Unbound (Bound To You sequel)

SIX - Price of Distraction *James*

James felt tense. Like he was on the hunt, needing to be alert like an attack could happen at any minute. Only he was in his office, in Sandleholm manor. Not in Tenebri for a hunt. There was no need for the feeling.

"What do you think?" Tommy asked him. Or Owen. James hadn't been paying attention.

"Um," Owen said, looking as distracted as James felt.

"We wait," James said, having listened with one ear to Tommy summarize what they'd learned from surveilling the nest. "Robin should be back before too soon."

"And Megan too," Tommy said and grinned. But when James glared at him, the smile dropped off quickly. "Just saying."

Clearly, James distracted mood was being noticed by the pack. Tommy had drawn the most obvious conclusion, that Megan was the reason for it.

He feared Tommy was right. Only that thought was as scary as all the things he had to feel around her. No way around it. Either this or that.

When he'd been Marisol's there had been no choice either. Only he had chosen. Chosen Megan. He could have let her go. Maybe. Only he had picked her. He wished he could be sure that was right. True.

It felt right when he was with her, but it also was... he couldn't explain it to even himself. He wondered if it was fear. It had been a long time since he'd felt fear and now it seemed to always be in the back of his mind.

Tonight it was worse because she wasn't there. She wasn't safe and within his protection.

His own fault. Of course.

He'd sent her away. That had felt like the thing to do until she was no longer with him.

The phone rang.

Megan! He felt his wolf's pleasure at the thought, at the fact that they'd get to hear her voice. It wasn't like breathing her ing, tasting, touching her. But it would be something.

Only it wasn't Megan.

It was Robin.

"We're all settled in," his Beta reported. "Got adjacent rooms, some take out."

"When are you expecting to be done there?" James managed to ask. Rather than demand Megan come to the phone. Demand she speak to him, soothe his wolf.

"We're heading to see Dante later," Robin explained and James heard Megan tell Robin there was peanut butter in the minibar. Robin laughed at that.

James felt like crushing the phone in his hand. Clearly, some joke they had shared. Your own fault. You didn't go with her. Your fault.

"Don't take Megan with you to see Dante," he snapped, not able to keep from lashing out.

"So you want me to leave her all alone in the hotel?" Robin asked.

"No!" he growled.

"Regretting staying behind yet?" Robin asked and James could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Just take care of her," he said. It was all he could say.

"I will," his Beta said. "Until you get here. Which I'm betting won't be too long."

"I have a duty to-"

"Talk later," Robin said and hung up on him.

James growled. Robin was taking too many liberties. He'd have to do something about that. That thought was less than pleasant but James was Alpha and Robin was not. And better than thinking about the fact that Megan hadn't been the one to call.

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A/N: I know this is short and I meant to get it (and it was supposed to be longer with stuff that makes the chapter title make sense) up on Friday. But I had the most stressful week ever (two projects due + work event + planning another big event) and I've had these headaches which made me fear I'd get a migraine if I spent too much time in front of a screen. But hope you like this little insight to James' mind, short as it is!