“She left him for good? His life mate?”
“I saw both of them suffering over it and tried to tell her, but she said…” A soft growl of bitter humor. “She said fated mates were a legend. Then she left the country.”
Wait… “Both of them suffering?”
“That’s right.”
Trevor sat up, no longer weary. Oh no. “You mean Kelsey…? She’s going through this too? That’s not part of the lore.”
“Well, wolf lore is by wolves, for wolves. I can’t speak for a female, and I can’t speak for a human either. So you’ll have to ask Kelsey.”
If somehow the loss of his wolf gifts found an equivalent within Kelsey… He had to know, and he had to make it right if he could. He scrubbed his palms down his cheeks.
As they navigated Aaron’s steep driveway, Trevor said, “Gene faded. Like me.”
“Gene never spoke to his mate again, Trevor. Yours is here at the pack cookout and wants to talk to you. You can smell it, can’t you?”
“Smell what?”
“She still wants to know you, and she still wants you.”
Still wants… The images that pulsed in his head brought heat rolling through his body. He clenched his hands at his sides. This was one thing he did need to control.
“Tell her,” Arlo said quietly. He parked the truck and motioned out the windshield to the gathering in the yard. “Just as you said. Tell her all of it.”
For his own sake? He wasn’t sure he could. But for Kelsey’s sake, if she’d had to endure even a tenth of what Trevor had, he could do anything. Even tell her the things he’d sworn not to.
The Sterling siblings weren’t going to approach her, that was for sure. She tried not to let it sting, but of all the people Kelsey had looked forward to hugging and hearing from, Ezra and Sydney had been near the top of her list. Instead she meandered her way to Ember and Aaron, who were lounging in camp chairs with a young wolf who must be the adopted nephew. He jumped to his feet as Kelsey approached.
“Hey, I’m Quinn. I’m theirs.” He pointed with a grin to Aaron and Ember.
“I’m Kelsey, and I’ve heard of you.” There was no way not to return his smile.
“Oh good, then I don’t have to tell the story. Nice to meet you!” He waved, then loped off toward a volleyball net halfway set up.
Ember laughed. “Well, there went Quinn.”
“These pups soak up each other’s energy like nobody’s business,” Aaron said. “And in a minute they’ll rope me into playing.”
“He’s a favorite among the new generation.” Ember winked.
“I’m not surprised.” Not given his deep patience, his way of making you feel seen. Young wolves needed that as much as anybody, in their own unique way. Kelsey pulled a chair closer to theirs and sank into it.
As if Aaron’s words had jinxed him, a young volleyball enthusiast loped up and motioned him out of his chair. “Come on, we need your serve.”
“Not if you want even teams.” Aaron’s teeth flashed.
“Yeah we do, because Malachi just joined the other team.”
“Oh-ho.” Aaron sprang up. “It’s on.” He saluted Kelsey, then turned his grin on Ember. “Enjoy the stories about my teenage recklessness.”
“You know I will,” she said in a singsong voice.
Kelsey laughed as Ember scooted her chair closer. “He wasn’t the most reckless of the boys, but he did have a streak where he’d rise to a dare.”
“From what I’ve gleaned so far,” Ember said, “it sounds like the daring ones were Jeremy and Trevor.”
Did she know what she was doing, mentioning Trevor? She didn’t seem to. Kelsey squared her shoulders and braved forward. “Pretty much. Jeremy wanted to run and jump and play. Competition mattered less to him than fun. Trevor, on the other hand, mainly wanted to best his brother. He was younger by two years, and he was always fighting to prove he could keep up.”
