secret. Probably most of all from Jenna. But would he be desperate enough to kill Alex in the process?
The knot of dread that was lodged in her throat said he would.
Alex's heart was beating like it wanted to leap out of her rib cage by the time she reached Jenna's property. She skidded into an abrupt halt and killed the engine. Luna jumped off with her and the pair of them started running for the cabin's front porch.>"What do you want?" she sounded a bit out of breath, as if she were walking somewhere at a good clip.
"What do I want," he echoed. "I ... are you okay? I know you're upset. I felt it. I've been worried that something happened--"
Her scoff cut him off at the knees. "That's funny. When I saw you earlier, you didn't seem to care that I was upset."
"What?" He gave himself a mental shake, trying to make sense of what she was saying. "What's going on with you?"
"Did you want me to see you like that? Is that what you meant when you said you were afraid I might hate you one day? Because right now I don't know what to think." Her voice was tight with anger, and with hurt. "After what I saw, I don't know how I feel. Not about you or us or anything."
"Alex, I don't have any idea--"
More huffing breaths, her boots crunching in the snow. "What was all that talk about a mission with the Order? Was it all bullshit, Kade? Just a game you played to make me think you were something better than what you are?"
"Alex--"
She sucked in a sob. "My God, was everything between us just a bunch of bullshit, too?" Kade stalked farther away from the settling destruction behind him and the other warriors who had taken notice of his departure from the group. "Alex, please. Tell me what the hell is going on."
"I saw you!" she burst out sharply. "I saw you, Kade. In the woods, covered in blood, running with that pack of wolves. I saw what you did to that man."
"Ah, Christ," he muttered, comprehension dawning in a smothering wave. "Alex ..."
"I saw you," she whispered now, her voice breaking. "And I know you saw me, because you looked right at me."
"Alex, it wasn't me," he said, his heart sinking. "It was my brother. My twin, Seth."
"Oh, please." She scoffed. "How convenient for you to just remember him now. Let me guess, you're Dr. Jekyll and he's Mr. Hyde."
Kade understood her doubt. He understood her anger, and her disdain of him. Her emotion swelled in his own chest, squeezing his heart as though it were caught in a vise. "Alex, you don't understand. I didn't want to tell you about Seth because I am ashamed. Of him, of what he's done. Of myself, too, and the fact that I have not put a stop to his madness before now. I didn't tell you about him because I thought you would think I was just like him." He blew out a harsh sigh. "Shit ... maybe it was only a matter of time before you realized that I was like him."
She was silent for a long moment, her footsteps halted. In the background, he could hear Luna's soft whine. "I'm hanging up now, Kade."
"Wait. I need to see you. Where are you, Alex?"
"I don't ..." She inhaled a deep breath, blew it out in a rush. "I don't want to see you. Not right now. Maybe not ever again."
"Alex, I can't let you do this. I want to talk to you, in person, not like this." He closed his eyes, felt some of his hope drifting away. "Tell me where you are. I can be at your house in a few minutes--"
"I'm not at home. After what I saw today, I didn't know what to do, or where to go. So I went to Zach's."
The human police officer. Ah, fuck.
Panic drilled into the center of Kade's being. "Alex, I know you're upset and confused, but do not tell him any of this--"
"Too late," she murmured. "I have to go now, Kade. Stay away from me."
"Alex, wait. Alex!" The cell phone beeped as the connection ended. She hung up on him. "Goddamn it."
He tried her back again, but there was no answer. Three rings, four ... her voicemail picked up and he hung up.
Tried again. Same result.
"Shit!" Kade roared with anger, frustrated and raw with self-directed fury for what Alex had been through. Trauma he'd had a hand in, and which had likely lost him the one woman he hoped would be at his side for the rest of his life.
When he pivoted around, Tegan was standing there. "That doesn't sound good." Kade gave a vague shake of his head.