“I get it.” He cocked one eyebrow. “Ready?”
She nodded, and Rhett met her eyes with the full focus of his gaze. When they were new pups, under the direction of an older wolf, every one of her friends had acclimated her this way. She remembered the instant terror that didn’t last, and a moment later her body was flooded with it again as her nervous system reacted to Rhett’s full nature as a wolf. She yelped, hid her face in her hands, and looked at him through her fingers like a baby playing hide-and-seek. But in less than a minute it was over. Her heartbeat began to slow. She lowered her hands.
“Brave,” Rhett said.
“Nah. Just been through it a lot. Thanks, Rhett. It’s good to see you without your shield.”
Funny, hewasshorter than the other wolves by an inch or two, yet now she could see how wholly he occupied the space he was in. True of all wolves? Yes. Extra true of Rhett? Hm, maybe. Or maybe she’d grown so used to the others, their intensity of presence no longer impressed her.
He motioned her forward into his yard, which wasn’t as wide open as Aaron’s. About a hundred yards from the house on three sides, a forest guarded the property, mostly tall ancient evergreens. In the cleared area, though, the gathering looked much the same as it had last week and most of her life. Today the sun half-hid behind patchy clouds, and the air held a hint of chill. Women and children wore sweaters or light jackets, but of course every wolf still wore short sleeves. Kelsey was pretty sure Trevor owned a total of three long-sleeved shirts, which came out of storage only for a record-breaking winter freeze.
Jeremy and Lucy’s kids threw beanbags at a cornhole board. A few of the adults sat on log seats around a central fire pit, while others seemed to be playing some sort of hot potato game…with a kettlebell? Trevor must not be here yet. He’d have met her at her car, regardless of Rhett. Then one wolf broke from the group at the fire pit and strode toward them. It was Ezra.
Rhett rumbled low in his chest, a pensive sound somehow approving too. “We can talk more later if you want, Kelsey.”
He nodded to Ezra and headed for the game circle.
Ezra halted well outside her space and shoved his hands into his pockets. Adorable Sterling boys and their nervous habit. For Trevor it was always the back pockets, for Ezra the front pockets.
“Hey, Kelsey.”
“Hey, Ezra.”
“Trevor and I had a talk. Couple days ago.”
“He did mention it.”
She held in a laugh. Besides Malachi, Ezra was the brawniest of the wolves, subtle though the degrees were when every adult male on the property could bench press a semi-truck. Hunched shoulders and tucked chin didn’t suit him. Kelsey stepped close to him and bumped his elbow.
“You can say it,” she said.
“I’ve been a jerk.”
“I’ve been gone for a while. You needed a minute. It’s okay.”
His cheeks reddened. “No, I… There’s something I’ve got to confess.” He cleared his throat. “Um, when you first got here, I called him and asked for help with the roof. I did need help, but it wasn’t…it wasn’t the emergency I said it was.”
Kelsey blinked. Surely he didn’t mean… “You didn’t want us running into each other? But we still did, less than twenty-four hours later. You couldn’t have kept us separate for weeks on end.”
“I know. It was stupid.”
“Wow, it really was.”
He ducked his head, and warmth filled her chest, old affection for the boy who’d been a brother to her for so long. It was past time for bygones to be exactly that.
“You thought you knew the history. I get it, Ezra, and there’s no grudge on this side of things.”
He smiled. “Thanks, Kels.” The smile grew. “Is he going to claim you today?”
“Not quite yet.” She shifted on her feet. She wasn’t ready for the bonding ceremony, though she wanted it all the way to her toes. Wanted him, her mate, every day and every night of the rest of their lives.
“Well, when he does…I’m looking forward to it. I just wanted you to know. I’m sorry for—for before.”
“You love Trevor,” she said, “and you didn’t want him hurt again.”
“I was pretty scared, to be honest.”
Hands came out of pockets as his shoulders and chin lifted, as his self-deprecation receded and his body relaxed. He scrubbed a hand over his hair, which he’d always kept shorter than Trevor’s.
