Page 5 of Chasing the Wolf (Dark Wing #7)

Chapter 5

Mackenzie

I can't hide down in the crew area for the whole cruise. Besides, I'm free now. Even if it's weird to not be able to smell anything. I text my brother.

Me: Where are you?

Colton: In the room getting some sleep.

Me: Where's Xavier?

Colton: Oh fuck, Mackie, tell me you don't still have a crush on Xavier.

I glare at my phone.

Me: NO! I don't have a crush on Xavier. I want to talk to you alone.

Colton: I'm really popular right now. You'll have to take a number.

So help me, if he already has a female in his cabin...

My phone buzzes with another text.

Hope: Hey, I'm sorry. We tried to get him to move cabins.

Me: Tell him he would have to pay for it.

Hope: He offered to pay for it. And then Eva found out and got mad. We can't put a paying guest in 1414. The cabin has a reputation to uphold. The balance of seer placed guests to seer placed guests is carefully managed. She had a heart attack when I asked her about it. Long story short, we can't move them. Eva likes to keep at least a few normal empty cabins to move passengers around in case of emergency.

Me: Okay, I understand.

By the time I'm on the tenth flight, I'm out of breath. I really do need to taste-test less of the Java Lava ice cream and spend more time on the shifter track. I hold my breath standing outside 1414. I doubt my brother will even notice my scent is missing. I knock.

"Hold on." The door crashes open. Normally, I'd know in an instant if Xavier was in the room behind Colton, but not now. Even my brother's musk is invisible to me. Another positive of the spray. He pulls me into his arms. "It's good to see you. Well, it's good to see you now that you don't have a liquid weapon in your hand."

"Yeah, it's good to see you too," I say into his shoulder. I give him a pat and hope he lets go. We're not a huggy family. I don't think I became a hugger until I was on board the Dark Wing. Being around Colton has made me regress.

He holds me out by the upper arms and glares at me, blue eyes to blue eyes. While I have Mom's dark hair and he has Dad's light brown hair, we both have Dad's blue eyes. There's no doubt we're siblings. No matter how much Xavier and the others in their friend group tried to convince me that I was adopted. Shit, for a long time I hoped I was. I'm still nervous, though.

"Let's sit on your balcony." I crane my neck around, looking for Xavier.

Colton's eyebrows shoot up. "He's not here, Mac-Attack."

I roll my eyes. And punch Colton in his arm.

"Ouch." He rubs it.

"If you're going to act like a teenager, I will too."

"Fair enough." Colton opens the sheers and slides the door open. I follow him onto the balcony.

I think I was out here once, back when Rama and FO Laurit were staying here. It's a standard balcony, but it's nice to be out in the fresh air. Even if I can't smell it.

I sit facing the inside of the cabin. If Xavier comes back, I don't want to be blindsided. Then my wolf is yipping. She's mad as hell that we can't smell anything. And madder still that after all the years away from the tall, broad-shouldered, and brown-eyed one, I haven't let him pick me up and carry me off to have his way with me. I'm going to end up shifting through my clothes if I'm not careful with my thoughts.

"What's up? What's this big news?"

"Who says I have big news?"

Colton stands. "All right, then I guess I'm going to go meet Xavier at the bar."

"I thought you said he was at the spa." I spit out spa like it's a bad word. Like my dad would have said it. As if he said, "Those posh wealthy a-holes from Boston have time to spend at the spa —ha!" Or something like that.

Colton cocks his head at me. "Mackie, do you... Have you paid any attention to what's happened to the pack in the last six years? Or even the last three?" He leans toward me.

"I... I haven't been home in a long time. The last time I saw you was when we met up in New York City when I was going to visit my college friend who had a chorus part in an off-Broadway performance."

"Okay. So, the mill."

"I heard it was closed. A long time ago."

"Yup."

"I'm not going to lie. I was kind of happy. But then, Mom and Dad haven't worked in the company mill since we were kids."

"They work there now. Mom got promoted."

"What?" My mouth hangs open. My mom said she would sooner go swimming in the freezing ocean and be eaten by a whale than ever step back in that paper mill. But that doesn’t matter, because it’s closed.

"Yeah, you really have no clue. I know you cut most ties, that you're barely talking to Mom and Dad—which is up to you—but things are better."

"Oh, no." I jump up. "You being here isn't about a bachelor party for Xavier. This is about you trying to get me to come home? You want me to come home?"

"I mean, yeah, I'd like for you to come home. If you want to. It's weird without you. I miss you. Everyone misses you."

"I'm never going there again. I'll meet you in New York, or Boston. Or you can come on another cruise. But going back to Werwick? No. Not happening. You might have good childhood memories of hanging out with the Alpha's son. But I don't. I don't have anything but pain. Okay? There's no way I will ever move back there." I'm breathing heavily when I lean back in the chair. Colton glares at me, but then we both end up staring out at the ocean.

"Mackie, you really don't know what happened to the mill?"

"No, and I don't care. It's harsh, but I don't care."

"You don't have to. I care about you."

"I care about you too." And I do. I love my brother. Yes, he was horrible to me growing up. But really, if anyone but one of Colton's two best friends said or did anything, they took care of it. It was horrible and wonderful at the same time.

I was always on edge because I didn't know what they were going to do to me next. But I knew that no one else would do anything to me. It also meant I didn't get to date. Because no one wanted to mess with the Alpha's son and his friends.

Colton's still glaring at me. In a very un-Colton way. My brother has never had chill. He wants me to ask about the mill. And I'm not going to.

His eyes flash over to mine. "Do you work tonight?"

"Yes." Which is a lie. “No.” I hate lies. "I don't, but I have some things to do."

"Like what? Wash your hair?"

"Yes, and I have to track down my friend Ina, who helped out in the coffee shop even though she's a bridge officer."

"Okay, but tomorrow?"

"I work in the morning, but I can see you for lunch."

"Okay. I'll take it." Colton holds out his hand, and I stare at it like he's Great Uncle Mike and will squeeze it too tightly or have one of those old-fashioned zapping things in it. He pulls me in for a hug, and I slide off the chair into a squat before he stands, swinging me around. Colton yells, "That's my sister. That's it," as he swings me faster. It must be why I don't hear Xavier come in the main door. Or why I don't hear him at all until he clears his throat, standing in the open balcony door.

"What's so exciting?" Xavier's voice is low.

"Mackie is going to go to lunch with us tomorrow."

"You," I clarify. "Some sibling bonding time. I don't mean to take away from your bro-bonding. Put me down, Colton." My brother lets me slide to the balcony's tiled floor.

"Right. Bro-bonding. Why not both?" Xavier asks, his eyes twinkling.

"That's up to Mackie."

I blink. Xavier hasn't said anything about me missing my scent. But then he’s easily distracted. I'm not going to be able to avoid him the entire cruise. But if I get one meal out of the way, it will be easier to avoid him later. Right, just like I was able to stay away from him when I was in junior high and they were in high school.

"Okay, well, you guys have fun tonight." I smile and squeeze through the door past Xavier without touching him. I'm quick to get to the door, but he's right behind me.

"You could come out with us,” Xavier says.

"Can't, I have plans with my pillow." I throw up a peace sign and toss my hair to the side, trying to be... I don't know. Sassy. But it just comes out awkward. If Colette had done the same thing, guys would be dropping at her feet. Who am I kidding? I don't want guys to be dropping at my feet. I don't want anything. I just want to get out of this cursed cabin before someone notices that I don't stink. "Later." I rush out into the corridor and race to the crew stairs. I swipe my badge and exit from luxury to utilitarian white walls with black grippy floor tiles.

There's a thud behind me. I pivot. On the lower decks, it wouldn't be surprising to have someone behind you on the crew stairs, but up here, it's mostly Housekeeping and they use the freight elevator.

It's Xavier. He's clomping down the stairs, catching up to me. Mostly because I've stopped.

"You can't be in here. How did you get in here?"

"I caught the door before it closed. Listen, I could wait for tomorrow. But Colton said as you were leaving that you don't know about the mill?"

"Yeah, it closed. Real bummer, sorry for your family. Your dad must be heartbroken." Though, as I say it, I remember the suit Xavier had on when I doused him with strawberry goo. "You work somewhere else now?"

"Yes and no. I went to school for biochemistry, and when the mill had to close, I convinced my dad to pivot. We reopened as a skincare company for men."

I laugh. It's rude. I know it's rude. But I can't help myself. His father prided himself on being able to move the slag logs all by himself. "You're selling lotion."

"Among other things. Beard supplies, room sprays."

"Room sprays?"

"Yes, do you use them?"

"Not until recently." My hands land on my hips. "That's nice. Like, at the local farmers' market?"

"Yes, but at Tarmart too. And Wilmington Whole Foods. But we have a luxury spa brand too. That's?—"

"You came on board to sell your lotion to the spa." I don't say "typical" after it, but I may as well have. "You used my friends and family benefit to come on board and sell your lotion. Does Colton know? He thinks you're bonding, you know." Shit, I glare at Xavier. Then I pivot and run down the stairs. He's hurt me so much throughout my life. But this is absolutely it. Not only is he getting mated to the female his father picked out for him, but he's using his bachelor party with my brother to sell his snake oil. I guess I'm a lot like Colton. You can hurt me, but you hurt my sibling and my mean streak comes out.

I open the door on deck six. I know he'll follow me. I also know there's another crew door to the right that leads into the back of the theater and internal stairs that go down a deck to five. And this time I'm not going to leave the door open a crack. No more piggybacking off me. I speed up.

"Wait, Mac. Please, I have some other things I need to tell you. Lots of things I need to tell you."

It's the "please" that gets me. I'm not sure I've ever heard him say please before. Not to me. Oh, to my mother when he would eat dinner with us. "Yes, please, I'll have another serving of potatoes." But me? Yeah, never. I hate that it makes me slow. But not much. I burst through the door and sidestep to the backstage door. I swipe, pivot, and pull. The door locks into place.

My phone pings. And so help me, if it's Xavier, I'm going to make Colton wish he was an only child.

Unknown: Mac, just hear me out.

Me: I don't know who this is, and I'm an adult. I don't have to hear anyone out.

Unknown: There's more than the mill now being a factory that makes high-end skincare.

Me: What's it called? Wolf balm?

Unknown: No, but that would have been a good name. I should have asked you. Raw Timberline Skincare.

My jaw drops. Because yes, I've heard of Raw Timberline Skincare. There's no one who hasn't. But it never occurred to me that it was the old mill, my old pack. I just thought it was a weird coincidence that it had the same name as my old pack. A flipping crazy coincidence.

Me: That's great.

I scroll through the list of emojis, adding one and then deleting it. And then I send it without an emoji because it doesn't matter. I shouldn’t be talking to him, anyway. I shouldn't be thinking about him. He's about to be mated to the female he's been promised to for twelve years or more.