“What the hell?” Jackson, fast as lightning, hit the emergency stop button and we slammed to a sudden halt. “What the hell are you talking about?” This was the most serious I’d ever seen him, his blue eyes dark and turbulent. “What do you mean, yourwolf has chosen a mate?”
“I…I didn’t know it would happen like this. I got a voicemail message from Jo earlier. She’s in trouble.” I fumbled for my cellphone.
It was easier to just play the message rather than try to paraphrase it myself. The way I was speaking right now, it would only come out garbled and waste a lot more time. I needed him up to speed on all of this as quickly as possible so he could help me and not ask too many more dumb questions or talk about titty bars again.
“Here.” I put my phone on speaker and Jo’s voice filled the elevator.
Jackson raised his eyebrows as Jo referenced her orgasms but didn’t say a word — perhaps he was growing into a degree of wisdom — but as she continued to speak, his cheeks reddened with anger.
“What the fuck? Who the hell attacked her?” He was a mini-explosion of fury within the confined space, and we were probably lucky he didn’t slam a fist right through the metal wall.
If we’d just replaced the main doors, we certainly didn’t need the expense of an elevator repair too.
I shook my head, keeping my own anger at bay this time, knowing I was currently doing all I could. But it didn’t stop my wolf clawing at my insides, demanding to be let out, demanding to hunt down whoever had put Jo in danger.
“I don’t know. I’m working on it.” Those words sounded so weak when I said them out loud. I needed to do more.All I couldsuddenly didn’t seem like enough, even though that was what I’d promised her. “But I think who’s actually after Jo is only half the problem.” I met his gaze, and his confusion showed as I continued to speak. “I got this message earlier, in my office. And then I left.”
He nodded as realization dawned. “And then you broke our door.”
I nodded as well. “Our very heavy, very expensive door.”
“Well, shit.” Then he was quiet.
“I think my reaction was my wolf. I think he’s made a claim on Josephine.”
Jackson nodded, the motion so slight it might have been nothing more than a tick.
“I’m trying to fight it.” I didn’t know who I was trying to reassure — him or me, or if I was just sending a warning to my wolf that this was far from a done deal. I refused to be subject to his whims, even if I’d told Dad I’d found someone. Me making a selection, and my wolf choosing, were two very different things. When I spoke to Dad…it hadn’t been serious. Not like it was today. I didn’t know if I could handle this serious.
Everything was on track right now. The pack was running great, Apex was moving from strength to strength, and I was finally about to realize my dreams for the future of the company. I didn’t have time for a wolf-shaped wrench in the works.
I certainly wasn’t about to deal with love and having my wolf find a mate, or anything remotely like that.
Not after everything with Saundra.
“There’s too much riding on what we’ve got now,” I said. “I’ve made too many mistakes. I can’t get into a situation like I had with Saundra.”
And what if Jo was exactly like Saundra? What if she also turned out to be manipulative and conniving and out to get my money?
The thought was almost too much to bear. I’d trusted once before. There was no way I could allow myself to trust again, no matter what my wolf thought he wanted.
I hadn’t forgotten the damage Saundra had caused. She’d hurt me, but she’d also hurt my family. And every time I saw Dad, I remembered exactly what she’d done and all the ways I’d fucking failed. I wasn’t going to do that again.
She hadn’t just devastated me — she’d almost devastated my entire pack. I’d only just succeeded in bringing it back from the brink, and now there was another threat on my horizon.
“Dude.” Jackson brought his hand down on my shoulder, dragging me back to the present. “You have to be logical right now. The past can’t interfere.”
I looked at him. The past was never that far away. It was always so raw.
“Look, even if Jo is exactly like Saundra—”
My wolf growled at his words, disagreement clear, even though I’d been considering the same possibility just moments before.
“Even if she is,” he repeated. “You won’t fall for that shit ever again.”
I nodded. He was right about that much. I wasn’t going to let anyone do that to me ever again. I wasn’t going to lose control.
“Anyway,” Jackson continued. “There are ways to test someone’s intentions and see what they are, right?”