The Iron West

Chapter 5

Dean

I sat there at my desk for a minute, fighting the urge to chase after my mate.

She had heard the word mate and blasted off from the room, tearing across the barnyard and I could hear her packing her things right now.

Evander was hot on her tail, I knew that.

Is she going to rat us out? Is she going to get Luke killed?

I needed answers, but I had already crossed a line, I knew that much.

I knew she wanted to be professional, and how disappointed she must be to have an injured ex-warrior for a mate. Hell, if I was her I'd have run too.

The self-pity got old quickly as I heard a car pull up to the ranch gates.

She's leaving.

My wolf screamed inside my head, urging me to go. To make her stay.

I got up from my seat, feeling the sweat on my back as I did. There was a turning feeling in my stomach, and I knew it wasn't my own feelings.

She's in distress.

The thought of it made my own insides turn. Knowing that my own anxiety was probably feeding into her, I attempted to calm down.

Not much could calm me now. 

She's leaving, stop her.

I finally left the room, my bad leg aching as I did. 

My limp kept me from running, but I watched as Evander followed her around. He was trying to keep her from leaving. 

Her eyes were wide and she looked like she could shift from stress. Something about the weakness of her scent told me that she had either never shifted, or had done it rarely.

She was dragging her suitcase around, wildly trying to get to the car.

"Look, I'm doing this to help you!" She yelled. "I don't want to be responsible for any of this, so I'm going to leave. I was never here."

My heart clenched. 

She was right, she had to go. Josie seemed responsible, like she lived and breathed the pack protocol. We were in clear violation and could get into hot water with the Alpha. 

The fact that we were mates only made it harder for her. If it was anyone else, maybe if Luke wasn't a kid, she would have reported it and gone about her day. 

Seeing this made me realize she was just as affected by my side of things as I was by hers.

"Evander," I called. "Let her go."

He looked at me, confused. "Dean, she could rat us out to the Alpha!"

I shook my head. "Let her go. If she does, it's our own fault for breaking protocol. She's a pack official, let her go."

Josie's eyes were on me, fear glazed over them.

She thought I would be angry. She thought I might try to stop her.

Something within me gave a weak last wheeze as I beckoned Evander to me.

"Come on, let's let the lady do her job."

I waved her off as she hurriedly piled herself into the car. Watching as she drove off, I felt the bleakness of the weather for the first time today. It was only 6a.m. and my mate had come and gone.

"Dean, she could wreck us," Evander pleaded. 

I shook my head.

"We shouldn't have applied for pack affiliation while Luke was here."

Evander clasped his hands on my shoulders.

"No, it's my fault. I should have just said we were his legal guardians and that we would take the consequences."

I looked away from him. 

He wished he had lied to her, and part of me wished he had too.

This chapter is criminally short, but I wanted to give Dean's perspective for a bit!