Beaufort Creek Shifters (10 book series)
Daddy’s Innocent Mate Chapter 11

Elias

Crickets chirped outside while I texted Isaiah about the white-water rafting trip we had planned for the weekend. Archie had begged to come along with me and his uncle, but he was too small to safely travel with us. Our lodging had been bought and settled. Now we just had to plan which rivers we were going to hit and when.

Francine drifted into the room with her hands locked in place in front of her stomach. She looked sick for a second-but it must have just been the light, because she appeared just fine a split second later as she sank into the recliner near the television. Above the flat screen was the portrait of my family. Her eyes kept looping around the room and then to the portrait where they would pause for a long time.

I frowned. "What's wrong, little Fran?"

Her eyebrows rose as if she had just noticed me in the room. "Wrong?"

"You look worried. Are you okay?"

"Worried?"

Was I cave-diving or something? Why was she repeating things? "Little Fran, you haven't said much to me today."

"I hadn't noticed."

"I have noticed."

Worry turned to fresh hurt on her features. How strange it was to witness the emotions flutter over her face from second to second, the shift happening so fast that I wasn't sure of anything except the jagged edges of her energy. She was good at saving face. Energy was a different story. Energy told me things her face wouldn't.

Right now, her energy spiked with a nervousness that I recognized from just five days before, the Monday when she had attended my skydiving time with Wendell.

"I have a bad feeling," she blurted while rubbing her neck. "I don't want you to go."

I set my phone on the coffee table and folded my fingers together. So, there it was-the other shoe. She was going to try to get in the way of my hobby. "I don't see why. I do this all the time."

"But this is just..." She kept rubbing the scar on her neck, turning it pink from the movement. "I can't explain it. I just feel bad."

"That's just anxiety, Fran."

Her gaze sharpened with anger. "Don't tell me what I'm feeling."

"I don't need to tell you what you're feeling. I can feel it just fine."

"You don't know how much I'm worried."

I snorted with disbelief. "Are you serious? We're connected now whether you like it or not, princess." I tapped the mark on my neck. "I can feel everything you're feeling."

"And you're still going even though you know it makes me worried?"

"You're just not used to having an adventurous mate."

Strawberry flooded her cheeks and then spread to the rest of her face, inspiring me to turn away. My face heated with a mixture of embarrassment and guilt as I realized what I had just said. I covered my mouth, hoping we could just gloss over that weird slip. She didn't need to get any ideas about this. Our connection was nothing more than one of pure convenience. I bit her because my bear had urged me to do it. I could see now that my bear was watching out for my safety. With a bite like hers on me-and mine on her -I could feel free to do as many of my adventurous hobbies as I pleased. No guilt needed.

So, why the hell did I still feel guilty?

I cleared my throat. "Listen, I'm going because I want to go. If you want to worry about it, that's fine by me. I'm not going to try to convince you to do anything else."

Without another word, I marched to the bedroom where most of my things were already packed. She hadn't messed with my bags. That was a good sign. At least she wasn't the sabotaging type.

What if she had been? Would I still want to be with her?

I scratched the mark on my neck. It's not like I have a choice now. I can't take the bite back. Internally kicking myself for a bite in the moment wasn't going to change the bite. Whatever reason my bear had wanted me to do it was valid. It would protect me during my trip. Couldn't she see we had nothing to worry about?

But now I was the one worrying about things. The way she kept glancing at the portrait made me nervous. Was she concerned about Geraldine returning? Hell, I couldn't help being worried about that myself. Others in the Bravecrest pack had found their way back to us. Why not my ex?

I swallowed my fear. I didn't want anything to chase Fran away. Yet another part of me couldn't stop clinging to the past. The guilt proceeded to worsen as I finished packing my things and hauled them to the living room. Francine had disappeared, leaving a lingering scent of peaches.

As I carried everything to the car where Isaiah waited, I couldn't help peering back at the house, hoping maybe she would come running out to stop me. If she was that worried, then she would do everything to make sure I stayed. Wouldn't she? Isaiah knocked on the roof of the car, drawing my attention to the fact that I had opened the passenger door without sliding inside. Francine was such a distraction. A quick trip to the mountains was just the thing I needed to clear my head and reset my system. "You alright?" my buddy asked as I settled into my seat. "You seem like you're lost."

"I'm fine," I spat. "Let's go."

Isaiah shrugged, popped the car into reverse, and then turned up the radio. My eyes kept drifting inconspicuously to the mirrors as we left, constantly checking to see if Francine was peeking from behind the curtains. But there was no indication of her watching me leave. Not even a hint of her energy reaching out to me.

Maybe the bite hadn't worked at all.

I shoved that weird concern into the dark and focused on the rock music blaring through the speakers, nodding my head in time to the rhythm of the guitars. After about thirty minutes of riding with the speakers at full blast, Isaiah turned it down, leaving a ringing noise in my ears.

He slapped my shoulder in a brotherly way. "You're a bad liar, my friend. What's got your briefs twisted up your a*s?"

"None of your business."

"Your business is pack business-which means it's my business."

I chortled. "That's a stretch."

"It's a good logical one, isn't it? I get Jada with that one all the time."

"Gods, you're insufferable."

He cackled. "Is your lady worried about you? Or are you worried about her?"

"I don't know."

"So, it's both."

I turned away, trying to guard my energy and keep him from prying into my feelings. But that was useless. The connection between the original Bravecrest members had grown since our kidnapping.

Trauma had a way of bonding people together. "She didn't want me to go."

"But you went anyways."

"We've had this planned for ages. I wanted to go."

He nodded. "Did you give her any affirmations before you left?"

I bowed my head, trying to hide again. And once again, it was useless. "No."

"Did you even say goodbye?"

Shit. "...No."

"Did you say anything to Archie?"

Son of a "Well, I-"

"Alright," Isaiah announced while shutting the stereo off. The silence hurt my ears. "You're texting her right now and telling her that you're sorry."

"For what?"

But he was already grabbing my phone out of my pocket. How the man managed to keep the car on the road without swerving as he dug into my left pants pocket was a miracle. He slapped the phone into my hands and pointed at the screen. "And while you're at it, text your kid."

"Archie doesn't have a phone."

"Archie doesn't-" He practically cursed us into a hurricane. "Elias Shaw, what the f**k is wrong with you?"

I rubbed my hairline. "I don't know, man. I'm just fumbling left and right."

"Well, we're going to un-fumble with a phone call instead of a text."

I couldn't believe my buddy was making me do this right in front of him. There was no arguing with Isaiah once the man got his head wrapped around a plan of action. He glared at me-without even looking at me-until I clicked Fran's name in my phone and put the phone to my damn ear.

More embarrassment swelled in my belly. As soon as the line clicked, I spilled my apology, asked to speak to Archie, and apologized to him too. Within a few short minutes, Fran was back on the line, sounding like she had met her defeat in the face of a great foe. "Babe?" I whispered. I knew I couldn't hide anything from Isaiah, being so close in the car. "I really am sorry. Can you forgive me?"

"You didn't even ask if I could watch Archie. You just assumed."

Damn it, that was making the guilt worse. I knew the other shoe dropping would just destroy everything. Why had I ever bothered to ask her to move in? I wouldn't have marked her if she hadn't moved in. None of this would have happened.

I nodded. "I'm sorry about that too. I'll ask next time."

"I don't know about a next time."

My heart jolted. "Why do you say that?"

"I just don't know, Elias. I have to go."

The line clicked before I could say anything. While I knew I deserved her irritation, I didn't feel like I deserved to get hung up on. Isaiah gave me a knowing glance as I tucked my phone away.

"Shut up," I warned. "Or I'll be drowning you tomorrow morning."

"I'd love to see you try, pal!"

Laughter cracked through the cab like thunder, and it followed us all the way to the mountains.

Just like the scent of peaches.