Chapter 19: Chapter 17

Tuesday morning, Adam decided it would be safe enough for him to leave. Seeing as there were now three wolves to look after what mattered most to him. He waited until his brothers had gone fishing and he knew he and Ivory would be alone. They needed to be able to speak freely.

Adam watched Ivory from the doorway of the kitchen. She had the shirt tied up again and her long hair in a braid. The braid flowed down her back and shifted back and forth with her movements.

Ivory was lost in thought, happy in her moment of rolling dough and mixing batter.

She felt his eyes on her and knew if she turned around she would see him. She thought he had gone fishing with the others, apparently she’d been wrong. A part of her hoped that he had finally come around. That was her hopeless romantic side. The realistic side said all his avoidance over the last few days was not about to change.

She closed her eyes, counted to ten, then turned to face him.

“Hi.” She smiled softly. Ivory continued to stand there, her hands covered in flour, watching him watch her.

Adam pushed off the door frame and walked slowly to her. She stepped back until she ran into the counter behind her, probably getting flour on her butt now too.

Adam lifted a finger and dusted flour off her nose. He smiled, thinking about how adorable it was that she was covered in it. Literally.

Did she realize it was on her face, neck, and, he gulped, chest?

“You have a little flour on you.” He whispered.

“Yeah, my nose got itchy, and I forgot to wipe the flour off first. Don’t worry, I wiped my hands off before starting again.”

He chuckled and shook his head. What he wouldn’t give to dust it all off for her. Or better yet, take her to the washroom and bathe her himself.

Those were not the right thoughts to be having when they were alone. Adam sighed and stepped away, taking himself away from temptation.

“How much can you make before tomorrow?” He waved at the mess on the counters.

“Quite a bit, not pies though. Did you decide to go to the midweek market after all?”

“The turnovers would be preferable anyway. And no. Not in our village at least.” Adam turned partially away, not wanting to see her reaction to this next part.

He was a chicken. He already knew that. His wolf never let him forget it.

“The Innkeeper is leaving in the morning for the Duke’s city. He knows a safe way in. He has invited a few others. The people in larger cities have deeper pockets. With the Queen constantly raising our taxes, I don’t want to miss this chance. People are already spending less on things they don’t need.”

Ivory was so quiet, he had to turn back to her. She had one flour covered hand covering her mouth. There were tears streaking down her face, dividing the patches of flour into little islands.

“Say something. Please?” He begged.

He lifted a hand and took a half step toward her, aching to comfort her. He stopped and stepped back, lowering his hand.

“You’re leaving because of me. You’re leaving, me.” Ivory finally sobbed out.

His heart broke, along with what little self-control he had around her. Adam wrapped his arms around her waist and laid her head against his chest.

“No. I’m leaving because of me. And it will only be for a few days, two weeks, tops. I’ve been gone longer than that before.”

Ivory hit his chest but didn’t move, not when she was about to lose him.

“That was different. You were within a few hours’ walk. If something happened, we could send a messenger to you right away. You’re technically leaving the Kingdom this time. You’re going to an area that has been under intense battles and cruel soldiers. How do I know you won’t get hurt? What if the Queen comes back and you aren’t here to protect me?”

Adam pushed her back enough so he could look down into those intoxicating light green eyes.

“I won’t be alone. I am traveling with others who have already done this. And you won’t be alone either. All six of those males will get between you and anyone who tries to harm you. Do you really think I would leave if I didn’t think you were safe? The Innkeeper assured me that the Queen would be far from here by now.”

“And how do you know that all wasn’t some ruse to lure you away from me?”

Adam pushed a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. He couldn’t help the stray thought wondering if the flour would even show up in her hair.

“I’ve known that male my whole life. He was litter mates with my mother. Her best friend. And I’m sure her lover at one time. He has never given me a reason to doubt him. If this was all a ruse, why not just invite me? Why warn me about the Queen at all? You are letting your fears cripple you, sweetheart.”

Ivory snorted. That was rich. “Look who’s talking.”

Adam tilted his head, confused at her meaning.

“Never mind. You’ll figure it out eventually. I just hope it won’t be too late by then.”

Adam traced her jaw again. Ivory’s eyes closed, trying not to cry.

“I can have a few dozen turnovers of each. I’ll make a few chicken ones as well, for you to have on the road.”

Adam had to catch himself before saying I love you again. When he still hadn’t let her go, she looked into his eyes.

“Is there anything else you need?” Her voice shook. She cursed herself for her weakness when it came to this male.

“Yes.” He whispered. “There is. But I’m not sure it’s mine to take.”

“I bet it is, if you would just grow a pair and take it already.”

Adam chuckled darkly and let her go. “I would in a heartbeat if it meant I could keep you. You still have a path to take. Mine stays here.”

Ivory fisted his shirt and pulled him back to her. “You are wrong on so many levels. Now shut up and kiss me because I know you are going to leave without a goodbye. You waited for your brothers to be gone for a reason.”

Ivory didn’t exactly give him a chance to argue. She stood on her toes and pressed her lips against his.

Adam crumbled the second they connected. He slid his hand along her bare back. He had been trying not to look at her shirt, so he whimpered when he felt her skin on his.

Ivory whimpered when she felt his body’s physical reaction. Her fingers tightened in his hair as he possessed her every being.

Adam fought every urge to not let his hands roam north. They still slid down, carefully staying over the pants this time, and gripped her butt.

He began kissing down her neck as she rubbed against him. The friction had him sinking a pair of longer than normal canines into her neck. Adam roughly pulled his head back and looked at the ceiling. He could feel what his wolf was doing or trying to anyway. Adam closed his eyes, his breathing erratic.

You can’t do this. She’s not ours to mark.

That’s bull and you know it. We need to mark her before we leave.

She hasn’t shifted yet, no one can mark her. Adam was hoping a different angle would work.

He was pulled away from the internal argument though when he felt her soft hands on his cheeks. He opened his eyes slowly and looked down. His eyesight was still a little stronger than normal, the colors more vibrant. His wolf had not yet receded.

Ivory saw the flat black eyes that had replaced Adam’s blue. She had felt the sharp teeth cutting into her neck. That one bite had had her slipping into euphoria against him. His pulling back told her that while he still wasn’t there yet, apparently his wolf was.

This poor male of hers was so torn up inside.

“Hey.” She called softly. “He’s not there yet. Let him be. It’s not time. Besides, you wouldn’t be able to leave me if you did that now.”

Adam’s wolf growled deeply as she felt his nails lengthening against her butt. It wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

“I’m sorry. You’re not leaving me. It just feels like it sometimes.”

Adam’s wolf whimpered at her acknowledgment of the pain.

“We…” Ivory huffed. “The family needs the money. We need to save for the harder times. This is a good opportunity.” She smiled at Adam and his wolf, tracing his bottom lip with her finger. “You can nag him the whole time you are gone. I will be here when you get back. I promise.”

Adam closed his eyes and willed his wolf to recede. He dropped his head against hers.

“I’m sorry, Ivory.”

“Don’t be.”

“I can’t… we can’t. You know this. You are meant to be so much more in this world. You’ll see that one day.”

She completely disagreed but let it go. He left a long kiss on her head and then walked away from her.

Adam stayed away from the house until the others returned, not wanting to risk a repeat of before. He readied the horse he would be taking, the one that would handle the long journey best.

His wolf cursed him out the whole time.

Brian had filled the others in while they were fishing, so they came back in a somber mood as well. Adam said goodbye to everyone before they went to bed, everyone except Ivory. She had kept her distance from him. Which both relieved and tormented him further.

Gabe had a harder time saying goodbye this time as well. He had been acting a little off toward Adam all night, and the older brother couldn’t figure out why.

Adam was up long before dawn, having only managed a few hours of sleep. He stopped by her door and listened for her deep breathing. When he heard it, he opened the door and peeked in.

Ivory was sound asleep. Being the creeper he was, he watched her for a moment longer from the doorway.

Adam wished he could hold her to that promise, that she would be there waiting for them. He knew it was just for his wolf, her effort to soothe him. Not that his wolf believed that. He saw it all very differently.

Brian walked up behind him, smacking him upside the head as he turned back to the stairs. Adam scowled at his retreating back. When they were outside, and didn’t run the risk of waking anybody, Brian spoke.

“You can thank me now.”

Adam snorted. “You should thank me for not beating you to a pulp before I left.”

“Awe. Don’t be like that big brother. You know as well as I do, you were on the verge of climbing in that bed with her and never coming out.”

Even if that wasn’t far from the truth, Adam was not going to admit to it. He set the extra saddlebags on the horse, next to the ones with his personal items he had loaded the day before and climbed on.

“Take care of her for me.”

“You know I will. We love her too, you know.” Adam raised a brow and Brian raised his hands. “Not in the same way, obviously. I’m just saying. You don’t need to worry. Did you tell her why you’re really going?”

Adam shook his head. “No. She probably would have killed me if I had. My, uh, my wolf tried to mark her.”

“He what? But she hasn’t shifted yet.”

“He doesn’t care. He’s felt protective of her from the moment you pulled her from the water. He wanted to rip every one of your heads off anytime you came near her that day. I can’t explain it.” Adam shrugged. “She has a way with him. She saw him, probably realized that wasn’t my tooth piercing her skin. She talked him down. I’m sure I’ll have to avoid shifting for a bit once she’s gone, just to keep him from chasing her down.”

Adam’s eyes blackened suddenly, and a small hiss escaped his lips. Brian jumped back in surprise. Adam fought the wolf back.

“See what I mean? I need to go. He’s going to keep fighting me. He doesn’t like this plan.”

“Hate to break it to you, Adam. But none of us do either.”

Adam flipped him off as he kicked the horse. With no real reason, his eyes moved up to her window. Ivory was standing there watching, and from the scowl on her face, she had heard them. Adam cursed and kicked his horse again. Even his wolf was recoiling from the look she was giving them.

Ivory had awoken as soon as Adam had opened her door. She could smell him and feel him. Knowing what he was doing, she let it be. As soon as her door closed again she went to the window. Not trying to eavesdrop, just trying to see him one more time.

She got more than what she bargained for.

Ivory ran lightly down the stairs and was there before Brian came inside again. He was startled when he saw her and then promptly looked at his feet.

She stalked past him, moving outside into the darkness. He obediently followed.

“How much did you hear?” He scratched the back of his head, still unable to meet her gaze.

“Enough.” She huffed. “What’s this real plan everyone but me seems to know about?”

Brian licked his lips and looked down the path, mentally begging for Adam to come back and deal with his female. When he didn’t, Brian looked back at her. He grimaced and took a step back.

Hell hath no fury was right.

Finally, Brian sighed and decided to just get it over with. It would make his life a whole heck of a lot easier. And then maybe he could go back to bed and get a nap in before the day officially started.

“Adam is going to look into the situation in the city. He wants to know if your uncle can be trusted. If so, he was going to talk to you when he got back and offer to take you to him.”

Ivory’s knees gave out under her. Brian caught her before she hit the ground and helped her to sit down in a way that wouldn’t leave a bruise.

“He really is leaving me, isn’t he? Why? What did I do, Brian? Is this really about status or is there something else, someone else?”

“No, do not go that route. In his odd way, my grumpy brother loves you. He just doesn’t think he’s good enough for you. He is, I totally believe that. But Snow, darling. You are a Princess. He is a farmer.”

“And my mother was a baker. My father was a Prince. What’s your point?”

“While that may be true, they were true mates and lived in the same place. You and Adam fell in love. And your castle is nowhere near here. In time, you will have to separate from him. His life is here. As much as we love you, yours isn’t. Not forever anyways.”

“But I want this forever. I want him. I want this family. I love it here. I’m safe here.” Ivory sobbed into her hands.

“And we want you here. But just because some place is safe doesn’t mean it’s the right place for you.” Brian let her cry for a few more minutes before speaking again, mentally grimacing over what he knew needed to happen in the near future.

“Why don’t you go back to bed? I’ll take care of breakfast. They can have oatmeal for a change. It will be kind of fun watching them eat it.”

Ivory gave a small laugh. “I don’t know that I could sleep.”

“Well, you’re gonna have to do something because, Snow, your neck hasn’t healed yet. I don’t know how we missed it last night. The others will notice it soon too. And then there will be a whole lot more questions that you don’t want to answer right now. The pups will most likely end up blaming Adam for you leaving if they realize something was going on between you two.”

Ivory’s hand shot up to her neck, feeling the small bite wound. It was right where the mark should go too. She stood up in a daze and started walking with him. Brian was right, she needed to hide out for a bit.

She paused before opening the door, a new thought coming to her.

“Brian? Has my smell changed at all?”

Brian leaned in and sniffed her, leaned back, then leaned in again. His head tilted and his forehead scrunched as he tried to piece it all together with his tired brain.

“It’s not by much, but now that I’m looking for it. There is the softest hint of Adam mixed in. Weird! You guys weren’t... you know, were you?”

Ivory laughed. He obviously didn’t really want that answer. “No. Just kissing. He was too busy trying to fight himself. This shouldn’t be possible though, should it?”

Brian shrugged. “Not that I know of. But our dad was gone by the time Adam shifted. He had to test everything out on his own and has done his best to guide us. None of us really know much. Have you noticed any changes lately?”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. For the twins, it was their sense of smell that kicked in first. For me, I started hearing better. Anything like that? I mean you did hear us from your room.”

Ivory shook her head. “That’s always been easy, my window is right there. Besides I didn’t catch it all, just enough to put it together. And I’ve always had a good sense of smell. It helps with baking. I haven’t noticed anything else.”

She wasn’t going to mention the voice in her head, which would just make her sound crazy. And right now, that voice was yelling obscenities at Adam, she didn’t like his plan any better than Ivory did.