Technically, he was running errand for me that I was supposed to run for the alpha. And to be even more technical, he was helping me run from my issues. But neither of them needed to know that.
The crunch of gravel met my ears, and moments later, a pair of headlights swung past the windows.
“Looks like he’s home now.”
My stomach cramped as a million questions flooded my mouth just waiting for the opportunity to dump them on Wes. But I couldn’t do that. It had been hard enough to convince him to pick Callie up from the lab without telling him the real reason for the favor. There was no way I could question him without having a few flung at me and I wasn’t ready to answer his questions. Or anyone’s, for that matter.
His key clicked in the lock before the front door opened to reveal my twin. His light brown eyes swung from Mom to me and back again. An easy smile pulled at his lips, but I knew him well enough to know it was a façade.
“Hey, Ma. How you doin’?”
“I’m good, baby. Just havin’ some tea with your brother.”
His eyes flicked to me again and my stomach dropped.
“Speaking of my big brother, can I steal him from you for a minute? We need to talk about some pack business.”
She waved a hand in the air and picked up her most recent romance novel. “Go ahead. He’s making me dizzy with his up and down nonsense anyway.”
I shot her a small look before turning to Wes. He nodded toward the back door and I stood to follow him out to the backyard.
We’d started collecting supplies to get Mom’s garden up and running, but neither of us had found the time to help her with it. She’d been getting stronger under Doc Monroe’s care, but she was still weak enough to need our help. Especially with something as big of an undertaking as this.
When we were outside with the door closed behind us, Wes wasted no time laying into me. “The alpha’s sister, bro? Really?”
I shoved my sweaty hands in my pockets and rocked backward on my heels. “What are you talking about? Did she say something?”
“She didn’t have to. It’s written all over the both of you. What were you thinking, man?”
I retrieved a hand from my pocket and ran it down my face. “It’s not what you think.”
“What I think is, you’re basically getting involved with the princess of the pack. You know how pissed Abraham’s gonna be when you hit it and quit it with his sister?”
I shook my head fast. “It’s not like that, Wes.”
He leaned back and folded his arms across his chest. “Then what’s it like?”
I blew out a deep breath and shoved my hand back in my pocket before he could notice it still shook from that kiss I’d shared with Callie. Hell, it had damn near brought me to my knees. It was no wonder I was still shaken from it.
“It’s nothing, man, okay? We’re nothing.”
“That’s not how it looked to me when I picked her up tonight and she almost ripped my head off.”
“What are you talking about?”
“She must have thought you were picking her up ‘cause she looked like she was about to tear me a new one before she realized it was me.”
I winced and looked away, too ashamed to meet my brother’s eyes.
Callie had every right to be furious with me. I was nothing but a coward. She deserved so much more than me in every way. It was one of the reasons I’d left and asked Wes to pick her up instead. I needed to preserve the distance I’d been keeping from her.
“It was nothing, Wes. I promise. It’s over now.”
“Wyatt, if you screw the alpha’s sister and get us thrown out of this pack, I’ll personally kick your ass.”
I snorted. Like he could kick my ass. But I sobered up just as quickly when the gravity of the situation fell heavy on my shoulders.
“I would never do that to her,” I said quietly.
Wes was silent for a long time, and when I met his eyes again, they were trained on me, a look of suspicion in their familiar depths. “You actually care about her, don’t you?”
Denial was on the tip of my tongue, but what was the point? I was surprised I’d kept this secret from my brother as long as I had. He was bound to find out, and I’d rather he heard it from me instead of making shit up in his head.
“I do,” I said before shaking my head, “No, I did. But it’s over, okay? I’m not gonna see her anymore.”
Wes was unnaturally quiet again, which was creeping me out. Usually, my brother was never without a sarcastic comment, but right then, his lips were pressed together, eyes tight with worry. “You gotta tell her about Mom.”
I shook my head again. “No, I don’t. I told you, I’m done with her.”
“Even if I believed that, which I don’t, it wouldn’t matter. We can’t keep this secret forever. The longer we wait, the worse it’s gonna be. How do you think the rest of the pack is gonna feel when they find out that, not only do we have a human living on their lands, but that we’d kept that secret from them for months? We’ve been trying to gain their trust and acceptance in this pack while lying to their faces. It’s time, man. We need to ‘fess up.”
I shook my head once more. “No. We’re not ready. She’s not ready. She’s still so weak. We can’t do anything that would put her in danger like that.”
“Come on, Wyatt. We’ve been a part of this pack for
