Page 17

At the park, I introduced Ashton to the seven guys playing.

They were glad he’d joined the game, as it would allow them to play four-on-four.

Ashton was less shy around the boys than around me.

I walked over to the picnic table under the large oak tree and took a seat.

It was far enough away that it didn’t look like I was hovering, but close enough for me to watch his interactions with the others—all shifters.

I hadn’t told them he was my kid, but I was sure the boys saw the resemblance.

I hoped they wouldn’t treat him strangely for being their alpha’s surprise son.

They would talk, though. They’d mention him to their parents, their friends.

Word would get out. It stressed me out. The quarterly pack meeting was in a few days, and it would be the perfect place for me to introduce Ashton to everyone.

But I didn’t want to push Ashton. He’d looked like a deer in headlights when I’d mentioned it before.

Avery would be beyond pissed if I did something like that without both of them being fully on board.

It would be only a rumor passed around by a few kids, but it wouldn’t remain a secret for long.

People would see Ashton, see his uncanny resemblance to me whenever he and Avery went into town.

This made things even more tenuous. I’d been acting as a sort of de facto alpha since returning, but I hadn’t been sworn in officially.

Part of me wanted it. To take my inheritance, fix the finances, and make the pack better and stronger.

The issue was that Harbor Mills held as many bad memories for me as it did for Avery.

Regardless, my accepting the title and introducing Ashton was something that needed to be addressed—sooner rather than later.

I watched Ashton shooting hoops with the other boys. Part of why I’d wanted to bring him here was to let him hang with kids his age, but the other was to see how he interacted with them. Could he control his anger and his newfound strength? It would show me how he was handling the change.

The kids talked trash back and forth as the game progressed.

As a playground game with no refs, it got a bit more physical than it typically would have, but none of them acted like it was abnormal.

At one point, a boy accidentally tripped Ashton, and he went down hard.

He got up, hands clenched into fists, and for a half second, I thought I’d need to run over to prevent a fight, but nothing came of it.

The other boys, seeing his anger, patted his back and said a few words.

Ashton nodded, then they all got into a playful shoving match before resuming the game.

Even though Ashton hadn’t made full contact with his inner wolf yet, he was there, deep in his mind, slowly dragging himself to the surface.

He knew these boys as part of his pack, even if Ashton didn’t.

The roots of our family ran deep here, and even now, I watched as Ashton began to bond with the other kids—a bond led by the wolf within him.

Regardless of what Avery or I thought about the place, Harbor Mills was exactly what Ashton needed. Blood ran deep.

As though fate or the world itself had heard that thought, I caught sight of a familiar face at the far end of the park.

Dallas. My half-brother. He leaned against a tree, watching the boys play, his arms crossed.

I hadn’t seen him since I’d come home. He looked different.

Older, of course, but also more haggard and worn out.

Like life had been unkind to him since I’d left.

Dallas turned his head, spotted me, and tilted his head up in greeting. Taking that as an invitation, I stood and headed toward him.

“Dallas,” I said as I drew near. “Been a long time.”

“Yep,” he grunted, keeping his eyes glued to the game. After a few seconds, he nodded toward the court where Ashton was shooting a three. “Looks like the family genes run strong.”

What could I say to that? The resemblance, as everyone could see, was too strong to deny.

“Yes, they do,” I said. “What brings you to town? Farrah’s home, too, and she hasn’t seen you, either. Most folks say you don’t come around much anymore.”

He grinned humorlessly, finally meeting my eyes. “I came to warn you.”

A chill ran down my spine at the words. Ominous and terrifying. Warn me about what?

“I know you only got back to town a few weeks ago,” Dallas said, letting his eyes slide back to the game. “But I figured you should know the truth.”

“The truth about what?” I asked. “I don’t remember you being so cryptic, Dallas.”

“The truth about our piece of shit of a father.”

“What?” I said, feeling the old bitterness well up. “Did he have another kid with a new lady?”

Dallas chuckled and bowed his head. As soon as the words were out, I felt ashamed of myself. Farrah and I had always known Dallas was innocent in what our father had done. A child can’t choose when, how, or to whom it’s born. It was a shitty comment, and I chastised myself for it.

“Nope,” Dallas said. “Probably worse than that.”

“You gonna tell me? Or do I have to guess?”

“I suppose you and Farrah have figured out the pack is in some pretty fucked financial straits?”

“We have,” I admitted. “Been going through all the old receipts and stuff. Haven’t been able to figure out where the money went.”

“It went there,” Dallas said, pointing at the court and the boys playing.

I frowned, then shook my head. “What the fuck are you talking about? What? He built a playground? Put the money in a college fund for the pack kids? What?”

Dallas barked out a laugh. “Really? You have a much higher opinion of Dad than I do, I guess. No. I mean sports. Dad got into a real bad habit of betting on sports. Basketball, football, baseball. Fuck, even the Kentucky Derby and shit.”

“Are you serious?” I gaped at him. It seemed too bizarre to be a lie.

“He got addicted to it, I guess. Used all the pack money on it.” He turned and leveled his gaze on me. “ Then it got real bad. No more money? What do you do? Borrow.”

A hollow pit formed in my stomach. I could see what was coming next.

“He borrowed from the only guy who’d give him money. That’s the only reason the accounts aren’t totally empty. The money in the bank? That belongs to someone else. And Cole, interest is high . The guy who loaned it has come to collect it.”

“Son of a bitch,” I hissed, running my hands through my hair. Dad. A dick till the end. He was fucking me over from the grave. All the money, though? How? It made no sense.

“How do you know all this?” I asked. “Did Dad tell you?”

“Don’t worry about me,” he said, giving me a derisive glance. “Shouldn’t be hard. You haven’t worried about me my whole life.”

“That’s not fair, Dallas,” I growled. “Farrah and I tried, but you didn’t make it easy for us.”

“Whatever,” he muttered, and pushed away from the tree, turning to leave.

“Dallas? Wait.”

He didn’t acknowledge me, simply walked into the distance toward the parking lot. Before he reached it, he shifted, and his wolf bounded into the tree line.

“Fuck,” I cursed, kicking at the dirt.

Dallas had been thirteen when I left. Almost the same age as Ashton was now.

Time had passed, things had changed. Dallas wasn’t the same person he’d been.

If I’d stayed in town, would we have a better relationship?

More guilt poured onto me, heavy and thick like honey, engulfing my body and mind.

The pack, Avery, Ashton, Dallas… how many others?

The regret clawed at me, threatening to tear me to shreds.

If I had my twenty-one-year-old self here right now, I’d beat the living shit out of him.

How could one dumb decision have fucked over so many people?

The ball game ended soon after. The boys dispersed, but first they pulled out their phones and exchanged numbers with Ashton. After, some of the older ones shifted and ran off together, and the others headed for their bikes or the sidewalk to stroll home.

A small group of teenage girls had gathered to watch the game, and as Ashton walked off the court, I watched as several of them approached, their own phones out as though to ask for his number as well.

The body language alone, plus the pheromones wafting off them, told me they were flirting with him.

He was polite, but also quickly made an exit before numbers could be exchanged.

Ashton headed my way, his shirt soaked with sweat, leaving the girls looking disappointed at the brush-off. I pushed my dark thoughts away and smiled at him as he approached.

“Good game?” I asked.

“Yeah. It was fun.”

Back in the car, as we pulled out, I pointed through the windshield at the group of girls. “Not your type?”

“Something like that.”

“Girls not your thing? You into guys? I don’t judge. Love is love,” I said.

Ashton burst out laughing, leaning his head against the window until he’d gotten himself under control.

“No. I like girls. It’s not that.” His smile faded, and he gave me a deep look.

“It’s something Mom told me. She said, uh, that I need to be careful with anyone’s heart.

In a relationship, I mean. Not to break it, because when you’re with someone, their heart is yours to protect.

I don’t know that I’m ready to protect someone else’s heart yet. ”

A lump formed in my throat as he spoke. Was that what I’d done?

Avery’s heart had been mine to watch over and protect.

To nurture and feed with love. I’d tossed it in the dirt and kicked it away the moment I left town fifteen years ago.

She was teaching her son to be a better man than me, from the looks of it.

“Yeah,” I said, my voice rough with emotion. “Yeah, that’s good advice.”

As we neared his house, Ashton fidgeted in his seat, obviously uncomfortable and warring with something in his head.

“Is there something else you wanted to say?” I probed.

“I guess.” He hesitated, glancing at me.

“Mom never says it, but I can see it in her eyes. Even back home, when she was with Perry... she was sad all the time. Still is. I think part of why she got with him was to try and get rid of that sadness. Now that I’ve met you, I see why she’s always so upset. ”

I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek, willing myself not to get emotional, but it was a struggle. The whole day seemed like it had been designed to rub my face in all my past mistakes.

“All I care about is my mom,” Ashton continued. “I want her to be happy. I know you’re the one who broke her heart. Maybe…” He shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe you can fix it?”

As I pulled into Avery’s driveway, a heavy and intense pressure settled on my chest. The weight of the world.

Ashton opened his door and climbed out. Following his lead, I decided I’d do my best to make his wish come true.

Whether that meant I could somehow win Avery back or not, I wouldn’t stop until she was happy and content. Even if that was with someone else.

My inner wolf snarled at that thought, but it was the truth. Sometimes, when you loved someone, you had to do what was best for them rather than yourself.

Avery stepped out to meet us, and Ashton hugged her.

“Did you guys have fun?” She wrinkled her nose and pushed Ashton away. “Gross. You need a shower.”

“I know,” Ashton said, then kissed Avery on top of her head and ran toward the house. He was almost at the door before he turned to me and waved. “See you later, Cole. I had fun. Thanks.”

With that, he vanished inside, leaving Avery and me alone. We glanced at each other awkwardly. Avery took a step back toward the house, her body language telling me she was about to say goodbye and head in.

“How long are you guys staying?” I blurted before she could disappear inside and close the door.

She froze mid-step, eyes going wide. “Um, not really sure yet. It all depends on how things go between you and Ashton, I guess. I told you he wanted to get to know you a bit, and meet the pack. If things go well, then…” She trailed off and shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know.”

“What if Ashton wants to stay?”

“I would do anything for my son,” Avery said, her words more forceful now.

“If he wants to stay here and become a part of the pack, then we stay. I’ll stay here, and I won’t say a word against it.

” She crossed her arms and looked back toward the house, then at me.

“How long until his first shift? Can you tell yet?”

“He’s close,” I said. “Really close. Some of his senses are already stronger than mine. I’d say he’s between three and six weeks away? Maybe eight weeks on the furthest end.”

“There you go,” she said. “By the end of summer, we’ll know where he stands. We’ll make our decision then, I suppose. I need to head in and work on dinner.”

She turned her back on me, and it was like a fist had clenched in my gut. In my mind, it was almost as though she wasn’t just turning her back on me now , but forever.

“Avery?” I called, stopping her in her tracks.

“Yes, Cole?” she said wearily.

I hesitated, but my wolf urged me on. “I still care for you. You know that, don’t you? No matter what stupid shit I did when I was younger, I never stopped?—”

“This is not why I’m in town, Cole,” Avery said, cutting my words off cleaner than if she’d used a scalpel. “That doesn’t matter. What matters is Ashton. Let’s… well, let’s focus on him. Okay?”

Before I could speak again, she hurried inside, closing the door behind her. I didn’t feel totally defeated, though. That last bit she said? I’d heard some doubt in her voice. Maybe she wasn’t too far gone that I couldn’t pull her back in.

There was the tiniest glimmer of hope in my chest as I got back in my truck and pulled onto the street. Regardless, I had the summer. Two months to get to know my son, help him shift, and introduce him to the pack.

Two months to mend Avery’s broken heart.