“Myla,” I said, coming to a stop a couple of feet from where she leant against my front door. I felt Max at my back. “Got to say you’re about the last person I expected, or wanted, to see tonight. No offence,” I added, because I didn’t need to piss off the Thoresby Park Pack any more than my pack already had.
To my surprise, she snorted. “None taken.” Her gaze flicked behind me to Max, then up and down the street.
“We’re on our own,” I offered. “Xen took my dad back to the pack house.
“Okay.” She straightened her shoulders. “Look, I don’t have long, they’ll be wondering where I am.”
“Haylen?” I guessed.
“And Owen. I told them I was stopping by my house to change and shower. They’re overseeing the clean-up.” She faltered a little when I flinched. “But they’ll be expecting me at our pack house in the next couple of hours though.”
I might not know what she was doing here, but whatever the reason, I didn’t want to discuss it outside. “Shall we?” I gestured to the door and Myla moved aside, giving me room to unlock it.
I led the way in, skin prickling at the scent of another shifter, anotherpack,in our house.
Might be your pack soon enough.
I cut that thought off at the knees because I couldn’t deal with it right then.
“Through here.” Rude or not, I didn’t want her scent in our living room, so I veered into the kitchen. It was still dark, sunrise a couple of hours away, but I didn’t feel this was a conversation that needed the glare of the main light. I flicked on the light above the oven instead.
“Can I get you a drink?” I asked Myla, but she shook her head.
“Thank you, but I suspect neither of us wants to prolong this visit.”
That made me smile. “Fair enough.”
She glanced between me and Max, brow furrowed as though trying to decide on something.
I had a good idea what that might be, so I took a chance. “Do you want to find a way out of this?” I motioned between us. When she opened her mouth but hesitated, I added, “Because I do.”
That seemed to do the trick. She exhaled in a whoosh. “God, yes. No offence,” she added quickly. “I’m sure you’re lovely, but I’m in—” She cut herself off abruptly.
“In love with someone else?” I finished for her.
She nodded.
I glanced at Max to find him watching me intently. I loved him, he was my best friend, but was Iin lovewith him? Now wasn’t the time for that level of introspection so I told her the truth. “I’ve got someone too.”
Her gaze slid to Max and she smirked. “I figured. You two weren’t very subtle.”
Max crossed his arms. “We weren’t trying to be.” Tension clung to his shoulders, none of the easiness he usually carried. “Forgive me if this is insensitive, but you don’t seem all that upset by the fact that your fiancé is dead.”
Myla scoffed. “Lee Faris was an arsehole. But apparently I was one of the few who could see it. That engagement was as much my doing as this one. So no. I’m not sorry he’s dead. I was thrilled when I heard the news, and yet here I am back in exactly the same position.”
“I’m not an arsehole,” I shot back, because fuck that.
Max snorted. “Pretty sure that’s not what she meant.” Then his eyes narrowed. “Was it?”
Her eye-roll was probably justified. “Like I said, I’m sure you’re justlovely.” The sarcasm in her tone said otherwise. “But that doesn’t mean I want to marry you. And you don’t want to marry me.”
“No, I don’t.” But then that begged the question, “Why were you engaged to Faris if you hated him? I know there are some old pack laws that still hold weight.” Like the one we were currently rebelling against. “But I didn’t think being forced to marry someone for no reason was one of them. Couldn’t you just say no?”
She wrinkled her nose. “It’s a little more complicated than that.”
When she didn’t elaborate, Max sighed. “I get that you don’t know or trust us. But to stand even a small chance at finding some way out of this, then we can’t have secrets. We’ll tell you anything you want to know—”
“We will?” I turned to him, eyebrow raised.
