Rex Instead of following everyone inside right away, I sit down on the steps and put my head in my hands, focusing on my breathing and try to regain some equilibrium. My fuse has always been short, even for an alpha, but I feel like any progress I made clawing back some control over my crazed wolf is slipping right through my fingers. He’s become unmanageable and wild since the rejection a year ago. Downright feral, if I dare to be honest with myself. I need to exercise a lot to keep him calm. Being outdoors grounds him. So, whenever I can, I disappear off into the wild for a night or two. Especially when I feel the tug of the mate bond or the agony of Stacey being with her fiancé. Leah and her carefree attitude have blown all that careful management of my mood away. I wanted her so badly. Just the idea that Nathan is going to pursue her has my blood pressure shooting sky-high. It makes little sense. She’s not mine, even though my body behaves otherwise. I can’t be with someone else
Leah Chase is right. There is something fishy going on around here, I know it. After Rex pretended not to storm off in a huff, and then Nathan pretended not to rush off after him, they left me with a very shifty and very uncomfortable-looking Danny. I truly hope they’re not whack-jobs, for Hayley’s sake. The entire gang is growing on me. Especially Rex. He’s got that whole macho, dark and brooding vibe going on, but I can tell there’s a softer side deep down that I haven’t seen yet. Deep, deep down. But I quite like that. There’s just something about a man who doesn’t wear his heart on his sleeve. Maybe it appeals to me because I’m the complete opposite. I can’t stop every thought I have from flying out of my mouth. Hayley intercepts me as I wave goodbye to a relieved looking Danny. I was about to follow in the direction that Rex and Nathan went, but she not too subtly steps in front of me to block my view of the hall door. Not before I glimpse Jonathan Jones sneaking back inside
Leah Rex lowers himself gingerly onto the stool and slumps against the back, while I get a glass of water and place it into his trembling hands. He drinks it in one go, a few drops of water spilling from the corners of his mouth. Using the back of his hand, he wipes them away roughly. He’s out of breath and tips his head back as he recovers and regains control of his breath. I’m reluctant to leave him, but it only takes a few moments to go into the utility room to pull out the giant first aid kit I only stocked yesterday. He’s attempting to stand when I come back out. What the hell? I curse under my breath and race around in front of him before he can fall flat on his handsome face. He’s still unsteady on his feet. I can’t help but notice how small and delicate my hands look on his broad, muscular shoulders as I gently urge him back on the seat. His expression is strained, and I can see the pinch of pain around his eyes. He’s pale and drawn, and if he stood up now, I’d bet he’d keel
Rex Feeling like I have the worst hangover in the world, I roll over onto my stomach and press my face into the crisp, cool sheets. My nose picks up a familiar, tantalising scent, and it all comes rushing back to me. Leah. Me stumbling up the porch steps after my wolf refused to allow me to run home, or anywhere else. We had been out for hours, but no matter how far away I forced him to run, he fought and dragged me back here. To the bed-and-breakfast. To Leah’s front door. I must have scared her half to death, turning up bloodied and on the brink of collapse. But she cared for me, cleaned me up and tucked me into her own bed, even after I left her at the packhouse with no explanation. I press a pillow to my face and roar in frustration. Nobody is supposed to see me like that, at my very weakest. Shame washes over me as I think about it. Me, the big bad alpha, weak as kitten and vulnerable. What good am I can’t even look after myself, let alone anyone else? Leah’s scent overwhelms
Rex “What the fuck were you thinking?” My father growls out as I walk up the driveway to meet him. He glances quickly towards the windows, checking to see whether Leah is watching, before gesturing for me to go back in the direction I came, away from the house. “Sorry, Rex, I had to tell him. You know what he’s like.” Cooper holds his hands up in surrender when I glare at him. I’m annoyed, but I know deep down that I’m more annoyed at myself. This has been coming since I returned home a couple of months ago. My parents were going to find out. Eventually. I should have been man enough to discuss it with them before now. “Don’t look at him like that. He’s in enough trouble for hiding this already.” Dad looks at Cooper over his shoulder and a blast of his alpha aura has the two of us gritting our teeth. Cooper fights the urge to submit, barely, but I give in and tilt my head because he’s right. He’s making a point. Dad may have handed over his position to Cooper, but experience and st
Leah I don’t think I’ll ever forget that kiss. Zoe always says I use bravado and humour as a defence mechanism, and I never understood exactly what she meant until now. I sealed my fate by stealing that kiss. A kiss that tilted my world on its axis. It was soft but demanding, sensual and just the right side of rough. I hadn’t expected him to respond quite so enthusiastically, but I was happy when he did. But when Rex immediately showed his regret and made it clear it shouldn’t have happened, my instinct was to make light of the situation. To pretend that it didn’t hurt when it really did. Did he not feel the same thing I felt? Maybe he doesn’t know how magical it really was because every kiss is like that when you’re a sex god. After I walked away with as much grace as I could, I closed the front door and slumped back against it, pressing the heels of my hands to my eyes to stem the tears I felt stinging. It’s ridiculous. I knew this would happen. It’s exactly why I got out of that
Leah “Well, that was an unmitigated disaster,” I say brightly, turning to face Hayley and Zoe, who glances at me warily before I dissolve into hysterical laughter. I thought brunch would be a fun way to catch up. That’s before I hit my sisters with the list of chores that I have lined up for them for the rest of the day. So much for that idea. “Oh, I don’t know. I found it kind of… enlightening,” says Zoe as she wraps her arms around me in a big hug. “So that’s Rex? I never got to meet him at the wedding.” She hums approvingly. I doubt there’s a woman on the planet who wouldn’t. “Yeah, he wasn’t feeling well,” Hayley answers, and I store it away for later. Rex has already told me the truth, but she told me before that he was managing some work situation for Cooper. More lies. Between these half-truths and the mysteriously healed scratches on Rex’s arms, my mind is trying to conjure all kinds of explanations. None of which makes any sense. “It looks like you’re getting on great,” Zo
Rex Leah is driving me crazy. But she’s doing it by not driving me crazy. For the last three days I’ve worked non-stop, and so has she. We’ve stayed out of each other’s way since the stand-off in the kitchen. I don’t blame her for being annoyed with me. After the most amazing kiss of my life, I told her I couldn’t be with her. Then I threw a tantrum because she invited my brother to brunch. With me and my father. Talk about an overreaction. Despite plenty of opportunities, I haven’t worked up the courage to apologise because I can’t explain things to her properly. She doesn’t know about shifters. Adding to that, she doesn’t understand the depth of the pull I feel toward her. I still haven’t wrapped my head around that kiss. I have a fated mate. How was a brief kiss with an albeit passionate human, the best kiss I’ve ever had? It’s becoming clear to me that Leah is special. How special I’m just not sure yet. It doesn’t even matter. She’s brought me back to life. Yet somehow, I can’t