“No.” The teen scowled. “But sure, blame the foster kid. That’s original.”
“Katie saw a wolf. Was it you?” Luke crossed his arms. “She could have been seriously hurt. Being a shifter is not a game.”
“Luke.” I stepped between them. “If Eli says he didn’t do it, I believe him.”
Luke growled angrily. “Something drove the cattle this way. And I’m going to find out who it was.”
He stalked over to his horse, mounted it, and rode off in the direction his brothers had herded the cattle. I turned to face a glowering Eli, giving him a small smile. “Luke’s just worried. He’ll calm down.”
“Whatever.” Eli scoffed. “I don’t care.”
But he did. I saw it on his face. In the set of his shoulders. I rested my hand on his shoulder. “Enough about that. Tell me about your run. Was it as fun as I imagine?”
FOUR
Luke
Anger bubbled up from my gut. My mate could have been hurt. I dreaded thinking about what would have happened if she hadn’t reached the tractor before the cattle. A scared herd was unpredictable.
A thread of guilt wrapped around the flow of anger. I shouldn’t have been so harsh with Eli. He was just a boy. And he didn’t have control over his wolf yet. He wouldn’t have meant to hurt anyone. His wolf was probably just playing, and things escalated.
I crested the hill, approaching the fence of the pasture where the cattle belonged. I expected to find a mangled mess where they broke through. Some injured cows. Instead, my brothers, Gabriel and Austin, were off their horses, inspecting an intact gate.
I nudged my horse faster, coming to a stop a few feet away, and slid to the ground. “How did the cattle get through?”
Gabriel’s face was hard. “Gate was open.”
“No way any of us would have forgotten to close a gate.” I strode over to stand beside him.
Austin crouched by the opening. “It wasn’t just open. It’s damaged. Someone hacked at the latch. Busted it completely.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.” My thoughts flew to Eli. No way he did that in his wolf form. And he still couldn’t shift on his own.
“Unless it was Vince.” Gabriel leaned against a fence post. “Things have been too quiet lately.”
“But Katie saw—” I gritted my teeth, cutting off the sentence before completing it. If Katie saw a wolf, and it wasn’t me or Eli, could it have been my father? It wasn’t his usual style. He leaned more towards cons than sabotage.
But I couldn’t mention he was a possibility without telling my brothers everything, so I shook my head when Gabriel raised a brow. “It’s nothing. She wasn’t sure what she saw.”
Gabriel stared at me, searching my face as if looking for answers. But he soon turned his attention to Austin, who had retrieved a coil of rope from his saddle. Austin and Gabriel worked together to secure the gate until someone could come back to repair it.
I walked to my horse, mind racing. Was my father stepping up his game? Showing me the damage he was capable of if I didn’t give him the money he demanded? And if it was him, had he targeted Katie intentionally?
I swung up into the saddle and pointed my horse to where I had left Katie and Eli, but they were gone. I guided my horse along the path through the trees, keeping an eye out for them. Instead, I ran into Ethan outside the main barn.
“Hey, have you seen Katie and Eli?”
He nodded, squinting against the sun shining in his eyes. “They were headed to the cabins. The boy was talking a mile a minute. Sounds like he had a blast on his shift.”
The guilt that was a thread earlier widened to a river. I hated to think I might have ruined his first run with my accusations.And if my father was responsible, then not only was Eli innocent, the blame fell squarely on my shoulders.
“Can you take care of my horse?” I held out the reins, knowing my brother would help when asked. “I need to talk to them right away.”
“Of course.” His gaze was curious, but he didn’t ask, just took the reins. “Let me know if you need anything else.”
I nodded and strode toward the cabins, letting my long strides cover the ground quickly. I heard Katie and Eli before I saw them. They were in their cabin, but the window was open. The boy’s voice drifted out, his tone one of excitement.
“And I caught a rabbit! I chased it, and it almost got away, but then I pounced! And my wolf? He ate it!”
