I fell on my ass and clasped my hands together so I wouldn’t do something I’d regret later—like strangle the fuck out of Heather. My need to protect my mate was at war with all the years I’d looked out for my little sister. There was no doubt whose side I’d take if Heather forced me into the position of choosing between her and Adley. My mate would always have my first loyalty. “Please tell me you never hurt her.”
“Absolutely not,” she gasped, her eyes filling with tears. “Do you really think I could do something like that?”
“That’s just it. I don’t know what you’re capable of anymore. I never thought you’d try to cause trouble for our alpha and his mate, but you did. And now you’re telling me that you vented your anger over everything that happened on Adley.” I shook my head, running my fingers through my hair. “So forgive me if I need you to spell out exactly what you did to my woman that would make her run from me the way she did when she found out you’re my sister.”
“I know I’ve been an idiot, but I swear to you that I’ve never laid a finger on your mate,” she promised as she leaned toward me. “I was mean to her, but I never went past verbal taunts.” She paused, and her eyes dropped to the floor. “Some of the stuff I said was pretty horrible, though.”
I heaved a deep sigh, relieved to know Heather’s sins hadn’t gone that far. “How bad did it get?”
She ducked her head even farther and rattled off a list of insults she’d tossed at my mate. The list was lengthy and got steadily worse as she continued, making me cringe. When she was finally done, I didn’t know what to say. I finally let out a dry laugh, but my chuckle was without humor because there wasn’t anything funny about how much my sister had managed to fuck up the situation. “Well, that’s ironic as fuck.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.
“The message Kace sent me to give you would’ve been a fucking blessing if you hadn’t been such a bitch to my mate all this time. It would have just taken a few words from her, and you would have been welcomed back into our pack with open arms,” I explained.
She reared back in shock, her eyes going wide. “I don’t understand. How could Adley help end my banishment? None of you knew her before you came to town and discovered she was your mate.”
“You weren’t banished, Heather,” I reminded her with a frown. “Kace never intended for you to be in the Badlands Territory for this long.”
Her lips turned down in a pout, and she wrapped her arms around her torso. “It felt like it to me, though.”
“You weren’t the only one who suffered for your mistakes,” I hissed. “Mom hasn’t been handling your absence well, and it’s only gotten worse as time has gone on. Kace wanted to give you a chance to end your punishment, so he sent me here to deliver a message. You can come home if a human from Havoc’s pack is willing to vouch for you. But I’m guessing if you burned that bridge with someone as sweet as Adley, then odds aren’t good that you made friends with any of the other humans in the Badlands Territory.”
“Oh, crap,” she cried, shaking her head. “No, I definitely haven’t hit it off with any of the humans in Havoc’s pack.”
“Good luck figuring out how to mend those fences,” I drawled as I rose to my feet to stride over to the door again. “I’m going to be busy trying to convince Adley that I’m nothing like you even though we grew up in the same house. I need her to know that I’ll treat her with care and always protect her from anyone who wants to hurt her so she’ll accept me as her mate. If I can’t manage it, then I don’t know what the fuck I’ll do.”
Heather jumped up and walked toward me with a determined gleam in her eyes. “There’s still time to make this right with Adley. I refuse to believe that she’ll turn you away after I’ve heard her and her mom talk about how much she wanted to be someone’s fated mate.”
“I hope you’re right, but my mate just shrunk away from my touch. I don’t know how the fuck I’m supposed to fix what’s wrong when I don’t even know where to find her!” I yelled, raking my hands through my hair.
“I’m pretty sure that I do,” Heather whispered, tugging on my arm. “We might not be friends, but we’ve lived in the same house the entire time I’ve been here, so I’ve learned a lot about your mate. Including where she goes when something is bothering her.”
I was relieved at the possibility that my sister knew how to find my mate. But it fucking sucked that it was because she’d been the one to give Adley plenty of reasons to search out her favorite spot to lick her wounds in private.
8
Adley
“Adley? Is that you?” my mom called out as I tried to shut the gate to our backyard behind me as quietly as possible.
My shoulders slumped as I eyed the hammock before walking up the steps to the back porch. Sliding the sliding glass door open, I poked my head inside the kitchen and answered, “Yeah, Mom.”
She looked up from the cookies she was spooning onto a baking sheet. “I thought you were going to spend the afternoon at the coffee shop?”
“I changed my mind.” I pointed my thumb over my shoulder. “It was more crowded in town than I expected. I know it’s a little chilly outside, but I decided to come back and hang out in the hammock until I get too cold and need to come inside to warm up.”
My mom pointed at the rows of cookies cooling on the rack. “Come in and grab a blanket and some of these before you get comfortable out there.”
I’d run all the way home, hoping to sneak into the backyard without my parents noticing so I could think about what had just happened without having to talk about the situation with anyone. I should have known better, though. With their heightened senses, getting past them was almost impossible. Now I was stuck trying to pretend nothing was wrong. “Sounds like a great idea, Mom. You know how much I love your loaded oatmeal cookies.”
She grinned at the compliment. “That’s why I make them so often.”
I only made it three steps inside before my dad walked into the kitchen, and his nostrils flared. “Why is the scent of a strange wolf all over you?”
The only thing I could smell was delicious cookies, but I should have known the aroma wouldn’t cover Luke’s scent after we’d had sex. “I found my mate.”
“You did? That’s wonderful,” my mom cried, clapping her hands together as she peered over my shoulder. “Where is he?”
I twisted my hands together. “Um, I-I left him at the hotel with Heather.”
“Is he from her pack?” my mom asked, her lips curving down at the edges.
She was probably worried that I was going to leave with him soon, which was jumping the gun quite a bit since I’d run before he could mark me. “He’s her brother.”
“Oh, what a lucky coincidence.” My mom looked up at my dad. “Taking Heather in during her time of need brought our baby girl’s mate practically to our doorstep.”
“I’d love to agree with you, darling.” My dad flung his arm over my mom’s shoulders and pulled her against his side. “But our girl doesn’t seem happy to have Luke for her mate.”
“Oh.” My mom peered at me and frowned more. “I guess you’re right, dear. But that doesn’t make any sense. You’ve always wanted a mate, Adley. And from all of the stories Heather has told your dad and me about her brother, he sounded like such a good person. What went wrong?”
My dad dropped his arm from my mom’s shoulder and cracked his knuckles. His wolf flashed in his eyes, and I knew he was thinking the worst. The last thing I needed was for my dad to take off and hunt Luke down when he hadn’t intentionally done anything to hurt me. I hurried to explain, “I met him at the coffee shop, but we didn’t stay long once we realized we were mates. We, uh, went somewhere private to um—”
My mom eyed my dad and ran her palm down his arm in a soothing gesture. “Even after all these years, we remember how it is when fated mates first meet.”
My dad grumbled, “Not something I need to think about when it comes to
my baby girl.”
“Oh, please. Now you sound like my father when you and I met,” my mom chided while rolling her eyes.
“We’re getting off track here.” My dad looked at me, lifting one brow. “I don’t see a mark on your neck, so we need to get back to your mom’s question. What went wrong?”
“Things were going great.” My cheeks filled with heat as I thought about how close Luke had been to marking me before we were interrupted. I shook my head to clear the sensual fog the memory invoked. “But then Heather showed up at the hotel, and things went sideways after I realized they were related.”
My mom’s brow wrinkled, and she cocked her head to the side. “I don’t understand. Why would that be a problem?”
Oh, crap. I’d let my scattered wits open a door I’d planned on keeping closed. But I supposed it was for the best since my parents wouldn’t understand why I hesitated to let Luke claim me without knowing what had gone down with Heather. Gesturing toward the kitchen table, I suggested, “You may want to sit down for this.”
“Shit,” my dad muttered, searching my face before leading my mom over to one of the chairs. After he got her settled, he pulled another seat out for me and claimed the one between us. “What’s been going on?”
“Things haven’t been great between Heather and me since she moved in with us.” That was a major understatement, but I figured I should ease them into the crap she’d pulled under their roof.
“How not great are we talking here?” my dad asked.
I bit my bottom lip and considered the best way to explain so he wouldn’t lose his temper. When he started tapping his fingers on the table, I realized it was a lost cause and that the longer I put this off, the worse it was going to be. “She has this weird issue with me being human and a part of our pack. At first, she just said stupid stuff about how I didn’t belong in the Badlands Territory, and Havoc should kick me out of the pack since I’ll never be able to contribute anything of value because I’m so weak.”
My dad latched onto a key part of what I’d said. “At first?”
“I think my lack of reaction just pissed Heather off because her comments got worse as time went on.” I cringed as I admitted, “She was so persistent in telling me how you should’ve never taken me in. That I should have been raised by humans so you guys could’ve adopted a child who actually belonged here instead. That I didn’t deserve to know shifters existed and never would have been let in on the secret if the accident that killed my parents hadn’t happened nearby.”
“Oh, Adley. Honey.” My mom’s eyes filled with tears.
I shrugged as I struggled to explain the impact Heather’s insults had on me. “Eventually, I guess I started believing some of what she had to say.”
My mom stretched her arm over Dad’s lap to squeeze my hand. “Is that why you’ve been so quiet lately? Because you feel as though you don’t belong with us anymore?”
“Maybe.” I started to cry, too. “I love you two so much. I can’t imagine what my life would have been like if the alpha hadn’t brought me to you after the accident. The worst day of my life was also the luckiest.”
“You have it backward.” My dad wrapped his arm around my shoulders to pull me close. “You’re the best thing that happened to us. We couldn’t have asked for a better daughter.
“Your dad is right, sweetie,” my mom agreed. “We’re incredibly lucky to be able to call you ours and love you so much.”
I flashed her a watery smile. “I know you do.”
“Then why did you keep this from us?” My mom wrung her hands together as she sniffled. “We never would have let her stay with us if we’d known she was making you uncomfortable in your own home.”
“That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you what was going on. I didn’t want to be responsible for Heather getting kicked out of our house while she was dealing with being sent away from her pack.” I sighed and shook my head. “I guess I didn’t think far enough in advance, though. I wasn’t expecting the situation to last this long. I figured she’d be able to go back to her own home long before now.”
My dad pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “You never should have been put into the position of sacrificing your happiness for someone else in the first place.”
“You’re so kind, and that girl took advantage of how deeply you feel for others,” my mom muttered.
“What did her brother have to say about the hatred Heather spewed at you?” my dad growled.
“I didn’t exactly give him the chance to say anything.” I grimaced and glanced away, not wanting to see how disappointed they’d be in my answer.
“Oh, Adley. It isn’t fair to judge Luke by what Heather has done,” my mom chided, wagging her finger. “Just because they’re siblings doesn’t mean they’re anything alike.”
“And if he doesn’t take your side, I’ll kick his ass,” my dad grumbled. Then his head whipped around to stare over his shoulder in the direction of the front door, and I knew my time to think had run out. Luke had found me. And judging from the flare of anger in my dad’s eyes, Heather had led him here.
9
Adley
We all held still as the front door creaked open, and Luke hissed, “You better be right about her being here.”
“If I’m wrong, at least she’ll turn up eventually. This is her home,” Heather insisted.
My dad started to stand, but we each gripped one of his arms to hold him in place. My mom cautioned, “Don’t do anything you’ll regret later.”
“It’s fine, Dad. I’ll handle this,” I assured, patting him on the shoulder as I got to my feet. “Things would never have gotten this bad if I’d just stood up for myself in the first place.”
“She does have a point, dear,” my mom agreed as they followed me out of the kitchen. “Adley is all grown up now and may be mated soon. We need to let her manage her own life, even if she hasn’t done a great job of it the past year.”
“Mom,” I cried, glancing over my shoulder at her with wide eyes.
She shrugged and gave me a pointed look. “What? You know darn well that if you’d come to us sooner or stood firm with Heather when she was being mean, then the situation wouldn’t have gotten so bad.”
She was right, but it didn’t feel great to have her point out that I hadn’t handled things well when I was already upset. Heaving a deep sigh, I continued to make my way down the hall that led to the front of the house.
“Go easy on her, honey,” my dad murmured.
“I’m just saying that we raised a strong young woman who can stand on her own two feet.” My mom’s compliment eased most of the sting from her earlier words, but I was filled with a new kind of pain when I entered the living room and found Luke and Heather there. I wanted to throw myself into my mate’s arms, but we needed to settle some things before I could commit myself to a lifetime spent in his pack. Especially since his sister was bound to return there eventually.
“Adley, you’re here,” Luke gasped, swiftly moving toward me.
I held my hands up before he got too close, and my parents flanked me on either side. “Mom, Dad, this is Luke. Heather’s brother.”
“And your fated mate,” he growled, his wolf flashing in his eyes as he glanced down to where my dad was holding my arm.
“Oh, please. Don’t be an idiot, you Neanderthal. He’s my dad,” I protested with a roll of my eyes.
My dad dropped his hand and chuckled. “Until you wear his mark on your shoulder, I’m sure it will be next to impossible for Luke to see another male touch you, even me.”
“Seriously, Luke?” Heather jabbed him in the side with her elbow. “We came here so you could fix things with Adley. Getting all territorial over something as trivial as her dad being near her isn’t going to help.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure about that.” My mom leaned forward to wink at my dad. “I enjoy it when my mate gets all growly and possessive over me.”
“It’s expected with fated mates.” M
y dad eyed Luke up and down. “I would respect you a whole lot less if you weren’t feeling territorial over my baby girl now that you’ve found her.”
“And you got something seriously wrong, Heather,” my mom added.
Heather’s brow wrinkled in confusion. “I did?”
My mom nodded. “Luke isn’t the one who’s responsible for what’s broken here. You are, which makes it your responsibility to repair what went wrong.”
“Oh.” Heather’s eyes went wide as her skin lost most of its color. “You know?”
“Yes, our daughter finally saw fit to tell us what you’ve been up to since you’ve been here,” my dad confirmed.
“I’m so disappointed in you, Heather,” my mom scolded, shaking her head. “We welcomed you into our home in your time of need, and you repaid our kindness by treating our daughter horribly.”
Heather looked down, staring at the floor as she mumbled, “I know. I’m so sorry.”
“That’s not how you give a proper apology, young lady.”
Heather’s head jerked up, and her spine straightened. Nothing was remotely funny about the current situation, but I still found myself biting back a giggle at her reaction to my mom chastising her as she did me a million times when I was younger.
“You’re right, Mrs. Hoyt.” Heather’s gaze darted toward her brother before she shifted her focus to me. “Please don’t turn my brother away because of what I’ve done. He doesn’t deserve to pay for my mistakes, just as you didn’t deserve to be my verbal punching bag. I was supposed to work through my issues while I was here, but I didn’t see how much I’d spiraled until I realized that my behavior might cause you to reject Luke. I’m so sorry.”
Her Mate: Badlands Territory/Shifted Love Crossover Page 4
