Forever Mine

NINE

The only sound that filled the cab was the humming of the truck's engine as it tore along the bitumen. Isaac glanced over to Roxy who was pressed against the door sniffling. His wolf whined at seeing her so distressed, especially when he was the one to cause it, but he resisted the urge to reach out to her. He hadn't meant to get so angry. The last thing he wanted was to scare her. But having her disobey him, to make him think that the boy she'd been with could've hurt her in some way ­– the boy he was sure had been the lone wolf to come onto his territory – had sent him flying over the handle.

He gripped the steering wheel tightly, banishing the image of his father's wolf and his mother's bleeding body. For so long he'd made sure not to be like him. He'd rejected Roxy to protect her from just that. But today he'd come close. Way too close. What if he hadn't been able to rein himself in? Thinking of Roxy's bleeding body on the pavement of the carpark made a ball of emotion lodge itself firmly in his throat. As much as she might not know it, losing her forever would destroy him.

'You humiliated me.' Roxy's wobbly voice spoke next to him.

Isaac's jaw was clenched as he spoke. 'You could've been hurt.'

'But I wasn't!'

'You could've been!' Isaac slammed the brakes, making the tyres scream against the bitumen. 'Your sister sent me here to protect you and dammit that's what I'm going to do so if you could stop making it so damn hard that'd be mighty helpful!'

An agitated scream came from Roxy. 'You don't want me! For two years I wondered why I wasn't good enough for you, what I did wrong. Two years, Isaac!' Heavy tears began rolling down her face. 'So please, stop tormenting me and stop acting like you do!'

Within seconds she'd jumped out of the truck and shifted into her golden wolf. Isaac hit the steering wheel with such force it bent as he watched her tear across the land. Land that wasn't his. What if a human saw her? Or she was the one rogues were looking for? If they came near her he wouldn't be able to sense it. Not out here. He quickly put the truck into drive and pressed down on the accelerator. With the rate she'd been running at she'd be home long before him. He hoped she would be home by the time he arrived.

Fifteen minutes later Isaac was wheeling the truck into its parking bay, the tyres screeching against the concrete when he swung it a little faster than necessary. He slammed the door after himself, turning around with a wince at the sound of glass shattering. The driver side window was no longer, now in shards by the front tyre. With an agitated groan he continued on inside, making a mental note to get one of the pack members who was an experienced mechanic to fix his buckled steering wheel and now his window. The mechanic wouldn't dare to ask what had been the reason behind the damage.

Kayla was descending down the staircase when he stepped into the house where he could feel Roxy's upset presence. It tore him to shreds that he'd been the one to upset her but the most important thing was that she'd made it home safe. Even though he wanted to march upstairs and give her a lecture on disobeying him yet again he knew he'd done enough damage for a day. He'd talk to her tomorrow.

Kayla came to stop in front of him, her eyes ablaze with anger and her arms folded across her chest. 'Care to explain why your soulmate just arrived home in the form of a blubbering mess?'

'She disobeyed me,' stated Isaac simply, making his way to the office. There was a mountain of lease payments he had to go through. Being the landlord of most of the town's buildings meant they earnt some generous extras along with the main profits of the quarry. It also meant a lot more paperwork and headaches.

Kayla marched after him. 'You know ever since Roxy arrived I've kept my opinions to myself but I can't do it anymore.' She closed the office door after them. 'You and Roxy have the strangest relationship I've ever seen.'