Page 41 of Due North

Paxton glances over his shoulder at me as he strolls calmly through the house. His eyebrow arches. “I’m not sure she will find out. Dominic is sending someone to check on the Sovereign Pack. They’re mysteriously absent at the moment.”

“What? That’s not possible, there’s always a rotation to guard the house. Even if they sent a team out to look for me, they would never leave this place unprotected.”

“Well they did. I crossed over the road and came up through the woods without coming into contact with a single shifter. I thought someone was watching me when I got close, but if I’m right, it wasn’t anyone from the Sovereign Pack. Whoever it was didn’t approach or make themselves known. If it had been a guard, I wouldn’t have made it to you so easily.”

My stomach turns. “You mean to tell me I’ve been here—”

“With absolutely no protection.” His voice drops low, giving away the anger that I know still simmers below the surface. He won’t let me off the hook for running from him, and I shouldn’t be surprised by that.

Paxton stops in front of the doorway leading to the master bedroom and turns to face me for the first time since stepping foot in the house. I plant my feet and stay where I am, watching him uneasily. Just because I let him kiss me in a moment of weakness doesn’t mean I’m going to bed with him.

“Tasha—”

“No.” I cross my arms protectively over my chest, angling my body away from him.

“I’m not coming on to you.” His lips twist up in amusement, making me flush. “You have dark circles under your eyes like you haven’t slept properly in weeks.” More like months. “Go lie down for a while. I’m here now, and I won’t let anything happen to you. Some of Dominic’s pack should be showing up soon too, they’ll help me keep you safe. I promise you’ll still think everything is shit tomorrow, so let yourself get some sleep for tonight.”

His mouth falls, the edges turning down into a grimace as he briefly looks away. It’s like he has to force his gaze back to me again as if it’s painful to look at me.

Because it is. Because you’re denying the mate bond, and it’s hurting him the same way it’s hurting you.

I shake my head at my wolf in exasperation, but Paxton’s face scrunches up as if he thinks I’m shaking my head at him. He crosses the distance between us with two long strides and grabs me before I can even open my mouth to correct him. I gasp as he lifts me easily into his arms. Though I’m not as petite as my sister, I’m still small compared to his towering size, and he lifts me like it’s nothing.

“Put me down.” I smack his shoulder. His very naked shoulder. I know he can’t help that he’s naked from shifting, but he could at least have the decency to not hold me while he’s naked. It feels suggestive and causes a warm flush over my cheeks.

“I’m putting you to bed, and you’re going to stay there until you’ve slept like you’re supposed to.”

Hearing him speak to me like a child shocks me into silence for a second. He carries me into the bedroom and deposits me on the bed. By the time I bounce twice on the mattress, I’m more mad than I’ve ever been. When he turns to leave, I push up to my feet and stand on the bed, making myself taller than him.

“Stop.”

He turns and stares at me curiously, dark eyes widening slightly. I’m sure I make quite the sight in a bright pink shift dress two sizes too big for me, my feet sinking into the yellow flowered comforter on the bed. I really hope that the house gets decorated to taste and that I’m allowed to change things because all the bright colors and grandma chic decor aren’t even remotely my style.

“I get that you’re all into this big, bad rogue thing you have going on and that you don’t want to answer to anyone, but you’re not going to walk into this house, of all places, and tell me what to do. I’m an adult, I can damn well sleep when I want to without being manhandled and thrown around.”

He opens his mouth to respond, but I’m already tired of dealing with him.

“No.” He stalks toward me, eyes intent until I hold my hand out for him to stop. I’m surprised he actually does. “I lived a whole life before you came along, Paxton. You don’t get to barge your way into my life and upend it just because you think you have a claim to me. I’ve been someone’s mate before; I’m bigger than that now. The second the spirits called for me to be the next Luna Sovereign, I came into my own.

“Maybe it’s not how I expected my life to go, but it’s mine. My life. My decision to make. So I don’t have to choose you if I don’t want to. In fact, I—”

“Don’t,” he says, rasping the single word out with a wince of pain.

My mouth hangs open, but the words are frozen inside of me. I started to reject him, and as we both stand here staring at each other—each of us clearly carrying plenty of our own baggage—I’m certain he knows that’s exactly what I was about to do.

His shoulders relax slightly as he realizes I’m silent.

“Don’t do it, Tasha. Right now, you’re angry with me, and that’s fine. I can take that. But if you reject me before you’ve even given it a chance, we’re both going to suffer for a long time. So don’t choose that without really knowing what you’re doing.”

I bristle. “I know what I’m doing.”

“Do you?”

Yes. I think so. Or I thought so until Paxton started staring at me with this desperate, pleading look in his eyes.Give him a chance,my wolf pleads.What could it hurt to try?

It might be a better argument if I hadn’t already experienced exactly how much giving yourself to someone can hurt. I loved one mate and lost him. Even if I weren’t focused on being the next Luna Sovereign, I wouldn’t be ready to put myself in that position again. I feel too sensitive, too stuck in my grief. Another chance at a potential loss could destroy me.

“You need to be protected if you’re staying here. Even with Dominic’s pack watching over things, it’s too dangerous for you to stay here by yourself.” He chances another step toward me, and I let my hand fall away. He’s right. Now that I know the Sovereign Pack isn’t protecting the house after all, I feel far more exposed than I expected to be.

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