Page 56 of Brutal Reign
She blinks back at him like that’s the dumbest thing she’s ever heard. “You’re a bad liar, Seb. And anyways, if that were even a little bit true, you wouldn’t have iced me out when we were fifteen. Try again.”
“We had an agreement,” I cut in, hoping that a long overdue dose of honesty may help smooth things over. “Since both of us had a thing for you, we decided the only way to preserve our friendship would be to make it so you were off-limits. We made a deal…”
“Whoa, hold up,” River interjects, flinching back. “You made adeal?” Her eyes narrow, sliding between the two of us furiously. “Why wasn’tIever consulted in this bullshit?”
“Because it was too hard being around you, knowing we could never act on how we really felt,” I explain.
Shit, now that I say it out loud, the logic doesn’t seem near as sound as it did when we were fifteen.
“But this solves everything,” Seb adds, glancing over at me as he recalls our prior conversation. “If we’re both bonded to you, then it can’t ruin our friendship. We all get what we want.”
She arches a dubious brow. “All?What part of me saying I want nothing to do with you two are you not understanding?”
A growl rumbles in Seb’s chest. “But we’re fated mates.”
“So let me get this straight,” she deadpans, folding her arms tightly across her chest. “You two made a deal to shut me out, ignored me for years, made my life hell for the past two weeks when we were forced to be around each other again, and now, all of that should be forgiven just because fate seems to have gotten confused and bonded you both to me?”
Seb drags a hand through his hair, shrugging a shoulder sheepishly. “Well, yeah.”
“Ugh!” she yells in frustration, abruptly turning on a heel and stomping out of the kitchen.
Shit, this is going badly.I’m not sure it could get any worse. Because she’s right, Seb and I fucked this up years ago. If we hadn’t pushed her away, maybe she’d actually be excited right now, embracing us as her mates with open arms, glad fate gave her two bonds so she never had to choose. But we did, and now she’s returning the favor tenfold. I finally understand what it must’ve been like for her when we cut ties, because being on the receiving end of this kind of rejectionsucks.
What if there’s no coming back from it?
Seb and I share a glance before taking off after River, chasing her out of the kitchen and down the hallway. She seems determined to evade us, quickening her pace as we close the distance.
“Stop running away from me, damnit!” Seb growls, snatching her arm and yanking her to a stop. “You’re my mate, you need to fucking accept it.”
She bats his hand away with a scowl. “I don’t need to do shit. How about you back the fuck off, Seb? Hmm?” Coppery shimmers ignite in her irises, her wolf pushing forward in warning.
“Sorry, can’t,” Seb grits out as he steps even further into her space. “You’remine.”
“I’m most definitelynotyours,” she huffs, pushing against his chest and stumbling backwards when she fails to move him. “Maybe once upon a time, but I haven’t beenyouranything in years.”
“She’s right, this is fucked,” I grumble as I swipe a hand over the top of my skull, my closely cropped hair tickling my palm. I can usually stay cool in the face of conflict, but this is too much, even for me. There’s a wild energy coursing through my veins, agitating my wolf to the point where I feel like I’m seconds from detonation. Staying here and continuing this conversation how it’s been going would be akin to pulling the pin on a grenade.
I need a minute to breathe.
“Hey, where are you going?” Seb demands as I turn to walk away.
“I need some fuckin’ air, alright?” I snap.
Both he and River flinch in response to my tone, blinking at me in surprise. Guess I can’t blame them. It’s rare for me to pop off like that, but this whole night has been a rollercoaster of emotions, and it feels like the bond is somehow amplifying them. I’ve gotta take a second to catch my breath before I fucking implode.
Heaving a sigh of frustration, I take off down the hall, leaving Seb and River behind to battle it out as I head for the front door of the packhouse. I practically take the damn thing off its hinges when I rip it open, stumbling outside and yanking it closed behind me.
Breathe, Ace.
I press my eyes closed, rubbing my fingers against my temple in an effort to alleviate the throbbing in my head. After sucking in a few deep breaths of fresh oxygen, I stumble over to the edge of the front stoop, dropping down to sit on it and digging a hand into the pocket of my jeans. My fingers close around thejoint and lighter I brought along for after the full moon run. It’s exactly what I need right now to take the edge off.
Fishing them out of my pocket, I pinch the joint between my lips and flip back the lid on my Zippo, lighting the end. The moment I drag the smoke into my lungs, a sense of calm washes over me.
Staring blankly into the distance, I puff on the joint, trying my best to clear my mind and get a handle on myself. I have no idea how this is going to work between the three of us. Judging by River’s reaction in there, the outlook is pretty bleak right now. It’s amazing how quickly this went from being the best night of my life to the worst.
The front door opens behind me, but I don’t need to look over my shoulder to know who it is. I can sense Seb’s familiar presence the moment he steps outside, his heavy footfalls vibrating the cement stoop as he comes over to join me, easing down to sit on the opposite side.
“Hey man, you good?” he asks tentatively.