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Of course, he always expected me to handle his siblings, even though I’d rather be the one who fought and led the pack than deal with the mess that was the King siblings. I was an only child. I was ill-equipped for all their drama.
“He’s been wolfed out since he got back, except for when he and Karissa staged their protest. He didn’t like your run at revenge, and he doesn’t like having Amelia here.”
“Yeah, well, neither do I.” He was still staring at the door she’d shut behind her with an expression I couldn’t quite read.
“Do you think that’s really Brennan’s son?” Dylan certainly looked like the King boys had when we were kids.
“I don’t know. Maybe she’s lying.” He went silent for a few long seconds. “Either way, he complicates things. Even if she was involved, I’m not in any rush to make the kid an orphan.”
“You think maybe she didn’t betray Brennan?”
Stone gave me a cold look. “You’re starting to get as chatty as Shaw.”
I looked away, my jaw hardening. So, he didn’t want to talk.
“Get some rest,” he said finally.
I nodded, glad to be dismissed, and started to walk away.
“Cole,” he called before I could go far. “We never found Nathan’s body.”
We’d covered that in the briefing, but it was obviously weighing on his mind. A chill ran down my spine. “That fall shouldn’t have been survivable.”
“Shouldn’t have been,” he agreed. “But still.”
“We’re ready for a counterattack,” I promised. “I’ll be checking on the extra patrols myself. So will Teresa. She already went to work.”
“Let Teresa take the patrols,” he said. “Stay close to Amelia.”
“You think she’s in danger?”
“She’s in danger. Orshe’sthe danger,” he said. “We’ll find out.”
Those three words sounded like a bleak promise.
My loyalty was to Stone.
Which meant I had to avoid Amelia and the feelings she stirred for me.
CHAPTER20
Amelia
While Dylanand I were out of the room at dinner, someone else had slipped in. At first, I found it chilling to discover two Target bags full of supplies on the bathroom counter and the basket of snacks on top of a newly set up mini fridge in the walk-in closet. This had felt like a safer place and it was terrifying to have it invaded.
I crouched down and opened the fridge to find bottled Starbucks drinks, water, juice and milk in single-serve containers. The basket above contained granola bars, chips, and cookies. It took me a second to realize someone had wanted to make sure that I wouldn’t go hungry, and I wouldn’t have to ask for anything. I almost tripped over the box next to the fridge, then realized it was full of old picture books.
I dug into the Target bags. They contained toothbrushes, toothpaste, socks, underwear, and a wide variety of personal hygiene items. They also contained bubble bath for Dylan, which was a sweet touch.
Hot tears stung the back of my eyes, surprising me. I hadn’t cried in so long, and at times I’d longed for the release of crying. But the next second I’d blinked, and the tears didn’t come, and then I wondered why I’d even come so close to crying over toothbrushes.
But it wasn’t really about the toothbrushes. Those people were my captors. Stone despised me, and I was sure much of his pack did too. And yet . . . they were kinder to me than anyone in my own pack.
Their kindness was for Dylan’s sake, I reminded myself fiercely. And it was for Dylan’s sake that I had to get away from them and start a new life, far away from any of these insane packs. Brennan and I had dreamed of escaping to neutral territory and living a quiet life.
For the past four years, I hadn’t dared to unpack that dream, knowing how easily it could lead to a pair of graves in the woods. But maybe… maybe I’d have a chance to escape everything now, to live Brenann’s dream for us, to hear Dylan’s laughter fill a peaceful house that was justours.
I brushed Dylan’s teeth and changed his clothes, into a Care Bears T-shirt and a pair of striped shorts. I always read to him at night, so I was glad to have the books someone had gifted us. As I carried a pile of dusty books toward him, he climbed into the middle of the bed. It was a king, and it dwarfed him, making him look small.
