Pack Mentality: A Wolf Alone

Chapter 6

Seth heard the vehicle first, of course, so none of the others quite understood his sigh of relief. "He didn't bring a corporate fleet car," he said, rubbing his hands on his thighs. "That's a good sign, right? That means he's coming as Hunter and . . . and not the COO or anything like that."

Roman didn't seem quite as convinced. "They're one and the same, bro. He never really shuts one off, you know?" But then he gave an appreciative nod as well. "Sounds like a motorcycle, though. He couldn't have ridden his own bike, though. That would take about half a day from Connecticut to here, wouldn't it?"

"Maybe he's got a secret stash of motorcycles all over the country," Dean suggested. "So he can make a hasty retreat if Steph ever gets too angry." He was still eating his breakfast, since his morning call to Renee had run late due to time zone confusion. Seth was on his third cup of coffee, leaving Roman as the only prepared one.

Seth glanced towards the stairs. Becky was still in the shower, taking longer than usual to get ready. Roman had let her visit Seth before she went to bed the night before, but Seth had spent the night in the wolf room. At least he took the ropes off so I could sleep, Seth thought, rubbing his wrists absently. The skin around his tattoo was especially cranky. "She's not coming down, is she? She's worried that Hunter's going to be mad, so she figures if he doesn't see—" Seth stopped suddenly, snorting out a frustrated breath. He had hurt her. It hadn't been intentional, but that didn't matter. He had to accept it—and all the consequences that followed.

"I'll go knock on her door again." Roman patted Seth's shoulder as he stood and headed for the stairs, but it was small comfort. Even his wording said it all: her room, not your room. Becky had started out her stay at Seth's house in his bed—their bed, as far as he was concerned, but he didn't want to push—and now she was in the guest bedroom she had chosen for when they were trying to be discreet.

"Hey, man." To Seth's surprise, Dean came up and hugged him. "She's doing it for you, you know. She probably thinks it'll be easier on you if her scent's not all over your stuff or whatever. It's not a rejection or anything." He reached for the box of sugary cereal that had been his contribution to the grocery cart and held it out. "Eat your feelings?" he suggested.

The rumble of the motorcycle was slowly fading now; if it was Hunter—and Seth was fairly certain it was—he would be approaching the front door any second. "I'm good, thanks." Except he wasn't at all. He liked having Becky's scent on his sheets when he woke up without her there. He liked finding the little things she had forgotten as she was packing up: a bottle of her shampoo in the shower, her sunglasses in his car, underwear under the bed. It reminded him that he finally been brave enough to make a space for her in his life and she was willing to use it. More importantly, she was happy to; she had made adjustments to her routine too, being mindful of how strongly scented her shampoo and body wash were so they didn't annoy his sensitive nose.

"Suit yourself. More unicorns for me!" Dean reached into the box and grabbed a handful. "And some for Becky, I guess. Have you tried the Lucky Charms line on her yet? Does she take it well or do you get a faceful of fist?"

Seth pinched the bridge of his nose. He could feel Hunter approaching, all coiled energy and authoritarian power, and it made him feel like a teenager again, apologizing for what he had thought were mistakes but were really just things out of his control at the time. "I don't usually have it in the house," Seth replied, "so it hasn't come up in conversation."

Dean just grinned. "Good thing I got some then, eh? Get it out of the way early, before the wedding. Don't want cereal souring a perfectly good union."

When the doorbell rang, Seth shut his eyes, and not just because the noise felt like someone had heaped a dozen sandbags on his shoulders. He had hoped Roman would be back down before Hunter arrived, bringing some calm to the situation. Dean didn't look at all inclined to get the door, so Seth gritted his teeth and went to the front of the house, checking the security screen just to be sure. Hunter's face, mostly impassive, loomed in the viewer, and Seth opened the door just as Hunter was about to raise his fist and knock. "Hey, Hunter. Thanks for coming out."