“Oh. Only, it seemed like you wanted my attention?”
“You’re fucking loving this, aren’t you?”
She smiles, and it lights up her entire face. She tilts her head, and her blue eyes sparkle. “Yes.”
Orion laughs. It takes effort not to smile at her, and I just barely hold it in. “I’ve got to head down and speak with Kendrick at the hospital later. Andrea should be by to pick you up soon.”
Mona wrinkles her nose. “Can I hang out with you today? She’s just gonna make me work out some more, and I’m honestly not in the mood.”
The guys barely contain their laughter, but Orion swallows his down when she growls at him. He clears his throat. “Mona, you need to run drills if you want to get stronger.”
“Does that actually work? Exercise? I thought shifters were naturally strong.”
“Normally,” I tell her. “Not omegas, for some reason. Same as their slow healing. It’s just your biology. You’re weaker, and it makes others around you feel a natural inclination to take care of you.”
She gives me a look of disgust, and honestly, I don’t blame her. Biology, in this case, sucks. But I add, “Exercise, weight training, agility… it’s all supplementary, even for an alpha like me. We are naturally strong—you as well, you’re certainly stronger than a human—but we could always be stronger. For you, that means…”
“Lifting tires?”
Orion barks a laugh. Silas, feeling left out of the conversation, wraps his foot around her chair and drags her back to him, away from me. “You can hang with me today, pet. I won’t let Andrea force you to exercise. I have other activities in mind for that, anyway.”
Her perfume pulses out of her, making me and Orion groan. Silas, unapologetic, pulls her in for a kiss. My jealousy is loud again. But, not wanting to pull Mona into a tug-of-war with my brother, I say, “Actually, Mona, why don’t you come along withme to meet with Kendrick? Andrea can meet up with you later. It might be good for you to get to know him.”
Orion’s eyes shoot to me, but I ignore him. Kendrick said he wasn’t ready to tell Mona who he was to her, and while I disagreed, I respect his decision. But she should still get to know the man. And this distance he’s keeping will only piss her off more when she finds out the truth.
To Silas, I add, “Kendrick said Ghost has been scouting, but should be back later today. Why don’t you connect with him, then meet up with Orion and the enforcers. The entire clan is on lockdown, every enforcer in the clan is scouting the woods. You have insight into how the witches work, your advice could be valuable.”
“Could be?”
I grit my teeth. “I don’t know, brother. Do you have anything of value to share?”
Something I’d have said without hesitation in the past. But that last sentence makes his light dim. And, in the past, if I’d spoken without thinking, he’d give it right back. This Silas just nods.
He doesn’t push away from the table dramatically. He doesn’t snark back. He finishes his breakfast. The need to apologize is right there. And I almost do. I should. But then he’s cleaning his plate and kissing Mona goodbye.
He and Orion quietly leave the kitchen.
“That wasn’t nice,” Mona chastises me.
I let out a long sigh. We get up and finish clearing the dishes. On our way out the door, toward the truck, I admit, “I don’t know how to talk to him anymore.”
“You guys weren’t very nice to each other before, I take it.”
I start the truck, and it rumbles to life. “We didn’t hate each other. I’ve always loved Silas. But we didn’t always get along. Especially in the later years, after our parents died. He took theirloss hard. I think he always felt like he could keep being a kid as long as Lune was around. And then, when he was gone, people suddenly looked to him for guidance. He never seemed…”
I don’t know how to finish the sentence. Adequate? That’s not quite right. Because when Silas puts his mind to something, he’s a more creative problem solver than I am. He’s smart and clever, wily. Just… directionless.
“It doesn’t really matter, though, right?”
“What do you mean?” I ask her as we pass the heart, a little further down toward the hospital. Wolves wave enthusiastically. When Mona was gone, a blanket of sadness fell across the clan. First Silas, then Lily, and then our omega. We were all devastated, not just Orion and me. All three are back now, and none of them take that for granted.
“I mean,” she continues, “it’s in the past. His behavior, whatever it was like, everything he says or does now is under scrutiny. You’re judging him based on his past.”
“Of course I am. Your past defines you. It makes you who you are.”
“You think so?”
“Yes.” Without a doubt.
