Page 6 of Chasing the Wolf (Dark Wing #7)

Chapter 6

Xavier

I lean against the wall next to the door; a large sign reads, "Backstage."

She ran from me. And slammed the door to ensure I wasn't able to follow. My wolf's pushing at my skin. Oddly enough, I don't feel the mating bond, and more than that she doesn’t scent at all. I lift sleeve of my shirt to my nose. No, I have a scent. Is this part of the bonding process? Not that I've ever felt a mating bond before. I only know what others say about it. That it's an irresistible pull and the scent of your fated mate drives your wolf, your animal, crazy. He's up and raging, but there's no chanting of mate, mate, mate like so many say there is.

"Excuse me," a crewman says and walks through the door. He's not careful with the door, and if I wanted to, I could sneak through it. I don't, but I could have. I turn away from the door. A message pops up.

Mackenzie: What do my parents do at the factory?

Me: Complex.

Mackenzie: What they do is complex?

Me: No, we call it a complex. Because it's not a mill anymore. And there are lots of departments. Darcy works in social media, and Ed works as a line supervisor at the factory.

Mackenzie: My mother knows how to use social media?

Me: She's rather good at it. I wander the corridor until I find the elevator and take it up to the 14th deck.

Mackenzie: That's good. Her back probably doesn't hurt anymore.

Me: She leads yoga on Monday and Wednesday in the meditation pavilion.

Mackenzie: Shut up.

Me: It's true.

Mackenzie: My mother is the least Zen person on the planet.

Me: Well, things change.

Mackenzie: Not that much.

I push the up button. At the same time, the ship's horn goes off. It's sail-away time. When it opens, the elevator is full of passengers trying to get to the sail-away party.

"Come on in," an older male says.

I squeeze in and try to figure out what to reply to her.

Me: Sometimes you have to open up to change.

Mackenzie: People don't change.

Me: Not if you don't let them.

Mackenzie: Enjoy your vacation.

I stare at her words as I get off the elevator. I've got a long battle ahead of me. I scan my band and head into the room. Colton's lying on the bed.

"You're like a brother to me," I say, my arms crossed over my chest.

"What the fuck? You're sick? You’re dying?"

"No, shit, no. The opposite. This is the first time in my life I've ever been close to what I think is happy. Venus and I have told our parents we're not getting mated."

"You're shitting me." Colton jumps off the bed. "That's fantastic. I mean, it sucks for your dad. He's had his eyes on the Elliot pack's land for your entire life."

"Yeah, you're right."

"Why now? Why not like ten years ago?"

"Because ten years ago, he had more to hold over my head."

"And what was that? I mean, you had a full scholarship. You single-handedly saved the pack from financial ruin. Fuck, the Timberline pack is better off now than it was when the paper mill had real power. At least, that's what the historian from the historical society said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new building."

It's true. The pack is better off today, and the working conditions are better than the best. Something I had to fight my dad on. But it's paid off.

"You and Hawke, Mac, and your families." I clench my stomach because the thought of my father using my friendships to control me makes me want to go back home and challenge him right now.

"What?"

"My lovely father told me he knew I loved your parents more than him. That I love your family more than my own."

"You and your brother are solid."

"Now we are, but not back in high school. Back then, I would have traded Fletcher away to come live with your parents."

"My parents? Shit, that's bad."

"No, you don't..." That is it. I could stop here. I could let the other part just wait. But there’s been enough secrets. Enough lies. “There's more, Colton. Just sit down."

"I don't like the look on your face."

"Yeah, you're really not going to like this."

"Hit me. Like you said, we're like brothers."

"I think Mackenzie is my mate."

Colton's eyebrows shoot up, and he laughs. Then he scowls. "When did you become English? She's your friend. Like ‘Oi, here's my mate,’" he says with a bad English accent.

I don't laugh, and he doesn't stop his joking around, like he's not willing to believe the words coming out of my mouth.

"No, my fated mate. My dad figured it out a long time ago. How I lit up when Mac walked into the room. How even when we were little, I wanted to be around her."

"What the fuck? Were you friends with me to be close to my sister? Hell, she was nine when we became friends. That's gross. You were thirteen."

"I’ve never touched her. But my father figured it out. He didn't see a tie with your family as an advantage, so he found someone who would work for him. And then he threatened me, that if I didn't go through with it, he would have you and your parents killed. But Mac? Mackenzie, he would give to his lieutenants. And that stopped me in my tracks. Fuck, it would have stopped me even if I hadn't thought I had a connection with her. Even if I hadn’t believed she was my fated mate."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"What would you have done?"

"Challenged him."

"And then you and I both would have been dead and he would have taken Mac, anyway. Out of spite."

"You don't know that."

"I do. Because he promised me he would, and that asshole always keeps his promises. Both good and bad. Mostly bad."

"No, you don't know I wouldn't have won."

"We were eighteen. He had already killed five full-grown wolves who’d challenged him."

Colton shakes his head. He thinks he could have beaten my father? Won with speed and youth?

"You're right. We'd be dead. If that fucker thinks he can come after Mac?—"

"He won't. I've seen to it. The mill was started by my great-grandfather. My dad never learned much about business. When we opened the Raw Timberline Skincare factory... it's all in my name."

"You're going to challenge him."

"No, I won't challenge him. I can't kill my father." Not that there haven't been many times in my life that I could have killed him and gotten away with it. But I promised my mother I wouldn't. And maybe I'm a little too much like him. Keeping my promises, both good and bad.

"Then I'll do it."

"You want to be alpha?"

"No, I'm like Mackie that way. I don't want anything to do with the pack. It's why I moved to Boston."

He told me it was to widen the dating pool, but that's beside the point right now.

"Hold up. She was just here, in our room, and the two of you didn't do what Casey and Chester did when she turned eighteen."

"No, you're right. And thank you for bringing up the memory of Casey trying to mate Chester in the middle of the pack dining room."

We both shudder.

"But there are lots of reasons why two people who are fated mates don't instantly feel the bond,” I continue. “We haven't touched since before she was of age."

"You're not touching my sister."

"I found the list in Shifter Today while I was sitting at the bar." I pull my phone out. Again, I don’t like getting my science from a social media site, but... "Reason one: an Alpha has a claim on them. It can?—"

"Your father––"

"He doesn't have a claim on Mac. But she doesn't know that Venus and I have called off the arranged marriage. So that might interfere with the bond."

"Why not? Why haven’t you told Mac about Venus yet? Do you know nothing about females? You should have shouted that shit at her before she threw the drink on you."

"Because I don't want to text it. I want to tell her in person. And not shout it."

"Fair enough."

"Second one: psychological trauma."

"Damn, living under your father's rule, we all have that one. Mackie more than most."

"Right. Three: they are in a committed relationship but not mated."

"You think Mackie has a boyfriend?"

My wolf's hackles go up, and a growl I can't control flows through me.

"Easy, big guy. I don't think she does. She would have mentioned it when I arranged to come on board. She would have suggested I meet him."

I give him a thin-lipped smile. Because I know Mac, and there's no way in hell she'd introduce Colton to her boyfriend. A shiver runs down my spine. "Four: a medical condition that keeps one of the mates from scenting." I look up at Colton. "Though if the other mate is a shifter, they can still pick up on the pheromones of the bond. Five: Hiding one's scent via medical or other ways."

"AKA witchcraft," Colton says. "It could be any of those. Well, not the medical condition one, unless you both have the same issues."

"No, I don't have a condition. And fuck, aren't you glad the two of us didn't tackle each other on the pool deck like Chester and Casey?"

He blinks at me. "I think you're wrong."

"Well, that's why I'm here."

"You could have told me."

"For you to stand in your South Shore apartment and tell me I was wrong? No. And I know I'm not. I have a lot to make up to your sister. "

Colton glares at me. "Not if she's not your mate."

"Fuck you. Even if she's not my mate, we were horrible to her."

"You were horrible. I was just being her brother."

"That's messed up."

Colton shrugs and heads back into the bathroom. "I did the best I could. Fuck, same as you. You kept your dad from touching her. And you, Hawke, and me kept the rest of the thugs at school off her. I can sleep at night. She still talks to me. It can't be that bad. I'm taking a shower and going to hit the shifter lounge. Now that this trip isn't about you, I'm going to go see how I can make it about me." He closes the bathroom door.

"Fuck." I need to see her. She said she's not working the rest of the day. And if she doesn't want to see me, she can hide in the crew spaces. Unless... unless I can make my way in.

I wait a few minutes after Colton has left and then slip out.

The lobby of the Dark Wing is like a lot of the human ships I've been on. It's in the middle of the ship. It's got large portholes on one side, an elaborate staircase, a grand piano, a bank of agents standing behind a counter, and a huge chandelier art piece in the middle of the massive space. The only difference is the crystals are animals and a half-dozen dragons seem to be flying without wires around the entire thing.

I watch the crew crisscross the space. There are at least a half-dozen crew-only doors off the lobby. The doors open and close with a swipe of their badges.

I pull my phone out.

Me: Meet me for dinner.

Mackenzie: Can't, I'm already in my cabin for the night.

Me: Meet me just for a quick chat.

Mackenzie: I'm going to sleep.

Me: It's not even six.

Mackenzie: I start work early.

Somehow, I believe her. I wander over to the front desk. "Hi, I have some questions. Nothing earth-shattering—I'm just curious. I have such a great cabin. What are crew cabins like?"

The woman's face brightens. Hope, her name tag says. "The best in the industry. Bigger than any other crew cabins on another ship. But then, the cabins have to be big enough for a bear or lion shifter."

"Ah yes. So we're on the eighth deck. Crew cabins are on the fourth deck?"

"Officers are on the third. Most crew are on the second. But they're off-limits to guests."

"Understandably so. I can tell how hard you all work. You wouldn't want to have to be performing for guests when you're off the clock."

"Very astute, sir."

"Thank you for indulging my curiosity."

Second floor. I'll be able to figure it out from there.

I've already found the perfect door off to the side. I lean against the wall, my face in my phone. I scowl at it like I'm focused on something really important while keeping my peripheral vision on the door. A group of three males cluster together and go in. They're laughing and goofing around. I'm not dressed like them at all. But I kick off the wall and join them before the door shuts. The tallest of the lot gives me a look. I have my badge from the factory. It's white like theirs but without the large dragon on the front. I intentionally fumble with it and slide it into my pocket. The male's shoulders relax as his mind fills in what it wants to see. They leave the stairwell on the third deck, but I keep going down.