Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 81208 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81208 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
“No,” I say.
Yes. The truth whispers guiltily.
It’s not what he thinks, though. I don’t want to keep Goldie just for me. And it wasn’t about claiming her first. I’m not a territorial dick. My brothers are extensions of me, and I share everything with them, Goldie included. I didn’t claim her. There’s no mate-mark on her body. Nothing that makes her formally ours. I wouldn’t do that without my brothers. I couldn’t do that without Hunter, our alpha.
But Hunter wouldn’t be able to handle Goldie without scaring her away. This was the only way to bring her into our lives. Give her a taste of what it's like to have her fantasies become reality. Make it so good she’ll never want to leave. We can’t force her submission. She has to want to give it freely.
Hunter’s too wrapped up in folklore and legend. He’s too entitled, and he’s never been able to control his temper. I don’t blame him. Those traits come with being the alpha in a family. Without them, our kind wouldn’t have survived.
“She needs a careful hand,” I say.
He looks down at my huge hands hanging at my sides. “Careful? You took her into the room, didn’t you?”
He doesn’t miss a thing. The room isn’t a place of hearts and flowers. It’s a place of pain and release. He knows this. Careful hands don’t belong in the room. Or maybe that’s wrong. Maybe gentle hands don’t belong in the room. Careful hands are always required.
“Yes.”
Evan, who’s been standing quietly behind, shakes his head. Even my happy-go-lucky, life’s-a-party brother’s disappointed in me.
“So, that’s it. She stays now.” Hunter climbs three stairs, his intent clear from his narrowed eyes to his tight jaw. Goldie’s in the room. It’s his turn to claim her.
I put my hands out and sidestep into the middle of the staircase, determined to block him.
“This isn’t the time or the way,” I say. “I didn’t claim her.”
Hunter isn’t used to me going against him. In our day-to-day lives, we don’t have reason to disagree. We live harmoniously, maintaining the house, investing our wealth, defending what’s ours. Our parents raised us to be allies, not rivals. It was the only way to ensure we’d live happily with one woman, the only way to guarantee the next generation would arrive and thrive.
“Get out of my way, Robert,” he all but growls as the primal urge to fulfill what’s promised overcomes him.
“I can’t,” I say. “You don’t understand. If you go up there, we’ll lose her. She’s ventured into the unknown. She’s uncovered truths about herself that she needs to process. Everything about this house is unfamiliar, including us. We have to be patient. And I didn’t claim her.”
His brow furrows, his mouth forming a disbelieving frown. I said it three times, and it’s just registered. “You didn’t claim her?”
“I fulfilled her fantasies,” I say. “We claim her together.”
Hunter’s shoulders relax just a fraction. I’ve overstepped, but I haven’t dishonored him. I haven’t stolen what’s rightfully his to take first.
“Tell him about her store,” Evan interrupts. “Tell him what we saw.”
Hunter crosses his arms over his chest. “Her store was burning. The firefighters were there, putting out the blaze.”
“What?” I frown, looking to Evan for confirmation that this isn’t some kind of ploy to distract me so Hunter can sweep past me. Inside, a rumble of fury strains forward, desperate to break free. I can’t allow it to. Not with Goldie upstairs.
“It’s revenge, Robert. They know who she is.”
“Shit.” I swipe my hand through my hair as my suspicions are confirmed. The incident in the woods didn’t feel like a coincidence, but I hoped I was wrong. Goldie’s not ready for the danger she’s in. She’s not ready to understand why her life’s being destroyed piece by piece. She’s not ready for the truth.
“She can’t leave. You understand that. She has to be told everything.” Hunter sets his jaw, and his muscles bulge as he folds his arms tighter. He’s a wall of determination and pigheadedness, and I love him more than I love myself.
“Will you let me handle it?”
“Who made you the lead on this?” he asks.
“I guess Goldie did by coming here when I called her. She met me first.”
“It’s okay, Hunter,” Evan says. “You know Robert can handle this. You know he’s right. It won’t make any difference in the long run. All we need is patience.”
“I’m all out of patience,” Hunter roars.
Evan smiles up at me, rolling his eyes at Hunter’s stroppiness. “No, you’re not. Not really. We’ve been waiting since we can remember, since Pop told us the story that felt like a fairytale of the golden-haired girl whose curiosity would lead her to our house in the middle of the woods. A few more days or weeks won’t hurt.”
My brother is clever to remind Hunter of those moments with our father, his deep melodic voice, and the promises he made. The memory softens Hunter’s features. He might be impatient, but he’s not a fool.