His Redemption (Complete His Series)

Azalea

“Okay who is Mr. Tall, Hot and Gorgeous that grumpy Greyback has cleaning the gutters. I saw him leaving your apartment last night while I was finishing prep,” Amy asked as she bustled around the kitchen making dinner.

“Oh, please don’t start Ames!” I said. “That is not a can of worms I want to open right now!”

“Well, I am not gonna let you off for much longer. You need to dish. If you are doing the tango with that hunk of man, you have to give me details,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows at me.

“What are you even talking about? Why would we go dancing?”

“Oh, girl. I always forget just how naive you are. Maybe I should keep Tall, Hot, and Gorgeous away from you. He looks like he would corrupt you. And although I am sure you would love his brand of corruption, I don’t think you’re ready for all that Tall, Hot, and Gorgeous.”

“Liam, okay. His name is Liam. We kinda grew up together,” I told her.

“How do you grow up with that and end up sad and alone?”

“I am not sad and alone. I am just alone and me. Plus, I have you and Abi,” I argue with her.

She just laughed at me. I give up, going back to the receipts I was recording. I was not ready to talk about Liam with Amy yet. I didn’t even know what was going to happen. Dr. Ronald did not know what was wrong with this bond thing yet.

I sat in the kitchen catching up on the bookkeeping while Amy made dinner. I put my headphones in so she wouldn’t feel the urge to continue to badger me for more information about Liam. We weren’t expecting a massive crowd for dinner this evening as the Inn was only about 50% full right now, and lunch was by far more popular. Amy was cooking up some steak and chicken fajitas tonight, and I could not wait. I had made a cake already this afternoon, and it was ready to serve for dessert.

For the second time today, my unsuspecting self felt someone leaning over my shoulder. My earbud was pulled out of my ear, and Liam said, “Hello gorgeous,” in a seductive tone. This time, he was ready. I jumped so hard that I fell back off my stool. His strong arms caught me, preventing me from falling on my butt.

“You did that on purpose!” I said angrily.

“So? I really couldn’t help it,” he said, giving me an adorable smile. “You were so focused; it was cute.”

I blushed, looking away from him. He laughed, setting me down. “Uh, dinner will be done soon. Will you be staying?” I asked him, trying to change the subject.

“Do you want me to stay, Azalea?”

“We should at least repay you with some dinner for cleaning the gutters. I do appreciate the help. I can never reach them properly,” I tell him.

“I’d do anything you asked me to, Azalea,” He said, looking into my eyes. There was some emotion there that I could not quite read.

“Well, thank you,” I replied nervously. “I really do hate ladders. So um, why don’t you wash up? It looks like Amy is ready to serve dinner. I’ll help her.” He nodded but didn’t move. After a moment, I said, “I guess we could sit together in the dining room if you’d like.”

He gave me an enormous smile, nodding his head again. This time he turned around and went to the sink to wash up. I sighed, moving over to the counter to grab a tray of food to take out to the dining room.

“That doesn’t look like nothing,” Amy said as I joined her in the dining room. I set the tray down on the buffet table.

“And what does it look like?” I said, crossing my arms.

“It looks like my little Lea has a crush on Tall, Hot and Gorgeous. It looks like Tall, Hot and Gorgeous has eyes for my little Lea,” she teased. Oh, if only she knew what this actually was.

“I don’t crush anyone!” I said, irked with her pestering.

“It’s ‘have a crush’ or ‘crushing on’ for starters,” she said, shaking her head. “Man, how did you ever live this long? Also, you totally do. I can tell just by the way you look at him or try not to look at him.”

“Okay, I have no idea what you’re talking about now.”

“Lea, you like him. You want to spend time with him. You want him to notice you. And girl, he’s noticing,” she said with a knowing look.

“Ames, he doesn’t like me, and I promise you, I can’t like him.”

“Lea, I really think your innocence is sweet. But I am telling you, honey, that man is a walking inferno, and his eyes go straight to you whenever you are near him.”

“Inferno? He is not on fire! What do you even mean?”

She sighed, shaking her head at me. “Lea, when he gets close to you, how do you feel? Do you get warm? Maybe your cheeks flush a bit?”

“I mean, he has an abnormal amount of body heat, so yes, I get warm when he stands close to me.” What I couldn’t say was that wolves were always warm. I still did not follow how this was evidence that he likes me.

“Girl, you might just be too hopeless. If only I weren’t married, I’d jump on that faster than a moving train,” Amy said, rolling her eyes at me. She turned to go back into the kitchen to get the rest of the food.

I went over to the cabinets to pull out the dinner plates. I may not hate Liam, but I would not say that I like him. I still need his help, so I need to be around him. I had no plans on falling in love with him. As soon as we fixed all this messed up mate bond stuff, he was going to go back to the pack and leave me here. Just like three years ago, he’d walk away and not look back.

For some reason, this thought made my heart ache a little.

Liam

I listened as Azalea and her chef friend talked out in the dining room. Thank Goddess for wolf hearing.

“It looks like my little Lea has a crush on Tall, Hot and Gorgeous. It looks like Tall, Hot and Gorgeous has eyes for my little Lea,” Amy said to Azalea. Tall, Hot and Gorgeous? I guess I haven’t exactly hidden my attraction to Azalea. I didn’t know anyone was paying enough attention to her to notice, though.

“I don’t crush anyone!” Azalea snapped back at her.

“It’s ‘have a crush’ or ‘crushing on’ for starters. Man, how did you ever live this long? Also, you totally do. I can tell just by the way you look at him or try not to look at him,” Azalea told her. My heart began to race a little. I couldn’t read Azalea; I couldn’t tell if I affected her or not.

“Okay, I have no idea what you’re talking about now.”

“Lea, you like him. You want to spend time with him. You want him to notice you. And girl, he’s noticing,” Amy told her. Could it be true? Do I actually have a chance to fix things with my mate? Would she accept me? My uncle seemed very worried about her wolf. I don’t care if she has a wolf or not; I just want a chance to have her by my side.

“Ames, he doesn’t like me, and I promise you, I can’t like him.” Oh, how wrong you are, kitten.

“Lea, I really think your innocence is sweet. But I am telling you, honey, that man is a walking inferno, and his eyes go straight to you whenever you are near him,” Amy tells her. She isn’t wrong. When I am near her, there is nothing else that I can focus on. I could spend every minute watching that beautiful creature and still not have enough time. Goddess, how do mates actually function in everyday life?

“Inferno? He is not on fire! What do you even mean?” Azalea replied, her voice getting a little squeakier.

I could hear Amy sigh, almost defeated with Azalea. “Lea, when he gets close to you, how do you feel? Do you get warm, maybe your cheeks flush a bit?” My heart began to race. I leaned closer to the door to make sure I didn’t miss anything.

“I mean, he has an abnormal amount of body heat, so yes, I get warm when he stands close to me.” My excitement dropped a little. I am a wolf, and we are warm. But was she just saying this because Amy is a human? What if Azalea really couldn’t feel the bond? Could I make her fall in love with me like humans do? Would she just resist me even if I tried? I could try everything in my power, but if she couldn’t be persuaded to give me a chance, it would be hopeless.

I was broken from my thoughts as the kitchen door swung open. Amy came in, stopping as she saw me. “Uh, hi. I don’t think we’ve met yet; I am Liam. I am Azalea’s, uh, friend,” I said nervously.

“I know who you are,” Amy said with an odd look on her face.

“Oh well. It’s nice to meet you,” I said, now feeling a little awkward. “I am just gonna go find Azalea.”

“Wait,” she said forcefully. “Look, Lea is, well, she is naive. She is good. She doesn’t have much, and I don’t really think she grew up the best, even if she really won’t tell any of us. Despite all that, she has a big heart and doesn’t need someone coming in here messing with that,” She paused, looking me up and down. “She has never talked about her childhood. Never once mentioned any friends or family. But here you are. Someone she ‘grew up with.’ Just what do you want from her?” she asked in a harsh tone.

I eyed her for a moment. So, the gossipy cook was a little more intuitive than I took her for. I sighed. “I have no ill intent towards Azalea. I just want her to be happy. She asked for my help with something, and that’s all I want to do. I would be lying if I said I didn’t like her. And I wouldn’t insult your intelligence like that. But if Azalea doesn’t want me around, then she’ll have to tell me that herself. Until then, I will be whatever she wants and needs me to be for her,” I tell her.

She eyes me up and down for a moment.

“I am not a cliche type of person, but you hurt her, and you will regret it.” She turned and went to the counter, picking up trays of beef and chicken. She turned back around, walking towards the dining room again. She paused, looking at me once more.

“Look, she’s so naive it hurts. She’s got no idea that she has feelings for you and probably can’t even begin to sort out those feelings. Just take it slow with her. Let her be in control. I get the feeling she never had choices before she showed up here. The old man says she was basically dropped at his doorstep with almost nothing. Whoever left her didn’t even let her finish high school.” She left after that, going out to the dining room.

I never thought about the fact that I convinced my parents to get rid of her before graduation. I was so focused on getting her out of the pack I forgot all about graduation. She probably never got the chance to graduate. Plus, she was barely going to be 17 at the time. Finding a job must have been nearly impossible. The old man probably just took pity on her; I am such a d**k.

I walk out of the kitchen doors to the dining room. I scan the room and find her; she is greeting guests at their tables. I can’t help but watch her. Her smile is absolutely radiant. I want to make her smile.

She looked up, catching sight of me. She smiled, walking towards me.

“Hi. We have a table over in the back. We can grab a plate and go sit if you like,” she said.

“Sounds delightful as long as I am with you,” I smiled at her. She blushed slightly. She turned around and walked towards the buffet table; I followed behind her. We made our plates, and she led us over to a table towards the back of the dining room. We seemed to be away from the other Inn guests.

We sat down and began eating in awkward silence. Gavin decided now was the best time to badger me.

“Talk to her, i***t. Tell her what your uncle said. Tell her she’s still our mate!” he demanded.

“No, I can’t. She could reject us or just run away. I need to play this slow,” I shot back at him.

“You are the dumbest wolf I have ever met. Just claim her. Maybe if we actually mate, her wolf will come out!”

He had an interesting idea, but I would never force her to mate with me simply to test his theory, no matter how much my body yearned for her. “Hey, you’re the wolf here. And I will not force her to mate with us!”

“The more time we spend with her and don’t mark her or mate with her, the more likely you will be to lose control. I can’t promise our instinct won’t win out eventually.”

“I will never hurt her. I will never let it happen.” I told him. “I don’t need to tell you how much of an a*s I have been. She will never be hurt by me again.”

“Okay, well, if you’re not gonna talk to her, then let me have control!” he said excitedly.

“So that’s what you want. No can do. You are a horny wolf, and I do not trust you with her,” I denied him.

“We’re an Alpha! Of course, we are horny. It is not just me! You are just wasting our mate time!” he complained to me.

“You are not getting control! Now drop it!” I replied angrily. I was so caught up in my argument with Gavin that I had not realized that Azalea was staring at me with curiosity on her face.

“Oh, sorry. Was talking with my wolf for a minute,” I told her quietly. Her eyes grew a little wide. “Don’t worry; I would never let him out here.”

She nodded. I really wish I knew what was going on in her head. After a moment, she asked, “Do you speak to him often?”

“Yea, all the time,” I answered, a little confused.

“Oh. That must be nice. You must never get lonely with your wolf to talk to,” she said while picking at her food.

“Sometimes, it’s more like a yappy dog in my head that won’t stop giving me his opinion,” I said. Her face looked a little sad. “Do you get lonely, Azalea?” I asked.

She didn’t respond right away. She looked like she was thinking about something. “Maybe a little, but it’s okay. I just find something to do or a book to read. I am used to keeping to myself. I don’t bother anyone this way,” she said.

Azalea

We sat down with our food. I chose a table in the back, so we were less likely to be overheard. I didn’t want any wolf stuff to be brought up around all the humans. I also did not want the inquisitive ears of particular chefs to try to listen to our conversation.

We began eating, and I had no idea what to say to him. I didn’t expect him to stay after his uncle left. I looked over at him. He did not seem to notice me watching him. It looked as if he was having an argument in his head, and I wasn’t sure who the winner was. After a few minutes, he seemed to notice me staring at him.

“Oh, sorry. Was talking with my wolf for a minute,” he said. Oh, I interrupted him. It was probably something important too. I am sure he has all kinds of critical business he needs to attend to, but instead, I am taking up all his time and wasting it with stupid chores like cleaning the gutters.

“Don’t worry, I would never let him out here,” he said. Well, I sure hope he wouldn’t shift in the middle of the Inn’s dining room. I just nodded at him, not really understanding. I wanted to know what having a wolf was like since I never really got the opportunity to have my wolf. I fought with myself but finally asked, “Do you speak to him often?”

“Yea, all the time,” he answered me with a confused look on his face. I guess he wasn’t expecting me to ask about his wolf.

“Oh. That must be nice. You must never get lonely with your wolf to talk to.” Amy said I was lonely. I pushed my food around my plate. I don’t know about being lonely; I have always been alone. I had no friends at school or in the packhouse. Everyone either ignored me like I didn’t exist or picked on me for their own enjoyment.

“Sometimes it’s more like a yappy dog in my head that won’t stop giving me his opinion,” he said. I mean, having someone in your head that was only yours would be kind of special. A built-in friend that couldn’t leave. I guess it could be annoying sometimes, but I bet it was also comforting. I could never admit it to Amy, but sometimes I wished I had friends to spend time with. She was my friend, and there was always Abi, but we were both so busy with the Inn. We didn’t have a big enough budget to get her a proper assistant, and I was taking more on because of the old man. But sometimes, I wondered if we were friends out of convenience more than anything.

“Do you get lonely, Azalea?” he asked me. Why does he ask me this stuff? He’s going to leave again soon, and I won’t be his problem anymore. Thinking about him leaving me alone again actually made me sad.

“Maybe a little, but it’s okay. I just find something to do or a book to read. I am used to keeping to myself. I don’t bother anyone this way,” I said, knowing full well I couldn’t tell him the truth. I played with the food on my plate a little bit more before looking out for him. He had a somber look on his face, but I didn’t know why.

“Azalea, I think we need to talk a bit more. There’s some things that I think I should tell you even though my uncle asked me to wait,” he said, looking around. “But we should probably do this somewhere a little bit more private.”

I nod my head. “Why don’t we go back to my apartment?”

“That will be great,” he said. I got up, grabbing my plate to head to the kitchen to wash it. He followed me, giving me an odd look.

“That’s all you’re going to eat?” he asked.

Before I could respond, I heard, “Howdy there, Miss Lea!” coming from John, who was walking back from the serving table.

“Oh, Hi John,” I said. “How are you today?”

“A lot better now that I am talking to you,” he said. “What are you up to today?”

“Oh, you know a little of this and that,” I told him. I hear Liam clear his throat behind me. “Oh right, well, I better get going. Please enjoy your dinner.”

“Well, it doesn’t look like you finished yours. Wouldn’t you want to join me?” He asked with a grin on his face.

Liam had decided he had enough of whatever this exchange was. He wrapped his arm around my waist again and said, “I’m sorry, but she has plans. We’ll need to leave now if we’re going to make it on time.”

I turned to him, looking a little confused. He gave me a look like I shouldn’t argue with him. He began to pull me away, so I turned and waved to John. Liam grabbed my plate for me and left them sitting on an open table as we walked out of the dining room. What was getting into him right now?