Page 33 of Bonding with the Beta (Fated Souls #2)

33

KAYDEN

“ A re you sure it’s nothing bad?” Kayleigh's cautious voice makes my skin crawl.

I should have thought about how I would tell her I had something to say. It probably shouldn’t have been after I made her come twice—definitely after this car journey.

“It’s nothing bad,” I reassure her, keeping my eyes firmly on the road.

Kayleigh huffs and settles back in the passenger seat. “I feel sick,” she groans. “If you turn around and tell me that you’ve actually been sleeping with someone else and this isn’t going anywhere, I’m gonna class that as bad.”

“Hey.” I reach over to cup her knee. She turns to look at me, and I smile gently. “I’m not seeing or sleeping with anyone else, okay?”

She chews on her lip hard enough to draw blood. “Okay. Why do we need to go to your house?”

“It’ll make more sense when you’re there.” I flick my eyes to the road once more. “I promise.”

After a hesitated nod, she leans back again and fumbles with her hands.

“You know,” she rasps, “you could have brought me to your house and then told me you had something to say. Do you know how anxious I am?”

“I’m sorry,” I say sincerely. “I wasn’t thinking.”

Kayleigh whips her head towards the window and places her chin on her fist as she watches the journey until we reach my house. I pull up and jump out before walking around my car to open her door for her.

She forces a wobbly smile as I take her hand and walk us towards the front entrance. We step inside, and she cups her arms to her chest. “Can I grab a hoodie? It’s freezing in here.”

I nod. “Yeah, you know where my bedroom is?”

“Yes.”

Guys, I need to talk. Where are you? I mindlink Jaxon and Ava as Kayleigh walks up the stairs.

We’re in the living room. What’s wrong?

I walk down the hall and push my way into the living room to find Ava and Jaxon on the sofa, with Aurora in Jaxon’s arms.

“Hey,” I say, pushing the door almost closed.

Ava sits up, brows pinched together. “What’s wrong?”

Jaxon looks equally as confused, but I know I have to do this to earn her trust.

“I’ve decided I’m going to tell Kayleigh about us.”

“What do you mean ‘us’?” Jaxon narrows his eyes suspiciously.

“Us being wolves, everything.”

Ava’s mouth hangs open.

“I like her a lot, and I can’t keep withholding the truth from her. Not after the things she’s told me. She deserves to know what we are, about mates and everything else. She doesn’t know anything about the real me. My life is practically a lie, and I don’t want it to bite me in the ass further down the line.”

Jaxon’s jaw tenses. “Kayden, once you tell her, there is no going back.”

“I know.”

“Can we trust her? It’s not just you, Kayden. It’s all of us here.”

Ava scowls at him. “Of course, we can trust her. She’d never tell a soul.”

Jaxon doesn’t look convinced as he gives her a weary look.

“We can,” I clarify. “She won’t say anything; I know it.”

He raises one shoulder, and Aurora stirs but settles again a second later. “It’s your funeral.”

“Charming.”

“Just being honest.”

“How do you think she’s going to react?” Ava asks, chewing on her fingernail.

“I don’t know, I just–”

There is a knock at the living room door, and I freeze. Kayleigh emerges a second later wearing one of my hoodies that hangs off her frame. She’s drowning in it, but a possessive glimmer inside me begins to shine.

“Hi.” She smiles at Jaxon and Ava.

When she spots Aurora, her eyes instantly light up, and she rushes over to her, not having seen her since the hospital. She coos at her as she lays peacefully in Jaxon’s arms.

“Oh my God,” she hums in delight. “She’s grown so much already.”

Ava chuckles. “Tell me about it. Time is going by too quickly.”

“Oh, she’s the cutest.”

Jaxon begins to stand. “Let me put her down, then we all can talk. Hmm?”

I glance at Ava as she looks at me.

Kayleigh blinks in surprise, her eyes flicking between the three of us. “Oh. It’s something you all need to tell me?”

“Yeah.” I reach out for her hand, which is inside my hoodie. “They’re here to help me explain because this isn’t going to be easy.”

“What?” Kayleigh’s throat tenses.

“Sit down.” I motion towards the sofa.

She perches on the edge as Jaxon returns, shutting the door firmly behind him.

I stare back at her. Where the hell am I going to start with this?

Kayleigh shuffles forward and backwards in her seat with anticipation, eyes so full of worry that my stomach churns with nausea.

“I haven’t been completely honest with you.” I scratch the back of my head as I squat in front of her and take her fingers with mine.

Blood immediately drains from her face.

“Wait, wait, wait,” she murmurs. “Kayden, are you sick?”

“No. No.” I shake my head rapidly. “No. I’m not sick. I’m okay.”

Her chest heaves, and she nods, eyes flicking between mine, desperate for answers. “Then what?”

I purse my lips and think of a few ways to go about what I’m about to say. There’s no point in dragging this out. She’s been tortured enough. It’s going to sound insane either way, so I need to come out with it. It’s now or never.

“Kayleigh, I’m not human.”

She stares at me like I’m crazy. “What?”

“I’m not fully human,” I clarify.

“What the hell does that mean?”

I sigh and roll my teeth across the inside of my lip. “I know this is going to sound crazy, and I need you to let me explain. I am human, but I am also a wolf.”

“Excuse me?”

“Kayleigh, just listen?—”

“Are you trying to fuck with me?”

She doesn’t blink. Not once. She’s in shock.

“No,” I exhale sharply. “Not at all. I want to be honest with you.”

Kayleigh coughs out a sour laugh and looks at Ava. “What the fuck is this, Ava?”

“He’s telling the truth.” She nods. “We all are. Wolves. Just listen to what he has to say.”

She stands up, and I join her as she glances between us with a look of betrayal. The room is silent for a long moment, and it cuts through my heart like a knife, then she starts cackling.

“Then show me,” she demands, arms flying around. “Show me that you guys are ‘wolves’,” she air quotes. “Show me that you’re not human or whatever the fuck you are because this is a joke, right? This is where you do some stupid show and tell me it’s a prank.”

I swallow harshly and look at Jaxon, who stares back at me.

How exactly did you expect this to go? He quirks a brow.

Not like this, I admit.

Jaxon snorts quietly. You are fucked, my friend.

“Wolves,” Kayleigh barks again and laughs until her throat runs dry. “Seriously…seriously?”

Her arms fold over her chest as she glares at me, red blotches coating her cheeks. I inhale a breath as I step towards her, and she holds out a hand.

“Go on, show me,” she orders.

Jaxon and Ava step back, and I channel my wolf, feeling his soul. Within seconds, my bones begin to snap and my clothes begin to shed, a low growl escaping my mouth as I stand on four paws.

My brown wolf raises its head and looks straight at her. I glance down at her legs to find them trembling with no control. She’s frozen.

She holds my stare, releasing a terrified breath until her eyes roll into the back of her head, and she collapses down onto the floor before I can reach her.

Yeah, nice plan. Jaxon sighs as they drop to their knees to check she’s okay. That went really well.

Shut up, asshole.