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The out-of-left-field question had me deflating in front of him as all of my insecurities rushed back. For one, I really freaking hated that Kyle had found out that way because he was damn right—Ishould’ve given him the news. However, I had the fated mate topic planted firmly in my head, and I didn’t want to talk about it. Especially with someone who wasn’t a shifter.
Quickly, I tried to explain the engagement away by briefly recounting the murder of Deputy Hill. “It’s not what you think. I was new in town, and everyone suspected me since I was the first one at the scene. Ridge stuck up for me and wanted to keep me in town so I wouldn’t go feral. He came up with the fake engagement as a sort of character reference, and setting a date was a continuation of that to keep people’s suspicions at bay.” I sighed. “Now, though, it’s taken on a life of its own, and I don’t know what to do about it. I don’t want any blowback on Ridge, who was only trying to protect me, as always.”
As I blubbered my story to Kyle, the tightness in my chest lessened. I’d been holding on to so much for so long, it amazed me how sharing my burdens with my brother made things a little better. I noticed the tension in Kyle’s body also softening as I told my story. It appeared he had only been upset about finding out the news from somebody else. Now that he knew my engagement was fake, he became more understanding.
The thought of my fake engagement and relationship coming to an end made me feel sad. All the easing of burdens felt like they’d piled back on, and I was more confused than ever. And now I’d have to hide it from KyleandRidge.
“Wolf shifters are annoyingly protective of pack members,” Kyle remarked. “But it seems like Ridge was all in right away with you, going to such extreme lengths.”
“That’s just how Ridge is,” I said. “He’s an alpha all about his pack, and he takes his responsibilities seriously. He’s caring, genuine, and, well, just about perfect. Ridgeisperfect.” There was much more to praise about the man, but the words were not right. He was far too wonderful for mere words to describe.
I was pretty much gushing about Ridge now, but didn’t realize it until Kyle made a gagging sound. I elbowed him in the side.
“Forget it. It’s not your business,” I said. “My relationship with Ridge is complicated because of all this fated shifter stuff.”
“Complicated?” Kyle snorted, rolling his eyes. “You’re overthinking this whole thing with the mayor. Either you love the guy, or you don’t. Who cares about what wolves believe about fate or whatever?” The look he gave me was as blunt as his words.
I frowned and crossed my arms defensively. “It’s not that simple, Kyle. You don’t understand what it’s like to be caught up in all of this shifter stuff.”
He ran a hand through his dark hair. “Maybe not. I understand one thing, though, and it’s that connections, romantic or not, can mean everything. Why else do you think I gave up everything for you? To go against everything I’ve ever been trained for?”
The questions hit me hard, and I didn’t know what to say. Kyle gazed at me, his eyes boring into mine to convey the depth of his meaning.
“I gave up everything to be on your side because I know we’ll always have each other’s backs, no matter what,” he continued. “It’s something I couldn’t count on with anyone else these last four years.”
His words hit me like a bolt of lightning, forcing me to reevaluate everything I thought about my brother and our relationship. Despite all the odds stacked against us, despite it feeling like the entire world was against us, we had remained loyal to one another. When I’d run, I’d still had the love I’d always had for him, and he’d still had the protectiveness he’d always had for me. Even if I had not trusted it at the time.
A lump formed in my throat. “I do have your back. I’ve always had your back. Just…don’t hurt Ridge or someone else I care about. These people have changed me. I have too much to be thankful for. If anything happened to my friends who took me in…I wouldn’t stand for it.”
Like he had when we were younger, Kyle pulled on my ponytail. “That’s a given, lil sis. Plus, I don’t have anyone I care about except you, so you can hurt whoever you want.” He smirked and nudged my shoulder.
“Huh,” I said playfully. “You might think differently if I was Audrey’s mortal enemy, which kinda was the case when we first met. But now, according to her, we’re besties.”
He scowled. “Shut up.”
The desire to laugh had me taunting my brother longer, and he took it in stride. When the clearing was cleaned and ready for use again, we walked into town.
“You need to stop worrying so much about what everyone else thinks and start focusing on what truly matters—your connection with Ridge,” Kyle said.
Deep down, I accepted he was right. It was time for me to stop overcomplicating things, but it was hard getting out of my own way. I patted his bicep. “I need to talk to Lola. See you later.”
“Later,” Kyle said with a nod, heading to The Tipsy Tavern.
Lola wasn’t at her office, but I had a hunch she’d be at the hospital because Zander had been kept overnight for observation in case he had another episode.
Sure enough, as I stopped outside Zander’s hospital room, I heard him blatantly flirting with Lola. Snickering, I peeked into the room, and he was gazing up at her like she had hung the moon. Lola was obviously just as smitten, but completely unsure of how to handle the attention.
“Seriously, what is with all the coupling lately?” I muttered to myself, finding their shy exchange endearing. It seemed love was in the air, or maybe it was just a byproduct of the high-stakes situation we had found ourselves in. Regardless, the sight brought a much-needed lightness to the room.
Zander spotted me, and he waved me over with a grin. “Come on in.”
I walked over to stand beside them. As I approached, I noticed how Lola blushed and squirmed under Zander’s intense gaze. I hid my smile behind my hand so as not to embarrass her further.
“Hey, Zander, how are you holding up?” I asked.
“Better now,” he said smoothly, casting another admiring glance at Lola. She flushed an even deeper shade of pink, her eyes darting between Zander and the floor.
“Enough with the flirting, Romeo,” I teased him, trying to ease the tension in the room. “We’ve got more important things to focus on right now.”
