Chapter 56: Her Alpha’s Orders Chapter 55

West POV

He watched T.J. stalk out of his office, had stated he was going to check on one of his sisters, it rang truthfully, but West had seen the way the man and looked him over, his still damp hair, combed back but no hair gel, his clean clothes, it wasn’t often West would shower and change in the middle of the day, for no reason.

West didn’t believe that T.J. was off to check on Ava or Sonja, he just knew that he was headed off to Jo-anne’s room, they were going to come to blows at some point.

West had never once just vanished from everyone in the pack either, he would not shirk his responsibilities as Alpha just like that. He would not make everyone worry about where he was either. it was not who he was.

The problem was, everyone did think he was missing even T.J. had thought it. He had taken over as West was missing, had sent out search parties within the pack, and even outside the pack to look for him. No-one it seemed had been able to detect him inside the pack, via the mind-link or his tether, it was very odd.

West did not believe he’d disconnected himself from everyone, so how had it happened? He’d not gone anywhere! Just had been with Jo-anne in her room, had they not checked there? Surely if anyone had opened her room door, they would have seen the two of them sleeping na*ked on her bed, his arms around her.

It was only now that he realised he was the only one, other than Jo-anne to have keys to her room, not even T.J. had been given a master key. West didn’t want anyone in that room with her. Not even T.J., bloody selfish he was, considering her and his relationship. West even knew that was why the man didn’t have a key, they were to close and West was jealous of him, always had been.

But surely T.J. would have checked for West in Jo-anne’s room. Hell, it should have been the first place the man checked after this morning, with West seeing her na*ked, where else would he look. T.J. knew West better than West did sometimes.

So the question now became, could they detect Jo-anne at the time? And if not? No T.J. would have gone nuts looking for her if she’d suddenly vanished, had the last time she’d disappeared. Not only that if West and Jo-anne had both suddenly disappeared, T.J. would have put two and two together, and it would have been clear to him that she and West were together. He was qoing to have to talk to T.J. and alone. But how did he go about telling the man, that not only had he had his way with her but that his wolf had mated the hell out of Clova as well.

Finally got rid of his mother and father, pulled on the tether inside his mind that was T.J. to see where he was, in the Alpha bar, that can’t be a good thing, not much West could do about it at this point.

Walking into Jo-anne’s room, had undone him completely. There was no keeping his control earing her m**n like that, seeing her touching herseIf like that, and the scent of her arousal so damned strong.

West had been trying to hold himself back from the moment she’d come back to the pack, had convinced himself over the years, that what he believed about her was wrong, had tried to move on, really tried. Hell he’d searched every damned where for his Mate, tried to convince himself that what he’d smelled all week the week before her 18th birthday had been wrong.

That he’d just been confused because of all that had gone on, had quilted himself into thinking she was his, but the closer it got to the bloody full moon the stronger she smelled, he’d not been wrong back then, had ruined his own life, had no one to blame for her leaving him but himself.

Now how was he going to manage, till the mating ball, he’d only left her sleeping because he’d felt that weirdly unreachable tether, trying to reach him, and had left to go and investigate it, because it had been so unusual.

Otherwise, he would have stayed in her bed with her, waited for her to wake up, probably would have k!ssed her and pinned her down to taste every damned inch of her, taken his time with her this time. But the bloody woman had him wound up so fast, he’d not been able to stop himself, his need to bury himself in her so darn deep he’d taken her much quicker than he’d wanted to. Next time would be different, he’d make certain of it.

Volt was well settled, sleeping inside his mind, happy it seemed to have Mated with Clova, mated the hell out of his Mate, on the bright side they’d not marked her, not even Volt had tried to, surprised him a bit to be honest. It was a good thing though.

Perhaps even Volt was concerned about what Heath had said. Jo-anne was still sleeping, he could feel that through the tether, she was easy to detect, they might not be Mated anymore but he always knew how to find her, his tether to her was strong, stronger than to anyone else in the pack, always had been.

He was sitting in his office trying to understand his disconnection to the pack, the minute he had stepped out of her room, he’d felt the connection hit him, actually caused him a hell of a headache, everyone yeling at him all of a sudden.

West didn’t think it was him, he’d had s*X inside this pack, had been with Miranda for the past 2 years and he’d never been disconnected by that. He’d been mated to Jo-anne for 2 years and he’d never been disconnected when they were together either. But she was different now. West was willing to bet it was her, something about her, had cut him from the pack. It was the only thing that explained how he’d only been missing for the time he’d been with her.

Though how she’d done it, without him knowing, hell did she even know she’d done it?

Unlikely, the thought. There were so many unanswered questions about her, seems his Jo-anne was a complete mystery. He apparently knew nothing at all about her, it seemed. Other than she had once been his and if he could get her to say yes would be again soon.

He sighed and rubbed his temples, he had not even had time to consider that tattoo, but he knew with full certainty it was identical to T.J.’s. If the man turned out to be her Mate, and West was wrong about her, he’d just Mated her “F**k.” He muttered, he and his wolf both mated her and unprotected at that.

It was the one damned thing he was very careful about, even Miranda was on contraception, so no accidents happened, this could turn out to be a nightmare. He knew it was unlikely anything would come of it, it wasn’t like she was in heat, so the odds were slim. But still.

Dinner came and TJ. sat staring at him. West frowned right back at him, the man knew, it was obvious from the annoyance he was getting from him. He could feel many eyes on him, pack members also looking at him. They all knew there had been a search for him and that he’d been missing and then had just appeared again.

“If looks could kill Terence.” West finally spoke to the man.

“You’d be dead already.” T.J. shot right back, nil hesitation “Do you know how bloody worried I Was?”

“I’m sorry, I honestly don’t know what happened.”

“I don’t care. Don’t do it again, or I will bloody be the Alpha, according to your wishes and you will be nothing.”

West was staring at his Beta now, that was a very loud statement to make, and though it was his contingency plan, he had not gone anywhere “

“Terence”

“No, West. 5 bloody hours, you could have been dead, for all any of us knew.”

“I understand, but I did not do it on purpose, not even sure why none of you. You, yourself couldn’t find me.”

T.J. was glaring at him now, then he just got up and left the table. Yes the man knew where he’d been, but it seemed, not at the time, only afterwards, they had to sit down and talk this through, Got up “Terence.”

“I’m not ready to talk to you Alpha. I got s**t of my own going on, to you know.”

West frowned, T.J. hardly ever called him Alpha, not with that tone any way, that was not a good sign. Then that comment about him having s**t of his own going on, T.J. had not mentioned anything to him about other stuff going on.

West frowned, T.J. had missed training, told West he had more pressing needs to attend to the other day. That made West more than curious now.

He was going to have to sit him down and talk to him. Was tempted to haul the man into his office, right this minute but the man was likely to punch him in the face, so sank down at the table again.

Both Ricky and Cole were looking right at him.

“Do either of you know, what’s going on with him.”

“No.” they both shook their heads.

He sighed, something else was going on, inside his pack and he needed to know what it was, because obviously he had no clue.

Watched Ella get up, looked right at him, narrowed her eyes on him, he frowned right back her and then she collected a plate of food and head out of the dining room, Jo-anne’s closest friend.

Felt for Jo-anne, she was up, it seemed. Had not mind-linked West to talk, but he was willing to bet that was exactly were Ella was going. Those two had always been close, even as kids, her best friend.

He rubbed his temples “Where were you?” Ricky suddenly asked.

“Right here in the pack-house.” west answered him honestly “I don’t understand it myself Ricky.” and then he got up “Tell Terence when he is ready. I’Il be in my office.”

“Sure thing West.”

He got up and walked out of the dining room, saw Ella stroll on to the first floor and head down towards Jo-anne’s room. Let it go. She was obviously confused, he couldn’t blame her on that.

They had been Mates once and he’d never told her during their Bond, he wanted her, never touched her like that either, likely she was very confused.

He was not. It had just gotten out of hand was all, sighed he didn’t even know how to try and explain it to her, would she even believe him. He doubted it. How was he going to convince her not to reject him all over again. He didn’t know the answer to that question either.

Hell her rejection of him the first time had been granted by the Goddess herself, before he’d even accepted it, that in itself was unheard of, perhaps even the Goddess thought she had made a mistake.

Had even granted Jo-anne no pain at the severing of their bond. Something else that was unheard of.

It was clear to him that the Goddess favoured this woman, Why? He didn’t know but seemed to give her, whatever she wanted all the time and without question. Perhaps he should ask for a favour. Rubbed his temples, no, he had no right to ask for anything, especially where Jo-anne was concerned.

His wolfs hearing picked up Ella laughing and talking to Jo-anne, glanced up and looked out the office door, well she had come out of her room, not going to hide from him, a dress for the mating ball?

He sighed, he did not want her anywhere near that thing. But mostly because he didn’t want the whole pack to watch her walk away from him or reject him once the moon set, it was bad enough they all knew she had rejected him at 18, but he had made sure the whole pack knew it was her doing.

Humiliating as it had been, T.J. had been right there in his car watching her, then there were the 4 guards at the pack gates as well. Normally he would never had allowed something like that to happen in public, but it had to be that way, so it could get back to Heath and Karen, so they knew she’d been the one to reject him.

He’d tried to talk her out of it, and he had meant it. But he couldn’t explain it to her, why in public, that was a humiliation he would suffer only in front of her, T.J. likely and probably his mother and father. Likely need them all there to help convince her not to leave him again, he knew he had to tell her, just didn’t know how he was going to get through it or if she would even listen.

He could not fix things without actually sitting down and talking to her. Trying to explain it to her, had no idea how she would feel about it, accept it?

Not care at all? Or simply reject him a second time.

There was a high possibility that she would. Volt was not going to like it, hell West didn’t even like the thought of it, but he had been an a*s-hole and he knew it.

Trying to convince her he had changed, was not going to be easy, when in fact he hadn’t really changed at all. Only thing that he knew was, he would treat her right this time, if she would have him. She would want for nothing and she would have all his attention, when ever she wanted it.

Left his office to track T.J. down. Had to talk to him, to sort things out with him. He also needed someone to talk to. Found him sitting on the third floor stairs sitting with a beer in his hand staring down the hall way, West sighed.

Not for the first time did West wonder if his entire pack was being punished for the way he’d treated Jo-anne “Terence?”

The mans eyes moved to him “I know, you and Jo-Jo, its fine West. I’m not mad about that.”

“Then what?”

“Why’d you go off grid?”

“I didn’t Terence, I swear to you.”

T.J. frowned right at him, downed his beer and stood up “then what the hell happened?”

“Let’s not talk here.” West headed upstairs, T.J. fell instep beside him, and they walked all the way to the Alpha Suite and stepped inside it.

“Well”

“I don’t know how to explain it. I didn’t even know you were looking for me, fell asleep with Jo-anne. I think.. the only explanation is she did it, disconnected me from the pack, somehow.”

“How is that possible West?”

West shrugged “I don’t know, how do her eyes glow? How is it that sometimes, we can’t reach her, through the mind-link, even when were looking right at her?”

“Huh?” T.J. sound more than confused.

“Singapore Terence. We both saw her, were only what 100 metres if that away from her, but neither of us could mind-link to her, there but not there, that day.”

“Alright.” T.J. nodded “that is true, I couldn’t reach her that day.”

“Did it feel like that today?”

West watched as T.J. really thought about it, frowned for a long time “maybe, I don’t know.” He finally shook his head.

“Why didn’t you check her room for me?” West asked him, he was sure T.J. Wouldn’t have missed that.

“I did.. well I went to her room, she was in there, sleeping it felt like to me. I didn’t sense you in there and didn’t try to wake her, figured she was tired from training for the first time. Mother would not have gone easy on her, I know that much.”

“I was in there Terence, it was when I came out of the room, everyone was yelling at me about where I’d been.” West rubbed his temples “I don’t understand it, myself.”

“Alright, lets say I believe you! It was Jo-Jo, who cut you from the pack…how did she do it? Is now the question.”

“I don’t know. I doubt she even knew she did it.”

“Alright. How did you go from being filthy mad to mating her?”

West actually smiled a little sheepishly, could he tell T.J. looked right at the man.

“Spill it West.” he shook his head “I’m not interested in Jo-Jo, like you think I am. Never was. Just like to annoy you with it.”

West frowned right at him “Are you kidding me?

“Nope. Your jealousy over her is easy to arouse, one comment innocent as it is” he shrugged “ticks you off and what with my connection to her.” He smirked “real easy to make you think what ever I want you to think.”

“So…all these years, I thought you were bloody competition and you’re not?” he was more than confused by this turn of events.

“Nope, never was. Despite what this whole pack has always thought, I never looked at her, not even once like that. You were to blinded by your own issues to see the truth…still are l think.”

“What truth?” West was frowning at him.

“We’ll get to that I suppose…spill it, how did you end up in her bed?”

“I went to talk to her, to remind her not to be na*ked.”

“Yell at her you mean.”

West shrugged “I have issues you know that Terence.”

“Get to the point, West.”

West smiled he was happy to hear that T.J. was not interested in Jo-anne, bloody bastard had been torturing him for 10 bloody years though, might have to punch him for that, then nearly laughed as he recalled how it happened “F**k…” shook his head “Well I walked into her room…and she was…well, touching herself.” he shrugged, a smirk on his face.

“Oh, you mean like..”

“Yes, and well…you can guess from there.”

Terence shook his head “Enough, I don’t need to hear the rest of the details.” he was waving his hands at West in a no gesture “Did you Mark her?”

“No, neither did Volt,” West answered honestly.

T.J.’s eyes moved right to his “you and Volt.. you both had her…did you Mate her or just have s*x?” he seemed quite concerned.

“Just se*x.”

“Okay.” T.J. nodded, sounded relieved “Good, don’t go and do anything stupid.”

“Trying not to Terence. It’s hard with her, you know that.”

“I know West. Just… There is more going on here, then we understand, than you know. Don’t Mate her is all I’m asking. Definitely don’t Mark her.”

“Not likely to happen, not with Heaths words in my head.” West admitted.

“Good, you got beer in here.”

“How much have you had to drink Terence?”

West had not seen him drink like this in a while.

“Not enough to get through my day, you think yours was bad..” he shook his head.

“Yeah I got beer, come on.”