I sigh. “Must we?”
“It would be more convincing.”
A good point, I suppose. I take his hand. His skin is soft and warm, lacking the calluses Soren developed from long hours of training. My wolf stirs, making my fangs sharpen.Mate,he whines. There’s a twist in my gut.
This feels so wrong. A betrayal, no matter how necessary it may be.
“Are you all right?” Arlo asks.
I force a smile onto my face. “I have to be.” I lift my fist and knock.
The door swings open, and my heart sinks.
Gunnar looks at our joined hands, then up into my face. His nostrils flare, muscles bunching in his jaw.
“E-evening, brother.” I wrestle with the instinct to drop Arlo’s hand and run.
Gunnar grunts, shifting his gaze to Arlo’s. “Good evening.”
Arlo squeezes my hand so hard it hurts. “I suppose it is.”
They stare each other down. The air thickens the way it does before a thunderstorm.
“Can we help you?” I ask, my voice like the crack of a whip in the silence.
Gunnar’s shoulders tense. “No. I was just leaving.”
“Good,” Arlo says, holding his head higher. The sour stench of his anger is unmistakable. Tugging on my hand, Arlo drags me past the threshold. He drops my hand like it’s a piece of rotten meat. “Jamie! How nice to see you!” He hurries off, eager to be rid of me, no doubt.
I pause, looking back. Gunnar never skips dinner. “Gunnar—”
“No, Lyall. I won’t stay. Do what you like with the witch. It matters not.” But the stiff set of his shoulders and the way his fur ripples tell another story. One of a wolf full of fury, fighting to come out and take what he perceives as his. How Gunnar fights him back every day he spends away from Arlo, I haven’t a clue.
I bite my tongue so I don’t tell him to stay, to talk to Arlo, to understand his anger only comes from a place of hurt.
But I can’t.
My heart aches as my brother marches off toward the woods. The distance widens between us, and I have to wonder if loving Soren is worth losing the love and respect of my brother.
It aches that I can’t have both the love of my family and the man I love. That I must choose. It isn’t fair.
But it’s my only option.
A life with Soren will be worth any sacrifice.
Won’t it?
Chapter 16
Soren
I’m beyond excited tosee Lyall. I spent our time apart planning a date for us that I think he’ll really like. Once my shift is over, I’ll head straight to meet him at Bryant Park. The bell dings and I’m about to greet the customers until I see it’s Anders and Jamie. I fold my arms and give them a look.
Jamie smiles sheepishly, waving. “So. The wolf is out of the bag,” he says, sitting down at the bar.
“I would have appreciated a warning. ‘By the way, the hot guy we set you up with is a time-traveling werewolf.’” It’s dead at the bar today. The lunch shift is usually pretty slow, which is why it’s my least favorite. But the lack of customers means I don’t need to worry about anyone overhearing us. Before Jamie can say something, an apology by the frown on his face, I wave a hand at him. “It’s fine. It all worked out. Lyall’s a great guy, and I’m glad I’m learning more about my past.”
Anders says, “You understand why we couldn’t tell you?”
