Klaus smiled. “We’ve got to work on your insults.”
“You’re the only one who can fix things with her. I can try and be adorable, but come on, big brother. How am I going to fix the years of damage you’ve done?”
He placed his hands on his hips, wanting to have some kind of witty comeback, but he had nothing. No comeback. No … nothing. Just silence.
Bethany shrugged. “Let’s face it, Klaus. You’re screwed.”
“You’re …useless!” He glanced up at the house. He didn’t want to be home, so he just took off, heading down the street.
People continued to say hello to him, and he nodded and smiled in their direction. He kept up the falseness, waving back, smiling. Always being the perfect alpha-to-be, but he felt anything but.
Inside, he was breaking apart. This was all his fault. He shouldn’t have bullied Poppy. Looking back, he didn’t even know why he did. It was all so freaking stupid. Now he had to pay the ultimate price.
His mate was there, like right fucking there, under his nose. If his father knew, or when his father found out, there was going to be trouble.
Running off into the forest, he built up a pace and just ran, trying to escape the niggling doubts spreading throughout him. He had to clear his mind. With the Lionel pack arriving in a matter of hours, loads of unmated men, it was … yeah, he had to keep close to Poppy.
He charged forward, wanting the earth, the trees, and the wind to distract him, but all he saw was Poppy.
It was the same no matter where he went. Poppy filled his thoughts. She dominated every single part of his soul.
The need to mate with her was always strong. Always there, simmering beneath. All he had to do was look at her, and this need rose up in him.
Even now, as he tried to outrun the memory of her, with his dick rock hard, all he wanted to do was fuck her. To break this divide that was between them in any way he could.
He came to a stop and panted for a few seconds before he caught his breath, and then leaned up against a tree for support.
Breathing in and out. Taking his time.
He closed his eyes, and Poppy was there.
Her smiling lips. The sparkle in her green eyes. Images of past encounters flashed in his mind. His words stinging, wiping that smile off her lips. Klaus wanted to pound his own fucking face from the nasty shit he’d said to her. Not just about her, but also about … Anna, her mother.
Anna Davenport was a well-loved and respected woman within the pack.
Yes, she slept with men, but no one ever spoke about it. During one of his alpha-training sessions, he’d asked his dad about why he accepted it.
“Son, Anna paid the ultimate price. She lost her mate. Her one true love. That kind of pain is enough to send anyone crazy, but with her daughter and the pack, she found a way to heal. I would never begrudge her what she did.”
When he said that nasty shit to Poppy, he hadn’t known what her father had done. How he’d protected his own father. Laid down his life for George. Running a hand down his face, he knew he had to do something that would make her realize he was sorry. Not just by words, but also by actions.
He headed back to the main town, charging through the trees, not hitting a single one as he walked, making his way to where he needed to be. Rushing with all of his might. The moment he had a clear view of the town, he slowed down, attempting to catch his breath as he walked closer.
The town was busy. The pack was making their last preparations for the Lionel pack. Klaus had a desire to tear it all down. To tell the Lionel pack to fuck off, that their unwanted mates weren’t welcome, but that wouldn’t be diplomatic.
His father had worked hard to make them a respected and cherished pack. Where no one wanted to take their territory.
Klaus was aware that not all packs were like his father. Some were built on fear and control. This pack was built on community.
He saw Anna outside her shop, standing on a ladder. No one was helping her, but he understood why not. People were so busy, and he went to her, quickly holding the ladder in place.
“Mrs. Davenport, this is not safe,” he said.
She chuckled. “Hello, Klaus. Mrs. Davenport is way too formal. Call me Anna. And I know it’s not safe, but I have to get this right. Ah, there, see.” She climbed down off the ladder, and they stepped back. “All aligned. Perfect.”
He stared up at her shop sign and shook his head. She’d been straightening the letters on her shop.
Klaus had been given this job to do by his father a few days ago, but he hadn’t gotten around to it. “I’m sorry,” he said.