Chapter 44 Chapter 44
Reynard put his hand on Suki’s shoulder and spoke softly to calm her, “Let me take you home. If I run into your father on my way home, maybe I can sweet-talk him into being nicer to you.”
“Aw, what a hero,” Brendan teased.
Rey was ready to clap back with a retort before his phone began beeping. He looked at the messages and sighed, “There’s an urgent meeting I need to get to, which probably explains why your father is so stressed about your location.”
Suki cringed, “Oh, he’s going to murder me.”
“Nonsense, love,” Brendan wrapped his arm around her, “your father loves you and only wants to protect you like the precious little diamond you are.”
She giggled and rolled her eyes.
“Can you take her home?” Reynard asked Brendan. “I don’t know what this meeting is about, but I don’t want to put her at risk if the threat against the pack has gotten worse.”
Brendan nodded once. “Of course, are you alright with that, love?”
“Of course, we just need to get there before my father does. I don’t know what he’d do if he catches you with me.”
A soft smirk grows on his face. “You should know how good I am at being stealthy by now.”
They all made their way outside, and Reynard planted a kiss on Suki’s forehead before he parted from them, rushing the opposite way to his urgent meeting. Brendan escorted Suki to his car and opened the door to the passenger’s seat.
“Nice car,” she chirped, admiring the sleek interior as she buckled her seatbelt.
Brendan slid into the driver’s seat and smiled, “Thanks, it’s a hand-me-down.”
She arched a brow and tilted her head.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You say it’s a hand-me-down, but this car looks like a fairly new model to me.”
“Yeah…” he bantered and began driving back to her home.
She rolled her eyes, “Totally got spoiled by the Alpha, didn’t you?”
Letting out a chuckle, Brendan defended himself, “Hey, it’s not my fault Zale got a new car, the Alpha didn’t want this one going to waste. Obviously, I had been less of a pain to him recently, so maybe he thought I deserved a treat.” He grinned cheekily, the very way that charmed Suki to blush.
Suki scoffed lightly, then her smile faded as she scanned the surrounding area. “Hey, make sure you park a good distance away from my house, just in case…”
“Way ahead of you, don’t worry,” he said nonchalantly as he parked his car far enough away not to raise suspicion. He jumped out of the car and sped round to the other side to let Suki out. “What’s wrong?” he asked, seeing Suki’s frown.
“This isn’t fair on you,” she huffed, storming off in the direction of her house.
Brendan caught up with her swiftly and continued to speak casually, “Me taking you home…? Don’t worry, love, I can be quite chivalrous when I want to be.”
She looked at him briefly and rolled her eyes.
“Alright, look.” He grabbed her shoulder, making her stop and face him. “I know you see good in me, hell, you reminded me there’s good in me, but we can’t expect others to see that, as much as I would love to not be seen as a monster.”
“That’s the problem, though,” she sighed, lacing her fingers with his and gripping his hand, “you’re not a monster. You never have been.”
They continued walking to her home, and Brendan continued to reassure her. “It’s my word against the world at the moment. All that matters to me right now is that you know the truth. You keep me calm, you make me feel like my old self.”
Suki diverted them off the pathway to the front door and cut through the gorgeous greenery that covered and highlighted the front of her home. Brendan plucked a rose from a bush and inhaled the beautiful, rich and warm scent.
As they approached the front door, Suki turned to face him. “I’m going to do everything I can to help clear your name.”
“I’m sure you would, love, but you don’t have to–”
“You are my mate, I want to help you, and even if we weren’t mates…” She shook her head, not liking even the idea of that being a possibility. “I would still want to help. It’s the right thing to do.”
He shook his head. “Love,” he placed the rose on her ear, tucking her hair out of the way, “we know you can’t pick me. You don’t deserve to live the life of a Rogue.”
“But if we clear your name, you wouldn’t have to be banished anymore. You could be a part of Nighttide again, or Moonstone. The Alpha would happily allow you to be one of us; he already allows you to live here, so you know it’s not a long shot.”
Brendan sighed, “Love, please–”
“I could convince my father to get a meeting in with Nighttide, they could investigate to see the connections between what happened there and the upcoming threat to the werewolf species.”
“You and I both know that your father would be furious if he even thinks that you’re trying to help me.”
“It’s a risk I’m willing to take, come on, have some faith, please,” she begged, gripping his shirt and pulling him closer and pressing her back against the door.
He pressed his palms against the door, leaning in just as Suki’s eyes pleaded for him to do so. “I truly admire how passionate you are, love, but you must be prepared for the worst. Whether I’m free or not, having two mates is not normal. People will judge you and expect you to choose, and we both know your father is only going to let you pick one. You need to prepare yourself for that.”
She shook her head as her eyes welled up with tears. “It’s not fair…”
“I know,” he spoke softly, tucking her hair behind her ear and cupping her face in his hand.
“One thing at a time, okay?” she asked, almost choking on her words. “We will clear your name. Please, have a little faith,” she whispered.
“For you, Suki, I’ll try,” he whispered back.
His whispers tickled her, sending a thrilling chill down her spine. Wrapping her arms behind his neck, keeping him close, she yearned for more of him. “Say my name again.”
Brendan brushed his lips against hers and uttered slowly, letting the last part of her damn drag beautifully, “Suki…”
She crooned, “Brendan…”
He stared at her plump lips, yearning for a taste of her. He groaned, “I should go.”
A nod. “Yeah,” Suki’s eyes softened, locked onto his, “but first kiss me, please.”
For a split second, he hesitated, but the pull she had on him was too strong. He pecked her lips softly, but she groaned a soft whine – it wasn’t enough. He tittered, “Hm, when did you become so needy for me? I quite enjoy it.” He pecked her lips again and again until even he couldn’t resist but kiss her deeper, more passionately.
Suki ran her fingers through his dark hair and gripped tightly.
Brendan smirked and hummed a moan, “Careful, love.” He kissed her again and dragged his teeth along her lower lip. “I’m the resident bad-boy, remember? And the bad boys always like it a little rough.”
Suki watched as little puffs of his shadows misted off his body, swirling around like smoke before dissipating away. She giggled and traced her thumb across his lips, “Maybe that’s exactly what I needed in my life.” She pressed her mouth against his, falling into a whole new world where nothing else mattered, just her and her mates. A perfect world.
Yet that wasn’t her reality.
“SUKI?!”
That voice was all too recognisable for Suki. It boomed and echoed so loudly she could feel it rattle her bones, making her body tremble.
The two pulled away from each other and turned to look directly at the Beta of the Moonstone pack with a face painted with a fiery wrath. Something not even her daughter knew how to extinguish.