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“I guess I should have known right then when my cougar didn’t feel the need to claim her.” He ran a hand over his face, and the devastation on his face broke her heart.
She could kill Mina for the pain she caused in Ford and now in Luke. He looked around the bar, but his gaze was emotionless.
“It’s strange to see all these people going on with their lives as if they don’t have a care in the world, but here I am heartbroken, knowing I have no future with her.”
“But isn’t it best that way?” Talia didn’t want to rub salt in the wound, but he had to know he was better off without her.
“Yeah, it is, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt like hell.” He stared at her and chuckled humorlessly again. “Here I am, with everything I could possibly want, and yet I can’t have the one thing I ache for.” He didn’t need to say “a mate” for her to know what he meant. “The wedding’s off, if you haven’t already figured that out.” He finished off his beer and snagged the waitress’s attention as she passed by. “It wasn’t just what you heard today that made everything come to light though. I have always had this feeling that being with her wasn’t the right thing to do, but I was a fool to be ignorant of the way she treated me and others.” He lowered his gaze so he was looking at the table. “I should have broken it off with her a long time ago.”
He smiled, even though he didn’t look up at her.
“I’ll tell you what. There are going to be a lot of pissed-off people when they find out the wedding is off.”
Talia’s heart broke even more for her brother, because although he tried to act strong, there wasn’t an emotion that could be hidden from her. Instead of saying anything more about that, she got up and gave him a hug. They might be adults, but even her big brother needed a hug every once in a while.
They sat there for a while longer, and Luke continued to drink with no end in sight. Her back was to the front doors, so she couldn’t see him enter, but instantly she sensed Ford. He smelled crisp and clean with a hint of citrus and wilderness mixed together.
“I don’t need to tell you your bear just arrived.” Right after Luke spoke, he finished off his beer and stood. Talia’s heart raced as she thought Luke might start trouble, so she quickly turned around and headed toward Ford but was surprised to see him already beside her.
Talia meant to place herself between the male she had grown to care about so strongly and her older brother, but apparently Ford wasn’t having any of that, since he took hold of her waist and moved her behind him.
His wide, muscular back took up her entire view, and she tried to move around him, but it was no use. He reached around and stilled her actions with a firm yet gentle hand to her hip.
“Calm down, Talia. I’m not about to get into a brawl with your mate,” Luke said with a slur in his words.
Ford tensed, but she didn’t scent any discomfort over the situation from him. She also didn’t sense any anger. There was only the deep-rooted need to protect her, and Talia would be lying if she said she didn’t melt at that very idea.
“I just want to tell him that you are very special to me, and if he hurts you in any way, I’ll make sure to hunt him down and break every one of his bones.”
Ford was still tense in front of her, and for a moment, she thought things would get violent. In just the short amount of time she had been in his presence, Talia knew Ford Wylde was not a shifter to mess with, but then again, Luke Landon was also powerful in his own right.
Looking around Ford’s massive bicep, she could see the two males staring each other down. It was so tense between them, but then again, a glance around the bar showed no one paid them much attention.
“Yeah, I understand, but know this.” Ford curled his fingers just slightly on her hip. “I will protect your sister until my last breath. She isn’t just my mate; she is my everything.” Nothing more was said, but she saw the subtle nod each male gave the other and let out the breath she was holding. “Now, maybe I could join you two for a beer?”
Luke nodded again, turned, and gestured for three beers before turning back toward them. “I’m Luke, by the way. We didn’t really get proper introductions the last time we met.”
“True.” They shook hands in the quick way men usually did, and just like that, there was no more tension. Maybe it was because Luke was drunk, but his easy acceptance of her relationship with Ford shocked her. That wasn’t to say she wasn’t pleased beyond belief. They spent the next hour drinking, talking, and actually laughing. To see her brother smile, despite what he was going through, had Talia feeling so much better.
