Page 20 of Chasing the Wolf (Dark Wing #7)

Chapter 20

Xavier

I 'm leaning against the door. My head rests on it with enough force that if—no, not if but when—she opens the door, I’m bound to fly into her. My wolf woke me up chanting, Mate, mate. Need mate now .

It's strong. Stronger than my wolf has ever been. I'm a breath away from either shifting or ripping through the door.

"Xavier? We were right."

"Damn straight we were."

"I'm scared." Her voice shakes.

"Scared? No, Mackie, you don't ever have to be scared of me." What is she afraid of? Fuck me. I'd like to shake my teenage self. I'll tell her over and over as many times as I have to that I didn't mean the things I said. "Those things weren't true. And I'm sorry."

"No, I know. I know."

"Then what is it? Open the door. Come out, Mackie." There's a growl in my tone that I don't miss.

"Give me some time. Like a minute. No, like a lot of minutes. And maybe some clothes. But not now. Later, like in, I don't know. Later."

"Okay. How about a robe?" My wolf doesn't think it's okay, not at all.

"Yes, a robe. That's good. I'm going to crack the door. Don't come in."

"I promise." The door cracks open, and I thrust the plush robe through the tiny opening.

"Thank you."

"Okay. I'm going to the other bathroom." Not that I wanted to use the bathroom when I called to her through the door. But I can give her some space.

I grab some sweatpants and a T-shirt from my drawer. And glare at Colton's suitcase. The small sliver of me that's not chanting mate, mate is making lists of things that have to be done. Contact my lawyer to get half of everything I own moved into Mac's name. Call the front desk to find Colton a new room. I love my best friend—fuck, my brother-in-law—but I'm not having him in the same suite as me and my mate. Though I suppose my wolf won't be worried about him. Food. I need to get her more food. But most importantly, I need to convince her that I'm never going to do anything intentional to hurt her. Never again. She's had my heart forever. Now I need to give her the rest. I pull on my clothes and head through the bunk room.

There's a knock on the door. "Hold on,” I say to whoever’s outside. I head back to the bathroom door. "Mac, there's someone at the door. Stay in the bathroom until I tell you they're gone."

"Why?"

"So I don't kill them for looking at you."

"That's going to make doing my job really hard if I can't handle the customers' coffee."

"Just stay in there." Part of me is thrilled that she's being sassy. Because the sassier she is, the more willing she'll be to accept our mating.

"I can stay here. I wanted to stay here before."

I stare at the door. My life is going to be one part thrilling, a lot of fun, with a large dash of frustration thrown in. But it's okay—it's going to be amazing.

There's a knock on the suite's door again.

"Coming." I peer through the peephole, something I normally wouldn't do. But protecting Mac is the most important job I have now. There's a crew member with a rolling cart.

"Room service."

"Oh, the pie," I say and open the door.

"Where would you like it?" a twenty-year-old male asks.

I resist the urge to say not in the face . "Here." I point to the table with two chairs next to the bed.

He sets the table with a tablecloth, dishes, and a single rose. He moves a covered dish to the table. And uncovers it. "Whoa, how did you get a whole pie?” he exclaims. “You must have connections. Room 1414 and a whole pie. Plus leftovers!"

I cock my head at him.

"You can't get Marion's pie unless you go to the Hoard dining room. It's one of her weird rules."

"I have connections. And I just found my fated mate," I say, hoping to get him out of the cabin faster so my wolf doesn't burst through my favorite band T-shirt.

"Who is it?" Mac asks through the door.

"It's housekeeping, Mrs. Wilder," he says, reading off his tablet.

"It's Northwood, and not Mrs."

"Mackenzie?"

"Yeah. Flynn?"

"Yup. Hey, congrats. Old 1414 does it again. This is, whoa. Congrats. I'll get out of your hair. Fated mate and a whole pie. How lucky." He takes the rolling cart and is out of the room before I can reply.

I throw the deadbolt again. "Mac, Flynn's gone."

She opens the door, slowly, like I might charge at her. "How did he know— Oh, pie? A whole new pie?"

"Guess Colette doesn't mind me too much." There are two smaller boxes with our leftover pie in them.

Mac moves the pie to the side, and a receipt flutters to the ground. I grab it before she does. And laugh. "It says the pie is for Mackenzie. Xavier may have some if she says he can."

"It does not." Mac peers over my arm, her arm brushing my shoulder.

My wolf starts up again. Mate, mate. Mine.

"Holy crap, it does."

"So, can I?"

"Can you what?"

"I'm not a vampire. I can't trick you into mating me. Can I have a piece of pie?"

"You can have a piece of pie."

"Can I have a kiss?"

She purses her lips and pulls the collar of the thick robe around her neck. "Yes, you can have a kiss." She loops her arm around my neck, and our lips press together, and my engine's ready to start all over again. She pulls away. And I have to adjust myself in my sweatpants.

"Can I mate you, now?" I pull her back to me, inhaling her sweet cinnamon scent. Colton was right: my relaxing nighttime spray is a riff on Mackenzie's natural scent.

She slaps at my chest. "No."

"I was on a roll. I had to ask."

She sits down. "I might have to change my mind about the pie now." She pulls the pie from the middle of the table to her side.

"I'd gratefully trade the best pie on the planet to watch you eat it if you make noises like you did at dinner."

"I'll share the pie with you, Xavier. Maybe not the slice of apple. But the rest. What would you like?"

“You.”

She blinks at me.

"Whatever is your least favorite."

"There's no such thing." She laughs. But when she's three bites into her apple pie, she holds her fork out with a chunk of pie on it for me. We finish it and the strawberry-rhubarb together.

I take her by the hand and lead her out to the balcony. I don't know why, but I always find it easier to talk in a car. And this balcony is like a car. You naturally end up facing the ocean, and we're in motion, the watery landscape sliding by. Anytime I wanted to have a serious talk with my brother or mother, I did it in the car. On a trip up to the north country or down to Boston. That's how my brother and I developed the plan to trick my father into handing over the pack.

"Here, sit here." I pull out a chair for her. "Is it too cold out here for you?"

"No, I'm good. It's nice out here.”

“I could get you a blanket."

"Nope, I'm fine." She pulls the collar of her robe closer. "I know what you're going to ask."

"What?"

"Why don't I believe you. Why don't I believe you're sorry for all those things you said."

I reach out and take her hand.

"I know you are. Or at least, on the surface you are. But you're also the Alpha's son."

"I am, but I'm not him. I could never be him."

She nods. But I see the doubt in her face. I don't blame her, I suppose. But that's not all there is. She's thought of me being like my scumbag father? No.

"I've lived my entire life trying to be as little like him as possible. That's my priority. Your dad taught me that."

"That's a good plan." Mac nods. “But my parents don’t walk on water. They didn’t make you do things. You can’t blame them.”

"I didn’t say they did. Your parents gave me a safe harbor—and paid for it. I would never blame them. I couldn't blame them if you said they hated me for it." I happen to know her parents love me. I'd say it's acting, but I saw her parents in the pack origin pageant a few years back, and... they're not actors. "What is it then?"

"Something happened. I don't even remember what, but Colton said, 'Things will be different when Xavier and Fletcher take over.' My dad about died laughing. He said you might start out different, but you'd return to your Wilder factory settings and pick up the evil ways of your father."

My stomach flips. Their dad can’t really believe that can he? "That's not happening. I’ll never let that happen."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I've spent the last twelve years making sure my plan to oust my father is iron-clad. And that he can't hurt anyone I love in the process." I reach out and take Mac's hand. "He'll never hurt anyone again. It's a lot to ask that you have faith in me. I understand." If she's spent the last ten years thinking I hate her—something I wanted her to think—then, yeah, to turn around and have faith in me just because I say so? It's a lot.

"How can you be so sure he won't come after you?"

"Because he's a greedy bastard who values money above anything else. And if he does, not only will he lose everything he's lied and cheated for, he'll be publicly humiliated. And to him, that would be worse." Maybe the ass likes money, but it doesn't matter. Fletcher is getting the final blow ready. We both stare into the setting sun as it disappears into the ocean. "I'm not him, and I'll never be him."

"I . . . I want to believe you."

"I know you do." The setting sun isn't as beautiful as Mac. My mate. The second I think the word, my wolf goes off again, his happy chant drilling into the back of my head. "I'm going to do everything I can to prove to you that it's true."

"I'm sorry."

"What? Don't be sorry. You have nothing to apologize for." I take her hand in both of mine, clasping it tightly. "You have feelings. And they matter."

Mac turns to me, and she laughs. She places her other hand on my forehead. "Are you sure you haven't been possessed by aliens or something? Really, where is the real Xavier? Do you have him hidden somewhere?" She charges past me, but I don't let go of her hand, and she ends up tugging me back into the cabin. She ducks under the bed. "Not there. Whoa, nice suitcase."

"Thanks. Riley made me get it after my last three suitcases were destroyed. And they're tired of getting me new ones."

"Riley?"

"Yeah, they're my assistant."

"Of course you have an assistant."

"Is there something wrong with that? I have a lot to keep track of."

"That makes sense."

I smile. Or maybe it's more of a smirk.

"What?"

"You're jealous of Riley?"

"No."

"Yes, you are. You have nothing to be jealous of. They aren't interested in me in any way, just a paycheck. Well, that's not true exactly. They're really good at the job of making sure I get all my shit taken care of." I turn her chin with my thumb until our eyes meet. "Hey. This is not another thing you need to add to your worry list."

"Worry list . . . You remember my worry list?"

"Of course I do."

"I'd almost forgotten about it."

"That's a good thing." I pull her to my chest and kiss her forehead. Talking about Riley has me thinking about work. I don't want to think about work. But the last time I was off my work phone for three days was... almost never.

"I need to go," she says.

"Really? Go where? Work?"

"I have to go tell the captain I've found my fated mate. When you find your fated mate, you get automatic time off. But I have to report it so they can get my shifts covered. Plus, I need clothes."

I give the belt of her robe a good tug, and it flies open. "I don't know. I think this look is pretty good." My eyes slide down her body, and my cock thickens.

"Xavier, I need to go." She opens Colton's suitcase and rifles through his things.

"You're not wearing your brother's clothes. Let me find you something. I must have something in here." I scratch through the drawers. Yes, I put my things away, but I didn't pack them neatly. I pull out a pair of gym shorts and a shirt. "How about these?

"It's going to make a real statement with my shoes."

"Anything goes with those shoes."

She drops the robe and puts on my T-shirt. The pants are rolled three times at the waist. "Odd, but it's clothes."

She turns for the door, but I grab her wrist and pull her back to me. I give her a quick kiss. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No. I need some space. And it will give us more time before the mating sickness starts."

I nod. Because I want her to be my true mate long before the mating sickness has a chance of taking hold of either of us.