“I-I’m sorry,” Mylo stammered, his earlier confidence crumbling under the weight of my outburst. “I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. It was fun, I thought I?—”
Why did I feel like I’d just kicked a puppy?
Doesn’t matter if he’s upset as long as he’s safe.
“This is dangerous!” I snapped, cutting him off. “Do you even know where you were heading?”
He blinked, still looking shell-shocked. “No, I... I was just riding. What’s the big deal?”
“The big deal,” I said through gritted teeth, “is that you were heading into territory that isn’t ours. And it’s dangerous. Don’t ever go in this direction again. Got it?”
I could see the stubborn look starting to settle on his face, that flicker of defiance I’d seen once or twice before. He wasn’t just going to let this go. But I couldn’t tell him everything—not without opening up a whole new set of complications I wasn’t ready for. Not yet.
“Why is it dangerous?” he asked, his voice firmer than before, the confusion giving way to curiosity. “What’s out there?”
“That’s not for you to worry about,” I said, trying to steady my voice, trying to keep the panic from bleeding into every word. “Just... trust me on this. Stay out of this area.”
He narrowed his eyes at me, clearly not satisfied with my vague explanation. I could see the questions brewing behind his gaze, and I knew I was in for a fight.
“Okay,” he said after a long pause, but fuck it if I didn’t know this was far from over. “But I don’t get it. You’re making it sound like?—”
“It’s an order, Mylo,” I said, my voice dropping lower, more forceful than before. I even let a little alpha push come through—not enough to force his will, but enough for him to understand that this was serious. “Don’t go in this direction again. Ever.”
His lips pressed into a thin line, and he gave me a small, reluctant nod. But that look on his face? I knew it all too well. He wasn’t done with this. He had questions, and they weren’t going to go away just because I said so.
But right now, the only thing that mattered was that he was safe. He had no idea what kind of danger he’d just avoided. And I wasn’t about to let him find out.
No one touches him. Not the wolves, not anyone.
But as I looked at Mylo—the stubborn set of his jaw—I realized maybe I’d opened a can of worms that hadn’t existed before.
CHAPTER SEVEN
MYLO
Dinner with Noahand Hope had become a regular thing, and honestly, it was one of the best parts of my day. It was warm, it was easy, and after the chaos of the kitchen, it felt good to sit down with people who treated me like family. But tonight, I had something on my mind that I couldn’t shake.
It was what I’d always imagined family dinners would be like.
I pushed a piece of bread around my plate, glancing up at Noah and Hope as they chatted about something I wasn’t paying attention to. My brain was stuck on that damn horseback ride with Holden.
I couldn’t figure him out. One second, I thought we were having a nice moment—he was actually talking, showing me parts of the land, even smiling a little. I figured—finally—we were turning a corner. But then, out of nowhere, he got all growly and bossy, barking orders like I’d done something wrong.
Who the hell does he think he is?
I didn’t even realize I’d said that last part out loud until Noah chuckled, raising an eyebrow. “Something on your mind, Mylo?”
I groaned, leaning back in my chair. “It’s your brother-in-law,” I muttered, and both Noah and Hope immediately perked up, grinning like they knew exactly what I was about to say.
“Oh, this should be good,” Hope said, a playful gleam in her eye as she leaned forward. “What did Holden do this time?”
I let out a sigh, running a hand through my hair. “We went horseback riding today, right? And for a while, it was actually nice. He wasn’t giving me that weird silent treatment. He was showing me around, telling me about the land, and for a second, I thought we were good.”
“And then?” Noah prompted, amusement already written all over his face.
“And then,” I huffed, “maybe I got a little ahead of myself, started riding ahead, and he lost it. I meanlost it. Started yelling about how dangerous it was, how I didn’t know the terrain, and that I had to listen to him because he knows better. Like, excuse me,what?”
Hope laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. “That sounds about right.”
