His eyes widen, probably not expecting me to be so strong. Then he shrugs nonchalantly as he ambles toward me. “Relax. It wasn’t even a real kiss.”
“You had no right.” My fists clench and unclench, and I have to take a few calming breaths before the need to shift and tear Jude to pieces subsides. “I told you I’m with someone, Jude,” I clip out with narrowed eyes and fling the door before he can reach me, stalking forward and almost barreling into Chloe.
Her eyebrows pinch with worry at seeing the fury clearly written on my face. “You okay? Did something happen?”
“Not here,” I mutter as all the band members turn their heads in my direction, probably alerted by the high pitch in Chloe’s voice.
“Follow me,” Chloe says, grabs my trembling hand, and drags me backstage. “What happened?” She sits down gracefully on the brown leather couch in the backstage area, lifting a water bottle from the table in front of us and taking a few gulps.
I plop down next to her. “Jude kissed me, and a paparazzocaught it on camera. Well, it wasn’t a full-on kiss. He only touched the corner of my mouth, but from the angle that paparazzo took the photos…it must have looked like a real one. I think he did it on purpose.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Do you have a charger with you? My battery is dead, and I need to tell Logan what happened.”
She puts the bottle back on the table. “No, sorry. You can use my phone if you want.”
“I don’t know his number by heart.”
“I’m sure it’s fine. You can tell him tonight after the concert.”
Worrying my lower lip between my teeth, I say, “But what if that paparazzo sells the photos, and then Logan sees them and—”
Chloe’s hand wraps around mine as she interrupts me. “Calm down, you spaz. It usually takes some time before that happens. If there is going to be an article, it’s going to appear tomorrow. Plus, Logan doesn’t seem like the type to read trashy tabloid stories, and you can call him at the hotel tonight and tell him everything, all right?”
“Fine,” I relent with a deep sigh. Chloe is right. I can do damage control after the concert. “Ugh, I want to fucking strangle Jude.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t be so harsh on him, Ave. He’s still hung up on you,” she tells me after a few beats of silence.
“Well, he knew I was in a relationship and did it anyway. He came into my room earlier while you were busy talking to Knox.” I waggle my eyebrows and exaggerate the wordtalking.
A laugh bubbles out of Chloe, and she shrugs unapologetically. “Knox likes to fuck before he plays. Says it brings him good luck. So, what did he want?”
“He wanted to talk about that night in the tour bus when my heart stopped.”
“And?”
I pop a shoulder and start unzipping my boots. “I told him he has nothing to feel guilty about.” Dropping the boots to the floor, I roll my ankles a few times and tuck my legs under me, sinking into the cushion at my back.
“You know, he truly has changed. I told you, the other guys have brought girls to their hotel rooms every night, and Jude hasn’t. He also hasn’t touched drugs or alcohol since the tour restarted. Maybe you should give him a shot, and then we can all travel together.”
I huff. “Like a big happy family?”
“Exactly, can you imagine? We’d be having so much fun, and we would travel the world like you always wanted.” Excitement dances in Chloe’s eyes, and I can see on her face how her mind is spinning with the possibilities.
“That’s a nice little fantasy, Chlo. Unfortunately, I don’t feel anything for Jude. I’m with Logan, and he makes me happy, even if we haven’t been together for long. I think he’s it for me.”
“Aw, my bestie is in looove,” she says in a sing-song.
30
Logan
Standing in between Emily and my mother, heart heavy and shoulders weighing a thousand pounds, I watch Josh’s coffin be lowered into the ground carefully by two of our men. We’re all gathered in the cemetery at the edge of our community, surrounded by ancient trees that stand tall like sentinels, witnessing the grief and pain seeping out of us. Thick, gray clouds cover the sky, and an icy gust of wind bites into my cheeks and ruffles Emily’s curls, blowing them into her face. She pushes them away and looks at me with glistening eyes.
Josh’s body was left torn to pieces on the blood-soaked ground, freshly shifted from his wolf form with a gaping hole in his chest and his heart missing, a note nailed to his forehead that said, ‘I’m coming for you, Alpha. I’m going to take everything youhold dear as you took everything from me.’
A keening wail rips from Layla’s chest when the wood meets the ground at the bottom of the hole with a loud thud, the powerful cry folding her in two as she throws herself toward the hole. Her brother pulls her back just in time. Needles stab the back of my eyes as my gaze flits to Ryan, Josh and Layla’s son. He seems so small and lost, crushed.
No child should bury their parent at his age. I can’t even imagine what he’s feeling right now. I swallow hard and grit my teeth to stop the tears from making an appearance. All the members of our pack surround us, and everyone needs me to be calm and calculated. I can’t show weakness, even in a moment like this.
As if sensing the despair raging inside of me, Emily takes my hand in hers, squeezing it in a silent show of support, letting me know she’s here for me, always by my side. I squeeze back and let go of her hand as I stride forward to the edge of the hole, bend down to pick some dirt, and throw it on top of the coffin. It’s customary for the pack’s Alpha to do so at burials.
