Trapped With the Alpha (Balfour Shifters Book 1) (21 page)

Fighting back the urge to cry, I reach out and grab his hand, threading my fingers through his and pulling him toward me. “It’s okay.”

He leans into me, placing a kiss on my forehead. “No, it’s not. How the hell can you even say that? I’m supposed to take care of you. It is ingrained in everything I am to take care of you and protect you until my dying breath. Instead, I keep hurting you over and over again. Watching you hurt like this is akin to having my heart torn from my chest repeatedly. God, Izzy, I may deal with this whole mess with anger, but it is literally killing me to watch you like this.”

His words wash my anger away, leaving me filled with nothing but regret. I realize that I’ve become nothing but a woman scorned. “You do take care of me, Brody. You always have. I’ve never once doubted your ability to take care of me.”

He lets out a muttered curse before pulling me onto his lap. The frustration brought on by the conversation is plain as day by the darkening of his amber eyes. “I didn’t take care of you the night you were taken,” he whispers.

The pain in his eyes cause the ice around my heart to crack. If I could kick myself in the ass right now, I totally would. God, I’ve been such a selfish bitch about this whole thing. “You couldn’t possibly take care of me that night. That wasn’t your fault. Those events were completely out of your hands. There wasn’t anything anyone could have done that night. I may be pissed about it, but even I know that.”

“I’m your mate. My job is to take care of you,” he repeats, rubbing his cheek against the top of my head as he squeezes me tighter to his chest with his arms. “If I can’t protect the most important thing in my life, how the hell am I supposed to be Alpha to my pack? The Alpha of the pack shouldn’t fail, Isabel. This failure here shows just how weak I really am.”

For the first time, the impact of my actions hit me. “Brody,” I breathe. “God, I’m so sorry. I’ve been so consumed by my own pain that I haven’t stopped for even a second to think about what my actions and words are doing to you. Hell, I haven’t even really given myself the chance to just enjoy being with you again.”

He jerks back as if I’ve slapped him, a look of utter horror passing over his face. “You don’t have a damn thing to be sorry for, so don’t you dare apologize. I’m the one who fucked up. I’m the one who caused all this shit. Me,” he states, emphasizing his point regarding how serious he is by sharply jabbing his finger into his chest.

Before I can deny his words, Knox takes my now empty seat, causing our current discussion to be put temporarily on hold. Slapping Brody on the back at the same time as he throws a wink my direction, he says, “About time you got here. The boys are excited to meet Izzy.”

Not wanting to finish our conversation in front of Brody’s beta, I lean against my mate and snuggle into his arms. Turning my face to nuzzle my nose just below his ear, I whisper, “I love you, Brody.”

“Me too, Pixie. Always.” He lets out a deep breath, seemingly giving himself a mental shake. I can see him trying to let go of the tension the conversation has caused between us. “Come on, babe. It’s time to meet the pack.”

He places me on the floor before standing up. His hand is resting at the small of my back as he leads me to the back of the bar. This isn’t an official meeting, so Brody won’t be introducing me to the pack as his mate until the Winter Solstice. Tonight is my welcome home party, and I’m finally getting a little excited about it. It’s time to pull my head out of my ass and finally take joy in the people I love who are once again in my life. 

We’re just making our way to the rest of the pack when the door opens. Finn and Blair walk in, and she rushes to me. “You look amazing, Iz.”

I smile, pulling her into a hug. “So do you. I love your dress.”

She runs a hand down her bright pink halter dress and smiles at me while pretending to flip her golden hair over her shoulder. “Oh, this old thing.”

Finn laughs, wrapping an arm around Blair. “That old dress just cost me nearly four-hundred dollars, woman.”

“Shhh,” she murmurs, slapping him on the chest. “You should never divulge how much a lady spends on a dress.”

Brody chuckles before pressing me toward the back of the bar. “Come on, Pixie. The men are waiting to meet you. They’ve been driving me mad about when they would get to meet you.”

With each step we take, more and more people turn to look at us. I’ve met most of them, and some I knew before I was locked away. A few of the newer pack members, I’ve met at the lodge. Some others, I’ve only seen through my invisible cell as they talked with Brody. Each one has a welcoming smile on their face, letting me know they’re glad their Alpha has finally found his mate. 

As we get closer, a familiar face steps out of the pack. As soon as my eyes land on his, a gasp leaves my lips. “Uncle James?”

He doesn’t share any blood with my family, but he is my uncle all the same. James was one of my father’s closest friends, the reason my family moved to Balfour lands to begin with. When he wasn’t busy with the Laird, he could often be found in our cottage, sharing our dinner and telling the most outrageous stories. He was a huge part of my childhood, and I honestly never thought I would see him again.

“My wee lass.” His lips quirk up before he opens his arms, silently urging me to move toward him. 

Pulling away from Brody, I run straight to him. As my arms wrap around him, I hear a growl leave my mate’s lips. Ignoring Brody, I turn to smile at him. “Why didn’t you tell me James was coming?”

“He’s been at the house since this morning,” Brody says as his lips spread into a smile. 

“I was in the kitchen this morning, and you didn’t even notice me,” James muses, pulling back enough to throw a wink at me before looking into my eyes. 

Tears come to my eyes before I can stop them. “I missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too, lass.” He places a kiss on the top of my head.

I lean into him, loving his familiar scent. As much as things have changed, it’s nice to see some things are the same. To know I have at least one part of my family left is more comforting than I would have thought. Apparently, I miss the familiar connections I once had with them without even really realizing it. “Are you staying at the lodge for a while?”

His eyes cut to Brody quickly before returning to me. “Sure am. You couldn’t get rid of me now if you tried.”

Forcing myself to blink away the tears building up in my eyes, I walk back to Brody and bury my face in his chest. “I’m so glad to have my family back.”

He places a hand in my hair and forces my head back. “Am I part of your family?”

“The most important part,” I whisper, kissing him softly on the lips.

“I thought this was a party,” Blair suddenly blurts as she comes to stand near me. “We need Jell-O shots. This is supposed to be fun. No more moping about, Iz.”

As she grabs my hand to drag me across the bar, I barely have time to give Brody a kiss before I’m being hauled away by a very excited Blair. Giggling, I mouth ‘I love you’ to him as he just chuckles and shakes his head, watching us go.

Stumbling behind her in my attempts to keep up, I can’t help but begin to burst out in laughter. “Blair, slow down, will you? I’m not used to walking in shoes like this yet.”

Turning around to catch my very ungraceful steps, she begins to laugh as well. Slowing her steps, she pulls me to her side to link her arm in mine, and then we are off in the direction of the bar once again. “Come on, girl. It’s time for alcohol.”

Sliding up to the bartender, she lets go of my arm to lean across the bar and shout something about Jell-O shots. He quickly turns and heads toward the back room in search of whatever it is she's asked for.

She turns to look at me, a huge smile spread across her face. She shouts something, but I can’t hear a word she’s saying. More people have entered the bar since we first arrived, and the noise level is quickly rising to the point that it’s nearly impossible to hear anything. I can only assume, knowing Blair that she is on a quest for her jellied gold. In a matter of minutes, my suspicions are proved correct when the bartender comes back and slams four purple Jell-O shots down in front of us.

“Mmm, grape,” Blair shouts in my ear. “My favorite. Drink up, bitch.” She grabs the first shot, swirls her tongue around the edge of the glass, and tips the Jell-O into her mouth.

Mimicking her technique, I do the same and feel the cold Jell-O begin to slide down my throat. As the strange gel moves down, an unfamiliar burn takes its place. It’s such an unexpected sensation, I begin to cough, and Blair starts hitting me on the back.

Finally getting control of my breathing, I begin to laugh at my own stupidity. It’s not like I’ve built up a tolerance for alcohol, or even really know what to expect. Doing shots my first night out is probably not the smartest thing I could be doing. I continue to cough and laugh until tears are streaming down my face. 

“Crap, Izzy, are you all right?” she asks, continuing to hit me on the back.

“Isabel, are you okay?” I hear Brody shout, just as I turn to see him rushing to my aide. 

Hell, who knew one Jell-O shot could get everyone so riled up? Grasping a napkin off the bar, I swipe it across my mouth, for fear I may have drooled in the middle of my choking fit. “I’m fine. I’m fine. I just didn’t expect it to feel like that. And that burn? What the fuck is that?”

Blair bursts out laughing. She is bent over, hands on her knees to support herself in the midst of her hysterics. “Brought down by Jell-O shots.”

Brody shoots a glare in Blair’s direction that could knock her on her ass if she were even remotely paying attention to him. Pulling my face up to meet his, his eyes sweep over my face, inspecting me to make sure that I am in fact all right. ”Are you all right?”

“I’m okay, baby. Really,” I say, hoping to reassure him that a little coughing fit isn’t enough to knock me down. “Go back to the guys. I know what to expect now.”

He places a kiss on the top of my head and asks, “Are you sure?”

Stepping away from him, I smile. “I was just caught off guard, but I’m good now. I swear.”

When he shoots another glare in Blair’s direction, she finally seems to become aware of his hostility. “I’ll take care of her. I promise.”

As she stands up, she covers her mouth to try to muffle her ongoing laughter. Tears slowly track down her face as proof of just how funny she thinks this whole thing is. Giving her my own version of a death glare, I give a harsh shake of my head, silently pleading with her to shut up. I want to have fun, not have Brody up my ass all night.

Tugging on Brody’s hand to bring his body flush against mine, I stretch up on my tiptoes to place a kiss on the corner of his mouth. “Really, Brody, I’m good. Please, go back to the guys and relax. I’m right here for you to watch over me. Try to let go for a bit.”

Releasing a deep sigh, he places another kiss on the top of my head. “Okay, love. If you need me, you know where I’ll be.”

 I nod my head at him as he gives me a small smile. Just ask quick as the smile graces his face, it disappears, and he whips his head around to stare down Blair. “For the love of Christ, Blair, how much whiskey did you put in those shots? It’s burning my nose from here. No wonder she choked.”

Clearly uncomfortable with having Brody’s anger directed at her, she breaks eye contact and looks down at the floor before looking up to meet my eyes. “Brody’s right, Iz. I’m sorry.”

I shrug, letting her know it’s not her fault. “It’s not a big deal. Really. It’s not like you made the shots yourself.”

A blush crosses her face as she replies, “Yeah, I did. I brought them in earlier. I wanted you to have something special, but I wasn’t factoring in the fact that you haven’t had anything to drink in eight-hundred years. Let me just go into the back and get the other shots I had made. I used sourpuss in those, and they are much smoother and won’t burn your throat.”

Before I even have the chance to respond, she is off and running into the back. Resisting the urge to burst out in laughter at the speed in which she just took off, I give Brody a playful slap on the arm. “Well, now, that was uncalled for. Don’t you think? It was an innocent mistake, and you just scared the piss out of her.”

Not even bothering to hold back his own laughter, he just shakes his head and turns to walk away. Throwing a wink over his shoulder, I hear him shout, “No one gets to cause your throat to burn but me and my dick.”

Gasping, I bury my face in my hands. I cannot believe he just said that out loud. Peeking between my fingers in mortification, I see him walking through the crowd, his shoulders shaking with his very obvious amusement at my discomfort. Giggling to myself, I finally move my hands and look to see if Blair is on her way back yet.

Since she’s not, I decide to take a seat on the vinyl stool in front of the bar. Sitting down, I finally take a second to look around the bar. It reminds me of home in many ways, with mason work and wood beams spread throughout. Overall, it gives off a very rustic vibe. Even if I hadn’t witnessed it for myself, I wouldn’t have a doubt that Brody had a hand in designing this place.

Just as I’m twisting on my stool to get a better look at the backside of the bar, I catch Blair coming out of the back room with a whole damn tray of orange shots in her hands. Releasing a puff of air, I brush the hair out of my face before shaking my head at her. Throwing a wink my way, she strolls over and places the whole tray in front of me.

“You don’t seriously think I’m going to trust you again, do you? That shit was awful,” I say with a chuckle. “I did, however, get a kick out of you being bitched at by Brody. It’s about damn time someone else is on the other end of his shit list.”

Quirking her brow at me, me shrugs before saying, “Whatever. It wasn’t the first time he’s given me hell, and it definitely won’t be the last. I’m used to it.”

Releasing a short bark of laughter, I raise my own brow at her. “Well, after watching your reaction, I would have never guessed you were used to it.”

“Oh, shut it, bitch,” she snarls before letting out a quick laugh. “Now, put that mouth to good use and take a shot. I swear these are nowhere near as strong as the last ones. I didn’t even think to tell the bartender to grab these first.”