My back stiffens at his comment, and Goldie watches me as if she needs to know the answer. “Are you jealous of him?”
“No,” I say, my voice curt. We arrive at her room, and I gently let her down from my arms. “There are toiletries stocked in your ensuite and plenty of clothing to choose from. If you need anything else, let me know.”
Her lips part slightly at my formal tone, but I turn away before I can see the hurt in her eyes. I don’t need to see it; I can smell the change in her scent. But how can I behave otherwise? She chose Kieran, and I won’t do anything to hurt him, either.
Adrian frowns at me but says nothing when I stomp back down the stairs. I pass Kieran’s office, pausing when he looks up from his computer, still shirtless and reeking of sex.
Kieran arches a brow at me. “Why do you look like someone just shat in your porridge?”
A growl rumbles up my chest. “I’m going out to hunt. Adrian is with her. He… almost lost control earlier, but he’s better now.”
Kieran’s eyes shift down, and he folds his arms over his chest. “I hate that he is still so affected by Sylvie’s death. I wish we could at least find out who did it.”
“We will.” My words sound more convincing than I feel. It’s been two years since her death, and we are no closer to discovering who murdered her. Kieran worries Adrian will never be the same if we don’t, and I share the same fear.
“I think Goldie might be able to help him,” Kieran says, returning to his work.
“How so?” I ask, curious even if I don’t want to be. Every moment I spend thinking about her will only make it harder when she chooses Kieran.
He smiles at me, and there’s a secret hiding behind his honey-colored eyes. “I don’t think she wants to choose, Marcus.” My back straightens at his words, as if he’s beenreading my mind, but I don’t respond. “What if we can all be happy?”
His words sink into my soul, but the logical part of my mind rejects them. It was already strange for three different kinds of bears to coexist the way we do, but to share a mate as well? Unheard of. I want to believe him, but the impossibility of it is just too great.
“It will never work,” I growl in irritation. “You’ve claimed her. She’s yours.”
Before he can say another word, I rush out of the house and into the woods. The beast within me rages, and I undress quickly, shifting on the run. A roar escapes my jaws, and the forest quivers with fear at my arrival.
9
ADRIAN
Goldie stands, unmoving, her eyes downcast, her small human teeth chewing on her bottom lip. I clear my throat, and her gaze connects with mine.
“Why don’t you take a shower first?” I suggest. “You’ve got some, uh… garden on you.”
She giggles and tugs on Kieran’s dirt-streaked shirt, back to what seems to be her default rascally self.
“You’re right. I ruined poor Kieran’s shirt.”
I shake my head slowly. “Yeah. Poor Kieran. He’s devastated, I’m sure.”
With flushed cheeks and a giant grin, Goldie skips into the ensuite, humming a song under her breath. A couple of seconds later, I hear the water turn on. That’s when I look at the shopping bags I brought upstairs.
“Wait, you?—”
But she’s already in the shower. Naked. And she left her change of clothes here.
Groaning, I drop back onto her bed, my head bouncing off the mattress.
Okay, no, big mistake.
I shoot back up into a sitting position. Her mouthwatering scent clings to the sheets and is now filling my nose, driving me to distraction. My claws burst out, and I sigh helplessly.
“On a scale from one to ten, I’m fucked,” I mutter to myself.
I haven’t wanted to be near a woman like this since before we lost Sylvie. And now that I do, I’m torn between being afraid of hurting her and being scared of hurting my brother. However, Kieran doesn’t seem to be too possessive about her time. They clearly just had sex, and yet he handed her to us with a smile on his face. And she didn’t seem to mind that either.
“Oh, cool, you have claws too?” Goldie asks from way too close. Was I so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t hear her shut off the water and approach?
