Caged Wolf (Wolves of Willow Bend Book 2) (5 page)

Being the absolute focus of his attention left her even more uncomfortable. Yet, the moment he faced Mason, she felt bereft. “Why is she bruised?”

“First, mind your tone.” All traces of friendliness vanished from Mason’s demeanor. “Second, step back unless you want to make good on the threat to challenge.” The temperature in the room seemed to drop. Tyler stepped up behind his brother and put a hand on A.J.’s shoulder. Tyler—not Linc. The three were nearly identical, yet she saw the differences. So where was Linc?

“Stop yelling at him,” she shouted. “He just got out of prison. Who died and made you the boss?”

If the silence could have grown more strained, it did. Mason spared her a look and it wasn’t friendly. “His name was Toman. Sit down and be quiet.
This
doesn’t concern you.”

She sat before he’d even finished speaking. Mason pushed A.J. back and the door slammed shut behind him, leaving her alone with Gillian.

“Well…” The woman blew out a breath. “That was tense.” Turning, she gave Vivian a tremulous smile. “Males get like that sometimes. It’s best to just let them pound their chests, pound on each other, whatever and get it out of their system. Now, you need to eat and I want to get a better look at those bruises.”

“They’re going to fight?”
No.
That was wrong.

“Maybe,” Gillian said with a shrug and dropped to sit next to her. “Give me your hand. If we can clear up those bruises before he sees you again, it might help A.J. calm down.” The world had turned upside down.

“I need to go.”

“Not yet,” the other woman said. Vivian wanted to accept the soothing in her dulcet tones. “First we heal, then we talk to Mason and all of this will be sorted out.”

“No,” Vivian said, as certain of this knowledge as she was anything else. “I can’t stay here. I’m not supposed to know you’re
other
.” Refusing to say it aloud, she’d spent years teaching herself to not even think the word.
Don’t say a word, Vivian. Do you understand me? Not. One. Word.
A.J.’s words echoed to her from the past, an unyielding refrain she’d never forgotten. “I need to go.”

Gillian sighed, and then wrapped her arm around Vivian’s shoulder. The unexpected embrace stifled her objection. The warmth radiated through her and she relaxed no matter how unwilling.

“It will be all right,” the woman promised. She was young, she could afford to be optimistic. It hadn’t been all right for more than eight years. The throbbing in her face receded and the tension knotting her shoulders eased.

“No,” Vivian said, staring at the door. A.J. was on the other side of it. Twice in as many days, she’d been within a few feet of him. A part of her understood she needed to go, run, and get the hell out of there. The rest of her wanted to see him, to hug him, to thank him—to apologize. “It won’t.”

The impossible was never just
all right
.

A.J. wanted past Mason and into the room holding Vivian, but the newly minted Alpha blocked his path. She shouldn’t even
be
in Willow Bend. How long had they held her? He’d eaten dinner with his family the night before, all save Linc, who’d been conspicuous in his absence. His mother and father hadn’t let him or Tyler out of their sight for hours, but once they’d finally turned in, Tyler told him the whole of it.

“Welcome home.” Of all the statements Mason could have made, that was the last one A.J. expected or cared to hear.

“Thanks. Why is she here?” The weight of Tyler’s presence at his back was a comfort, though his brother’s scent said he wasn’t remotely happy about A.J.’s attitude.

“Because I wanted her here.” Arms folded, Mason studied him with blank expression. His lack of an emotional display failed to calm A.J.’s irritation. He didn’t back down nor look away. He’d made himself small for years—endured countless horrors because he had no other choice, not without killing others. His family had downplayed any issues through the night and, after Tyler alerted him, they’d blocked him from pursuing a resolution until morning.

“Why?” Behind him, Tyler stiffened then placed a hand on his shoulder. His brother wanted him to ease back. A.J. shook off his grip. He could take a lot of crap from a lot of people, but Vivian deserved better than being made whipping girl for his pack.

“Does it matter?” The deceptiveness of Mason’s mild tone wasn’t lost on A.J..

Fists clenched, A.J. kept his chin up. He hadn’t gone through the last six years only to see her excoriated by his pack, his people.
The very same people who left me behind.
“Yes, it fucking matters.”

Owen froze, as did Tyler. The corner of Mason’s mouth curved upward. “All right, we’ll get this out of the way before we do anything else. You two…” He motioned toward the others in the room. “Stay here. Andrew, go outside.”

Despite his every intention to ignore the Alpha, A.J. couldn’t battle the command that had his body moving before his mind fully grasped the weight of the order.  Cold rage burned in his veins. Not even the scent of pine and wood could ease the savagery chipping away at the ragged pieces of pride he had left. Mason was at his back, stalking along as they walked.

Pausing, intent on not being forced too far from Vivian, he faced Mason.

“Not. Here.” He pointed. “We’re having this out privately so I don’t have to send you back to your mother in pieces five minutes after you came home.”

Growling, A.J. pivoted and strode deeper into the woods. They traveled for several minutes until no sounds or scents of others were anywhere nearby. A stream wound a lazy path through this section of forest. The trickling water should have been soothing to his fraying temper, but the distance, the situation, and Mason’s orders only served to aggravate A.J. further.

At the water’s edge, he turned and Mason nodded to him. “You have a free shot if you want to take it, and I’ll give you an explanation this one time, but then you have a decision make.”

The abrasive bluntness took A.J.’s anger out at the knees. “What?”

“You want to attack me for bringing her here? I’ll let you take your shot.” Mason spread his arms wide. “One hit. All yours. We were friends once, and I will do that for my friend.”

No one could ever accuse Mason of not being clever. Somewhere in his offer, a catch existed. “But…?”

“No buts. No caveats. No hidden agenda.” He dropped his arms and sighed. The years had toughened Mason. He seemed taller somehow and broader. His skin had darkened and looked rougher. Even his eyes—they’d been bright, friendly and tough before, but they looked older, wiser. Not traits he associated with the man.
But I don’t really know him anymore, do I?

All the fight went out of him. “I don’t want to hit you.” He didn’t want to hit anyone. “I just want her to go back to her life.”

“Then we have a bit of problem.”

His nose didn’t work right, since he couldn’t read the other wolf’s emotions. Or maybe Mason had gotten really good at hiding his feelings. An Alpha would need to, wouldn’t he? “Why? She’s an innocent.”

“She’s human, for one.”
Not a problem.
The pack had human members. Hell, Mason’s mate had been human. “For another, she knows about us and we don’t know her.” Yeah, that might be a bit more of a problem.

“She’ll never tell.” Absolute trust and certainty rang in his tone. Exhausted, A.J. leaned against a tree. “She hasn’t in all these years. Vivian won’t betray our secrets.”

“Well, I’m glad you trust her. When did you meet? How long have you known her? Give me a reason to trust her.”

No
. What happened was no one’s business.

“That’s what I thought.” Mason shook his head. “I’m in an untenable position, Andrew. An outsider—a human—knows of our existence. You killed a human and, while it may have been in defense of this woman or because of her, you endangered the whole pack for a human.”

Schooling his features to an impassive mask, A.J. let Mason speak. Six years of burying his emotions came in handy. It took little effort to fall into the hole he’d buried himself in.

“But I think it’s more than that…” Danger lurked in every word, because Mason had the scent of the secret. “I think you’re covering for her. I think you and your brothers allowed a human to use you—”

“Don’t do this, Mason.” Pack law demanded satisfaction. If he’d truly killed a human without cause, they could execute him. If he’d endangered the pack, and outing them to humanity at large definitely constituted endangering the pack, he could be executed. But if they found Vivian guilty…

“I don’t want to.” The gentle cadence of his words only served to increase A.J.’s anxiety. “But you are worried about one woman, and I’m worried about hundreds of lives. I’m worried about your parents, your brothers, Gillian, my mate…and my child. We have to have answers.”

“You weren’t Alpha when it happened.” A flimsy excuse if ever there was one, but he had to try.

“No. Had I been, I would have sent Ryan. I would have taken every step necessary to bring you home and you would have answered these questions here a long time ago. You should
not
have been left to the human judicial system or sent to prison.” Hearing Mason say the words helped and hurt in equal measures. “I am willing to work with you on this, but you
have
to tell me everything.”

Maybe he could.

“And so does she.”

No
. A.J. shook his head. The final term was unacceptable. For seven years she’d kept silent, obeyed his one order, and he could not—would not—retract it now. “No. I’ll go Lone Wolf first.”

“No, you won’t.” Implacable and inflexible. “For one, as a Lone Wolf the punishment would be the same, if not worse, because then it becomes a decision for the Enforcers rather than the Pack. You don’t have any friends among them.”

“Well, I don’t have any friends here, either.”

Mason lunged forward and fisted his shirt before A.J. fully processed the wolf even moved. Strong and healthy, without years of incarceration to slow him down, the Alpha held him with an impossible to break grip. “You do have friends, but you’re forgiven for being an ass and not knowing any better. You are one of my wolves and I will
not
let you go. Do you understand?”

Yes, he did. He’d sworn no oath, had been repudiated by the former Alpha and left to rot, but Mason claimed him. Humiliation had his head bowing and his gaze turned down. “You don’t want me.” He wasn’t good for anyone.

“The hell I don’t,” Mason said, pulling him into an embrace. “You are
home
and you belong to us. Do you understand?”

Sagging into the other man’s hold, he let the Alpha comfort him. Inside, his wolf shuddered.
Pack.
God, he’d missed his pack. So much. He didn’t even pretend to fight the raw need to be with them. “Yes, Alpha.”

“Good.” Mason didn’t release him. “This trial has to happen, and you have to be home, and we’re going to figure this out. Until then, Miss Knox remains with us.”

“With me.” The words came out a request more than a demand. “If you are serious and she has to be here, then I want it to be with me.”

After squeezing his shoulder, Mason let him go and studied him. “You’re in no shape…”

“With me,” he snarled. A.J. grimaced, then clenched his fists. “Please, Alpha.”

“You never have to bow to me. I’m Mason. You’re my friend. We’ll sort rank later.”

“You can’t be both.”

“You really need to stop telling me what I can and can’t do.” He cuffed him lightly. The blow did more to boost A.J.’s confidence than all the words they’d spoken. “As your Alpha, I’ll say it’s a bad idea to leave her in your care. You are not remotely strong enough to protect her.”

That was a challenge.

“But, as your friend? I’d have to be deaf, dumb, blind and stupid to not scent the interest you have in each other. Maybe spending time with her is what you need. I don’t know.” Scrubbing a hand over his face, Mason stared at the stream thoughtfully. “Look, you stay with her. Owen and Timothy will secure the area and I’ll give you a couple of days…maybe three. No more. Everyone knows you’re home and knows this trial is coming. They’ll want to know the truth, they need it. You weren’t the only one hurt by the decision to leave you. I have a pack to heal, Andrew.”

Sighing, A.J. nodded. “I’ll stay here with her. Can you keep my mother away?”

“Not for all the money in the world will I get between your mother and you.”

“Can you give me a few hours? If she sees Vivian…” Claudia Buckley was a kind and gentle woman, but if she thought Vivian had anything to do with his sentencing—his mother was his fiercest protector.

“I’ll do what I can. Come on, let’s go see to your girl and your brothers.”

Side by side they walked toward the cabin. “How much trouble is Linc in?”

“A lot. But Owen will get over it and he didn’t touch Margo.” Margo Montgomery, he recognized the name. She was an Enforcer. Hunters and Enforcers seemed similar on the surface, but where Hunters were loyal to their packs, the Enforcers were not. Enforcers stood outside the pack structures, but they enforced all the laws, protecting the packs equally. Pissing one off was a bad idea.

“Well, that’s something.” They continued in silence, then A.J. said, “Congratulations on the baby and Alexis.”

The change in Mason was swift and unmistakable. He smiled and his scent turned practically joyous. “Thank you.” At the cabin, his Alpha faced him. “We’ll sort all of this out and then you can come meet my daughter and my mate.”

“You know, I have met Alexis before.” For the barest moment, a spark struck inside him. “I tried to kiss her once.”

From joy to ferocious glare, the transformation was absolute. “Did you just tell me you tried to kiss my mate?”

“Tried, but didn’t succeed.” For a moment, he wanted to smile. It was such an alien sensation, he had to touch his face to see if his mouth moved.

“Since you failed, I’ll let you live.” Mason’s good humor returned. “Three days, it’s all I can give you.”

After that, Mason cleared the others away in short order, Tyler included. His brother didn’t want to go, but A.J. asked him to find Linc before their mother did. Gillian, the healer’s apprentice, argued she should stay, but Owen dragged her off with him. Alone, he stared at the cabin.