The Jeb I'd witnessed didn't seem capable of helping anyone, not without having something in it for him. What would Paul have to give him?
"How long do you need?" the nomad leader asked. He clearly wasn't bogged down by the concern we all had for Paul and what doing this would mean for his future.
"A half hour?" he said. "I'll know either way by then."
The nomad nodded, looking to the Walker men next. I sometimes forgot this group of lovable, playful men were predators, every last one of them. And alphas. Something that made them different than every person standing outside.
"We leave in an hour with whoever is coming with us. We aren't afraid of your pack's council, but avoiding them will make this easier on all of us."
I wondered what these nomads had done to keep them on the run from the council. They looked like bikers, and I could easily imagine them clumped together on their bikes as they made other drivers nervous on the highway. If they hadn't been shifters, they'd still be the exact type of man I avoided on my hunts.
Wyatt pulled me close, moving between me and the nomads. "We'll be ready."
Chapter Nineteen
Wyatt
"He's out there now, so I just have to draw him away from the crowd." Paul scratched his neck and surveyed the room with wide eyes. He looked so much like the kid who had landed on our doorstep months earlier, smack dab in the middle of a drama he had no way of understanding. My protective instincts flared. Paul was as much a part of this family as me or Nana. "Wait here. He won't talk to me if I'm not alone." Paul disappeared out the glass door, running down to the shore of Walker Bay before cutting to the right toward the tree line.
"You'll follow behind?" Nash asked quietly.
I nodded. "Kansas, stay with Nash."
"You're leaving me?"
I hated the fear that made his voice shake. "I have to, baby, just to watch over Paul. Then we'll both come back. We need to find you a shifter doctor before we do anything else and hunker down while we wait for you to give birth. To do that, we need a car, and Paul can get us one."
"I understand." He held his stomach.
If I didn't go soon, I'd never be able to. I was quietest, though. We couldn't send any of the nomads out there. It was great that they came to help, but the trust we shared was fragile. I kissed him, unwilling to rush this moment. His lips were soft against mine, but they shook. He was afraid; I understood why. But what he wasn't was panicking. The Kansas from a few weeks ago would've been a mess right now. He'd grown or settled or whatever it was it took for him to realize he was exactly where he needed to be. "I love you."
"I love you too," Kansas said, the last thing I heard before slipping out behind Paul.
I followed the sandy shore farther than Paul had, wanting to put a little more space between us. Across the bay, the huge houses sat dark. Nobody home. Except my mom. They'd be making it to pack lands any minute. I couldn't stand the idea of her back within those four, cold walls.
She'd bought us some time, but at what cost? It was only a matter of time before John's insufferable arrogance transformed into anger that she'd ever dare leave him in the first place. But, if we were off the island, tucked away safely waiting for Kansas to give birth, where did that leave my mother?
There were too many people to save, too many loved ones in peril. The four of us living suspended as we had, not in a pack, not nomads. That had worked when it had been just us. That wasn't the case anymore.
I heard the hushed sounds of people talking, whispering back and forth. I shifted and stayed low to the ground, peering up through my wolf's eyes at where Paul stood with Jeb a half a football field ahead. I could make out their voices, but not what they said. Crouching, I crawled forward, silently getting within hearing distance.
"Yeah, fine, Paul. I can get you the cars. This place is so lax, I could steal the sheriff's car before anyone fucking noticed. How have you been here so long without telling me how much of a cherry field this is?"
Cherry field? As in low-hanging fruit?
"I just need a car. You don't have to steal it. Give us yours." Paul faced me, leaving Jeb's back unprotected. He was either very sure of himself or not that smart. My money was on both.
"Yeah, baby, I can get you a car. You know what you have to do. This place is a shit show, Paul. You had your issues with my brother, but you have to know our pack could annihilate this pack if it wanted. Alpha Davis will laugh his ass off when I tell him about this place."
I didn't disagree with him. Delia had made a huge mistake inviting every shifter in the country to watch from the sidelines while they imploded.
"I'm not trying to go back. Ever. Your brother was the only thing that kept me safe there."
"I'll keep you safe," Jeb said, the words oozing from him like pus from a pimple. He leaned forward, forcing Paul to put his hand up on his chest to stop him.
"Can you get me a car or not?"
It could've been the predator in me that recognized the violence in him, but I shifted and was on my feet, sprinting toward Paul as Jeb suddenly realized they were alone and that he was larger and stronger. He grabbed Paul's throat, slamming him against a tree while his other hand went to Paul's pants. I didn't have to wait to see what Jeb had planned instead. I knew.
Paul tried to shout, getting out one name. "Ty!"
He knew Tyrone wasn't here, but that was still the name he yelled for when he was in danger. I'd just have to step up and do what Ty would've done.
I snarled so Jeb would know I was there, but mostly so I didn't hit him in the back of the head like a coward. Instead, my shift impacted with his temple. His eyes rolled back before he fell, dropping Paul in the process.
"Are you o—"
Paul jumped to his feet, snarling as he kicked Jeb's unconscious form over and over. I had to clamp his arms to his sides and physically lift him away to get him to stop. I didn't care that he kicked Jeb, but the noise was bound to catch someone's attention. Paul huffed, but when I set him down, he didn't try to go for Jeb again.
"I should've known. Every fucking time with that guy."
My blood ran cold. "He's tried that before?"
"His brother wasn't cold before he tried sticking his hand down my pants," Paul snarled. "I never learn my lesson, do I? I always expect people to change. But no one ever changes. Not even me. I had a good thing going with this pack. I was getting a place, earning an income, but when Delia finds out I helped you…" He sighed. "I don't regret it. I'm sorry if I made it seem..."
"Don't apologize to me. You stuck your neck out for us. You keep sticking your neck out. We'll fix this, Paul."
"Uh-huh. Sorry about—" He looked over at Jeb.
"Stop apologizing. It isn't your fault that Jeb is a chode. It isn't your fault that this pack is so messed up. You're important to our family, Paul. I know we haven't always made it seem that way—" Specifically, there was the time when Nash was convinced Paul was a mole. "—but none of us claims to be all that bright. You're stuck with us now, though. One of us, no matter what."