by KB Winters
“River?”
I sighed in relief when I heard Kayla’s voice. I walked over to the front door to let her in. “What are you doing here?” I asked as I opened the door. Anything else I was going to say dried up before the words crossed my lips.
Kayla’s eyes were bloodshot and red-rimmed. She had dark circles under them and her normally flawless hair was pulled up into a messy ponytail. She was wearing an outfit that looked more suitable for my wardrobe. The sweatshirt was too loose and engulfed her thin frame and the jeans, though tight, looked as if they hadn’t been washed. There was a stain of some kind on one leg and her shoes were caked in mud. I quickly pulled her through the door.
“Kayla, what the hell happened?” My voice was high and tight. Never before had I seen her look so out of sorts. “Where’s Benjamin? Did he do this? What’s going on?” She let herself be pulled into my house and hunched over as if the strings to her body had been cut. I closed the door behind us and led her over to the couch.
She sniffled and wiped her nose on her right sleeve. “I’m sorry.”
I blinked in confusion. “You’re sorry?” Her nod confused me even more. “What are you sorry about?” Kayla looked up at me with watery eyes. Having known her for years, I could see the thick layer of guilt in her expression. It worried me and I thought quickly to see if I could remember her having done anything to warrant such an extreme reaction. When nothing came to mind, my confusion turned even more to worry. “Kayla, you’re scaring me here. You’ve got to say something.”
“Nicholas,” she whispered. She tipped her head down refusing to meet my gaze. “I know.”
My heart stopped at her words, but I tried to remain calm. “You know what about Nicholas?” The steadiness of my voice was a ruse to hide the frantic thoughts flying through my brain. I didn’t want to give anything up until I knew for sure what she was talking about.
She finally looked back up at me. “I know he’s a shifter—a wolf shifter.”
My shock was not forced, but genuinely how I felt in that moment. “What?” I gasped.
Kayla must have taken my shock for something else entirely because in that moment her expression changed from guilt to surprise. She jerked away and covered her mouth with her hands. “Oh God. Tell me you knew?” When I couldn’t get any words out, she jumped up from the couch. “You didn’t know?”
I jumped up after her when I saw her expression. “Yes. I know about Nicholas.” My words seemed to calm her somewhat.
“Oh thank gosh,” she sighed. “How did you find out?”
I reached out and coaxed her back down to the couch. “The night we went out and met him and his friends at that bar, Nicholas saved me. Or rather, his wolf-form did.”
“The Uber driver…right? Ben told me about him. He actually called to warn me about the guy and told me some enforcers were out trying to track him.” Kayla moved, leaning back against the cushions. “He said it was a rogue who had gone crazy and started attacking women. I was coming to find you when, well…”
“When I stumbled into him,” I finished for her. “I do seem to have a knack for getting myself into trouble.”
“So Nicholas saved you and told you about shifters? That doesn’t sound like something an enforcer would do.”
There went that word again—enforcer. I really needed to find out more about what it was. “Not exactly.”
“Then what happened?” Kayla asked.
I sighed and ran a hand through my hair as I tried to gather my thoughts. “He saved me, yeah, but not as a human. One minute I’m thinking I’m about to die, and the next a huge white wolf is fighting for my life…and winning!” I looked up at her. Her expression was shocked, but clearly also impressed. “He just came up and started sniffing me, and I felt…I don’t know, scared shitless at first, but then it was like I knew he wouldn’t hurt me. One minute I’m hugging this wolf and thanking God or whoever that I’m still alive, and the next moment it’s Nicholas in my arms, naked and covered in blood.”
“Jesus, River.” Kayla scooted closer to me and reached out to grab my hands in hers. Just thinking back to that night had caused me to shiver as I relived the feelings of wonder and fear. I knew those would be memories that would stick with me forever.
“I know, but I’m okay.”
“Yeah, but you could’ve been killed and it would have been my fault for not telling you about all of this shifter stuff sooner,” Kayla said sadly.
I looked at her incredulously. “How would it have been your fault? You didn’t send that guy after me. He was clearly just insane in any form.”
“True, but I also didn’t tell you about shifters or how Benjamin’s family had always been interested in you.”
Now I was really confused. “What? They were interested in me?” Kayla nodded. “Since when?”
“Since you put out that first novel about that werewolf family. I’d known about Benjamin for about a month when you got published and the family elders had questioned me relentlessly about whether or not I’d betrayed their secrets.”
“What?” I asked loudly. Now it was my turn to jump up from the couch. “Is that why you pretty much disappeared for a week?”
Kayla looked up from where she remained seated. “Yeah. They questioned me for a few days but I convinced them that I hadn’t told you anything.”
“Thank fuck for that! Is that why you and Benjamin took a break?”
“Partly,” she admitted with a sad smile. “A part of me was angry and terrified about having to go through that—”
“Well, I’d think so,” I muttered under my breath.
“—but a bigger part of me was terrified at putting you at risk.”
I blinked. “What? What do you mean putting me at risk?”
Kayla sighed. “There is so much out there that we don’t know. For the most part, if I ask Benjamin questions, he’ll answer them honestly, but there are some things that he refuses to tell me. He says he doesn’t want to burden me with them, but I think he’s afraid I’ll leave him if the answers mean danger, especially when I ask him anything about the enforcers.”
“Fuck,” I exclaimed. I turned my back to Kayla and took a few steps away. I needed to think. Kayla remained quiet as if she knew that I was becoming overwhelmed with this new information. This was all getting far too complicated. “Did you know about Nicholas when you met him?” I asked finally.
“No.”
I let my hands drop and glanced back at Kayla. “Really?”
“Really.” She stood and took a few steps towards me. “I had no idea Nicholas was anything other than just an extremely hot personal trainer. It wasn’t until last night that I found out after Ben told me. If I had known, I would’ve cancelled the membership right away.”
“Why?”
“Because I wouldn’t want you to be in any danger. You dating Zack was fine since his pack is technically Ben’s pack, but—”
“Wait…what?” I said cutting her off. I whirled around. “Zack is in Benjamin’s pack? Zack is a…” I trailed off unable to deal with this new information. I narrowed my eyes at Kayla. “All this time you knew about Zack and you never told me?”
Kayla’s eyes widened. “I wanted to.”
I stepped back. “But you didn’t.”
“I couldn’t!” she exclaimed. She rushed over to me and grabbed my hands. “Listen to me, River, please.”
“Why should I?” I asked as I tried pulling my hands away. “You lied to me.”
“I didn’t lie. I just couldn’t tell you.”
“Fine,” I bit out. “You lied by omission. Did you lie about knowing why Zack broke up with me too?”
“No! I never knew and Ben never told me. If I knew, I would have told you.”
“How am I supposed to believe you, Kayla? You knew about all of these things and you never told me. You’re my best friend—no, my sister—but you still kept all of this from me.”
“I didn’t want to, River. Like I said, I want
ed to tell you the moment I found out they were investigating you, but they threatened—”
“Investigating me?” My heart jumped. “What do you mean they were investigating me? I thought you said they were just interested in me and nothing else.”
“They were. At first, they were just interested in your novel. Ben said it was almost as if you knew about wolf shifters because some of it was just incredibly accurate.”
“But…”
“But then they became worried. Your first novel led to the series you did about shifters and they started probing your background. Ben told me as much about the investigation as he could so I could keep you safe.”
“Keep me safe?”
“Yes.” Kayla let go of my hand and pulled at a lock of her hair. “He said something about your stories being historical for them or something. He wouldn’t explain completely.”
Now I was completely floored. “My novels are just my imagination.”
“I know that and you know that, but Ben’s family and some of the other packs thought you were potentially dangerous.”
“What?” I was stunned. “Why would I be dangerous? I didn’t even know they existed.”
Kayla shrugged. “I don’t know and he flat out refused to explain anything else. He said when we’re married, he can tell me more.”
My mind was reeling with all this information, and I was beginning to wonder if meeting Nicholas was really a coincidence or something more insidious. I didn’t have any answers, but I did have a shitload of questions. “Fine. I believe you.” Kayla’s face lit up in relief. “But only because I know your tells when you lie. You might be able to fool a judge or jury, but you’ve never gotten one past me.”
“What?” She crossed her arms. “Since when?”
I let go of some of the tension in my body. “Since always. Plus,” I added quietly. “I don’t want to think that my oldest and closest friend would intentionally hide something like this from me unless it was for a very good reason.”
Kayla breathed in deeply and sighed. I could tell this whole conversation had shaken her. Truthfully, I was far less worried about Zack being a shifter and me not knowing it, than I was with the knowledge of being investigated. Especially since I wasn’t sure whether or not Nicholas was involved. Was his sister also part of it? Is that why she opened up her restaurant to us with such short notice?
“I need to call Nicholas.” My voice was resigned. I could tell the tone of it worried Kayla.
“Are you sure?” She asked.
I shook my head. “Nope. But it’s the only way I’m going to figure out what the hell’s going on.” I gave her a small smile. “You should probably head back home though. We don’t want you to be late to your own wedding.”
Kayla returned my smile with one of her own. She seemed to hesitate before finally stepping closer to me and wrapping her arms around my shoulders. I returned the hug wrapping my own arms around her waist like I used to do when we were kids.
“I love you, River.”
I squeezed her harder. “I know. I love you too.” I let go and stepped back when she did the same. “I’ll see you in a couple of hours, so make sure you’re ready for this, okay?”
“I will.” She put her hands on my shoulders and looked at me with a serious expression. “And you too. Make sure you’re ready for whatever this means with Nicholas. If it doesn’t feel right, then…” Her voice trailed off, but I understood what she wasn’t saying. I gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile.
“I know.”
But did I? Being with Nicholas felt right in ways I never could have imagined. When he was around, it was as if my body was buzzing with boundless energy and even just the thought of him was enough to make my heart beat faster and something deep inside of me ache. But beyond that, was I ready for a secret this large? Was I ready to accept a supernatural world that I never knew existed—and one that had already tried to end my life?
Chapter Ten
My tumultuous thoughts didn’t give me a moment’s relief as I went through the motions of getting ready. The elaborate bridal preparations Kayla had initially thought out weren’t going to be happening thanks to the accelerated wedding timeline, so I got ready at home alone before heading over to the ceremony. Despite the change in date, the venue for the ceremony and reception was beautiful. One of the Brokers’ many friends lent out their home and backyard, though yard might be putting it mildly. The grounds behind the mansion home were lush, green and artfully maintained. When I stepped into the backyard where the ceremony décor was already set up, I couldn’t help but gasp at the sight.
The bright clear skies lent a serene quality to the silver-backed chairs and white silk drapery. A white gazebo had been set up and adorned with light navy-blue flowers and deep green vines. Silver linen served to show where the procession would walk up to the gazebo and that was on top of large white swaths of fabric underneath the main chairs. Overall it was simple, elegant and breathtakingly beautiful.
“Wow,” I breathed out quietly. Despite the flurry of activity around me, I stood frozen as I took in the enormity of the day. Kayla would become Mrs. Broker and I couldn’t be happier for her. There was a small flare of jealousy when I thought of Zack and how I’d once hoped it would be the four of us sharing these milestones together, but the flare didn’t last long. Not when my mind was otherwise preoccupied with thoughts of Nicholas. It was as if thinking of him made him appear out of thin air. I looked beyond the gazebo and my gaze landed on a familiar profile. I couldn’t look at him. Looking at Nicholas made things even more complicated in ways I wasn’t sure I was ready for. I turned away quickly before he caught sight of me. I didn’t think I was ready to talk about things just yet. Without stopping to check for any other people I might know, I ducked around a large bush and ran face first into a familiar face.
“Zack?”
I hadn’t spoken to him since our split, and it was clear by his shocked expression that he hadn’t expected to run into me either, despite both of us being in the wedding party. He’d reached out when we bumped into one another and his hands were gently clasping my upper arms. His expression made me feel even worse. I tried to extricate myself from his hold. When his grip didn’t loosen, I looked up at him again—this time in pure annoyance.
“Can you let me go?”
“Oh,” he breathed out. His hands retracted and I swayed slightly. “Sorry.”
I gave him a short nod and shifted to go around him. He moved as well, blocking my escape. “Can you move, please?” I asked letting my voice betray my annoyance. I knew I only had a short time to get away before Nicholas became aware of my presence. He’d be smelling me soon.
I moved to the opposite side and once again, Zack countered, blocking me. I narrowed my eyes looking up at him. “What the hell is your problem?”
His eyebrow rose at the venom in my voice. I’d never spoken to him so bluntly or with such anger before, but it felt good. I wasn’t in the mood. “Nothing. I just wanted to talk to you.”
“Well, I don’t want to talk to you.”
“Why not?” he asked.
His question changed my feelings from annoyance to downright anger. “Why not? Are you fucking kidding me?” My voice went high at the end. All of the feelings I’d had during and after our break-up came rushing to the surface. “Maybe because you broke up with me and then proceeded to act like I no longer existed in your life. Perhaps I’m angry because the person I fell in love with turned out to be an asshole with commitment issues and an overinflated ego.” All sound around me seemed to pause, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t hold back the flood of feelings and words that had been patiently waiting for their chance to be freed. “Or maybe I’m angry that the person I fell in love with turned out to be a fucking liar about who—or should I say what—he really is.”
Zack’s eyes widened and he quickly glanced back and forth as if to monitor who heard my words. I should have cared, but I didn’t. I didn’t care wh
o heard me because those were the words I’d been carrying around for months. All of my feelings of anger, rejection and betrayal made me bold, and I could feel the need to hurt him as badly as he’d hurt me.
“I couldn’t tell you—”
“Oh bullshit,” I spit out. “You could have hinted at the fact that you had secrets. I would have respected that and waited for you tell me on your own time. But you didn’t. You lied and then when you were done with the little human, you discarded me like I was nothing. You were an asshole, and you hurt me so you can go fuck yourself and save the excuses for someone who doesn’t know you.”
His hand reached out as if to grab me and without thinking, I smacked it away. The loud crack of our skin meeting echoed through the air and with a jolt, I realized that people had stopped to observe our fight. It was enough to cool my anger a little, but not enough to do away with it completely.
“Is everything okay?”
My eyes widened when I heard Nicholas’ voice. Despite not being ready for it, I turned around to face him. The expression on his face scared me. His narrowed eyes weren’t on me, but on Zack and the fire in them made something deliciously warm curl up inside of me. He looked fierce and wild in ways that I had no idea he could be. I licked my lips internally wincing at the synthetic taste of my lipstick but unable to stop my visceral reaction to Nicholas’ clear and present anger. He reached out a hand to me. I broke my gaze away from his face to look down at it in confusion. My brain was still stuck on how furious he looked so I didn’t understand what he wanted until his hand reached further and wrapped itself around my left wrist. He tugged me over to him and I went willingly. When I reached his side, his hand moved up from my wrist until his strong arm was wrapped snuggly around my waist.
“Everything is fine,” Zack said finally. His voice didn’t sound as sure as his words though. “River and I were just catching up on old times.”
I snorted loudly, but made no move to elaborate. My gaze was still trained on Nicholas. When I saw his eyes flash crimson, I drew in a deep breath. I didn’t think I’d ever not react so strongly to that. They were just so beautiful.