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“I don’t think I should be called pup,” I said, hating how shaky my voice was. “I’m technically an adult now.”
The shaman snorted, telling me exactly what he thought of that. “Enough whining. Tell me your story and leave nothing out.”
I wanted to do as I was told. But still, there were some things I didn’t share. Surely, a wolf was allowed some secrets. I knew I was holding back more than I should, but I was beginning to doubt I should have told Kris as much as I did.
The shaman had finally stopped asking me questions and had shared his dinner with me when Kris returned, Bale in tow. I then went through my third interrogation. Kris said nothing when I didn’t mention that Cannon had shot me with silver, but I could tell it was a fact he had left out too.
It was almost, finally, at an end when the door burst open. Landon came to a sudden halt so soon after barging in, it was jarring. He was out of breath, his eyes darting around the room, taking us all in before he slowly walked toward me.
I stood, frozen, unsure what to do, looking at my brother for assistance, but he was staring at his feet. Kris had told me, but I didn’t believe it. I still didn’t believe it. It was obvious that Landon did believe I was his mate if the way he was looking at me was anything to go by.
“Kezia,” he murmured when he reached me, and I let out a squawk of surprise as he embraced me tightly.
Panicked, I looked at my brother again, who still had his eyes averted. I guess he didn’t want to see public displays of affection when it involved his sister. I’d remind him of that later. The shaman was calmly sipping his tea, but when I met Bale’s glare, if Landon hadn’t been wrapped around me like a vine, I would have stepped back at the open animosity I saw reflected in the pack leader’s eyes.
Landon broke his father’s glare when he drew back and looked down at me. His face was suddenly all I could see.
“Kezia, I…I can’t believe it.”
I opened my mouth to make a joke, but Landon kissed me, taking me by surprise. When his tongue pushed past my lips into my mouth and I heard his obvious moan, I floundered as I tried to figure out how to make this stop. His mouth moved over mine as he licked at my tongue. Would punching him send the wrong message?
My stomach felt uneasy as my whole body wanted to recoil away from him. I may be inexperienced, and I may not know much about mates, but I was pretty sure my first thought when my mate kissed me was not supposed to be yuck.
Something was terribly wrong with me. I knew it. I hoped my face didn’t show it because when Landon finally stopped slobbering on me, all I could think was that Cannon was going to be severely pissed off that I let another man kiss me.
I knew with absolute certainty, as Landon started talking excitedly about how glad he was his mate had returned, that I was not his mate, and from the look on his father’s face, so did he.
I’d been “home” for three days, and it felt like I had never left. Not in a good way, either. My wolf was restless within me, and I knew why. Bale had said little to me at our reunion. When he had tried to tell me I was welcomed back, but I would live as before—with my wolf contained—my brother had stepped in before I could tell Pack Leader Bale exactly what I thought of his idea.
Thankfully, my brother, the diplomat, was on my side. The fact I had been living unbound and in my human form for months with no alpha or issues—the killing of three men aside—proved that I was in control.
Bale had watched me for a long moment before his son pressed me to his side and announced his mate would run free with him. He then kissed me again.
Ick.
At our cottage, I had looked at my brother in panic when Landon lingered on the path, obviously waiting for everyone to leave us alone. Again, my brother saved me, suggesting how overwhelmed I was and how I would appreciate a night to reacquaint myself.
Kris then sacrificed his happiness when he opted to stay with me, sending the firm big-brother signal to my supposed mate that sneaking back wasn’t going to happen either. Far too many times that day, my brother had reminded me how much I’d missed him.
Unfortunately, Cass had not been put off by Kris’s warning, and I woke in the middle of the night to sounds no sister should hear from her brother’s bedroom. Slipping out of the house, I let my wolf run in the meadow, and we fell asleep under the stars.
Landon had a supply run to go on with Grant, the other beta, and his father refused to listen to his plea to stay back with me. I didn’t think Bale realized how grateful I was for the reprieve, however unintentional it was that he gave it to me.
The rest of the pack was the same as they always were—some hostile, some indifferent, and fewer than that were happy to see me. I found it easier in the cottage. Or I ran freely, staying close to packlands, just in case.
Several times, I caught myself staring west, focused on the mountain that housed Cannon and the Blackridge Peak Pack. The argument I had with myself that it was because he scared me would fool no one, least of all me.
I was in the kitchen making a seeded loaf when the door opened, and Kris walked in. He looked furious, and I racked my brain to think what I’d done this time.
“Look at this.” He slammed a cell phone onto the countertop.
Wiping my hands on a towel, I picked up the phone and read the screen. Three days ago, a message was sent from my brother.
Beta Kris: She is found and in good hands, with me and her pack.
Two days ago, he got a reply.
Alpha Cannon: Kezia told me she has no pack. I am coming for her.
