Wolf or Love

Gio narrowed his eyes at the woman. The affectionate way Bethany was looking at him was making him uncomfortable. “No. The only people in this world I trust to never betray me are those you see standing with me here. If any of you take offence to my not welcoming you all into my home with open arms, I don’t much care. I’m extremely protective of what’s mine, but I won’t let Kevin trick me into losing control and attacking him for going after Danica, you might want to pass that on.”

Jefferson seemed to think on that for a moment and then nodded. “Going by the fact that you didn’t lose control…Does this mean you’re not as, um… impulsive…as you once were?”

Gio had to smile. Impulsive wasn’t the right word, but he knew what Jefferson was getting at. He went with the truth. “No, it doesn’t mean that at all.

It just means that Danica keeps me calm.”

“Why did you do it, Gio?” Andrew’s dad’s tone was soft, not condemning.

“Why did you almost kill your father, your Alpha?”

Gio simply shrugged, not willing to explain himself to any of them.

“Because he deserved it. Deserved it so much that I’d do it again if he was alive.” Oddly, that seemed to be a good enough answer for Tyler.

Roselyn, Andrew’s mom, on the other hand, wasn’t so satisfied. “You owe us more than that. You owe us an explanation as to why we missed our son growing up.”

Oh she did not just say that! Without conscious thought Danica sprung forward, growling. If Gio hadn’t looped on arm around her and pulled her

back against him she would have been on that bitch – who had wisely backed up – in a blink. “Gio doesn’t owe you anything. In fact, you owe him an

explanation – an explanation as to why you didn’t give a thirteen year old boy a chance to tell you what his asshole of a dad did. And don’t tell me that you all weren’t aware he’d been an asshole. Didn’t it ever occur to you that Gio could’ve easily finished off the job? He didn’t though, did he? No. But your tiny little brain didn’t even consider that. If you missed that time with Andrew, it was your own goddamn fault. Smiling at the almost wild protectiveness in her manner, Gio kissed his mark and rubbed his cheek against hers. He wasn’t the only one smiling. Yes she had been offensive, and threatening, but wolves respected that kind of strength. And no one much liked Roselyn anyway.

“I’m prepared to go to the council and tell them what I overheard Kevin saying,” offered Jefferson.

Gio shook his head. “I’d much rather you didn’t.”

“Why?”

Smirks that were identical to Gio’s surfaced on the face of each of his pack. It was Chris who explained. “We deal with things our own way.”

Nothing more needed to be said for anybody to understand. “If what you say about being concerned for Danica’s welfare is true, then I thank you for coming.” Understanding they had been effectively dismissed, the wolves all as

one turned and made their way back to their vehicles – with the exception of one female who began to slowly and cautiously approach Gio.

“Who’s that?” asked Danica in a whisper.

He sighed.

“Bethany. Louve’s mom.”

“Oh.”

Well that would certainly explain the motherly behavior.

“I’ll give you two a few minutes alone.”

Surprised, he turned her to face him. “Baby, you don’t have to do that. There’s nothing for me to say to her now that I know Louve was never my

mate.”

“But she doesn’t know that, does she? If you don’t want to tell her, then don’t.”

“You would be okay with me letting her believe you’re not who you are to me?”

She sighed. “No, I wouldn’t like it, but that woman has already been hrough a lot. She probably sees you as her last link to her daughter. Someone else who saw her in the special way that she did.”

“But I didn’t. Not even when I thought we were mates.” He released a long breath. “I’m going to tell her the truth. It’s the right thing to do, for

everyone.”

Duda called, “Gio, Bethany’s asking to talk to you.”

Gio turned his head to see that Chris and Duda stood in front of her, blocking her access to their Alpha pair. Danica nipped his chin. “Go on. I’ll wait back. I’ll have youba coffee waiting on the table. Of course you understand that Michey will have

made it, but the thought is all mine.”

He smiled and bit her lip. “I’ll just be a few minutes.” It wasn’t until she was heading back through the forest – having rounded up the others like sheep and shoved them ahead of her, including her uncle, Mike and Asher – that he went to where Bethany was waiting. He signalled with an incline of his head for Duda and Chris to give them a moment alone.

“Thank you for speaking with me,” said Bethany, swallowing hard. “Gio, I – I just…I’m glad you’re…happy. I always worried about you, wondered if you would survive the banishment. Your mate is very protective of you. You obviously care for each other. I didn’t expect to ever see you imprint.” If he wasn’t mistaken, she wasn’t happy about it at all despite what she claimed. It occurred to him that she might feel as though he had betrayed her daughter’s memory in some way. Damn, she wasn’t going to like what he had

to say. He took a deep breath. “We didn’t imprint.”

“Oh, you’re not mates?”

“Oh we’re mates. True mates.”

Frowning, Bethany shook her head. “No, that…that can’t be. Louve was your true mate.”

“Bethany -”

“I saw the way she looked up at you that day – so adoringly, so focused on you. She used to cry all the time with those colic pains but she calmed

down as soon as you held her.”

“And you mistook that for a true mate bond. I’m sorry if that’s not what you want to hear, but I’m not going to lie to you.”

She shook her head again. “You reacted so badly to her death. What you did…That was grief -”

“That was me attacking my father for teasing me about her having died.”

“He did that?”

“Don’t kid yourself that I was someone who deserved your daughter and lost control in a moment of despair, that I’m just terribly misunderstood. When I heard she was dead, I felt guilty and angry with myself, but it could never have touched me the way it touched you. We weren’t mates, Bethany.”

The hopeful gleam didn’t leave her eyes. “I can’t accept that. Maybe once all this is over with Kevin you could come with me to visit her grave and -”

He held up his hand. “Bethany, I get that you might wish you could have someone to sit there and grieve with you for your daughter, who saw her as special and who you can share stories with, but…I can’t be that someone.”

“Maybe if I showed you some of her pictures -”

“Bethany, you’re not listening to me.”

“Because you’re wrong.”

“No, I’m not. Danica is my true mate.” He didn’t like the way she snarled at Danica’s name and nor did his wolf. “Don’t you do that. I get that you’re upset, but Danica’s my mate and I won’t have you disrespect her in any way, just as you wouldn’t with your mate.” The stiffness left her spine and she sighed. “I’m sorry, that was disrespectful. She seems like quite a character.”

“She is.”

“And you’re happy with her? She cares for you?”

He nodded. “Even though I’m about as emotional as a broomstick, even though I’m not giving her what she needs. She doesn’t judge me for being the way I am. She’s so different from me it’s not even funny. Danica’s it for me.”

Bethany’s expression softened. “Then I’m happy for you. I won’t lie and say I’m glad Louve wasn’t your true mate, but that’s because I selfishly wish I had some sort of connection left to her. What you have is what’s best for you, and that’s what I should be thinking about, not me.”

“Then you’re okay?”

She nodded, a half smile now on her face. “I’m okay.” She bowed her head respectfully. “Take care, Gio. I really am glad you’re happy.” With that, she strolled over to the waiting vehicles and hopped into the backseat of one. Then the cars were beeping in goodbye and driving off.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if at least one of them can’t resist taunting Kevin over his failed attack on Danica,” said Duda as he and Chris came to

stand beside Gio.

“Hearing Danica wasn’t hurt and you’re onto his little tricks will make him unbelievably pissed,” said Chris.

Gio nodded, sighing. “It’s a satisfying thought.” But he couldn’t smile about it like Duda and Chris were. Although he was pleased to know that not

all of his old pack was against him, the overriding issue for him was that there was still a threat to his mate walking the earth. That was unacceptable

to him and his wolf. He wondered if Danica had any real idea of just how difficult it was for him to simply sit back and then go after Kevin in his own time. The need to avenge pecked at him constantly, demanding he go dish out his own personal brand of justice. The whole thing was making him restless, giving him that nagging feeling like the kind he got when there was something he’d forgotten to do. Only this time he knew exactly what he needed to do, and it went

totally against his very nature to ignore it.