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Ghosts danced behind his eyes. They’d never leave him. I had not meant to lay on more guilt.
“None of us knew better back then,” I said. “We were all just doing what we thought was right. Doing what we were told. It didn’t help that Dad was so vicious when he talked about them. He never mentioned shifters, witches, or anything paranormal when we were growing up, but the moment Mom died, it was like something was unleashed within him. I mean, fuck, Kyle, he talked about shifters as if they were literal demons that would brutally maim and kill humans if we didn’t exterminate them.
“The hunters were the good guys, battling the evils of hell and returning them to where they belonged,” I continued. “That was what we were fed for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. No wonder we’re as confused and lost as we are right now. It was beyond fucked up. So, no, don’t do that to yourself. I don’t blame you for not knowing better because I didn’t, either, and I am sick of punishing myself for every crime I didn’t know I was committing.” I had run out of breath, shocking myself with how easily the speech had rolled off my tongue.
Kyle stared at me for a second, then pulled me in for a hug.
I calmed down enough to say, “Please don’t carry any more of that with you. Try to release it. I know it’s not easy. I struggle, too, but I’m trying, so I want you to do the same. I don’t expect you to suddenly become best friends with my wolf or anything, but let go of the guilt you’re living with. I can’t take that.”
“Okay, lil sis, you’re right,” Kyle said. “I’ll work on it. Dad fucked us up good. I’ll try to remember that it’s his fault, not mine.”
I snorted into Kyle’s shoulder. Leave it to my brother to sum up everything I’d blathered in one statement. Stepping out of hishold, I punched his arm, and he clutched it, pretending I hurt him.
“Whatever,” I said. “Get back to work.”
Working together in comfortable silence, we continued clearing out the training area.
After about half an hour, Kyle glanced around to make sure everything was as it should be. “That’s about it. I’ll hit up Clawson or Ridge to see if they have any training equipment lying around. If not, maybe we can get some necessities ordered. For now, though, this will work. I can at least show some defensive and offensive maneuvers and get the shifters practicing.”
“Looks good.” I brushed my hands off, and we headed toward town. When we got close, I shoved Kyle. “I’m going to go help Margo and Diana with anything they might need at the bed and breakfast. It’s overbooked.”
He shoved me back. “I’ll go look for equipment.”
When he turned the corner and walked out of sight, I started up the path to the bed and breakfast. A taller man, matching Ridge’s height of six foot two—maybe an inch shorter—stopped right in front of me as I walked along the sidewalk. He may have been as tall as Ridge, but with his lack of muscle definition, he was scrawny in comparison. He made a point of making eye contact with me, and the malevolence lurking in his coffee-brown eyes made me hesitate. With his receding hairline and thin brown hair, his forehead appeared larger than the rest of his face. His appearance, which might have been appealing to some, held nothing for me. The sense of entitlement he exuded reminded me of the Greenthornes. There was something about him I found entirely repulsive.
“Well, well, well, who do we have here?” he drawled. “I’m Brett Longtail,alphaof the Ontario Pack.” He lifted his hand fora shake, and I winced as he elongated the word “alpha” as if it was supposed to impress me.
When I didn’t shake his hand, he grinned wider at me and dropped it to his side. A shiver of disdain curled my lip as I looked at Ridge’s archnemesis. I wanted to gag as he ogled my body. Brett wasn’t an ugly man. In fact, he could’ve been quite attractive if he hadn’t been so creepy.
“You’re Tori, right?” Clearly, knowing I was Ridge’s fiancée—Ridge’s mate, in the shifter world—still didn’t stop Brett from flirting excessively. He was making it abundantly clear that he intended to win me away from Ridge. “You have got to be one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen. I am dying to see your wolf.”
He winked at me, and all I wanted to do was slug him. Or vomit. Or slug him as I vomited.
I tried to move around him while ignoring him, which did absolutely nothing to dissuade him.
“Now, since I’m new here, I’d love it if you showed me around,” he said, following me. “Have drinks or dinner. I’d love to show you a good time. What do you say?” His grin was lecherous and did nothing to tamp down my gag reflex as I glared at him.
I lowered my voice and threw my arms out, spinning in a slow circle. “There you go. I showed you the town. It’s a little difficult to get lost here. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
The alpha laughed and touched my arm. I made a fist, but I didn’t want to cause further problems for Ridge, so I stepped back and crossed my arms, hoping he’d get the picture that I didn’t want anything to do with him.
“You’re right,” Brett said. “This town is too small. How about I call for my private plane and take you out to dinner in New York or Paris? I have penthouses all over the world. Pick your favorite. We can be in the air in an hour.” He went on and onabout his money and bragged about everything under the sun, grating on my nerves like nails on a chalkboard. All I wanted was for him to stop talking and go away.
This imbecile was the polar opposite of Ridge, and now I understood why this alpha got under his skin so much. If Ridge had been dealing with this piece of work since childhood, it amazed me that teenage Ridge hadn’t killed him and covered up the crime. Brett was so irritating that I was tempted to hurt him, even though I had just met him.
“No,” I said firmly, and tried to walk around him again.
“Oh, come on, Tori, don’t be like that,” Brett implored. “Why won’t you give me a chance? I only want to show you what you’re missing by staying in this little town.”
Scoffing, I glared at the tedious man. He had the gall to turn up his nose at the very town he had escaped to because he, like all the others, was running from the hunters. Was he that stupid? How could he possibly be an alpha?
“Would you just leave me alone?” I snapped, trying to brush him off as I made it a little farther along the path to the bed and breakfast, but he kept up with me.
“I’m sure I can make you smile if you give me the time to find the right joke.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake.I stopped in my tracks and turned to face him, sneering in disgust. “Listen, Longtail. I don’t know what you’re trying to prove here, but let me make it crystal-clear for you: I’m not interested in you. I’m not some prize to be won. I would never,ever, under any circumstances, choose you over Ridge. He’s far superior to you. So please, ever so kindly, fuck off.”
Brett stared at me, speechless for a moment. Then, to my surprise, he laughed. “So this is why Ridge likes you. You’re not just a pretty little wolf. You’ve got a sharp tongue on you.Well, consider me officially intrigued.” The alpha wiggled his eyebrows at me and licked his lips.
