Natural Born Enemies (Cedar River Series) (18 page)

I sought out Luna while everyone else was fixing their plates. She was in the kitchen, washing a few of the dishes. I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist.

“You better get out of here before Adam catches you,” she said with a giggle.

I growled low in my throat and nipped her ear, “Who else would be accosting in the kitchen of the Cedar River Community Center?”

She giggled again. I released her long enough for her to dry her hands and hang the towel up.

She tilted her head as I pulled her against me again. “How are you?” she asked.

“I’m okay. There have just been a lot of things hitting me at once,” I said as I kissed her lush lips.

“Adam, we need to talk, you know that, right?” she said as I pulled away.

I pulled back far enough to look deep into her eyes. “What are you saying, babe?”

“Get that look off your face right now, Adam James Thomas!” she scolded. “I just mean we need to get a few things straightened out.”

I released her and walked over the pull the shutters across the serving window closed. I kicked the doorstop out so the door slammed closed.

“Let’s have it out then,” I said as I paced the floor.

“Adam, I’m not doing this here and now. Our friends and families are out there. We’re mourning the loss of two very vital men.”

“Trust me, Luna, I know. I was there when they died, remember? I watched their blood flood the floor. I know all about it.”

“Lower your voice, Adam,” she said sharply.

“I have nothing to hide, Luna. I’m Alpha of the Pierce Pride. I will roar as loud as I want right now. I’ve already claimed you as my mate, publicly. Now, you’re backpedaling on this whole relationship?”

Luna headed for the back door. I reached it before she did and locked it. In the entire time I’ve known Luna McIntyre, I’ve never seen her as mad as she was that day.

The fire danced in her eyes and I knew I was treading in dangerous territory. She turned on her heel and walked out of the kitchen. When the door flung back, I saw her walk out the front door. I pushed the door open and meant to pursue her. Bowie pushed me back into the kitchen and made me sit down.

“Whether you are Alpha or not, Adam, she needs to get some air. Let her walk off her mad or you’re going to see how deep she can sink her teeth.”

I took a deep breath and put my head in my hands. Brady Golden came in with a cold beer and set it down in front of me.

“Whew, the emotions are running high today,” he said as he took a draw off his own bottle.

“I can’t do this without her,” I said.

Brady laughed. “Maybe if you would have told her that instead of demanding it, you may have gotten better results.”

Bowie slapped his brother and shot him a look.

“I’m just sayin’,” Brady said.

The kitchen door opened and whoever it was came inside. I lifted my head to see Madeline McIntyre standing there.

“Fuck,” I said softly.

Bowie and Brady left me alone with my mate’s mother, who looked as if she would gut me with one swipe of her hand.

Madeline sat down next to me and simply stared at me. I stared back. For the first time, I noticed Luna had her mother’s eyes.

“Are you in a civil mood?” she asked after about five minutes.

I lifted an eyebrow, “I’m always civil.”

She snorted, “Yeah, right. That conversation you were having with my daughter certainly sounded civilized. That would be why she stormed out of here without her winter jacket.”

Concern rolled through my mind.

“She went back to her apartment,” Madeline said.

I was instantly relieved.

“You know, Rock and I have fought with Luna for years over one subject: you. She has fought for you and defended you for all the years we’ve fought to keep you apart.”

I opened my mouth to speak.

Mama McIntyre arched her eyebrow wickedly and said, “Alpha or not, Adam, so help me I will turn you over my knee. You aren’t too old to have that done, you know. I am still making my point so you will be quiet until I’m done.”

I could only grin.

“My daughter loves you, Adam. She has been willing to lay her life down to keep you safe and I believe you have felt the same way about her. The problem she is facing right now is a personal one. You have your own demons that you are dealing with. You never wanted to be Alpha. You never wanted to take it the way that you did. You went and fought in a war, leaving you with scars deeper than anyone can imagine.”

Madeline took a drink of my beer. “Luna never anticipated being Alpha or even an Alpha’s mate. It’s not anything she has ever desired. However, she has
always
desired you. My daughter is not one to back down from a fight. She won’t start it, but you can damn well bet she’ll throw the last punch. She’s fought for the right to stand beside you since she was in high school. Do you honestly think she’s going to stop fighting now?”

I considered it and realized that Madeline was right. I shook my head.

“Exactly. Yet, you are doubting her simply because she needs to adjust. She is going to have a lot more obstacles to deal with than I had. She’s a wolf. She’s stepping into the position of mate to the puma pride’s Alpha. If the shoes were on your feet, would you be ready to step in to that position?”

I thought about it and the older woman had a very good point. “I know you’re right, but I’m scared enough as it is.”

Madeline chuckled throatily, “An Alpha who admits he is scared? You are a rare one indeed, Adam Thomas.”

“I can’t do this without your daughter by my side,” I admitted.

“You won’t have to. She will be beside you until the day you die. However, the ramifications are hitting her pretty hard right now. She knows you were given the Alpha and she’s happy for you, but it is suddenly occurring to her what this situation means for her.”

Madeline stood up and kissed the top of my head. “We accept you as our daughter’s mate, Adam. Rock is over the moon to think that we can work on rebuilding the relationship between the pride and the pack. Of course, the thought of grandkids helps, too.”

I took Madeline’s hand in mine and noticed how soft it was in comparison to Luna’s. “Thank you, Mrs. McIntyre.”

“Adam, you better just get used to calling me ‘Mom’,” she said as she walked away.

I sat at the counter for quite a while thinking on the entire day. Ana brought me a plate of food. In her cat-like way, she perched on the stool next to me while I ate.

I couldn’t stand it anymore. Anastasia Golden has never been one to hold her tongue so this was unusual. “Just spit it out, Ana.”

She cocked her head to one side. “You’re different. My cat wants to submit to you. She never was that way with Roman.”

I have to admit her statement shocked the hell out of me. “Really? Well, I feel honored, I think. For the moment, I’m still just Adam so say what you want to say.”

Ana’s green eyes began to dance. “Alright, Adam, you are an ass! You had better get your shit straightened out and quickly. You and Bowie have this whole ‘gotta take care of the women’ attitude. You two didn’t choose weak women. We fight for you and beside you. Sometimes, however, we have our own shit to deal with and there’s no asses you can kick. Our demons are there and they’re real.”

I hugged Ana close. “I know, honey. I’m going to go over to Luna’s as soon as I say good-bye to everyone. I promise you I will be nice to her and give her the time she needs to come to terms.”

Ana kissed me on the cheek, “You better be nice to her, Adam. Alpha or no, I will kick your ass if you break her heart.”

I took my finger and drew an “x” over my heart with my finger.

Chapter Thirty-One- Luna

I had pulled out a pair of sweatpants and an old t-shirt for Mindy to wear. She’d called her parents and told them about the baby. They begged her to come home, but she said she wanted to stay with me tonight.

We were sitting down to a bowl of popcorn and a chick flick when the knock sounded on my door. One whiff of the air and I knew who it was. I looked at Mindy who could only smile. Damn him!

I got off the couch and answered the door. “What do you want? Want to drag me back to your cave?”

Adam hung his head, “I came to apologize, Luna.” From behind his back, he pulled a single white lily.

I’m a sucker for lilies and he knows it. “Did you steal this from one of the funeral arrangements?” I asked.

“Mr. Simpson opened his greenhouse and gave it to me. He said he remembers how partial you are to his lilies.”

I smiled. Mr. Simpson was such a sweet man. I bowed my head to sniff at the sweet smell.

Adam leaned against the door frame. “I wanted to come by and tell you how sorry I am. My emotions are so high right now and we shouldn’t have been talking about the situation. I just didn’t want to go home and leave things as they were.”

“I appreciate it, Adam. Do you want to come in? There is someone here who really wants to talk to you.”

Adam looked puzzled. “Sure, I’ve got time. I’m actually going out to the Goldens’ house tonight. I need to shift and take a run. The dragons are going up and need someone to run with Ana so I volunteered.”

I opened the door further so he could come in.

Mindy was curled up on the couch as she watched Adam walk inside. She watched him with a very wary eye.

“Mindy, how are you?” he asked. “I promised you we could talk today and I completely forgot.”

Adam walked to the coffee table and sat down in front of Mindy.

Mindy reached for my hand and I sat down beside her. Adam noticed the gesture.

The young woman’s voice trembled as she began her story. Adam nodded in all the appropriate spots. When she made her announcement, Adam took her small hand in his big hand.

“As Alpha, I promise you safety, shelter, and security,” he vowed.

Mindy looked at me.

“I told you he’d make sure you and the baby are taken care of, didn’t I?”

Adam cleared his throat, “I’m sorry Connor isn’t going to see his child, Mindy.”

Her blue eyes sparkled with unshed tears, “I know. He told me he intended to challenge his father for Alpha and I begged him not to. I know how the challenges go. Roman would have claimed a second to take his place and he would have chosen you, Adam. Connor had a lot of hate in his heart. His drinking didn’t help. Sometimes he just got out of control.”

Adam gripped her hand a little tighter, “Did he ever hit you, honey?”

Mindy’s bottom lip trembled and she gripped my hand until my knuckles turned white. She slowly nodded her head.

“Dammit!” Adam said, startling the young girl. He quickly apologized. “Hitting a woman is never acceptable and I want you to understand that. Whether you are pack or pride, our men treasure strong women.”

Adam glanced at me when he said the last phrase. I smiled slightly. He looked back to Mindy. “Do you need a place to stay or are you good for now?”

Mindy turned to me and I nodded.

“I’m good for tonight. At some point, I’m going to have to go home and talk to my parents. They didn’t know about the baby until tonight. Connor and I had kept it quiet because he knew how his parents had been when you two told them about your relationship. He said when he became Alpha he would change things.”

In the depths of my heart, I wanted to believe that Connor had loved this girl, but I sincerely doubted it.

Adam sat for a moment, waiting for Mindy to say more. When she didn’t, he stood to leave. “Will you walk me out?” he asked, reaching for my hand.

I took his strong hand in mine and let him pull me to my feet. When we got to my kitchen, he kicked the door closed so we were alone and unseen. Adam pulled me into his arms. I wish I could say I was reluctant, but I’d be lying. His hands on my hips, our bodies pressing together, those things felt right.

He rested his forehead against mine and closed his heavily lashed green eyes. “I can’t apologize enough, Luna, to you, to Mindy, to my aunt, to the pride. My apologies sound hollow.”

“Mindy knows what Connor was becoming, so did your aunt and the pride. If you believe differently, then you’re lying to yourself, Adam.”

He sighed heavily. His warm breath caressed my skin. “Do you think she knows Connor would never have claimed that child?”

“I think deep down she does. Right now, she wants to believe the best of him because he’s not here. She wants to remember him as she had built him up to be in her mind. She’ll remember the real Connor, don’t worry about that.”

“I will always claim our children, Luna.”

I kissed his mouth, “I know, Adam. You’re a better man than Connor could have ever been.”

Adam kissed me more deeply, “Tell me to leave, Luna.”

I slid my tongue along his bottom lip, easing a moan from him. “You promised Bowie you’d run with Ana tonight,” I whispered as he tore his mouth away from mine and licked the one spot under my ear he knew drove me crazy. I reached up and gripped his shoulders as his hands slid up to cup my aching breasts.

“Tell me to leave, Luna,” he whispered.

“I can’t, Adam. I don’t want you to go. I want you to stay here and make love to me.”

I felt him smile against my neck. “However,” I continued, “I have company tonight and you have a promise to keep.”

He sighed heavily before claiming my mouth once more.

He pulled back from me, “You do realize all of your things are still at the house, right?”

I smiled, “I know. They’ll be fine for the time being. I figure I’ll be out there again sometime soon.”

Adam’s eyes lit up, “You don’t think I’m a complete ass?”

“No, I still love you. I’m cutting you some slack due to the emotional roller coaster you’ve been on lately. Just a warning though, you have to give me some time to get things straightened around in my head before we chat about this again. Fix what you need to fix and we’ll talk about it again.”

“I love you, too. For what it’s worth, I am sorry for jumping all over you at the community center. I’m scared, Luna.”

I held my hand up. “I can’t talk about this right now, Adam.”

He took my hand in his and ran his fingers over the calluses on my palm. “I need to say one thing and I’ll leave you alone.”