“Yeah, that’s what my dad said, too. I am my father’s mistress’s child. I am unwanted in the home I grew up in. They weren’t mean, not until after my mother died; they just pretended like I didn’t exist.”
“Casey, it’s not the same.”
I shrug my shoulders. “It’s enough the same.”
“It’s not his fault. It’s mine. They used him to hurt me,” Khaos growls low and furious. “I am my father’s son, and they wanted to use that.”
I idly wonder who his father was, but I don’t really care.
Ah. “Well, then, what was that?”
“Protecting him.”
“From?” The answer dawns on me and makes me die inside. “From me,” I whisper.
He looks away. “We don’t really know you. And you are wearing that.”
I look down at my wrist and cover it with my other hand. “Yeah. Okay.”
“And you don’t have a pack or a wolf, so you don’t understand.”
“I hear you.”
“At the end of the day, no matter whether you’re the nicest master we’ve had or not, you are still a master, an owner, and we are still on leashes, and I won’t let you hurt my brothers.”
Yep, this conversation is not what I want to hear, but maybe it’s what I need to hear. “Good talk, Khaos. I have to go…do anything now, so let’s chat again later.”
I turn away, but he spins me back, staring down at me. “If things were different…”
“If things were different, you never would have noticed me in the first place. Let’s face it, we wouldn’t be friends if we didn’t have this, and because we do, we never will be.”
“We would have noticed you.”
I tilt my head to the side and smile sadly at him. “No, you wouldn’t have, and that’s okay. Let’s fix this, and you can go back to your lives, and I’ll return to mine. No harm, no foul.”
I tug myself free of his hold and back away from him.
Riot appears beside me, and I flinch. He opens his mouth, but I turn and stalk out of the house. I need a moment. I need to run.
The full moon is tonight.
I’m going to put some distance between the six of us, and I’m going to go and just be.
Alone.
Always alone.
Casey
I leave a notebefore I disappear onto my mountain. There are some places I can go to hide where I don’t think they will find me, but giving them their freedom will help matters and keep them happy.
Am I running? Yes, of course. It’s not that I thought we were starting to become friends or that the attraction was mutual. It was a huge kick in the teeth, a brutal reminder that their will is not their own, and that, if they were to choose, I wouldn’t even be in the running. Am I embarrassed? Most assuredly, but, worse, I feel like I’ve betrayed the fragile trust we’ve built.
My chest gets tight, and I stop, turning to look down at the incredible views. I can’t see the town, but I can see the packs lands. They will be out tonight, but they won’t come here.
Well, most won’t, but there’s always one or two idiots who try and end up lost and needing to be rescued. But with my five house guests, there is less chance. The presence of alphas intimidates others without even knowing why. They will sense the threat and stay away tonight.
The pine needles are soft underfoot, not yet turned crunchy. The grass is thick and lush from the rains we’ve had. There are flowers that are closed up, but I know that, come the daylight, they will cover the entire area in a sea of pink, yellow, and white flowers like a blanket.
