Chapter 18

Geoff He watched Damion chat on the phone with his Mate, fury fueling his blood. He made it seem so easy, so casual. Talking to Adelaide so carefree. He growled, his desk breaking into small splinters beneath his hand. When Damion hung up on her, he was staring Geoff down. Was he challenging him? "What did you do?" Damion asked him, rising from his desk. Geoff rose up with him, his wolf snarling aggressively. He watched Damion's muscles ripple in response. "I didn't do anything." Geoff growled. His hands sharpened to claws. "Bullshit. What did you do to Adelaide ?" Damion snarled at him. Geoff's growl shook the walls, forcing Damion down to a knee. He towered over him as he attempted to rise. "Why do you care so much about her?" He asked him. "She's the Luna, and Erica's best friend. I have every right to care about her." Damion told him. Geoff grabbed Damion by his shoulders and lifted him up. Both of their faces were warped from partially shifting. "What happened between you two?" Geoff demanded. Damion looked at him confused. "What the fuck are you talking about? Nothing happened between us." Damion told him. Geoff snarled again, making Damion shift his gaze away. "Before you Marked Erica, what happened?" He shouted. Damion growled, reaching up and grabbed his shirt, his claws tearing into it. "Nothing!" He yelled. "Bullshit. She's hiding something. What happened?" He shook him. Damion looked up at him for a moment then away like he was fighting himself from saying anything. "She has a surprise for you." He finally said. Geoff felt his claws shrink and fade back into his fingers. Damion retracted his wolf after he admitted it. "What surprise?" He asked, slightly calmer this time. Damion grabbed Geoff's hands and forced them away, peering down at his torn shirt. He stepped away from him, walking over to his desk as he pulled off his shirt. "A surprise for your birthday." He threw at him, meeting his gaze after he put on a fresh new shirt. Geoff looked at him as his fangs receded to their normal size. Damion let out a long breath before picking up his keys, brushing his fingers through his hair. "I don't get it with you, man. You have a woman that is head over heels for you. She took on the pack solo for you. She handled the Alphas when you didn't." Damion shot his bullets, every word stinging worse than the last. The last remark pained Geoff more than he wanted to admit. He turned away from his Beta, taking off his shirt. "Before I Marked Erica, I was able to realize why you loved her in the one week I had to wait. She gives you everything no other woman could. She makes you actually feel, and now that you have that, you're so fucking desperate to keep it to yourself. She isn't just yours anymore, she is our Luna." Damion wiped his mouth. Geoff pulled out an old shirt from a drawer, staring down at it. "Is your pride so damaged that you have to give her the cold shoulder?" Damion asked him. He heard his wolf huff as if it was agreeing with him. Damion let out a heavy sigh. "Adelaide is perfect for you. Don't ruin it." Damion warned him before leaving, slamming the door behind him. Geoff slipped the old shirt on, letting all of his words sink in. A deep growl rumbled in his head, bringing him to his knees, his eyes forced shut. Pathetic. When Geoff opened his eyes again, he was kneeling in a black void that was endless in all directions. In front of him was an outline of a giant wolf with crimson eyes and bared fangs. It didn't look entirely pleased with him. "Not you to." Geoff grumbled, trying to stand, but the wolf's growl kept him down. You have grown weak. The wolf circled him like he was prey. Geoff looked into his eyes, struggling to his feet. "I'm not weak." He snarled at the beast. The wolf lunged forward, just barely nipping at his feet. Geoff tumbled out of the way. I let you have your fun. Now you have a Mate... "I know I have a Mate! Why does everyone need to remind me?" He shouted into the depths. His voice echoed back his question. The wolf circled him again. Clearly you have forgotten. His surroundings suddenly changed. He found himself back at the estate in Hawaii, another senseless party raging on by Alpha Archibald. Women circled him. Dark skinned, fair skinned, blonde, red head. Short and tall. Each one with unique qualities about them. His eyes wandered over them, taking in the details of their breast sizes as his hands lowered down to their... The wolf snapped his teeth, the image disintegrating before his eyes. Geoff jumped back, looking around at the darkness. He glanced down at his hands, his hands that were so close to caressing another females ass without hesitation. He was weak. He violated the very laws of his Mate bond with Adelaide . And yet... "Do you think he'll come around, Damion?" Adelaide 's voice vibrated through the darkness. Geoff looked around eagerly to find the source when the area around him shifted. He found himself sitting in the front seat of Damion's truck. He tried to move, but he was frozen in place. Yet the hands moved for him and played with the golden locks that dropped over his shoulder. "Adelaide ." He spoke her name tenderly, finally smelling her scent after the confusion went away. "You know Geoff better than me, he'll be fine." Damion said with distaste. She looked over to him, his jaw strained as his eyes were fixed on the road. "I don't think I do though. Ever since he left for Hawaii, it feels like there is this giant wall between us that he put up." She sniffled, her tears flowing down her face. He wanted to wipe them away. "Ever since his wolf showed me what he nearly had done, I was so close to giving up. So close to just leaving and never coming back." She cried. Geoff whimpered softly at her words. "Am I not enough?" She asked, those words pained him worse than the bullets he took months ago from Jasper. The truck pulled off to the side and parked. Her eyes moved to Damion when he shifted in his seat. He reached over, grabbing her face in his hands. Geoff could feel the warmth of his touch through her skin, the meer contact sending his body into a rage. His wolf's paw slammed down on his back, restraining him from doing anything stupid. "Adelaide , when Erica was gone for that whole week, my wolf started to eye you as my next option." He admitted easily. She opened her mouth to speak. "I'm sorry if I scared you at any time. I could barely control him when he got like that, but in that week, I understood why Geoff fell for you." He told her. Tears continued to flow, but Geoff felt her heart swell. "I appreciate your confession, but I love Geoff." She told him. He removed his hands. "I know. I Marked Erica, everything is fine again. But I mean it. In that short time, I understood what he had. I wanted it for myself. It's just instinct." He told her. "So, nearly cheating on your Mate is instinct?" She asked him. "No, he's just a fucking idiot." He raked his fingers through his hair, clearly frustrated. He let out a breath. "But he didn't do it. Sure, it doesn't justify his actions still, but he loves you. More than anything." He said softly. "He said he was willing to abandon his title as King for me." She looked down at her hands. His wolf released him, walking in front of him. The image of their conversation faded away and it was just his wolf that occupied the space again. Will you still forfeit? His wolf asked him. Geoff slowly got to his knees. He felt wetness on his face, and when he touched it, he discovered that he was crying. His wolf watched him with curious eyes now. "I want Adelaide to be happy. I want to see her smile over the tiniest of things. I want to wake up to her sleeping face every morning." He wiped his cheeks as he got to his feet. He looked up at the beast in front of him. The beast that occupied his soul since he turned three. "I, Geoff Brook, hereby forfei..." He went, but the wolf smacked him with his tail. He grunted as he fell on his ass. He looked up at the wolf as he sat across from him, his head held high. Don't be a fool. As if I'd let you go that easily. The wolf growled deep in his chest. Geoff's eyes shot open, his familiar office space filling his vision. He was laying on his back beside his desk, inhaling deeply. How long was he out for? He sat up, checking his phone and noticed that a few hours had actually passed by. He groaned, pushing his sweaty hair from his face. His first thought was of Adelaide , her doubt about his love for her, her doubt about him in general. He rose to his feet, his eyes on the documents about the reception. He left so much to her when in hindsight he went on vacation. She took on the Alphas and his people all on her own. He should be proud of her. Proud of the Queen she was becoming. He needed to be the King and Mate she deserved. He got home late, the dim light of the living room being the only light on from the outside. When he got in, he smelled cinnamon in the air and freshly baked cookies. Soft music played from the living room where he saw a Christmas tree in the corner and Adelaide standing in front of it. She was adding ornaments to it, humming to herself. He sniffed the air, smelling Nathan and Elias upstairs.