Page 20 of Glass
She tosses her hair like a brat. “The only thing I was trying to do was kill time since your pack doctor is keeping me away from my family.” She crosses her arms over her chest, as if I needed any more proof that she’s unhappy with me.
I have no idea what the hell changed within the last few hours. Her mark is still vibrant at the base of her neck, the edge of it showing from under my t-shirt she’s wearing again.
“No one wants to keep you away from anyone, Poppy. I told you I would introduce you as soon as everyone was actually awake.” I know the only reason she wouldn’t be willing to wait was if she planned to make off with the kids while I was still asleep. The only thing I don’t understand is how the hell she came to that decision. The few relationships I had previous to this inevitably went south eventually, but never this fast.
Poppy tightens her arms around herself, and I try not to stare at the way it pushes her small, perfectly round breasts up like an offering.
I shove my hands deep in my pockets to keep myself from reaching for her. I hate this shit, but I’ve dealt with my share of skittish women showing up to join The Lost. I know being pushy won’t get me what I want.Patience, I tell the part of my wolf that wants to lock her down right this second. I can’t afford to scare my mate if she’s a flight risk.
She breaks the silence first. “Well? Can I meet them now, your majesty?” Her voice wobbles like she’s hurt, even though she’s the one giving all the attitude.
“Sure.” I grind my back teeth together to keep from saying more as I turn around and take off the way I came. She’ll follow because I’m giving her what she wants, not because she wants to, and that pisses me off. But what can I do? I laid my claim on her neck—and let her claim me in return—that should be enough.
Anger fizzles under the surface of my skin the entire walk back to the sites where Doc set up our temporary base camp.
Now that we’ve brought an outsider in, we’ll have to camp somewhere else. It’s a safety precaution we always take. And if I’m thinking about moving quite a deal further from where Poppy apparently has a vehicle in town… Well, that’s nothing but a coincidence.
Doc is waiting on the step leading into the RV with one hand rubbing at his temple. “I’m glad you two are back. The kids don’t understand what’s going on; they wanted to go fishing with the pack.” He winces as he stands. “And I have one hell of a migraine from listening to them complain. Good luck in there.”
He starts to walk away. “Where are you going?” My voice is sharp with displeasure.
He stops in his tracks and looks back at me to assess what I’m really saying. We’ve been working on this pack side-by-side long enough that he picks up easily on the fact that I need him to stick close. If things go south while I introduce Poppy to the kids, I want him here to have my back. I won’t underestimate Poppy based on her size. She mentioned coming here from South Dakota, and if she made it all this way by herself, she’s not helpless.
“Paul mentioned he was having problems with his back again; I’ll have a look and be back to see how things are going.” He gives an almost imperceptible nod of acknowledgement. He won’t stray far.
Poppy huffs with impatience and tries to step around me. I put my arm out in front of her to stop her; no way in hell is she barging in there first. These kids have been my responsibility for years, giving her my blessing to meet them is just that. Nothing more.
This is only going to happen on my terms.
“Me first,” I grunt at her. She narrows her eyes at me, but I’m already burning mad at how this morning has gone, so it barely adds fuel to the fire.
I step up and pull the RV door open. All five kids swivel their heads to stare at me, eyebrows knit down with worry as they take me in. I’m sure they’re wondering why Doc stuck them in here. It’s uncanny to look at all the sets of identical brown eyes and know they’re the same eyes as my mate’s.
My mate who is impatiently waiting to lay eyes on them herself.
“There’s someone who wants to meet you,” I tell the kids, my resolve to actually do this wavering. I didn’t do my due diligence with Poppy. Anyone with eyes can see the family resemblance, but that doesn’t mean her intentions for coming here are pure.
I look over my shoulder, prepared to tell Poppy we need to talk more before this meet-and-greet happens. She takes advantage of my hesitation and shoves past me, taking me enough by surprise that I reach for her a split second too late.
“Oh my Goddess,” she whispers, stopping only inches in front of me. I can’t see her face, but I can hear her voice, ripe with emotion, as the kids all go wide-eyed.
The air is so thick with tension that it threatens to suffocate us all. Poppy trembles slightly until I put my palm on her back, hoping it might offer some small comfort. Now that the bandage has been ripped off, there’s no going back.
Corey tilts his chin up to make eye contact with me. I can see the resolve on his face as his forehead pinches. I’m sure he’s thinking hard of something to say or do to break the tension. The kid is always looking after everyone else.
Lane jumps off the side of the dinette bench, and I tense myself for his reaction. Despite my anger, it makes me sick to think of how hurt Poppy will be when he runs as fast as he can from her.
“You don’t have to be scared, Lane,” Corey says, reaching for his younger brother.
Lane turns his head to look at him and frowns. In the next second, he raises his arm abruptly and points at Poppy wordlessly.
Everything moves in slow motion next.
Poppy kneels down, forcing my hand to fall away from the small of her back.
Shelby, Corey, Jacob, and Hannah let out a collective gasp.
And Lane throws himself into my mate’s arms, holding onto her for dear life.