Haven's Wood Ch. 05

Natasha shrugged.

"I didn't tell him." She started. "But, I told him a lot about my past, and he might have been able to figure it out, I suppose."

Katie snorted at this.

"I love my brother but he's not so great at picking up on subtle."

"I guess this might be another disappointment for him then." Natasha muttered bleakly.

"Are you joking?" Katie said in surprise. "He's going to think he's hit the jackpot."

"What do you mean?" Natasha asked once again confused by Katie's response.

"You may have noticed that male wolves are a tiny bit possessive?"

Natasha smiled at the understatement.

"Well, when James finds out that no one else has ever taken you to bed, well, he's just going to want to lay claim to your body even more."

"Really?" Natasha queried very unsure of what she was being told.

"Trust me." Katie said emphatically. "James is trying to give you time and space, but if you tell him that he may not be able to control himself any longer."

Natasha went a little pale, she wasn't sure she was ready to make that step. She knew that when he was around she felt differently, but at the moment she was just afraid.

"Can I give you some advice?" Katie asked.

"Of course."

"Don't kiss James. Not unless you want to go all the way with him. His wolf is hovering near the surface, and if you initiate anything sexual with him, I don't think he'll be able to hold back. He's better now that you're here, but I wouldn't test him."

It was then that a knock came at the door. Their lunch had arrived.

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After leaving his rooms James headed straight to his office, he didn't even check to see if Dean was with him.

He slammed into his office and began to pull out the files that he needed. He threw the paper work on the desk, yanked open a drawer and began searching for his pen. Dean arrived to find James muttering angrily under his breath about things not being where he left them.

Dean watched for a moment, before speaking.

"There's a pen in the holder on the front of the desk."

James looked up, his eyes swirling with amber, just as Dean had suspected they might be.

Dean sighed before bravely asking.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." James declared. "I want to get this done so I can go back to my mate."

Dean slowly walked into the room with his frustrated alpha.

"Katie is suggesting that maybe you give her some time alone with Natasha, she says they have a lot to talk about." Dean said all of this very calmly, as if he were talking to a savage beast.

James sighed with frustration.

"Dean, you and I both know my sister well enough to be certain that she has never 'suggested' anything in her life."

Dean smiled at this.

"You might be right about that, but I think she might be right about Natasha. You're not thinking clearly. It's obvious that your wolf is fighting you for control right now. Maybe a little space will make things easier for Natasha." Dean suggested relying on the fact that his alpha had enough control over his more savage side to listen.

When James didn't respond Dean continued.

"Why don't we get the paperwork done and then go for a run. I haven't been up to the compound for a few months so it would be nice to run through our forests."

James thought for a moment.

"A run might do me good, but I don't want to leave Natasha shut in my rooms for longer than necessary."

"I noticed she was upset when you told her that. I understand not liking being shut in places but her reaction was really intense, especially for a human." Dean said

"When she was a child, her family locked her away, alone, for weeks at a time." James explained, not bothering to disguise the anger he felt at the way she had been treated.

"Why?" Dean asked, appalled. The idea of being shut inside, without anyone for comfort and for so long was absolutely abhorrent to him. His wolf began to whimper in his mind at just the thought of being so alone.

"Not for any good reason as far as I can tell. It's just as well they're gone or I'd hunt them down myself." James seethed.

"That does explain her reaction after we left." Dean mused to himself.

"What do you mean?" James asked sharply.

Dean realised his alpha had left so quickly that he might not have heard the sound of crying from the room.

"I heard crying." Dean softly stated, expecting anger in response.

James slumped down in his chair. He leant over, elbows on the desk, head in his hands.

"I'm as bad as that godforsaken uncle of hers." He sighed. "Katie was right; I've done this all wrong."

The two sat in oppressive silence for about 5 minutes each wrapped up in thought. James finally let out a long sigh.

"Well, what's done is done." He said before continuing with determination. "You and I are going to get this paperwork done. Then I'm going to plan a surprise for Natasha. Make sure that everyone knows that the rose garden will be out of bounds for the afternoon and tell the pack to be in the great hall at 7 for the introduction."

James felt much better now that he had a plan. He knew that he'd made a mistake and he'd just have to do his best to make up for it.

They had just settled down to work when a thought flashed through his mind.

"Dean, If you tell Katie that I said she was right, I may be forced to hurt you"

Dean grinned, pleased to see his alpha in a better mood.

"She won't hear it from me."