Serengeti Storm

Chapter Ten

From the liquid still dripping down the front door and the shell-shocked expression on Brenna’s face, Caleb had just missed Shana.

As soon as he’d run off his anger, guilt had caught up with him. He had realized that he’d never answered her question about whether or not he forgave her. Because he hadn’t. He had been looking for a reason not to trust her. Looking for a way to pick a fight. He hadn’t forgiven her at all. Not even close.

Shana wasn’t the only villain in their relationship.

He’d been hurting her, shoving her away as hard as he could, ever since the first time she hurt him. Smacking her back every time she tried to get close again. But he’d never been able to forget her. Never been able to just walk away. Shana was in his blood. In his soul. He couldn’t be happy without her. No matter how he tried to pretend.

And he was never going to be happy with her until he stopped clinging to past hurt. It was a choice. Forgive, move on, love her as hard as he could and hold on for dear life. Or live alone and miserable, clinging to his righteous anger.

As choices went, it wasn’t difficult.

Caleb turned back to the ranch, intent on starting the rest of his life with Shana.

Provided he could find her.

Her mother’s bungalow wasn’t the first place he looked, but the chaos there was the first actual sign of Shana he’d found.

Caleb thought of tracking her immediately—her scent would be fresh—but some instinct stopped him. He stepped over the puddle of booze, drawing Brenna’s dazed gaze. He crossed to crouch in front of her, sympathy warring with anger on Shana’s behalf. The battered shell of a woman huddled in front of him had put the woman he loved through a lot of shit, but she was still Shana’s mother and, in her own way, she loved Shana just as fiercely as he did.

Brenna’s bewildered eyes met his. “She yelled at me,” she said, visibly confused. Caleb didn’t know what Shana’d yelled about, and he doubted Brenna did either. Only the volume seemed to have penetrated.

“You deserved it,” Caleb said, but he kept his tone soft. He wanted her to hear every word. “This is a conversation we should have had a long time ago,” he said. “You’ve been tying Shana up into knots for over a decade.”

“I didn’t mean to,” Brenna whimpered.

“I don’t care what you meant to do. I couldn’t care less about your intentions. I don’t give a shit if you blame the booze or blame Shana or blame me. I’m not going to let you hurt her anymore. She’s mine now and I’m going to take care of her. That means no one is allowed to hurt her. Not you, not even Shana herself. No one.”

“I would never—”

“You have and you will try to again,” he cut her off brutally, though he kept his tone soft and smooth. “You need to stop drinking. I’m going to give you a chance to do it on your own, but if I see you with so much as a drop of alcohol, I’m going to have the Alpha put you into rehab so fast your damn head will spin. And I’ll have him keep putting you there until you learn. You may not respect my authority, but you’ll respect his. And he listens to me.”

A sly gleam entered Brenna’s watery eyes. “He does?”

“Yes, and you’d better be grateful he does. Because of you, Shana’s done everything she can think of to piss off Landon. I am the only thing standing between you and your daughter being kicked out of this pride. So you’re going to do as I ask. You’re going to sober up and you are going to be a paragon of motherly love. Or I will make damn sure you never come within three miles of your grandchildren.”

“Grandchildren?”

Caleb ignored the hopeful light in her eyes. He and Shana’d never talked about cubs, and she wasn’t exactly the maternal sort, but he was willing to pull out any manipulation tactics necessary to get Brenna to toe the line.

“This is your one chance to shape up, Brenna,” he said sternly. “I don’t give second chances. Just ask Shana.”

The three rocks for which the Three Rocks Pride was named formed a little cluster, marking the southernmost border of their land. They were the only landmark on the stretch of quiet plain.

Shana scrambled up onto the largest of the rocks, slipping and sliding a bit on the snow-slick surface. She perched at the top and hugged her knees to her chest, looking back over her solitary tracks through the snow.

She’d left her mother with the noble intention of finding Caleb and proving her love to him, but she’d quickly realized she didn’t have the first idea how to do that. Seduction was so much easier than sincerity. How could she possibly convince him that this time, unlike all the others, she really meant to stay for good? It seemed a hopeless task.

Shana dropped her forehead onto her knees, hoping for divine intervention. Now was definitely the time for some help from a goddess.

The winter wind buffeted her back, carrying on it the possibility of yet another storm. Shana usually loved wild weather, but she wasn’t sure she could take another blizzard right now. There was only so much chaos a soul could take.

“You’re a hard woman to track down.”

Her head snapped up at the sound of his voice. He’d come from downwind, the sound of his steps vanishing under the cloak of the wind. He looked amazing, so tall and strong, with bits of snow clinging to his hair. Shana’s heart gave a little jump, but she didn’t let herself hope yet. Just because he’d sought her out didn’t mean he would take her back.

Caleb walked forward slowly, as if afraid he’d spook her. He leaned against the massive rock on which she perched, his head a couple of inches below hers.

“I have an answer to your question,” he said.

“My question?” She didn’t remember asking a question. Had she asked a question?

“If I forgive you.”

Shana’s stomach did a slow somersault. “Oh. That question.” She didn’t want an answer. Really she didn’t. She just couldn’t handle another heartbreak right now.

“I’ve been thinking about it. About all the things I’ve been mad at you for over the years. It’s quite a list.”

Oh, Goddess. Please stop him from giving her a list. She couldn’t handle a list.

“But I’ve done some pretty shitty things too.”

Shana felt her body tighten and still as her awareness sharpened.

“It won’t be easy for me to trust you again.” He gave a small grimace. “Any more than it will be easy for you to trust me. Trust that I’m not going to go off like I did this morning and run out on you.”

Her entire life dangled precariously from his words. Was he saying what she thought he was saying?

“But my answer is yes. I do forgive you.” His shoulders tensed like he was bracing to take a hit. “I love you, Shay.”

She didn’t move a muscle, but her heart took off like a racehorse out of the gates. “Seriously?” she whispered.

He met her eyes, his own open and resolute. “You think I’m messing with you? I’m sorry about this morning. I just…” He shook his head sharply. “No excuses. If it happens again, you have my permission to kick my ass. I’m always going to be there for you, Shay. Always.”

Shana eyed him warily. If something seemed to good to be true, it always was. “I’m not going to get nicer. Just because you love me, I’m not going to turn into some sweet young thing. I come as a package. Bitchiness included.”

“I know. Believe me, I know.”

She slugged him lightly on the shoulder, relief and something warmer flowing through her. He did know her. And he loved her anyway. Shana gently pushed his hair back away from his face. “You need a haircut.”

He arched a brow, incredulous. “I tell you I love you. I tell you I will stand by you forever and that’s what I get? ‘You need a haircut’?”

She made a face. “I did the confession thing last night.”

“You can say it more than once, you know.” Doubt suddenly darkened his eyes. “Or was that a limited-time offer?”

She bit her lip and slowly shook her head, threading her fingers through his hair. “No time limit.”

“Shay?”

“I love you, okay? You’re a piece of me. And if you mean it, about giving us a shot again, I promise I won’t fuck it up this time.”

His eyes lit, filling with that adoring look she’d been missing for years. The one she thought she’d killed. It was like sunshine, and her heart soaked up the rays.

“I mean it. And I won’t fuck it up either.”

“Good.” Better than good. Caleb loved her. Life didn’t get much better than that. She shot him an impish smile. “So now that we’re done with the mushy love crap, can we get on with the hot make-up sex?”

Caleb gave a short bark of laughter. He yanked her ankle and she slid down the rock and straight into his arms. Her arms wound around his neck and she smiled against his skin, breathing in the scent of her mate. Hers. And this one was forever. She was strong enough to keep him. And he was strong enough to keep her in line.

“If you’re a good boy, I might even let you tie me up,” she whispered darkly into his ear.