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Wade pulled her against his chest, his arms wrapped so firmly around her that neither one of them could move. He brushed his face into her hair, marveling at how just the scent of her could push away all his insecurities.
He found himself right back where he started, knowing he should have been there for her, helping her, figuring this mess out before she’d gotten in too deep. That’s what he was born to do.
“I should have never said what I did,” she whispered. “But if I didn’t, then Clark threatened to press charges for that time when you—”
Pulling back sharply, Wade took her by the shoulders. “What?” he said, hardly believing what she was saying.
She flinched. “I knew it would hurt you if I broke things off, but I didn’t think I’d be able to handle it if you were arrested.”
“Bri…” he said, part with awe and the other regret. “You should have told me.”
“To what end, Wade? If he followed through with his threat, then who would take care of your family? They need you.”
His heart tightened, stumbling as all the pieces finally came together. “You were trying to protect me.”
She nodded. “I love you so much. I knew I couldn’t let anything happen to you because of my terrible choices.”
This woman.
This gorgeous, strong, hardheaded woman whom he knew deep down would never fall in line in the traditional sense had chosen to make a sacrifice.
For him.
“I’m so sorry,” she said again.
“Don’t.” He said a little too sharply, drawing a pained look from her. “Don’t,” he repeated softer this time. “I don’t want you to apologize for something that wasn’t your fault.”
“But it was—”
Wade shook his head. “This wasn’t your fault, you hear me? A wolf infiltrated the flock. We were lucky that it turned out the way it did, but this isn’t something I want you to ever carry the blame for.”
She blinked at him, and he could see the argument on her lips, so he stopped her before she could do so.
“I could apologize for not being there to protect you,” he said.
“That’s ridiculous. I’m the one who caused this whole thing.”
“See? That’s it, isn’t it? We both feel at fault for something we didn’t have much control over. I wanted to be the one to protect you, but you turned that idea on its side and became someone who looked out for me. You don’t need to be taken care of. You’re strong and capable, and I didn’t give you enough credit.” He brushed the back of his knuckle along her jawline and offered her a smile. “This is just one more reason I love you.”
“Why? Because I take care of myself?”
He chuckled. “No. You just keep surprising me. Everywhere I turn, you teach me something new. You have this knack for keeping me on my toes. Everything that people assume about you is completely wrong, and I want to keep peeling back the layers until I find out every single detail I can about you.”
She made a face. “You’re starting to sound a little obsessive.”
“Haven’t I always been alittleobsessive?”
She snickered, bringing her hands up around his neck and tilting her head as she gave him a more confident smile. “That’s a good point. Maybe you should work on that.”
“Perhaps I will. Then again, perhaps not. I’ve always found it difficult to fall in line when I’m around you. And let’s face it. You tend to find yourself in trouble more often than not.” Wade pinched his fingers together so they were a fraction of an inch apart. “Maybe you could use just a little bit of protection?”
She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t need protection. You recall how I bested you the last time you implied that I needed that?”
He grimaced, recalling the pain in his stomach all too well. “Okay. No protection.”
27
Brielle
