Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 100470 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100470 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
My older brother lets me cry, reminding me of when I was five and skinned my knees on the rocks while we played in the river. He was calm and his voice comforted me while he patched me up. We weren’t supposed to be at the river without Mom and Dad, but we’d gone anyway. My brother protected me and made everything better.
“I’ve got your back,” he says, clutching me tighter. “No matter what happens, I’ve got your back. I won’t let Dad kill you. And if they try to send you away, I’ll make sure to come visit you. It’s not the end of the world, okay?”
I doubt it’s that simple, but I ache to believe him.
“Can I stay with you again?” I ask, shuddering against the wind. “I’m tired and need a place to hide.”
He pulls back and affixes me with a firm stare. “Under one condition.”
A condition to living here? Since when?
I nod because it’s not like I have a choice.
“Leave Destiny be. She needs the quiet. The space to just be. The last thing she needs is you drilling her with questions like Mom does.”
I’m unsure why she needs space, but it’s an easy thing to agree to.
“Okay,” I drawl out. “I think I can handle that.”
He claps me on the shoulder. “Good. Now get back inside before we both freeze our nuts off. If your dog starts farting, he’s gone.”
I hope you like sleeping outside, Mage…
“Deal.” I bark out a harsh laugh. “You got any more of that tequila left?”
He smirks. “Hell yeah. Liquid breakfast it is.”
I’m not sure what’s in store for my future, but at least I have someone to lean on right now in my pit of despair. Family is everything to me, which complicates this entire shitshow.
* * *
* * *
“What are you doing?” Ronan asks, eyes wide with panic.
I finish dressing and stop to yank my boots on. “Having words with our mother.”
“Seriously? Right now? Raegan, she’s pissed. Let her cool off.”
“She’s being unreasonable,” I grumble, snatching my coat from the couch. “She sent Ryder away like he’s the problem here. Just stay here. I’ll deal with her.”
He spears his fingers through his hair as he starts pacing. “Everything is so fucked.”
“No kidding.”
As I start for the door, Ronan snaps out of his freak-out mode and stalks over to me. He cradles my face in his palms before pressing a soft kiss to my mouth. Then his knuckles brush over my clothes where my stomach is. It’s a reminder of what I’m fighting for. This. Us. Our baby.
I give him another quick kiss and then hurry out of the cabin toward the one next door. Before I even reach the porch, I can hear my parents’ raised voices. Lifting my chin and bracing myself for a war, I push into the cabin.
Mom is sitting on the edge of the bed, holding Dawson and crying. Dad is standing over her, an unreadable expression on his face. Kota and Deck both gape at Mom with wide eyes. Destiny is missing, which is strange. The cabin smells like wolf shit and it takes everything in me to remain fierce, not succumbing to gagging.
“It’s not all his fault,” I huff out, flinging an arm to indicate Ryder whom she just sent away. “We were all there. Why did he get the brunt of it?”
Dad’s gaze pins me in place. He opens his mouth to speak, but Mom is quicker.
“We’re not doing this here,” she hisses. “Not in front of the children.”
“We are your children,” I cry out, voice bordering on hysteria. “Mothers don’t send their kids away unless they’re bad moms!”
Dad growls. “That’s enough, Raegan.”
Ignoring him, I waggle a finger at Mom. “Why him? Why is Ryder the problem? Do you love him less?”
Mom passes Dawson to Dad and stomps over to me. “I love all my children the same. But…what I saw…” She shudders, shaking her head. “How could you?”
“How could I?” I let out a dark chuckle. “Mom, I love them! What’s wrong with love?”
“Everything,” she cries out. “It’s not the love, it’s who you’re loving!”
“Well, it’s too late now,” I say, glowering at her.
“Too late?”
I rub my stomach and shrug. “I’m pregnant.”
Dad curses from behind her and Dawson starts repeating it between giggles.
“No,” Mom chokes out. “You’re just saying that to piss me off.”
“I am and it’s not Ryder’s.”
Both of my parents stare at me as though I’ve grown two heads.
“Ronan?” Mom whispers.
“We were kidnapped, Mother.” Tears start welling and I hate that I can’t keep the anger at the surface like I want to. “Things happened because I was scared. We all were.”
She starts to full-on sob. Dad strokes her hair, body tense, as he scowls at me.
“We’re going to have the baby and the three of us will be happy together—”