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“Don’t blame him,” she says, stepping closer. Determined. Unshaken. Her footfalls crunch softly—careful, but steady. She’s not stopping. “I twisted his arm.”

“Why?” I keep my voice flat, cold, eyes locked on a knot in the tree bark ahead of me. “Why bother? Skipping lunch wasn’t a mystery. I thought the message was clear.”

“I’m not here for lunch.”

The air tightens between us, heavy with everything we’re not saying.

“You and Sam?” she says, voice quieter now. “You’re more alike than you think. He did the same thing to Erica. Took off when things got complicated.”

I bite the inside of my cheek. Hard.

“So, what?” I ask. “You came out here to tell me I’m a shitty brother? Or are you calling me a coward?”

“No. God no,” she says, circling until she is in front, leaving me no choice but to meet her eyes. “I came because you owe me an answer. Last night, you said we want different things. I’ve been thinking about that all night and all morning. I still don’t get it. What do you mean?”

I sigh, slow and deep. Shoulders drop. Fine. She wants the truth, then I’m going to give it to her. I need to shut this shit down before it gets out of control.

“You want something real,” I say, low and steady. “A boyfriend. Connection. A future. I don’t. That’s not what I’m built for.”

“You’re joking.”

“I’m not.”

“Getting to know someone, holding them, laughing, sleeping next to them—that’s a burden to you?”

“Yes,” I say simply. “At twenty-six? Yeah. I’m too young to tether myself to anyone. Not like that.”

“I’m twenty-six too!” Her voice rises, raw and sharp. “And I’ve been in relationships. I’ve loved people. That doesn’t scare me. Why does it scare you?”

“You’re forgetting something.” I take a step closer, my voice dipping into something darker, heavier. “You’re human. If things fall apart, you grieve. You heal. We don’t. For us, heartbreak isn’t a phase—it’s permanent.” I tap my chest with two fingers. “If I fall in love—reallyfall—and it doesn’t work out? That doesn’t just hurt. It will break me. That happens and it kills something inside. You ever hear about a wolf losing their mate? It’s not like a human’s heartbreak. It’s bone-deep.”

“Ray…”

“You asked me where ‘fun Ray’ went last night,” I cut her off with a hollow laugh in my throat. “You want to know the truth? That guy—the flirty, makes-you-laugh, makes-it-easy guy? He’s dangerous. He leads to hope. Hope leads to wreckage. If he charms you, and somethingdoeshappen between us, guess what? It’s not just messy. It turns into a shitstorm. It’s not only us now, is it? It would involve Raul, Sam and your friends.”

“So you don’t want a relationship with me,” she says softly, and this time it lands.

She says it not like a question, but like a truth she’s finally willing to admit. I nod. Once.

“It’s not personal. It’s not even about you.” I breathe in. “I’m close with Raul and Sam. They love your friends. And those two, Erica and Monica, they trust me too. And they won’t if they think I’m playing with fire. We start something, and it goes sideways? That’s not just awkward. It’s more than just us, it could ruin the whole damn pack.”

“I love coming here,” she says, voice barely above a whisper.

“I know,” I say, meeting her eyes, trying to be gentler. “So let’s not ruin it. You’re smart. You’re beautiful. Hell, you’rehot,Stacy. You’ll meet someone back in New York who’ll take you to dinner, buy you flowers, send you good morning texts, rub your feet at night. Someone who’ll be everything you deserve.”

Her eyes shimmer. And I hate that I mean every word. Every. Damn. One. She deserves someone who looks at her and sees forever. Which I don’t. I can’t. All I see is danger. Risk. A chasm I’m not willing to jump across. Not for her or for anyone.

I move past her, slow and steady, accidentally brushing her shoulder with mine. And it hurts. Ithurtsso damn much.

Because I want to be that guy. I do want to be someone who doesn’t see love as a threat, but I can’t. I’ve lived too long in the shadow of what it could cost. I walk into the trees. My chest aches with every step.

And I don’t look back.

If I do, I might never leave.

5

STACY