. They’re closing the plant. What are we going to do?”

I sighed and sat down next to him. “Oliver, we’ll be fine. I make enough working at the diner to cover all our expenses. Plus, I still get my monthly stipend from the Pack, and have enough for us to live several years on in savings. We’re going to be fine,” I assured him.

He looked at me with sad eyes. “I don’t mean us, I mean my Pack. They don’t know it yet but within the month, ninety percent of the Pack will be out of work. And there’s not enough jobs in the area to sustain us all without the factory.”

Until that moment I didn’t realize he really cared about his Pack. He rarely spoke of them and the boys had seemed so relieved to get out of that trailer park that I had just assumed they weren’t really attached. Maybe I was wrong.

“What do you think will happen?”

“I don’t know. I mean, what if Luke has no other option than to move the Pack? Maybe there really just isn’t enough here for two packs. It’s been mentioned before. Jedidiah always refused because of his grudge against your father. Sometimes I think he purposefully kept us destitute, like in some warped way seeing us suffer across the tracks would affect your dad. Yet, he always made sure we had food and enough to get by on. After my mom left, he took me aside and told me that no matter what, we’d have a roof over our heads and wouldn’t starve, because the pack took care of their own. He wasn’t all bad, Peyton.”

I sighed. “I know that, Oliver. No one is ever all bad. I’m glad he was there to help some when you needed it.”

“I feel guilty sometimes living out here, like I abandoned them all. I mean, I hated Cruz so much. He tormented me nearly every day for years, but he’s Pack, and when push came to shove, if he could have offered me that job today, I know he would have.”

I hugged him, not knowing what to say. Those beautiful eyes stared back at me, looking so sad and lost. I leaned in and kissed him. I meant to provide comfort, but it was like he unleashed all his frustrations and pain on me in that kiss. His lips were demanding, his tongue intruding, like he was truly claiming me for the first time.

I’d never felt any true Alpha in him before, but in that moment, he was most definitely the dominant, and I loved it. He ripped my shirt from my body, sending the front buttons flying in all directions, then he growled in appreciation. His lips and hands were everywhere, making my head whirl in delight.

His rough, calloused fingertips on my soft, silky skin drove me wild. I gasped when he gripped my hips and turned me to face the bed. It happened so fast I had to grab hold of the edge of the bed to find my balance. He quickly disposed of my pants and slammed into me without warning.

I could feel his need for control as he possessed my body, and I loved every second of it. It was fast and furious, leaving me panting breathlessly as my world spun out of control and I finally collapsed onto the bed, my chest heaving as I struggled to catch my breath.

I could feel Oliver still shaking behind me. “I’m so sorry,” he said in a gravelly voice. “I don’t know what came over me.”

I looked back over my shoulder, grinning from ear to ear. “You don’t ever have to apologize forthat.”

I caught him off guard and he laughed, shaking his head in dismay. “What did I do to deserve you?”

I forced my exhausted body to turn and face him. I smiled brightly and kissed him. “The real question is, what did I ever do to deserve a mate as incredible as you?”

He snorted like that was the most ridiculous thing in the world. Someday he will understand and have the confidence to believe me whenever I tell him that. I knew he saw a broken half-breed every time he looked in the mirror, but I would never see him like that, and I would do everything in my power to break that chain.

I never wanted Eve to look in the mirror and think the same of herself. She would know every day of her life that she was loved and cherished and perfect just the way she was. Unconditional love would give her that, but it saddened me that in all his life, Oliver had never had that kind of love—until now, and he was going to just have to get used to hearing it.

“I love you,” I told him, rising to hug him close before seeing the look of surprise, shock, or worse, disbelief cross his face. I kissed the bond mark I’d left on him and grinned as he shuddered in my arms.

“Peyton, I can’t even take care of us now. Why would you even say that?”

“Oliver, love doesn’t come with strings. It doesn’t care what you can or can’t afford. It’s unconditional. You are an amazing man, an incredible father, and a loving mate. What more could I possibly ever want?

He sighed and squeezed me tighter. “What am I going to do, Pey?”

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