True Wolf (Bennett Pack #3)

13. Zion

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

ZION

N essah and I took the elevator up to my floor and she scowled at me the entire time. I smiled, knowing my little storm was conflicted. She had every intention of trying to do this on her own but was also relieved she didn’t have to.

She wouldn’t have to do anything on her own ever again which I needed her to wrap her brain around. Nessah was my mate. She would be my wife, which meant any challenges she faced, any happiness she embraced, I would be connected to.

Regardless of the outcome, I made the decision to love Nessah. She was mine. My brother’s words were on repeat in my head. “We don’t turn our backs on our heart’s connections.” I wouldn’t dare. Nessah was chosen for me. I would love her wholly and completely.

As soon as we stepped off the elevator, I pointed to my door. “Go pack. I need to let my brothers know we’re leaving.”

“You don’t have to do anything because you weren’t invited to go.”

I grinned and stalked toward her. When Nessah’s back met my door, I placed one palm above her head and lowered mine. “You’re my mate, little storm. I don’t need an invitation to be where you are. It’s my desire, my honor, my duty and I take that very seriously.”

I pinched her chin, tilted it up just enough to gain access to her heart shaped lips, and delivered a soft kiss. “Go pack.”

“Some women like a man who takes control of everything and demands submission.” She narrowed those stormy gray eyes. “I’m not one of them.”

I chuckled and pushed my body against hers. My dick rested perfectly against her stomach and she sucked in a sharp breath. “Are you sure? Because I was very demanding last night and you didn’t hesitate to submit.”

Her wolf simpered. I smiled and stepped back to give her space. “Go pack. We’ll leave as soon as I talk to Laz.”

Nessah groaned, turned on her heels, and entered my apartment, slamming the door behind her. I grinned at how little control she had where I was concerned. When I entered my brother’s apartment, Lazar was standing in the kitchen preparing lunch for my nephew who jumped off the counter only seconds before I reacted and caught him, preventing a crash landing.

“Kewub wuv Zion.”

I smiled at the miniature version of my brother. “I love you too.”

“Kewub down.” He started squirming, so I placed him on his feet and he took off toward the living room. Lazar shook his head and my eyes bounced between the two of them.

“He just played me, didn’t he?”

“He learned that shit from Rafe.”

I chuckled at the amusement in my brother's tone. We all loved the idea of the boys being raised as brothers, more or less, even when they were plotting against us. I wanted the same for my children, but I wanted Nessah just as much, so if that wasn’t our future I would be okay.

“Didn’t think we’d see you for a while.” I cleared my thoughts and followed my brother as he carried a sectioned kid's plate and plastic cup to the living room. He placed them on the colorful foam mat next to Kaleb then turned his attention back to me.

“Didn’t want to see y’all either but if I left and didn’t tell you…”

“Where the fuck you think you’re going, Zion?” Lazar’s mood shifted so damn quickly all I could do was laugh.

“Calm the fuck down. You do realize I’m grown, right? I go wherever I want and there’s not a damn thing you can say about it.”

He glared at me and I angled my head to the side in challenge before I calmed him down. “Relax, Alpha . I’m taking Nessah to check on some things.”

“Where?”

“Calhoun Pack.” His brows slammed in.

“Why the fuck would she need to go back there? They exiled her.”

“Toyin believes whoever made her think she couldn’t have kids was wrong. She needs this and I’ll give her whatever she needs.”

Lazar nodded. “And what about you?”

“This isn’t about me.”

“Yeah it is, Zi. If you get there and nothing’s different…”

“Then it doesn’t fucking matter. She’s mine.” I growled, feeling protective and possessive of my little storm.

He smiled arrogantly and approached me, clasping one hand on my shoulder. “I guess you are grown. I’ll stay out of your way. When do you leave?”

“She’s packing now. I only stopped by to let you know.”

He nodded. “Be careful Zi. Rolf has too much ego and not enough discipline.”

“I’m not worried about him.”

“You don’t need to worry, but you do need to be aware. Never underestimate anyone. He didn’t want her but that doesn’t mean his feelings won’t change knowing that you do.”

My wolf howled and sat at attention.

“What he wants doesn’t fucking matter.”

Lazar smiled. “This is why I’m telling you to be careful. What you feel for your mate is a dangerous combination. Your need to love and protect makes you act without thinking. You’ll be reckless and dangerous. That doesn’t always work in our favor.”

He reacted when Abe, Jo’s ex, came to reclaim her. Things were touch and go but they worked out. My brother didn’t think about anything but protecting Jo.

“I can’t promise I won’t be reckless if it comes to that but I can promise I will protect Nessah and we will both be home in a few days.”

“Keep your link open.”

“I will.”

Laz hugged me and I left his place ready to get this settled so I could start my life with Nessah, whatever our future looked like.

&

We had an hour’s drive to reach Calhoun Territory. Hollow Grove was roughly a little over nine hundred square miles. Each pack claimed acres placed throughout the area and had free reign of those acres as long as they didn’t cross over into the neighboring town of Diamond Falls. For the most part, everyone followed the rules and minded their own pack business. But of all the packs, Calhoun was the most problematic. They respected their past Alpha, Rendell Calhoun, more than his son Rolf so pack members would often challenge bylaws like crossing boundaries. The worst was antagonizing humans, which complicated things for all the packs.

Hollow Grove had always been occupied by four packs. Bennett, Knight, Logan, and Hubbard. Five years ago, Rendell Calhoun stood before our committee requesting permission to claim a territory. Laz and Phalen Knight being at the top of Hollow Groves hierarchy and leaders of the wolf council spent a month debating the decision but ended up granting their request. I believed they both regretted that decision based on the number of issues they’d had to deal with over the years.

Now, glancing at Nessah, I was both grateful they were in our territory because it brought her to me and fucking annoyed that she was hurt by a pack that should have loved and cherished her, which officially put Calhoun on my shit list.

“Stop staring at me,” she mumbled without lifting her eyes from the book she was reading on her phone. Her way of staying distracted enough not to engage me.

“You like when I stare at you.”

“I do not,” she groaned.

“You do, because me staring at you is a reminder that you’re finally where you need to be.”

Her head jerked in my direction, her eyes rolled and dropped back to her phone, but a smile teased her lips. “I thought we agreed that I don’t like cocky, arrogant types.”

“We also agreed that you’re a terrible liar.”

Her eyes rolled again but her smile also expanded.

It was just after five when we reached Calhoun territory. They were further away from the city of Hollow Grove and most of their residences were small communities of neighborhoods cleared out in the woods. Since they were only about twenty minutes from Diamond Falls, the majority of their pack worked in the city if they didn’t own businesses in the community.

Another thing I hated about Calhoun was that Rolf presented himself as royalty within their pack, even down to the communities. The Calhoun property sat grand and luxurious in the center of all the other neighborhoods. The surrounding pack properties served as a barrier to protect their Alpha.

When we reached the gates that blocked entry from outsiders, I grunted my disapproval and Nessah swung her eyes in my direction.

“What’s wrong?”

“That shit is disrespectful.”

Her frown deepened. “What do you mean?”

“An Alpha protects their pack, not the other way around. Rolf sits surrounded by everything like he’s better than those that pledge to support and trust his leadership. There’s no community between him and everyone else. This is why no one respects Rolf. He treats his pack like they’re beneath him, not like family.”

“You and your brothers are different.”

“Very fucking different. We’re Alphas. That’s understood. There’s no reason to make anyone in our pack feel less than. Laz and Jo are in charge but their rule is embraced, not forced. That’s how things should be. Not this…”

When I reached the gate, a guard approached the driver's side of my car. “What can I do for you?”

“Zion Bennett. I’m here to see Rolf.”

The guard frowned slightly. “Is he expecting you?”

“I gave you my name, he doesn’t have to be expecting me. Open the fucking gate,” I growled and the muscles in his jaw flexed but he nodded and stepped back into his guardhouse and opened the gate.

“I’ll call to let him know you’re on your way.”

I snorted. “Yeah, you do that.”

In my peripheral I noticed Nessah smiling. “What?”

“That was interesting.”

“I thought you didn’t like dominance and arrogance.”

Her smile expanded when I glanced at her. “I didn’t say anything about liking it, only that it was interesting.”

I shifted my focus back to the road briefly since the main one leading to Rolf’s house wasn’t paved. “Are you denying your attraction, Nessah? Because I’m sure you’re well aware that our bodies are in tune with one another even if I haven’t marked you yet.”

Her arousal spiked watching me address the guard. I smelled it, could damn near taste her on my tongue, because my nose was so sensitive to everything about my mate. I glanced Nessah’s way again and noticed the way her skin flushed.

When I made it to a stretch of road void of curves, I reached over the console, grabbed her hand, and placed it in my lap. Her fingers flexed and then wrapped around my dick. The motion was instinctive because she quickly yanked her hand back, realizing I had more control over her body than she wanted to acknowledge.

“What are you doing?”

“I didn’t want you to feel left out. We’re both aroused right now.”

“You’re impossible.”

“Nothing about me is impossible, little storm, especially not our attraction.” I winked and slowed when I approached another set of gates. This one blocked access to Rolf’s home. The wrought iron structure opened before we made it to them so I pulled through and frowned when I felt Nessah tense beside me. Anger flooded my veins. “You don’t fear anyone or anything, Nessah. Not as long as I’m alive.”

She smiled and shook her head. “I’m not afraid of him.”

“Then what’s wrong? I feel your concern.”

“My sister.” Her eyes darted toward the house. “I haven’t seen her in almost a year. She’s with him.”

My wolf growled and she unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned across the seat, placing a hand on my face. “I don’t care that she married him, but I do care that marrying him meant betraying me. She chose our parents over me and that hurt.”

I covered her hand with mine and brought it to my lips where I kissed her fingers. “You don’t have to forgive her, but you don’t have to hate her either.”

Nessah nodded and I got out, rounded the front of my car to open her door. As soon as she was on her feet, I cuffed both sides of her face and leveled my eyes with hers. “Stay by my side, no matter what.”

She smiled slowly. “Okay.”

I arched my brow. “No argument?”

“Nope.”

“I wasn’t expecting you, Alpha …”

Our moment was disrupted by a low growl from a few feet away and I felt the hostility before I saw it on his face. My wolf was at the surface when I turned to find Rolf standing just beyond the massive wooden doors that granted entrance to his home but his eyes weren’t on me. They were on Nessah, which I didn’t fucking like and neither did my wolf.