West POV
Heath was a bloodied, torn-up mess, lying on the cell floor in a pool of his own blood. West could see there were wolf claw and bite marks in the man, he turned and raised an eyebrow at T.J. as they leaned on the cell bars, both of them had been staring at the man as he’d stared right back at them.
“What? Lark really likes his new chew toy.” he’d smiled right at West.
“I can see that, chewed him up real good.”
“Yep, can’t wait to do it again.” he’d smirked and turned his eyes back to the man in question.
West too looked down at the man, once a valued pack member, honorable and loyal, now a rogue and a prisoner. He’d never really had much to do with Jo-anne’s father, other than the threat that had come out of his mouth when she was 16, of him going to the wolfen council. He’d not asked for anything himself and had requested to stay on border patrol.
It had always been his Mate Karen doing the asking and spending thousands upon thousands of the packs funds. He and Heath though, now that he thought about it, had rarely even seen each other during his Mate Bond to Jo-anne, so why was he so pissed off with her now? West really thought about that, Heath and Jo-anne. Not once had he seen the two of them together after that day, not once had she told anyone she was going to visit him, and she did have to tell her every movement, so he knew where she was at all times.
Heath, as far as West knew, had not gone near his daughter in the two years, not even once. Odd.
Nothing had changed for Heath, during that time. He had kept his position as border patrol, the only thing that had been different was he’d been Ranked up and then, when she’d left lost that Rank. It didn’t make sense the man didn’t seem power hungry, hadn’t even seemed to care at all about the new Rank, never lorded it over everyone like his Mate or her sisters had. Just went on with life as normal. Seemed to just want to make sure the girl had been protected and looked after.
West would love to just go inside the cell and kill him, but Jo-anne didn’t want the man dead and it would hurt her if he did. He’d caused the girl enough emotional pain, he would not do it again. He didn’t understand why she didn’t want him dead, not even after he had nearly killed her.
How was she so forgiving? Hadn’t even been angry, not for the first bite from Jester and not with Heath, for this attack, she was just sad. Did she never get angry? He’d never seen it actually, even in two years, she’d had to suffer life with him and he’d been an ass-hole the whole time, had to be, to make himself not devour the damned girl and ravish every inch of her, Goddess she’d been hard to stay away from on. Still bloody was it seemed.
“Why Heath?” he asked, seeing as he couldn’t make sense of it all.
The man lay there and looked up at him, unlikely able to sit up. Lark had done a good job on the man, though the bleeding had stopped and his wounds were healing slowly, he was still too badly injured to get up. Jester was actively healing the man.
“Why not?” he returned with a laugh, which sounded quite nasty to the ear.
“It makes no sense. She’s your daughter.”
“Is she?” Heath's eyes moved from West to T.J.
“No.” T.J. answered the man, “and you will not call her that in future, ever.” he grated out the last word.
Heath snorted, “What future? She’ll not live long anyway.”
That got both their undivided attention, West frowned instantly. The man thought it was not over, which likely meant there was more danger to come, but from where and why?
“Why is that?” West asked, keeping his voice clear of any anger. He needed to keep the man talking.
“Destined to die West. At your hands,” he laughed mirthlessly, “I was trying to save her from you.”
West leaned back from the cell now. He’d never physically hurt her, not once. He wouldn’t stand for it. Why on earth would this piece of shit say that?
“Don’t buy into it West, he’s goading you. Trying to get you to kill him, a quick death.” T.J. put a hand on him to steady him.
West didn’t say anything, just stared down at the man, he did want to go in there and kill him right that minute. He’d never hurt Jo-anne, hated the sight of her blood, had seen enough of it to last him his whole lifetime. Yet he still had to keep seeing it.
He was smiling up at him still, a nasty smile, almost like he knew something West did not and West was itching to go in there and rip it out of him, felt T.J.’s hand grip him hard to stay him from doing just that. “It’s what he wants West.”
West knew it too. If the man was dead, he couldn’t talk, couldn’t tell West what he wanted to know, and if he was dead, he could not be beaten and tortured to within an inch of his life on a regular basis. He stood and stared down at the man for a long time. Volt was sitting in his mind, all attention and ready to be released, but wasn’t pushing for it. ‘You’re awfully quiet Volt.’
‘Clova say no.’ was his only response.
‘Jo-anne said no. Not Clova.’ he corrected his wolf.
‘Same mind.’ Volt replied.
An interesting perspective his wolf had on the two of them. West didn’t think the two of them had the same mind, likely got along better with her wolf, than West and his beast, but most did. Usually you and your wolf were on the same page and it was an easy companionable partnership.
He and Volt had once gotten along, four years of getting along in fact, it had been their difference of opinion over Jo-anne that had fractured his and his wolf's partnership and it had never gotten any better, unable to be mended at all.
The only time he and his beast saw eye to eye, was in protecting the pack, assisting allied packs, because they both enjoyed a good fight in human form or wolf. It allowed for them both to let all their anger and aggression out, so that was the only time their minds were aligned as one, the only time they’d gotten along in over a decade.
Though, of late, they had been aligned and now that West thought about that, he’d not told Volt, where to go in quite a while, or the other way around. Seems they had found some common ground, that common ground Jo-anne and Clova, the very thing that had fractured them in the first place.
Just staring down at Heath, he didn’t know what to do with the man right this minute, couldn’t kill him, though he wanted to, and it wouldn’t take much to do so right this minute. He didn’t have the strength to fight back right now. Could go in there and just reach down and snap the man's neck without much effort at all.
“Help me hang him up,” he told T.J. “the bastard can hang from now till Jo-anne lets me kill him.”
“Sure West.” was T.J.’s only response.
The pair of them strolled in and shackled the man's wrists and hung him from the hook in the ceiling, just like he’d been the last time he’d been there in the cells. Looked at the man and said “I’ll be back tomorrow to deal with you.” patted him right on the face. “Heal up nice and good for me, won't you.” Then he’d left the cells with T.J. the silent threat of being tortured, left hanging in the air.
Sighed at the blood on his clothes, from just picking the man up, can’t go into the hospital with the man’s blood all over him. Jo-anne would not like that at all. “We should go clean up.”
“Agreed.” T.J. nodded.
They both walked back to the pack-house together in silence, each with their own thoughts, he supposed, and headed for their rooms.
Miranda was sitting on the couch, raising an eye-brow at his bloodied clothing, knew it wasn’t his “Did you kill that sick bastard yet?” she even sounded a bit angry about what Heath had done to Jo-anne. From what he’d seen, the two women did get along, she would make a great Luna to someone, cared about all pack members and they weren’t even hers.
“Not yet, still no answers.” he answered her.
“Do you want company in there?” she called as he headed for the bathroom.
“No.” was his only reply.
He was going to have to deal with her, he couldn’t keep letting her sleep in his bed, not when he had no interest in the woman at all anymore and he knew he did not.
Was standing in the shower under the scorching hot water mulling over what Heath said, destined to die at Wests' hands. He didn’t like it, felt more than a little foreboding, the wording of his phrase. He didn’t like it. So direct, so simple. What if it was true? He sighed and leaned back on the wall, closed his eyes. He didn’t actually think he’d physically hurt her, doubt his wolf would allow it as well. But his temper could get well out of hand, sometimes and she had this bloody knack of ticking him off, there was something about the woman that just flipped his switch.
Felt a multi mind-link opened to him and T.J., Dr Patterson not only was Jo-anne awake but he was happy for her to be discharged. West heard T.J. tell him not without an escort and that he would send his father to collect her. West didn’t even have a chance to reply, but he had no objections. Jonathan and his own father, Damien, had been regular visitors to her in Seattle, neither of them would ever harm her.
West stayed put in that shower for a good half an hour more, trying not to think about Heath’s words, but was not really having any luck with it. His only option was going to be to stay away from her. Though how many times had he told himself that over the past two weeks, never bloody worked.
Even Volt snorted in his mind at the thought, sounded rather amused. ‘unlikely to happen.’ his wolf tormented him.
He’d kissed the damned woman just this morning, and not like he’d kissed any woman ever before, hell even his first kiss at 13, he’d shoved that girl up against the wall at school and smashed his mouth down on to hers all demanding to take what he wanted, nothing gentle about even that. But today had been different, very freaking different.
He also had not cared who’d seen it either, which meant any of the nurses in the hospital could have walked in to check on her, seen it and backed out of the room without him knowing about it. Hell he’d not even registered T.J. inside the room. The one person he should not be kissing her in front of.
Miranda was likely to find out at some point too. But what could he do about that? He could, he supposed, order anyone who saw not to talk about it, but did he really want to.
Again Volt snort at him, ‘no’.
No, he didn’t want to go to that length either. If she found out, so be it, hopefully it wouldn’t hurt her and Jo-anne’s friendship.
He stepped out of the bathroom and looked right at her. “You should probably go home to your father,” he told her.
“What?” her eyes widened up at him in shock.
“I’m sorry Miranda, I don’t want to do this.” he indicated to the room “anymore.”
She stood up. “You are mad at me. For sleeping with another Alpha,” she snapped, sounding irritated.
“No I’m not,” he shook his head “didn’t bother me at all, that you took on an Alpha and a Beta at the same time.” he corrected her, letting her know he understood very well she had allowed both of them to fuck her at the same time. “that’s the problem.”
Miranda walked over to him. “I don’t want to go back West.”
He frowned down at her. “Why not? It’s your pack.”
“I don’t...I wont. Can’t I just stay here, please?” she grabbed onto his arm and shook her head. “Don’t send me back there.”
West was frowning now right at her. Sounded like she was pleading with him, as though she really did not want to go back at all. “What’s wrong? Why not? Your family is there.”
“Please, West, keep me here. Let my father think we're still the same. That...well I’ll be your Luna at some point in time.”
“You are not going to be the Luna.” he informed her again of what she already knew.
“I know that…West please. Don’t send me back to that place.” he could hear it in her voice. There was fear, she really didn’t want to go back, afraid to go back.
“Why?” he asked
“My father...is going to Mate me off if I go back and I don’t want that...If I’m here with you…” she trailed off.
“Has he picked a Mate for you?” West was actually curious about that.
She nodded up at him, “It’s wrong West. I don’t want him.” she shook her head “neither does he...please West.” she practically whispered, there were actual tears glistening in her eyes.
He sighed, “Alright, you can stay here on one condition.”
“Anything West.” she nodded up at him, looked relieved.
“You actively start looking for your Mate. Every mating ball we hold or are invited to. You will attend.”
“Barring my father’s, agreed.” she nodded.
She really did not want to go home, something was going on there. He wondered if this was the reason she’d crawled into his bed and then left with him. She had come with him for her own reasons, it seemed, one he’d never cared to ask about, probably should have, he now realised.
“You have this room, I’ll find another.” he told her.
She just nodded up at him, West went off to get dressed. Was walking out of the room when she called out to him and thanked him for letting her stay. He could hear it she really meant it. Was grateful to him. He just nodded to her and stepped out of the room.
Probably should find out just what was going on over there in her father's pack, nothing he knew about and they’d been in an alliance for several years now. But there was definitely something wrong there. Probably accounts for why she’d not gone home with them, and was still here.
The man had not been happy about her outright refusing to leave, but she had stood there in front of the pack-house and said no, shaking her head. West had stood and watched the argument, as had his whole Alpha Unit for that matter. But he had not intervened, he’d been about to when Ricky’s hand had touched him. ‘Let her stay.’ he shot down the mind-link. He’d obviously picked up on something, West had not, used his Gamma ability, likely to feel the situation out.
So West had simply let her, he wasn’t as heartless as he made out. When she’d grabbed onto his arm and stood there next to him, told her father that West wasn’t mad at her and told him West said it was okay to stay, he had nodded in agreement.
The man had glared right at him. Looked furious too, but he needed the alliance with Wests pack more than West needed them. So he had stalked off and gotten in his car to leave. Her brother hadn’t said anything, had looked impassive for the first time ever. Had been happy to see his sister when he’d got here but wouldn’t look at her at all now. Almost as though he couldn’t stand the sight of her.
The future Beta however, had looked more than relieved, he’d been the last to get in the car, something was definitely going on over there. He’d watched the future Beta look right at Miranda, bow his head slightly and smiled right at her. Seemed proud of her for standing up to her father. Or that was the impression West had gotten.
She had hugged West’s arm and thanked him for letting her stay, then walked back into the pack-house. His eyes had turned right on his Gamma, who’d shrugged ‘Felt really weird is all. And she was scared. Better she stay here for now.’ is all he’d said and strolled off into the pack-house as well.
Now today, she’d again begged to stay really been upset about it, whoever it was she was to be Mated off to she did not want it, had said it was wrong and that neither her nor him wanted it. If that was the case, then how could her father make them. He didn’t know.
She’d pleaded with him, didn’t even care that she was no longer going to be in his bed. Just had desperately not wanted to leave the security that being here was obviously providing her.
West mind-linked the head of the pack-houses Omega’s and asked her to have his belongings removed from his room and into his Alpha Suite, just his. Made sure the woman understood that Miranda would be staying put and not moving in with him to the Alpha Suite.
T.J. was about to get his way, his Alpha in the Alpha Suite. What he was going to do in there with all that un-needed space he didn’t know. Prowl around and hopefully not destroy shit in the empty rooms. Annoyed by them because they were empty.