I bit him. Oh, God. What was I thinking?
“Jesus. The Knowing. You have the Knowing, Ren?” he asked, sounding awed while I felt broken. “That isn’t a bad thing.”
Oh, but it was, and as he informed me about it, about this ability they called the Knowing and the ‘gift’ it was, I hated life. It was so unfair. I didn’t want to know, didn’t want to see these things if they were destined to happen. Screw precognition and ‘gifts’ and everything, I thought as I fell silent again, and he hugged me.
“This hurts,” I said softly, my eyes finally dry even as my heart bled.
“I know, honey,” he growled, his anger bleeding through before he hugged me closer. “But it will stop. Eventually, and in the meantime, you’re with me. I’ll keep you safe, Renny. No one will hurt you again. I swear it.”
Yeah. But what about…me.
Because right now, as my wolf whimpered and snarled, raging at me, it was me who was doing the hurting.
Chapter 22 Caleb
“H
e what!” I snarled, my temper exploding when Cole shrugged and gave me a knowing smirk.
“He’s mating her. Told me this morning and also told me that you’d do well to stay away before he kicks your ass again. In this case, I sort of agree, Cal. You fucked up, man, big time.” Cole muttered, ignoring my scowls of rage and grabbing coffee.
He took one sip and spit it back into the cup, his lip curling while I frowned and cursed.
“Jesus, you make shit coffee. I guess Ren was the one to make it before, huh?” he asked, smiling when I growled and slammed a fist into the table.
It creaked but didn’t break, something I was grateful for because Ren loved this table, and she’d scalp me if I broke it.
“She was supposed to come back.” I groaned, pacing to the sink to stare out the window while my bear grumbled and felt unsettled.
The bite on my shoulder burned, the wound unhealed because I'd pulled back before Ren could lick it and heal me. Sighing because even that couldn’t piss me off enough to make me stop worrying, I dropped my head and cursed us both. Why had she done it? Goddammit, everything was perfect.
“After what you said to her? Fuck Caleb, I’d have kicked your ass for it myself if you weren’t such a pitiful fool.”
“She made a mistake. She shouldn’t have bitten me.”
“As if she could help it. You’re hers, Caleb, her Fated. How was she supposed to withstand that? Hell, I don’t know how she withstood it this long.”
“She’s wrong!”
“Is she? Look at how far you’ve come, how you’ve changed in the last few weeks. She’s healed you, brother, and as far as I can tell, that can say only one thing. You belong together. Her wolf just knew it before you did.” He said softly, smiling when I growled again and whipped around to glare at him.
“I don’t feel it.”
“Then you’re more broken than I thought. And more foolish. But that’s not my problem. I only came over to tell you the news and to ask you to stay away. What you do now is on you.”
“He can’t mate her. She isn’t his!”
“Well, someone has to. Ren needs someone to put her first, Caleb, and if Trey wants to be that male, I’m glad for them. I gotta go. Be smart.” He said, leaving before I could say anything more.
I stewed as I stood there, my anger rising the more I thought about my Ren, mating to Trey. She couldn’t do that.
Goddammit. She can’t, I thought, my jaw firming when I turned and stalked out of the house, my feet picking up speed until I was running. I was barely winded when I reached town and panting from anger when I walked into Trey’s house and found him and Ren in the living room, talking softly.
The sight made red explode through my vision, and before I could stop myself-Jesus, I should stop! -I growled and curled my lip.
“My brother?” I snarled. “You just professed your love to me, and now you’re suddenly mating him. Nice, Ren.” I snarled, looking her up and down with disgust.
“Caleb. I can explain.”