AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ridge was right about going to the hospital, though. He was always right, which had irritated me when we’d first met, but now I’d grown accustomed to it and even learned to appreciate it. It only proved how well he knew his people, especially those who were out to embarrass or hurt him.
I would head to the hospital for a check-up first thing. I also needed to collect the bag I had stored at the nurse’s station to get the engagement ring back.
“Okay, I’ll go to the hospital. You’re right. If I left the house, it would be strange for me not to go there first. Maybe I’ll go to the jail tomorrow.”
I carefully watched his reflection in the mirror. When he clenched his jaw, I turned around. He was rolling his tongue around inside his mouth, clearly itching to say something.
“Oh, just spit it out already.”
“I can check on the hunter, see how he’s doing. Update you, if you want.” His voice was soft, like he didn’t want to spook me.
He’d figured out what Kyle was to me.
It wasn’t like I hadn’t given him enough information to piece bits together. Ridge wasn’t a stupid man. Kyle and I had similar features, and Ridge had gotten up very close and personal with my brother during his time at the compound.
I struggled to swallow. Was this where things would inevitably go belly-up? Since Ridge knew the hunter in custody was my brother, and I had close ties to the hunters, did he think that somehow I wasn’t to be trusted because of those connections?
Moving to the dresser, I leaned against it. I needed something to support me. I didn’t want to have this conversation. This was a turning point in our relationship. Or our friendship? Whatever the hell it was, I didn’t want to tell him. For all that I’d told myself that I didn’t care, I certainly feared the outcome.
“Okay, you’ve probably figured it out. The hunter is my brother Kyle. I admit it,”
My wolf was prowling around in agitation, also fearing the outcome. But the words came tumbling out of my mouth. “But Ridge, I swear to you I won’t let my familial connection to the hunters put this town or you in danger. I promise you.” Lowering my head so I didn’t have to see his fury at my deceit, I continued, “I’ve already been thinking about leaving soon, just after I help you guys fortify this town against another attack. I wouldn’t put you all through any additional risk.”
I wouldn’t putRidgeat further risk.
I heard Ridge move around on the bed, but I didn’t dare look up. I tensed, waiting for his demand that I leave.
“I never wanted anything bad to happen here. I never even knew it was a shifter town, and I never planned on coming here. I swear, Ridge, I’ll do everything in my power to make this a safe haven for shifters like you’ve envisioned it to be. I want that dream to come true for you so much. Then I’ll go so it can stay that way. I’ll put as much distance between me and Blackwood Creek as I can.”
Ridge’s feet appeared in my line of sight, then he lifted my chin with a finger.
“Please stop thinking and talking about running away.” His voice cracked, and his eyes were sad. He seemed genuinely upset. “I’m not questioning your loyalties or your backstory, little wolf, not at all. I only want to make sure that you’re okay and if you want to know what’s going on with him. If you’re worried about your brother.”
He cupped my cheek and moved in close, wrapping his arms around me. I sank into his embrace, breathing in the natural woodsy scent that was all Ridge.
Huffing, I spoke, my voice muffled against Ridge’s chest. “My relationship with Kyle is complicated.”
I paused. Was I really going to do this? Could I really tell him everything? Ridge seemed so sure of me and my loyalty; I would never be able to express how much that meant to me. Despite that, what I was about to reveal could change everything. Hell, I might end up being my brother’s cellmate. But Ridge was placing his loyalty in me. I had to reciprocate. My heart was beating so hard, I was sure he could see my pulse points pounding.
“The witch pills are legit and don’t have side effects. The reason I know this is because I was trained for a year to become a hunter along with my brother. I didn’t take the pledge for obvious reasons. Now Kyle hates me for what I am.”
Letting so much out frightened me, but it felt like a weight had been lifted off me at the same time.
Ridge moved his head back and looked down at me. His surprise was evident, and for a split second, I thought the worst. That what I’d said was too much for him to accept.
Without a word, he pulled me in tight and held me, his lips brushing against the sensitive skin under my ear.“Oh, little wolf, no wonder you’re so terrified of being a shifter. It makes sense now. You were taught to hate them and yourself. Even if just for one year, that crap was brainwashed into you. I hate that this was done to you. If I could maim or hurt every single one of the fuckers, you need only ask.”
We stood in his bedroom, me fully clothed and him still naked, simply holding each other close. I mentally scolded myself for thinking of the worst-case scenario when I knew better. I should’ve had more faith in Ridge because he’d never given me a reason to doubt him.
Yet, I couldn’t deny that the speed at which he’d accepted my admission surprised and scared me. When he took more time to think about it, what if he concluded I wasn’t to be trusted and escorted me to the town limits? I wasn’t sure I could survive that. He needed to be certain, not just for his sake but for the town’s.
And if I was really honest with myself, he needed to be certain for my sake, too.
“Ridge, are you sure? This isn’t me telling you I’ve been a lone wolf since my first shift. I’m telling you I was raised by the enemy, raised to be a hunter, born into a high-ranking hunter family. I trained with them before I turned into the very thing I was learning to hunt. I understand if you need time to think about what I’ve told you, and I’ll answer any questions you have as honestly as I can. But you need to be sure.” I wasn’t exactly selling myself, but I needed him to see the good, the bad, and the ugly.
His only reply was to tighten his arms around me. Sighing with relief, I relaxed in his arms, his trust humbling me.
“I’ll check in with Kyle and let you know how he’s doing. You can hash out whatever you need to with him later, but you shouldn’t put the weight of everything regarding the hunters on your shoulders. None of this is your fault—none of it. You were put in situations that forced you to do whatever you could to survive, and you did that. Do you hear me? I’m forever grateful for that.”
