"And everyday clothes," I added hesitantly. "If that's still part of the deal."
Kane's mouth curved into a small smile. "Whatever you want."
By the time we left the boutique, I had more new clothes than I'd owned in my entire life. Kane hadn't blinked at the total, simply handing over a credit card as if spending thousands of dollars was nothing to him. And maybe it wasn't; the Maxwells were one of the wealthiest families in the country.
"Thank you," I said as we loaded bags into his car. "This was...unexpected."
"In a good way, I hope."
I nodded, not trusting myself to say more. The truth was, spending the morning with Kane had been surprisingly pleasant. He hadn't pushed o
"It's Alpha Maxwell," came the reply. "I need to speak with you. It's important."I wiped at my face, trying to erase the evidence of my tears. "Just a minute."After splashing cold water on my face in the bathroom, I opened the door to find not just Alpha Maxwell, but all four of his sons standing in the hallway. Their expressions were grim, and my stomach dropped with foreboding."What's happened?" I asked, immediately alert.Alpha Maxwell's face was taut with tension. "The Northern Alliance representatives have requested a meeting with you. Tonight.""Tonight?" My voice sounded thin even to my own ears. "But the ceremony isn't until tomorrow.
"They knew," I whispered. "They knew what was coming and they still tried to save me."Fin's arm tightened around me, and for once I was grateful for the contact. "They succeeded. You're here. You're alive.""But for how long?" The question slipped out before I could stop it. "The Northern Alliance killed them. Tomorrow night, they'll try to finish what they started.""Not if we stop them first."I looked up at him through my tears. "We? Since when is this 'we,' Fin? Yesterday you would have handed me over to them yourself if it meant getting rid of me."His jaw tightened, and I saw something flicker in his green eyes, shame, maybe. Or regret. "Yesterday I was an idiot. Yest
I moved to the bathroom, splashing cold water on my face. The girl in the mirror looked different somehow, her eyes brighter, her cheeks flushed with colour, her lips slightly swollen from Brent's kiss. I barely recognised myself.A soft knock at the balcony door made me jump. I knew without looking that it would be Fin, the only brother I hadn't had a real conversation with today. The pattern was becoming clear: they were taking turns, each trying to convince me in their own way.For a moment, I considered ignoring him. But curiosity won out, and I moved to the glass door, sliding it open just enough to speak."I'm not in the mood for another heartfelt confession," I said by way of greeting.Fin's green eyes studied me with an inte
I wiped away the last of my tears. "Lucky me.""You meant what you said in there, didn't you?" Brent asked quietly. "About us tormenting you being a kind of death."I sighed, looking down at my hands. "Yes. No. I don't know. It just came out.""But you felt it.""Of course I felt it," I said, frustration bleeding into my voice. "Do you have any idea what it was like? Year after year of being told I was nothing, that I was worthless, that no one would ever want me? It breaks something inside you, Brent. Something that doesn't just magically heal because suddenly you've decided I'm worth something."He flinched as if I'd struck him. "I know. And I
"You're stronger than you think," Brent said, moving to stand beside me. His hand found my shoulder, and I felt that now-familiar jolt of electricity. "The Alpha blood is awakening faster than we expected."I looked around at their faces, all of them watching me with a mixture of determination and something that looked almost like fear.The look in their eyes made me look towards the floor. The fear shining in their eyes was too much for me. Fin stepped forward, feeling my distress, "I don't understand why you're all looking at me like that," I said, crossing my arms protectively over my chest. "I'm not some fragile thing that needs to be coddled.""No one thinks you're fragile," Fin said, his voice gentler than I'd ever heard it. "We're worried because we care about you."
I stared at the weapons, fear creeping up my spine. "I can barely throw a punch correctly. How am I supposed to use those?""You're going to learn," Kane said, moving to stand beside me. His presence was oddly comforting, even as my anxiety spiked. "We'll teach you.""In two days?" I laughed, but there was no humour in it. "I'm going to die, aren't I?""No," all four brothers said in unison, their voices overlapping in a way that sent shivers down my spine.“Ok, I think I might just go over there to warm up,” I said, moving over and putting in my ear buds and starting my usual tai chi moves.I felt their eyes on me as I moved through the fluid motions of tai chi, letting my body find its cent