“Where have you been?” Leo jumped up and stood in front of her.
Ignoring him, she walked around her brother and Caz without giving them a second look and stood in front of her alpha’s desk. “You wanted to see me?”
Leaning back in his chair, Lennox took a long look at her then back at Caz and Leo who both were fuming. “Gentlemen, I will talk with you both later. Close the door on the way out.”
Caz was about to say something when Cosmo stepped in front of him. He nodded toward the door and she could tell Caz wanted to say something. Instead he glanced at her and then walked out with her brother.
“Sit down, Raven.”
She sat and stared at the floor. She knew he was watching her like a hawk.
“I have to say that I didn’t see this one coming. Caz is your mate?”
Jerking her head up, she said, “No, no, he isn’t. I’m not his mate. I don’t feel the mating pull. Yes, I’m attracted to him, but I’m not his mate,” Raven insisted. And for the first time in a long time, her animal growled at her.
“Raven, the mating pull wasn’t apparent to Jade either. I knew immediately, but it took some time before she felt it. This is not something you can ignore. Eventually, the mating pull will take control of you. All I’m asking is for you to give it some time. Just work with Caz and see how it goes.”
“No. Will everyone stop telling me what to do? And we can’t work together anymore. I can’t work with him. Best you put someone else on this with me. I can’t work with my brother either.”
“Wait a minute. What’s going on with you, Raven? First, you can’t work with Caz then you can and now you can’t. And now you're telling me you can’t work with your own brother. Now I know something is wrong.”
Lennox got up and sat beside her. He picked up her hand and turned her face to look at him. “You know you can always talk to me. And right now, I think you need to. Tell me what’s going on in that head of yours.”
Raven couldn’t look her alpha in the face. She wanted to cry and she couldn’t show him any weakness. All these questions and she didn’t have an answer for him. Because these questions did nothing but confuse her.
“What’s going on inside you? I can tell you’re hurting about something. Did Caz do something?”
Feverishly, she shook her head. “No...Nothing like that, it’s just he--”
“He what? Tell me, Raven, before I rip his head off,” Lennox said, standing.
“He likes me,” she whispered.
Lennox returned to his chair beside her. “Okay,” Lennox placed his hand on hers. “Raven, spit it out before I go out and tear him apart limb by limb.”
“Well, he said that Angelo was imagining me with a dress on or off. And if he touched me, then he would have to kill him. Oh, yeah, he can’t concentrate worrying about me getting hurt. He can’t function when I’m around him. All he wants is for me to be safe and with him. Basically, all the time.”
She blew out a breath. “Nobody has ever said anything like that to me before. The guys always tease me. They think of me as their little sister and now they won’t have anything to do with me because Caz is acting like I belong to him or something. And I don’t.”
Lennox knew Cosmo was sitting in the corner listening, his mouth hanging open just like his. How could he not defend what Caz was saying? He had been in the same shoes when he told Jade she was his mate and she denied it to.
“Look, I have never told anyone this, but I’m going to tell you because you need to hear it. The moment I came to Dixon Pack land, I smelled Jade, and from that moment, these feelings continued to rush through me. I couldn't think because I thought someone would try to take her from me or hurt her.” Swallowing hard, Lennox continued. “I couldn’t control it, Raven. I said the most ridiculous things that I wish I could take back now, but I couldn’t stop. I had to have her with me and know she was safe.”
“This is going to get worse?” Raven asked.
Nodding, Lennox had to be honest with her.
Raven put her face in her hands.
“Do you like him even a little?” her alpha asked. Narrowing her eyes, Raven glared up at him. “Maybe just a little tiny bit?”
Sighing, Raven held up a finger and thumb about a quarter inch apart.
“I can’t even see through your fingers. Come on, you have to like him more than that?” Lennox teased.
Holding her fingers apart just a little more, she said, “A tiny bit, maybe. But don’t tell him I said that. His big fat head will take that and think I proposed marriage.”
Lennox and Cosmo both busted out laughing. “Oh. Well, just try to get to know him and if after you give him some time and you still can’t stand him...I will get rid of him.”
“You would fire him...from the Death Hunters, for me?”
“Yeah, I would. You have been with us for a long time.”
“No. You can’t do that. People wait their whole lives wanting to be a Death Hunter and you can’t take that from him. He loves his job. And he’s not half bad at it, but don’t tell him I said that. No, Alpha. I will suck it up and do like you ask and give him a chance.”
Shrugging, Lennox got up and sat behind his desk. “If you say so, but I’m going to be watching you two. Do you think you can still work with him?”
“Yeah, I guess so, but he has to understand that I’m a Death Hunter and no mate will keep me from being one. You tell him that.” Raven stood and pushed her shoulders back. “I’m hungry. I'm going to eat.”
Lennox and Cosmo watched as Raven left.
“Great story, Alpha,” his beta said. “You know she is his mate, and once she figures that out, Caz better watch out. If she thinks he’s possessive, wait until the mating pull gets to her. Jeez, she might kill any female that even looks at him.” Cosmo said, sitting on the edge of his desk. “But I figure that’s why you told her all that.”
“She needed a push.”
Cosmo snorted. “More like a shove, you mean.”
“Whatever works. She needs someone like him to help ground her and he definitely needs her to settle his beast. The man was shaking until he saw her walk in. I pity the person who even gives her a look of interest. Tell the other guys to keep their comments to themselves unless they want to live without their skin.”
“You got it, Alpha.”
“Now I need to go see a tiger.”
Chapter Eleven
Caz paced watching the backdoor. Leo was watching him, but at least he wasn’t saying anything. Right now, all he wanted was to make sure Raven was okay. He glanced at Leo when they heard the front door slam.
Before he could rush back inside, Lennox had blocked his path. “Let’s talk, Caz. Right now, Raven needs to think about what I just said to her. I think you need to listen to me first.”
“I need to check on her, then I--”
“No, you need to listen to me before you ruin what I just did for you. Understand?”
Leo patted the seat beside him and motioned for Caz to sit. “Okay.” Taking a seat, Caz couldn’t stop his left leg from bouncing up and down. He needed to look at her. If he saw her, he would be able to tell if she was okay or if he needed to do something.