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“Jack?” she pressed.
“Love, do you think it’s a good idea to be talking so much?” He hissed out a breath, disappointed by his own words. He noticed the slight droop of Nora’s shoulders. He had hurt her only because he didn’t want to hurt her. Talk about a catch-22. With a heavy sigh, he slowed their pace. “Nora, I don’t like talking about my family.”
“I didn’t mean to pry,” she said, her tone unreadable save for the twinge of disappointment.
“You’re not prying. You’re trying to get to know me, and if I were being honest, I owe you the same. I’ve met your sister, and I’ve asked to meet your family. It’s only fair that you should be curious about mine.”
She nodded, clearly feeling understood.
“The thing is … my family didn’t hurt me with words only. There was betrayal and some violence.”
Nora gasped and tightened her grip on his hand. “Oh, Jack, no! I am so sorry. I had no clue you had been through so much.”
His heart gave a great big lurch. “It’s okay,” he assured her.
“That’s a lie,” she responded fiercely. “It is not okay for your family to hurt you.”
He was emboldened by the loyalty he saw burning in her eyes. “I know, but I didn’t pick them.”
“True. Very true.”
He was pickingher, though.
As a shifter, Jack knew all about fated mates. In truth, he was surprised his lion wasn’t roaring up a storm that Nora was his mate. There would be no one else in the world that would get Jack the way Nora got him.
But, for fate’s own strange reason, his lion hadn’t recognized Nora as his mate.
He didn’t care.
He waschoosingher as his mate because he hadn’t been given many choices in his life, and choosing Nora felt like the most important thing he could do.
That’s why he decided to tell her.
“My family aren’t good people, Nora. You’ll never meet them, and not because I have anything to hide or because I would ever feel ashamed to have you by my side. You won’t meet them because I want to protect you. Keep you safe from their bullshit.”
Even in the falling and thickening darkness, Jack could see the fear in her eyes. “What? What are you talking about?”
Jack sighed. “My father was the leader of a gang. Not the kind that sings and snaps their fingers in the streets to resolve their issues. This is a bit more serious. They’re involved in all kinds of illegal things. Bad things.”
“Dangerous and unsafe,” Nora added, catching on.
He nodded. “Exactly. From the moment I was born, the eldest son of the family, it was just expected that I would take over my father’s role when he retired or died. Given the way he led his life, I wasn’t surprised when he was killed, but even by that time, my father knew I would be a poor replacement for him. A few weeks before his death, he named my sister Sage as his successor.”
Nora frowned. “I’m sorry.”
“Oh, no, don’t be. By that time, I already had a career all of my own. I had my own life, and I didn’t want anything to do with their bullshit games. I don’t have any interest in selling drugs or hurting people.”
“Shit. You’re not joking.”
Jack rubbed his free hand across his mouth. “No, I am not joking. It was bad. The life they led was honestly terrible. I always preferred being by myself in the woods or …” he took a deep breath, “writing.”
Nora’s feet stumbled on a tree limb, and he had to reach out and steady her, keeping her body close to his. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“You write?” her voice was barely above a whisper.
Jack wanted to respond, but all he could do was move his head up and down.
“You’re RJ Phillips,” she guessed with a rough tone. “You’re RJ Phillips,” she repeated.
