Amy blinked. “Nothing’s wrong.”
Silence returned.
Evan leaned back and watched her. The next fifteen minutes she kept her eyes glued to the computer screen. Every now and then her lips twitched, and she seemed to hit the keys a little harder than was necessary.
Something had gone wrong, but he was no super sleuth. Unless she gave him a clue, he wasn’t going to be able to solve this mystery.
Finally she gave up her façade of being deathly interested in whatever she was working on, and faced him. “Can I help you with something?”
“Yes, you can talk to me.”
Her exasperated sigh escaped in a gust. “I thought you wanted to talk to the packs on our own.”
“This isn’t about the packs. It’s about us.”
She paused before speaking. “I need some room,” she confessed.
“Room for what?”
Amy shrugged, her gaze not meeting his. “An awful lot has happened in the last two days, and I need some time to process it. Plus I’ve got pack to see, without you in tow.”
“I have things to do as well,” Evan reminded her. He paused and considered. While he hated the idea, he supposed there was no reason to push. He leaned in and kissed her cheek, frustrated at the wall building between them.
She didn’t even say goodbye.
Justin and Shaun were both waiting in his office.
“I’ve got good news.” Justin glanced up from the computer screen. “Amy sent an email with a list of the cancellations she had made that would impact the hotel and restaurant over the next two weeks.”
“We’ve already gone through and updated the orders. No more having to shut down the restaurant because we have no supplies on hand.” Shaun lifted his hands in the air and did a cheer. “You did it, dude. You got the evil she-dragon to cave.”
Evan glared at his Beta. “I did not get her to do anything, she gave up that information of her own free will. And you will not shit talk her again. Do I make myself clear?”
Shaun’s eyes widened as he backed away to a safe distance.
A bit snarky, maybe, but Evan refused to apologize. Amy was his, and the sooner that sank in for Shaun, the better.
Justin stroked his chin thoughtfully. “There’s a lot that needs to be dealt with. I checked her place yesterday morning, and it seems she knows plenty about running a business.”
“So we let her keep ownership of everything? Is that what you’re suggesting?” Shaun demanded.
“I’m saying it’s not as big of a worry to leave control in her hands as it would be if she were incompetent. As long as Evan trusts her to act in a manner that doesn’t harm Takhini, there’s no need for immediate action.”
Evan settled into his favourite chair, the worn leather upholstery nowhere near as comfortable as he remembered.
This was bullshit. Why was he hanging out in his office when his mate was somewhere else?
The big bear shifter excused himself with a comment about needing to meet someone. Shaun threw himself onto the couch across from Evan, propping his feet up on the coffee table. He examined Evan thoroughly, shaking his head.
“I hate to say it, but you don’t look good.”
“Shut your yap.” Evan stared at the ceiling. “She wants some space.”
Shaun gurgled. “What the fuck?”
“Seriously.” Evan ran a hand through his hair. “I mean, I get it. She came to Whitehorse to track me down.”
“Wait. What? You didn’t tell me any of this yesterday.” His Beta’s eyes narrowed. “And that doesn’t sound good at all. Track you down? Where the hell has she ever met you before, and if you’d met, why didn’t you know you were mates?”
Evan swung his feet to the floor and rested his elbows on his knees, allowing him to brace his aching head in his hands. “She’s from Hudson Bay.”
“Shit.” Shaun knew Evan’s history, shared during late-night drinks. Over the past months, they’d become best friends as well as a leadership team.
“It gets worse. Remember how I told you things went to hell at the end?” Evan stared into the concerned face of his Beta. “Her brother was the innocent wolf who took the fall.”
Shaun figured it out right away, swearing softly. “She tracked you down because her brother died.”
Evan nodded. “All of the crap she pulled was because I’m responsible for his death.”
Shaun’s rejection of Evan’s statement was instantaneous. “No, you are not responsible for his death. You told me what happened, and if she thinks—”
“I didn’t tell her everything yet,” Evan confessed. When Shaun looked as if he was about to protest, Evan hurried to explain. “Look, she just had something huge thrown at her, between meeting me in person and us being mates. I told her the explosion was for good reason, and that Philip’s death was an accident, and she seems to have accepted that so far. Telling her anything more…”
His Beta’s expression changed, no longer judgmental but incredulous. “That’s bull. You need to go the whole way, dude. Half truths aren’t enough with your mate.”
“But I don’t want to make things worse.”
“And her wanting space from you isn’t worse? I didn’t know any of this yesterday when I gave her hell. Now I feel like a shit, and you’re being a jerk.” Shaun paused, his discomfort and irritation rising. “Wait. Why am I trying to get you to confess everything? I don’t like her.”
The most entertaining part of the whole fucked-up situation was watching Shaun shuffle around the change in dynamics. “She’s got your number. She is the Alpha of the Canyon pack, which puts her a good boot print higher than you.”
Shaun sniffed. “We’ll see about that.”
The phone rang, and someone knocked on the door, and he and Shaun got tugged in different directions dealing with a crisis around the hotel. Fortunately, a normal, ordinary, everyday crisis that could be solved.
Through all the work, Evan couldn’t stop thinking about Amy. He hated not having her around, but he didn’t want to crowd her. He fought the urge to drop everything and haul ass to the computer shop so he could stay on her butt as a bodyguard. She could go ahead and do the things she needed, and he would innocently tag along…
And then he remembered her comment about him not fitting in with her pack.
He was stuck between two evils. Being without his mate, or being with her when his presence could damage delicate relationships. As a wolf, he wanted to say screw everyone else. As a fellow Alpha, he understood her dilemma.
Not to mention his insistence she not show up at Takhini. If he pushed her, she might push back and end up hurt.
If what she needed was space, that’s what he would give her. He pulled paperwork forward to distract himself. The entire time, though, his focus remained on one petite dark-haired wolf who had already tangled her fingers around his heart.
Amy rested her head against the window to gather her strength. She hadn’t lied to Evan about having work to do, but the biggest work she had was to avoid spending too much time with him. Familiarity was only going to make this harder.
Sex with him had felt so incredibly right. And then…all the doubts had returned. The confusion of those days after Philip went missing. The loneliness that had filled her life for the rest of her growing-up years.
Evan refused to tell her what had happened. He refused to listen to her suggestions and talk about the best way to merge the packs.
Was this going to be her life? Having a connection to a man who her body and wolf craved, but her mind and soul felt distant from? Like the married human couples she’d seen who were used to being with each other, but that was all they had. Familiarity. Comfortable with a person who they maybe loved once, but didn’t really like anymore.