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He was afraid to touch me. Afraid to turn into our father, probably. It meant he never manhandled me, but he never hugged me either, as if he’d set rules for himself.
In the mirror, I watched Stone stare at Karissa, who shrugged. “I’m not going to peel him out of the car. I’m not sure even you can.”
“You’d better stay out of my way,” he growled before striding to the driver’s seat and getting in.
I smiled at him broadly, as if there had been no fighting, as if he weren’t in the grouchiest mood. “Good morning, brother.”
He gave me a long look. “Morning.”
His shotgun lay between us on the center console. I propped my head on my hand and watched the trees swaying in the breeze. I kept thinking about the girl from the night before. I never saw her; I saw glimpses of what she saw, and I heard the way she cried out. Heard her soft, feminine voice.
She lived with the same waves of anguish I did.
A car door shut behind me. Shaw rested his hand on my shoulder. “Good to see you joining us.”
“I’m just as much a member of this pack as you two are. Even if we don’t see things the same way.”
The two of them traded a look.
The pack thought I was useless. My siblings loved me, even though they thought the same.
Maybe, someday, they would realize how much they needed me.
CHAPTER11
Amelia
I stared out the window,trying to imagine that I might somehow survive this day. What would it look like if Dylan and I were free of Nathan? If we had a house of our own? I didn’t need a big, grand house like the one where Nathan kept me caged.
My happiest days had been in the crappy motels where Brennan and I had stayed after we ran. And before that, in the cottage on neutral territory where we had learned each other’s bodies, where he marked me.
I wished I could have a cottage like that one again. I could imagine a wide porch in front of the pines, a worn, sunny kitchen, and creaking bathroom pipes leading to a claw-foot tub. I could imagine reading to Dylan at night until he fell asleep with his head on my shoulder. I could imagine the way the two of us would relax into a life where we didn’t jump at every noise.
I was startled out of my reverie as an explosion rocked the road. My heart leapt into my throat.
The car lurched to one side, and I slammed against the glass, my seatbelt tightening painfully on my shoulder a second too late. We’d lost a tire. I turned to look for the car Aiden was driving, but everything was a blur.
Nathan panicked, cursing up a storm as he turned the wheel desperately.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, even though I knew. The second tire made a wildwomp-womp-wompsound, then flew off, and the car slid out of control down the road.
We were both going to die.
I’d thought maybe my life would flash before my eyes. I’d thought I’d be panicked.
But warmth washed over me instead. I didn’t see my whole life—just the highlights reel.
Brennan had the warmest smile, and his eyes crinkled at the corners when he looked at me. He’d loved the rain, and he’d always pulled me outside when it rained to dance with him until he wrapped me up in his arms and kissed me. Unlike what anyone expected from an alpha, he’d been romantic. The memories of him filled me with a glow.
Brennan’s strength was helping me survive the last few moments of my life, just as he had helped me survive all of Nathan’s torture. Even from beyond the grave, Brennan was still my soulmate.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Nathan roared, daring to take his eyes off the windmilling road in front of us, and I realized I had a dreamy smile across my lips.
I was going to be with Brennan again. That was my happily ever after. A long fall to an icy-cold grave. Peace. His arms waiting for me, beyond the edge of darkness.
The truck spun out of control, and the open edge of the mountain road loomed in front of us. The world appeared wide open beyond the edge of the road, the ocean glittering beyond the guardrail. We were going to flip right over the top of the guardrail.
Then, suddenly, another car slammed into ours. The truck was driven back from the edge, and the craggy stone that lined the road loomed large in our windshield. I closed my eyes and braced for impact. The car slammed into the rock.
