Eve

The stretch of silence unnerves me, and when the thought of calling it quits becomes appetising, he opens his mouth. "I've already made it clear I'm going to supervise you; it would put me at ease until your wolf comes, then she'll take over." Scratching his jaw, his eyes flick to mine. "And I know you wish to go home."

Damn it, this is the perfect opportunity to get home, but I'm still going to be stuck with him if we're on the same page.

"Could we negotiate?" I whisper, itching the inside of my wrist.

"Name it."

Swallowing back my anxiety, I return my focus to my lap, twirling the tip of his drawstring around my finger. "What if you visited instead?" I offer. "If I feel out of sorts, I can use this weird link thing we have going on."

His brows crease, and before I know it, he's mirroring me on the bed rather than being perched like a statue on the edge. He still doesn't look comfortable, but the sight is oddly tame for him. His legs aren't crossed like mine, rather he's sat further on the bed with his legs still draping over the side. At least it feels more like a head on conversation, but now his eyes are glued to me.

"I'm afraid that's not possible, little wolf." Dragging a hand through his hair, I watch it bounce from the simple action, then the way his muscles bulge under the shirt as he rubs the nape of his neck. "What if you set ground rules? As many or little you need to make yourself comfortable."

I'm annoyingly tempted. After yesterday, I know fighting too hard on this won't get me anywhere, but it seems this guy has a side that can be appealed to. This is the most compliant we've been with each other, and I'd rather keep some sort of common ground than lose what say I have. He's hell bent on seeing this through while I want to create distance, maybe I can conjure up a rule that can please us both.

Maybe it won't be that bad, and if everything plays out, he should be gone in a day or two.

Remembering my earlier question, I take care to ask this with how sensitive it came across when it happened. "Jax called you a rogue. . . what's that?"

His features go frigid, and just like that, the warmth that started to shine begins to slip away before my eyes. "Nothing. Drop it."

The quickness of his reply had been surprising, but the snappiness behind it is startling. Dropping my head, I stare at my intertwined fingers and play with them.

"Sorry."

I shrug my shoulders. "No biggie."

Rule one: don't poke into each other's business.

Pushing back the sour emotions it provokes like the fear that used to riddle me constantly, and anxiety, I mutter my next question. "How long until we can go?"

Rising from the mattress in a swift motion, he inclines his head toward the door. "Now. Kaden will take us; he doesn't think you're ready to ride wolf back."

Imagining myself on the back of a wolf as if it were a horse swims across my vision, and I can't help but laugh. The idea itself sounds crazy, but the image in my head is ridiculous. The briefest elevation to the corners of his lips catches my eye, then it vanishes in the next beat, becoming a figment of my imagination.

With another out of character experience, he signals for me to head through the still open front door first and makes sure to follow close behind. I don't want to think about him, he's giving me whiplash, and I'm dying to get home and in the bath.

I make it five steps toward the treeline before his heavy hand catches my elbow, sending a weird pattern of sparks to ignite my skin. It makes my body shiver, and I instantly recognise it as delight. I can associate it well with the first time I tried peanut butter ice cream, and the realisation of how alike they are scare me.

"Eat." He extends a small package toward me, and the first thing I do is sniff.

It smells like well cooked meat and greens, and my stomach is quick to rumble in response. With a nudge in my direction, I take it with a quiet thank you before unravelling it on the way to the trees. By the time we enter, I'm hesitant but slip a piece of the meat past my lips and chew. Giving it a thought, I shove another piece into my mouth and moan around each bite.

The intense richness of each slice is amazing, and it's earthy too. I can't place what type of meat it is because it bounces between pork, beef, and lamb, but right now, I'm in food heaven to care. By the time I've devoured it, he hands me another one which doesn't last as long.

I must look like a pig, but I'm too freaking starving to care.

Once we're further in, I'm on my third package, and the munching dies down as my stomach finally starts to fill up. In recent days, it's probably the best thing I've ever experienced. Other than the delicious meat, I'm grateful I'm not being carried through this maze, and even more so now that I'm not suffering from flashes of pain to take it all in, even with a brooding wolfman hot on my heels. The scents around me are fresh, earthy, and clear my senses. I can hear his soft breaths behind me, our feet crushing the leaves and twigs beneath us, and birds rustling high above our heads. It's only when I turn over my shoulder to give him a proper thank you that I see his own shoulder is sporting my backpack, and it looks tiny now.

Heat rushes to my face, and I end up squeaking it out instead and scurry ahead, only to take a left when he instructs me I'm heading the wrong direction.

The walk back to where Ronny had parked yesterday afternoon is filled with silence on our part, but I'm not finding it as awkward because the scurrying of the critters surrounding us fills it. Although, seeing the Jeep and Kaden lounging beside it brings the delayed tension. I wouldn't say he's over what occurred in the cabin, but when he notices us and offers a small smile, there's a twinge of light in his eyes.

"Ready?"

Nodding, I wait for the man behind me to figure out where he wants to sit, only he remains in his spot, watching my every move.

Maybe it won't be a good idea to have him ride shotgun. . .

Swinging the door open, I hop in and strap up. Kaden's swift to ready up and get the Jeep on the road, and my helper is eyeing the seatbelt with caution before buckling in. I'm not surprised to see his weariness with the vehicle; he doesn't seem the type to detour from his wolfly routine, and this car does belong to someone who aided in ganging up on him.

"Thank you for dropping us off," I say, thankful when he catches on to the tense vibe smothering the interior and switching on the radio.

"Of course. . ." His eyes fleet to the rearview mirror, then to me, and back to the road before clearing his throat. "I'm sorry about earlier. I never meant for it to get out of hand."

There's a deep rumble in the back, leaving me to assume that's his way to pass it off.

Itching the inside of my wrist, I switch to playing with the drawstrings on the joggers. "By the looks of it, you didn't have much say in the matter, so we can't blame you."

I regret my words the moment they leave my mouth. I'm not sure why he looks down about it, but it wasn't his fault. Jax orchestrated it, he's the leader, and Kaden has to follow. At least. . . that's the normal way it works.

"As a Beta, he should have a say," helper's voice enters my mind, and I glance over at him, only to receive a head tilt to suggest I keep my eyes on the road. "It knocked him, but he'll be fine."

"Thanks."

There's a chuff, and I can't help but feel relief that the tension has lifted enough for the ride to be relaxing.

I'm not going to pretend I understand these guys, but I know everyone has pride and self-worth, and with titles like theirs, I'm not surprised if something goes sideways it can impact them. Considering Kaden's here, he wanted to make amends, and seeing he's going to return to Jax and the pack, he's not harbouring any hard feelings.

"Um. . . my address is number five, Wharf Lane; it's ten minutes from the town centre."

"Thank you," he replies, slowing down to type in the new destination before concentrating on the road. "I think I might know where it is; I used to visit the area a while back when there used to be an art shop before it moved into the centre."

My eyes widen, knowing exactly what store he's thinking about. Mary's Crafts. I still go there to this day, only it's not run by the sweet elderly lady anymore but her granddaughter Clair. The store still has that quaint feel to it, and when it's cold they have the heating filter through, and when it's hot, they have the air conditioning on. I remember last Christmas I had taken a trip to collect a new sketchpad for college, and they were serving gingerbread hot chocolate.

"Mary was a sweet person, it's a shame she passed away, but Clair's equally amazing," I start. "Have you seen their animal display?"

His head bobs in excitement, and it's the happiest I've seen him since we've met. "Of course, the owl is too cute! I'm still waiting to hear back on how to do one myself."

I can't help but laugh, and the grey clouds lift from the car entirely. My helper is staring out the window with a relaxed demeanour, Kaden's sporting a smile, and I'm soaking up the peace. It feels weird to be at ease, because the minute this started, each day felt like it could be my last or I'll never find an out, but now, there's a breakthrough.

I'm finally going home. . .