I jump when Ryder’s low mutter reaches me.
Jesus. I forgot they were still here.
“That’s the most complete sentences I’ve heard him string together in a damn year.”
Wolf immediately looks over my shoulder and snaps, “You both. Out!”
“Aaand we’re back,” I hear Ruin say dryly, followed by the rustle of their boots as they file out of the office.
After another stretch of silence, Wolf gestures toward the chair across from his desk. “Sit.”
I do.
He lowers himself into his own chair a moment later, clasping his hands together on the desk like he needs something to anchor them.
Just so my own hands aren’t hanging uselessly in my lap, I pick up the two letters lying on the desk. His letter is wrinkled from the way I stormed in here earlier, so I press both of them flat against the surface, smoothing the creases out with slow strokes.
A quiet chuckle pulls my attention up. Wolf is watching me. The smile on his face is soft, but there’s something sad sitting behind it.
“I want to tell you that I’m your brother first,” he says. “And I am.” His fingers tighten together slightly. “But for a while, I need to make sure we all come out of this mess alive.”
My face almost crumples. “Of course I know that,” I say quickly. “I just—everything feels like…” I struggle for the word. “A dead end.”
“Hey.” His voice softens.
I look up.
“It’s not.” He leans forward a little. “I’m doing everything in my power, Charlotte. Everything to make sure this—make sureyou—don’t get hurt.” His jaw tightens slightly. “I know you don’t believe that I care—”
“I kind of do.” The words slip out before I can second-guess them.
Wolf stills.
“Not because you gave me a trust fund,” I add quickly. “Or that house. Those feel like guilt gifts. But, because I see the change. A little bit, I guess.”
His shoulders ease at that. Then he shakes his head slowly. “You’d see a lot more if I wasn’t—” He exhales through his nose. “If the circumstances were better.” There’s bitterness in his voice, and it fades as quickly as it came.
“Also,” he adds quietly, “the trust fund and the house weren’t because I felt guilty.”
I frown slightly.
“They’re yours because they’re mine,” he says simply. “And you, Charlotte—no matter what Savage might’ve thought—are my family.”
For a moment, I don’t know what to say. The words sit heavy in my chest. So I just nod. Even if I don’t feel the truth of his words.
Then, almost reluctantly, a small smile tugs at my mouth. “You’ve become a decent Prez.”
For some reason, his face falls at that. The smile disappears like I just said something wrong. Then he looks down at his clasped hands.
Quietly, almost to himself, he murmurs, “I’ll become a good brother too. One day.” His voice is barely above a whisper. “Just need to keep us alive first.”
TWENTY-SEVEN
Sarah
“Fuck, fuck,fuck.”
I whisper frantically, hoping my hands cooperate despite the trembling mess that I am right now.
