West POV
Hearing Jo-anne tell him, she liked Miranda and that she thought she would make a good Luna, irked him. She may very well do, but not his. Why she would even tell him that, he had no idea. She didn’t even sound one bit upset about it. Another woman taking her place next to him. Not even the slightest bit jealous at all by the sounds of it. Bothered him quite a bit.
If she had turned up here with a man on her arm he’d not likely have handled it well at all.
She waved and smiled at Miranda, like they were friends even. Miranda, he noted, had smiled and returned the wave. Made West frown, when had they spent time together, to get so chummy like that. He didn’t know, and he didn’t like it.
“Picked a spot for the Art Studio.” T.J. interrupted his thoughts. “Lucky for you I was there to guide her, in making the decision.”
“Why is that Terence?”
West watched as his Beta leaned back in his chair and stared right at him “Because my friend. You can see the eastern boarder from the pack-house.”
West frowned right at him. Was the man high? “No you can’t.”
“Yes you can, from my room.” T.J. smiled right at him, happy with himself it seemed.
“Jo-anne was in your suite?” his eyes narrowed on the man.
“My bedroom, to be precise.” he smirked. “Liked being in my room. Thought it was nice.”
West wanted to punch the man in the face, resisted the urge to do so. “So where will it be going?”
“Hmm, don’t know if I should tell you. You’re too grumpy with her.”
West watched T.J, pick up his cup of coffee and sip it. The stubborn bastard would keep that to himself too until the construction started and then he might go about it around West. The man could keep all manner of secrets. “What do you want, Terence?” He knew how to play this game with his Beta.
“For you not to yell at her the next time you talk to her. Then I will tell you.” he was looking right at West, fully amused with himself.
“That’s it?” He didn’t believe it. There had to be a catch.
“Baby steps West.” he laughed “I think you’ll like the spot I picked.”
“Will I be able to see it from the pack-house?”
“That was the condition, I believe.” he nodded.
“Don’t think I won't punch you in the face, Terence.”
His Beta shrugged at him indifferently. “Wouldn’t be the first time you and I came to blows over Jo-Jo now, would it West?”
West frowned, no it would not be. T.J. and he had, had several fist fights where she was concerned. West knew that T.J. was very protective of her and that’s the reason for it. Massive difference of opinions over her. Only one had gotten completely out of hand and his father, Damien and T.J.’s father, Jonathan, had, had to get between the two of them and pull them apart before one had killed the other. Tossed both there asses into the cells, over it actually, and neither had been allowed out until they had calmed down, which had been difficult, seeing as Jo-anne had been lying in the hospital bed damned near dead.
West had let it go, he’d let them all go, in fact, T.J. had been right on all occasions. West just had not been in a good place at the time, in any of the times to be honest, though in that last one he had let all his anger and emotions out, and T.J. had taken the brunt of it, unfortunately.
There had been no-one else he could take it out on, and when T.J. had punched him right in the hospital, West had turned on him and all hell had broken lose, an Alpha on Beta, show down that had been very loud and aggressive.
Yet here they were still friends, still hanging out and getting along. Perhaps it was the fact that they could, just punch the living hell out of each other, to get their anger and frustrations out at each other, on each other that made them so close. West was not the easiest person to get along with. In fact, he didn’t really get along with anyone. Yet T.J. was laid back and got along with all.
“You will tell me.”
“When I see you, be nice to the woman. I will tell you.” T.J. nodded.
West huffed in annoyance, “You’re a royal pain in my ass.”
“I know, but you need me to be.”
West also knew that was true as well. T.J. was the only person in the entire pack, who not only knew everything about him. Including what had happened between him and Jo-anne, but how West actually felt about all of it as well. Essentially, why West was the way he was, he supposed, was the best way to explain it.
Miranda sat back down. “Where did Jo-anne go?” she looked to T.J. for the answer. Good she thought they were more than friends. Which is what West wanted.
“Her room, maybe an early night.” he told her.
“ You didn’t want to go with her?” she teased him.
“No.” T.J. said simply “I’m going out for a bit tonight, West.”
“Go.” West nodded, the man was likely off to visit Silvia, his current she-wolf.
“We could go to bed early?” Miranda looked right at him, he didn’t miss her meaning.
“I have work to do. Go if you want to.”
“West come on.” she urged him.
His eyes turned right on her. “You want to discuss your attitude from earlier.” he shot at her, he was still more than pissed off about her trying to lord it over him in his own pack.
“No.” she pouted. “Why won’t you claim me already?” she got up and walked away from him, got about a dozen steps and stopped and looked back at him. “I waited patently till you became the Alpha. It’s time West.” she snapped at him, that last part. Right in front of a room full of his pack members.
West stood, and stalked after her. She wanted to have it out, then let's have it out. After her attitude today and now this, disrespecting him in front of a room full of his pack members, he grabbed her arm and took her right to his office, closed the door and stood staring at her for a solid minute.
“Have I ever told you, I would claim you?” he stated flatly.
“No.” she folded her arms across her chest.
“Then why are you pissy about it,” he asked, somewhat aggravated himself.
“You are the Alpha now. You need a Luna and we’ve been exclusive for 2 years West. It’s pretty obvious that you like me.”
West took a deep breath and shook his head slightly “And how many times have I told you, you can leave anytime that you like?” and he had said it, a lot.
“You’re just pushing me away. That’s why you say that.”
“No it’s not, I do mean it. We are not Mates Miranda, our relationship is all sex, nothing more.” he told her honestly.
“You like sex.” she stated.
“Yes I do.” he admitted. But who didn’t?
“2 years West. Together just you and me, doesn’t it mean anything to you? The whole pack, your parents and my father. All expecting you to Mark and Mate me.”
“We are not exclusive, Miranda.” he corrected her. It was the second time she’d said it.
“Yes we are, I live with you. In your bed every night.”
“Alright, I can’t deny that, when I am here you are in my bed every night...How ever, I am not exclusive to you. When I am not here, I do fuck others,” he told her plainly.
Watched her eyes go really wide. She had no clue, how was that possible? How could she not know she had been on his plane, seen the draws, it was pretty obvious or should have been. She hardly went anywhere with him, so obviously, those sex toys and protection were not for her. He thought she knew and simply turned a blind eye.
“No you don’t.” she shook her head “I don’t believe you.”
“Ask Terence, Ricky or Cole even. If you don’t believe me, you will not be my Luna Miranda. Stay for the sex or leave if you want to. I’m not offering to Mark and Mate you. When I announce a Luna, it will be because she is my Goddess-Gifted Mate. Not a chosen Mate.”
West watched as tears welled up in her eyes, and sighed. He knew what he had said was harsh but she needed a reality check, it seemed. “You have known this for a long time. Why are you suddenly crying about it?”
“You don’t care. Why talk to you at all, West?” she turned to leave his office, stopped in the doorway, stood for a minute and then looked right at him “I love you West, why can’t you see that.” And then she walked away.
West sighed, rubbed his temples ‘loved him’. What on earth had he ever done to warrant that? He’d never, not once given her so much as a single flower, no gifts ever, never even said one romantic word to her, all they did was fuck, when it suited him and how it suited him. He couldn’t understand how she could turn that into love.
He wasn’t even nice to her. If he was completely honest with himself, treated her like a play thing, she seemed to like it, so he’d never had a problem with it. Perhaps it was time to send the woman home to her father. He would be here in a few days. He’d encourage her to return home. Better for her that way, she would not get what she wanted from him.
West stayed in his office and worked till midnight, before heading to his room. Miranda was in there. That surprised him, he thought she would have gone off and found an empty room to sleep in, at that revelation that he was having sex with others, clearly not.
He showered and got in bed. She was not asleep, she did, however roll over away from him and hug into a pillow. He sighed internally, he had a feeling she was going to be hard to get rid of. Sending her home with her father was definitely the best option for her. He’d better tell her.
“Miranda?”
“If you want sex, go find it else where.” she shot at him.
West actually nearly laughed out loud, she was actually going to throw a tantrum, it seemed.
“It’s my bed, you leave.” he told her and stretched out his hands behind his head.
She actually kicked him then rolled over and hit him. The second hit he grabbed and stopped her, deflected the next. Oh yes we were going to have a full blown tantrum, the woman was completely naked, he noted as he grabbed her other wrist while she lashed out at him, used his size and strength to pin her down to the bed beneath him “Do you really want to fight me?” he spoke down at her. Damned women was squirming like crazy underneath him, within a minute he didn’t want to fight, and pressed himself right down against her so she could feel he was fully aroused by her right that minute
“No.” she finally whispered “I don’t want to fight with you...I just.”
“Just what Miranda.”
‘Nothing, get off me West.” he got off her.
Lay back down on his side of the bed, and watched her sit up. “You may go anytime you like, I’ve always said that.”
“I’ve never found my Mate West. Neither have you.” she climbed right up on top of him. “Why don’t we just?”
“No,” he cut her off, “you will find him, go to sleep.” he told her and put his hands on her waist to move her off him.
“I’m not tired West.” she pouted down at him.
The woman was crazy: “Goddess Miranda, you’re angry at me, and you still want me to fuck you.”
“I like sex with you.” she was sliding herself against him.
West shook his head. “I’m not going to change Miranda.”
“Will you?” she looked down at his hard cock.
“Sure, how you want it?” he asked. He was hard might as well put it to good use.
She giggled and grabbed him, pushed herself down on him and started to ride him. He was not done when she was, flipped her over and pounded in and out of her till he was done. Took a bit of doing today, his mind being else where. Laying there on the bed next to her and staring up at the ceiling, she wasn’t likely to go anywhere, not til one of them found their Mate that was. He knew it and she knew it.
He closed his eyes and thought it was a pity she wasn’t his Mate. The girl would do anything and everything. Nothing, it seemed, was off limits. She really did enjoy sex in all its forms. If she had been his Goddess-Gifted Mate, it might have actually been nice.