“Are you unwell?” I ask.
“I’m fine,” she says, a whole lot of ‘fuck you’ still in her tone.
But Kai talks at the same time, the goofy smile on his face letting the world know he’s done for, completely bespelled. “Heidi saw you or Ramses in town, and even though we were talking and I said it wasn’t me, she didn’t appreciate what she saw. Her girlfriends didn’t either, so they therapized by drinking tequila for breakfast.”
I pull a grimace at the thought of even smelling tequila. “Where were you?”
“At Roda’s.”
“Ah, that was Ramses then.”
“So, he’s the cheater?” She scoffs again, rolling her eyes too.
I take a deep inhale to swallow the rise of anger. Her assumption is so damn wrong and while I wouldn’t begrudge her reaction, he is my brother and doesn’t deserve that diss. I also take the chance to fill my lungs with her scent because like her temper, her scent is a right fucking delight.
“Ramses is a lot of things, but he is not a cheater, or a player. He met his scented mate a few years ago and he’s the type of person who can’t see anything but her now.”
“Kai already said. How sweet and lovely for him? I hope his scent-matched mate knows what type of person he is,” she bites back, before I start to talk over the top of her.
“Aren’t you meant to be submissive of something?” That stops her. And boy the look in her eyes nearly makes me stop. Nah, who am I kidding, it makes me hard as fuck. “Our fathers raised us to believe our mate was the incarnate of the goddess herself. We will only ever eat at one woman’s altar.”
“Awesome. So, if he has his mate and is or isn’t a cheater, how exactly does he fit into being a part of Pack Alastor?”
“Instead of that question, why don’t you ask me or Kai, when did he meet you?”
Her eyes dart over to Kai, looking for confirmation.
“We’re identical triplets, rohi. Us being all scent-matched to you isn’t as weird as it sounds when you think about it. We share the same DNA, hell we share a lot more too.” Kai takes a deep slow breath, and I know it’s because he can feel her emotions see-sawing again. “Ramses and you have already met. And he scent-matched to you.”
Shock and disbelief hit her eyes, and she blinks it away until she gets her emotions locked up tight. Eventually. “I’ve met him? Why don’t I remember then? And why isn’t he here now then?”
Kai’s brother answers, “He’s inside, you saw him before. We’re all worried that you meeting and scenting him is going to unlock an avalanche of memories but at the same time, Heidi, he couldn’t wait to see you. We’re hoping to talk you through some of our reasons why we lied first, hoping that it might help.”
“You know, all I hear is you apparently know me better than I know me… making assumptions about how I’m going to react before I know what the hell you are even talking about. I’ve dealt with some egotistical asshats, but you are right up there.” She hands over the plate and climbs out of her chair.
Her shoes are the last thing we see before the garden hides her away. Her sweet apple scent is as sour and tart as the first Granny Smith of the season and that stays, taunting us, reminding us that she just upped and legged it.
Kai goes to follow, but I grab his arm. “Give her a minute.”
“I want to make sure she’s okay,” he insists, tugging out of my hold. Using that whiny tone he does when he doesn’t get his own way.
I hop up and shove him in the back to get his attention. “Don’t make this about you because you can’t cope seeing her emotions.”
“Says you, Dare. Did you even hear what she just said?”
“I did. Which is why I’m standing here. Don’t go, Kai. Let her feel what she’s feeling. If she runs, we’ll get her and bring her back here. Might take us a few times but eventually she’ll hear us.”
“She needs me!” Kai throws an arm up, his jaw setting as his mood takes hold.
I look over his shoulder, trying not to be a prick. “No, bro, she doesn’t. She doesn’t need any of us like she promptly and justifiably reminded me.”
Walking inside, I kick the rock we use to lever the screen door open as an invite before going down to the area we use as a gym. The basement is basic, nothing too fancy but you don’t need much when you work out. Free weights in front of the mirrors, because Kai is a pretty boy, a running machine off to the side, punching bags, padded floor, music, is all we need.
Flicking the stereo on to some mix up Ramses made, I pump the volume so I can’t hear my thoughts and start running. I absolutely hate HIIT training days but considering how pissed off and disappointed I am in myself, a hard session on the treadmill seems fair.
The miles blur past as I dissect each word I said wrong before I rewatch over and over all her cues and responses. I’m not sure I could have done it worse if I tried.
ChapterTwenty
