I stretched my arms up and smirked, looking over at Cayden, who scowled with his arms crossed, shaking his head. "You cheated."
"I did not," I laughed, looking back at the TV and seeing the winning part on my side of the screen. That was the fifth game I won, making me the winner overall.
He tossed his controller aside and sighed. "Well, our shift is almost over, so it's a tie."
"I won five out of six games. I don't think it's a tie." I said as I grabbed my phone. "You're just a sore loser, is all."
"Oh, shut up," Cayden said, glancing at his phone. "You somehow cheated."
I snorted, pulling myself out of my hair. "I think I heard Ayden and Miles come in. Want me to punch you out?"
Cayden nodded, and I walked across the space and down the stairs toward our punch-in station. I grabbed my card, and Cayden punched both of us out for the day.
I spotted Miles tossing his jacket into his locker. "Hey, is it cold outside?"
Miles nodded, running a hand through his hair where he had some snow. "It's getting pretty cold out now. Is Ayden in yet?"
I shook my head. "Haven't seen him yet, but you guys are working tonight, right?"
Miles nodded and walked up the stairs. I rolled my neck as I followed him and found Cayden now standing, shaking his head on the phone. He started to pace. His shoulders were tense as he walked, and his eyebrows were pushed together as if he were concerned. "What happened?"
I stiffened, watching his face look worried. He only ever looked that way when it was two about people. Riley or April.
Miles looked at me and then at Cayden. "Something happen?"
The space was silent for a moment longer before Cayden rubbed a hand over his face. "Okay, thank you, Livianna."
He ended the line and ran a hand over his face.
"Everything okay?" I asked as Miles took a seat on the couch.
He shook his head. "No, April's ex showed up, and I guess they were having a fight in the hallway of the apartment complex. Liv said it sounded pretty heated, and she's worried. He left, but she's worried he might come back."
"Did he hurt her?" Miles asked.
Cayden shook his head. "No, it was just yelling. She said it didn't look like April had been hit or touched."
I felt my stomach clench, and I wanted to make sure that April was okay. I'd been keeping my distance out of respect. She had just gotten out of a terrible relationship, had gotten divorced, and is Cayden's little sister.
Cayden ran a hand over his face, looking a little paler now. "I need to make sure she's okay. She likes to hide her feelings, and she's been doing it a lot lately. It's been worrying the shit out of Riley and me. We're trying to give her distance because that seems to be what she wants, but at the same time, we want to make sure she doesn't plummet herself into a dark hole that she can't get out of."
"I'll come with," I said quickly. "I can help scan the grounds outside and make sure he's not hanging around."
I also wanted to see April. I hadn't seen her since she officially moved into Honeyville.
Cayden nodded. "Yeah, thanks. That would actually be really nice. We can take my truck."
We left the fire station and drove across town to the apartment complex where they all lived. It was a nice building with decent security. There were cameras, but they needed to be updated. I'm sure they might still have something on them, at least unless Ivan was smart and avoided them.
We took the elevator up, and I could see Cayden clenching and unclenching his jaw. His fingers curled into fists at his side, and he tapped his foot.
"She's okay," I said, hoping it would help. "If she wasn't, Liv would have been a little more urgent on the phone."
We all knew Liv. She'd moved into the apartment complex a couple of months ago. She was a sweet old lady who was a little lonely. She'd dropped off cookies at the fire station a few times.
She was a little nosey, but Cayden said he was grateful for it. At least someone could watch his sister when he wasn't around.
They stepped off the elevator and headed down the hallway. They stopped in front of the fourth door, and Cayden knocked.
My entire body tensed up, and as the door opened, I finally saw April after so many years. She looked good. Grown-up.
Her once blond hair was now pure black, cut short. Her brown eyes had a hardness rather than the softness I remembered. She was wearing grey sweatpants and a long-sleeved shirt. Her complexion was paler than I remembered, but it had been years since I'd seen her.
She looked at me for a split second, acknowledging me, before her eyes snapped to her brother. She scowled. "Did Liv call you? Jesus, I can't do anything without you finding out, can I?"
Cayden scowled at her. "Yeah, she called me because you didn't feel the need to tell me your ex-husband was loitering around. Is this the first time? Or has he done this before?"
April sighed, pulling some hair behind her ear. I noticed a row of earrings and a tattoo on her wrist. I couldn't make out what it was as she dropped her hand, crossing her arms.
"Nothing happened. I'm fine. He was just drunk and left. I doubt he's coming back."
"You should have called. I shouldn't be getting a call from Liv about this. Do you have any idea how dangerous this is? You could easily be requested to return back to the old pack if he decided to bring this up to his alpha."
April's lips formed a tight line. "Then maybe you should tell her to butt out of my business." But as soon as the words came out, she sighed. "I'm sorry, you're right. I should have called. I was going to, but you were at work."
"And how long were you going to wait to tell me?"
I shrugged. "Riley was coming back later. I would have told her. She would have told you."
Cayden's jaw clenched, and I could see he was fuming. He was even more protective of Riley since she got pregnant. I could imagine the idea of Ivan going near Riley would send him spiraling.
I could tell Cayden wanted to speak with his sister alone, so I cleared my throat. "I'm going to go check the cameras and look around outside. I'll give you guys a second alone."
April looked at me. "Can you grab something out of my car? I bought a TV. Riley and I are supposed to do girls' night."
"You aren't doing girls night! Not here."
April glared at her brother. "You don't get to tell me what I can and can't do."
Cayden ran a hand over his face and glanced at me. I gave them a nod and headed for the elevator. I hadn't even stepped on before they started yelling.
"You should have called! You don't wait for my pregnant wife to come here to inform us that you are in danger! How irresponsible are you!?"
"Jesus Christ, Cayden! I told you I am fine."
I headed downstairs and scanned the lobby. I made sure that all the cameras were still on and hadn't been tampered with. Everything looked good, so I went outside and checked the parking lot.
I didn't think he would stick around, but you never knew. I didn't think he would follow April here.
After making sure things looked good, I headed upstairs with the TV. I found the hallway clear, and they were both inside April's apartment. I set the TV down, taking in the bare space. The living room just had a couch near the fireplace. The walk-in kitchen was like Cayden's apartment, but she had a barstool instead of three.
"Nice place," I said as I shut the door.
April looked at me from the couch with a blanket over her lap. I suddenly felt like I'd been punched.
I suddenly remembered the last time we were together. She had her hair braided down her back, looking at me with a seductive expression. We were hanging in my bedroom, which consisted of the entire attic, which meant I had a large living room space.
"I beat you," she purred. "What do I get?"
It was another secret date—one of many. We spent as much time together as we could.
I walked closer, reaching up and cupping her face. "If your brother knew that you were sitting in his spot and beating me in this game, he'd probably lose his shit."
Her eyes twinkled with excitement. "What he doesn't know won't hurt him. Besides, he isn't here."
Our entire relationship had started as a joke. Her brother pissed her off, so she asked me to lunch. She'd done it in front of him just to get him riled up. And it bloomed from there. We'd gone to the movies, where we made out in the back. We went on runs, racing to see who was faster. We played video games, and when my folks were gone, we cooked.
It was just fun at first, just enjoying each other's time. But it grew. And when Cayden left, it shifted. We suddenly leaned on each other because a part was missing from both of us. I had lost my best friend, and she had lost her brother.
She stood up, smiling proudly. "What do I get for winning?" She tilted her head, waiting to see what I would do.
I wanted April badly to the point where sometimes it was almost painful to be around her. I had fallen for her and wanted to spend as much time with her as I could. A little pain wasn't going to stop me.
But I knew where this would all lead. We could only keep this hidden for so long before the pack figured out what was going on. And once they did, they were going to sink their claws into it.
April was young and rebelling. We were both rebelling and enjoying each other's company, but April wouldn't want what came next. The pack was traditional, and April was not a traditional girl. She wasn't the type to get married and pop out babies like it was her life's mission. She talked about her dreams and wanting to travel with Riley and explore. That wasn't on the pack's agenda.
That was our last night together, and I sometimes regretted it. I never told her what happened and wondered what would have happened if I had chosen differently.
` "You're staring." April said, snapping me back to reality. "And it's rude."
"Sorry, it's just been a while since I've last seen you, is all. I don't mean to stare."
April looked away, and Cayden sighed. "She's moody, excuse her."
April glared at Cayden. "I'm moody because you're acting like I'm five. Nothing happened. I can protect myself."
"And I think you're forgetting about what happened with Riley," he snapped at her.
April's mouth snapped shut. We all knew what happened to Riley and how she could have died in the fire. Cayden's overprotective was warranted.
"Ivan isn't that stupid. He's just dumb. Give him a little more time, and this will blow over."
"He sure sounds like an idiot," Cayden growled. "And I'm not comfortable with you being alone. Do you need to move back in with us?"
"I would rather marry some hobo than move back in with you guys."
"What if I married her?" I asked, the words popping out before I could even think about what I'd just said.
Cayden stared at me, and I threw my hands up. "Fake. It would be a fake marriage. I mean, I'm better than a hobo."
"Why would we do that?" April asked, her arms crossed. "What would you get out of it?"
"Because you would legally be this pack's problem then," I quickly added. "And extra protection. You wouldn't be alone at night, and while this all gets sorted out, you are safe. Ivan might be sticking around because he thinks you might be able to be swayed, but if you're taken, word will travel, and he might stop." I knew it sounded crazy, but it wasn't stupid. It was actually pretty smart.