Lowlander Silverback (Gray Back Bears #5)(18)

Kong.

“Kong!” Rhett yelled from the loading area outside.

His eye twitched, and his lip lifted in an uncontrolled snarl. He had work to do, though. This sawmill didn’t run on dreams and wishes. It ran on blood, sweat, and hard work. He shoved off the desk, grabbed his clipboard, and strode out into the sunlight. The sound of the saw was a constant here, and Kirk was just warming it up now. They had big orders to fill, and a whole heap of beetle-infested lumber to treat. This was one of the only sawmills that tackled the monumental task. It was hard to do, but their ability to treat the ruined lumber and make it viable had put Kong’s sawmill on the map.

He strode past the big saw where Kirk was loading up logs to feed into it. Past the stacks of uneven junk pieces locals liked to purchase for refurbished wood pieces. Past the two-by-fours and the four-by-fours and the logs for cabins. This place was chaos at any given time, but he loved it. Here, he knew where everything was. Every piece of lumber. The numbers were constantly changing as he got in new loads from the lumberjacks up in Damon’s mountains and shipped them out to buyers, but he was good at keeping track—both in the books and in his head.

His phone chirped, and he pulled it from his back pocket. He didn’t recognize the number. Probably a buyer. “Hello?”

“I just got off the phone with Rhett,” Fiona purred through the line.

Kong’s boiling blood cooled to frigid in an instant, and he locked his legs, skidding to a stop on the dirt.

“I’m disappointed in you, Kong. You’ve done well to stay away from females all this time, and you’ve lost it right at the end.”

“The end?”

“It’s time. Your females have synced up their cycles and will be in heat again in the next couple of weeks.”

“I can’t do this.”

“You can, and you will, because it is your duty. You signed the contract—”

“You made me sign it—”

“You paid in blood for denying the gift I’ve given you! Have you forgotten that, Kong? You fought your destiny, and it almost killed you and your mother. Don’t force my hand again. Your life in Saratoga is through. Make the proper arrangements. You have a week to get back to Oregon and take your place as the Lowlander Silverback. And Kong?”

“What?” he gritted out as his world spun on its axis.

“You will be punished for your time with her.” The phone clicked and went silent.

The roaring in his ears was deafening. Not because of the punishment that was coming, but for the empty life he’d just been called upon to lead.

Rhett stood leaned against a table with the corners of his mouth turned up in a satisfied smile. Kong forced his gaze away from him to stifle the urge to yank his lungs out through his chest cavity.

The next three hours passed in a blur. His mind was taken with a roiling storm of emotions. Regret that he’d gone into that office and witnessed Layla’s vulnerable moment. Loss that he would never touch her, talk to her, or comfort her again. Desperation to hurry up and accept his lot in life so this wouldn’t hurt so badly. He wished he could rip himself away from Saratoga now instead of suffering through the next week. He had to try and sell the sawmill and his cabin, though, and he wanted to say goodbye to the crews who had been such a huge part of his life here.

Kong nodded a greeting as an eighteen wheeler pulled through the open gates toting a towering pile of stripped lumber. Beaston was driving with his mate, Aviana, riding shotgun. Despite his misery, Kong smiled. It was good to see them again.

“How was the Grand Canyon?” he asked as he tossed the last two-by-four into a pile ready to pick up.

“Good.” Beaston canted his head as he approached, his bright green eyes trained on Kong’s face. “Why do you look broken?”

“Easton,” Aviana said softly, holding his hand. “You shouldn’t say that about people.”

“No, it’s okay,” Kong said, shaking his head. He led them to a shaded area under one of the giant saws. It was a half built roof with beams exposed. Just enough of a shelter to keep the elements at bay while they worked to shape the lumber.

Rhett tossed him a hate-filled glance as he and Kirk began unloading the logs from the back of the big rig, but Kong didn’t care. He only had to deal with the * one more week. That was the only plus to uprooting his life here. He wouldn’t need guards anymore when he was servicing the females like he was supposed to. He would be the right proper cowed silverback then. Beaston was right to call him broken.

“Can I ask a favor while you are in town?” Kong asked.

“Yes, anything,” Aviana said.

Kong handed her Layla’s keys and murmured, “There is a green Civic parked by the old fight barn near the gulch. Can you make sure it gets to the beige duplexes off of Rind?”

“Of course,” she murmured, pocketing the jingly keychain.

He sat on a crude bench as Beaston sat beside him, Aviana on her mate’s other side.

“What’s wrong?” Beaston asked in a hard tone.

Kong puffed air out of his cheeks as he watched his guards unload the truck a log at a time. “I just got called back home. I’ll be head of a family group come next week.”

“Congratulations,” Aviana said in a sweet voice, though confusion swam in her eyes. She twitched her black hair and blinked slow, and he smiled at how raven-like she was, even in her human skin.