“I already told her that,” he said.
“All right.” I blinked. “Then what’s wrong?”
“She didn’t tell you I was her brother?”
“Who?” I felt like we were having two separate conversations. “I’ve never met your sister.”
He cursed under his breath. “Madison is my sister.”
Oh shit. Our earlier conversations flashed through my head. Her brother was going to be a father, and she had a thing on Saturday afternoon. When did the world get so fucking small. I sat up in my chair.
“I didn’t know.”
“Cancel it.” There was a bite to his voice that made my hackles rise.
“Ease up.” I set the bottle down on the counter. “She asked me for my number, and I offered to meet up for drinks and show her around the area. What’s your problem?”
“My problem is that I don’t want to see my sister hurt. We have enemies here, in case you’ve forgotten. The less she knows the better.”
“Would she be all right with you making that decision for her?” The memory of Madison’s smile taunted me, and the way she said what she meant without any apologies was beyond attractive. “I don’t think you’re giving her enough credit. She’s an intelligent woman who was willing to move her whole life down here to be closer to you and help with the new babies. She wouldn’t expose our secrets and put you in danger.”
“You’ve known her for an entire day. This is fucked up.” He paused, probably regrouping. “Look, I know she wouldn’t spill our secrets. It’s not like she’d hook up with the Transparency Collective but knowing about us makes her valuable to people who would. The pack in Reno understood. She worked with them. Hell, her best friend is a werewolf and manages to keep it secret.” He took a breath before going on. “But if Madison knew shifters exist, she’d have information the government might find useful, and unlike us, she wouldn’t have the heightened senses and power to protect herself. Worse, if Evolution Defense found out she was related to me, they could kidnap her and use her for leverage against the pack. They’re still trying to make the perfect super soldier serum, but they need shifter DNA to get it.”
Okay, I hadn’t thought of that. But still…
“Her ranch is one of my clients; they have been for a few years now. I don’t think meeting her at the Wolf Pack Bar is going to put her on anyone’s radar.”
Chandler was quiet for a minute. Finally, he sighed. “Just having her in Sedona is risky. It won’t be tough for anyone watching the pack to figure out she’s my sister. My human sister. She’ll be the low-hanging fruit for them to target.”
“All the more reason for her to understand what’s at stake. We can protect her.” Why was I arguing so hard on her behalf? I didn’t have a horse in this race.
“The more time she spends with the pack, the harder it will be to keep our secrets.”
I groaned. “I don’t think you can have it both ways, Chandler.”
“You don’t love her.” He growled. “Asking her to hide a dangerous secret like this means changing her whole life. She’d never be safe from the government, from Evolution Defense, or the rogue jaguar shifters left over from the Nero Organization. God, I wish she had stayed in Reno.”
I rubbed my forehead, struggling with his argument. He was right. Plus, this was his sister. I didn’t have a right to tell him how to handle any of this. My twin brother, Chase, had died in the fight to free the pack from Caldwell’s leadership. No one knew the pain of losing a sibling more than I did. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, least of all a pack brother.
“I won’t tell her. No one in the pack will. But you should talk to Asher before the baby shower. Be sure everyone knows we can’t talk freely in front of your sister.” The faces of my packmates flashed through my head, then those of the next generation wolf cubs—specifically Naomi’s two-year-old boys—and I chuckled. “Bart and Ben have a hard time with secrets. You better be ready with some excuses when she meets the little guys.”
“I will.” He cleared his throat. “Thanks for understanding, Cole. My family dynamic is strained, but Madison has always been my true north. If anything happened to her—”
“I won’t let that happen,” I interrupted, surprising myself. Protecting Madison wouldn’t bring Chase back, and I barely knew her. At the same time, I meant every word. It wasn’t bravado. I’d respect Chandler’s wishes and keep shifters out of the conversation, and I would also protect her as best I could.
“Thanks, man.” Chandler ended the call, and when I went to put my phone down, I noticed I had a new notification.
A text from Madison. A smile crept up on me.
I just found out you’re friends with my brother! Small world. Whatever he tells you about me, don’t believe him. Unless it’s something awesome. Then it’s 100% true.
I chuckled and sent a text back.
I actually just got a call from my friend, Chandler. He thinks you’re way too good for me. See you tomorrow night.
I stared at my phone like an idiot for a couple of minutes. Just when I gave up and pulled off my shirt, another text lit the screen.
Wolf Pack Bar at six o’clock. See you then!
I reread her text again. Was I looking forward to seeing her? I’d given up on dating after losing my brother. No woman had ever caught my wolf’s attention anyway.
After the mess with Caldwell pairing up mates, and me pretending it wasn’t happening until irreparable damage had been done, I didn’t deserve a mate anyway. She was better off without me.
So what the hell was I doing offering to meet up with Madison tomorrow night? There was no way I’d allow myself a one-night stand with Chandler’s sister. That was far too complicated. Not only that but if we kept running into each other, it would be too easy to get caught in a convenient relationship. But I was done settling and it wouldn’t be fair to her anyway.
She’d never have all of me.
Enough. I was getting miles ahead of myself. Meeting up with Madison wasn’t a date and it wasn’t a relationship. Tomorrow night was just having a beer with someone new in town. This was how you made friends. Nothing more.
My phone buzzed. One more text from Madison.
Looked up the Wolf Pack Bar on Google. Tomorrow is karaoke night! Prepare to drink enough to sing.
I laughed, the sound echoing through my empty house. Laughter was rare around here. I stared at my phone with a smirk. First off, I wasn’t tone deaf, but I also wasn’t Freddie Mercury. Secondly, I was more of a sing in the shower kind of guy. The thought of singing in a bar, in front of people, didn’t terrify me, but it didn’t sound like fun either.
I fired off a reply.
Not sure they have enough beer for that.
One last reply came through.
Can’t wait to find out.
And standing alone, half-naked in my bedroom, I realized something.
I couldn’t wait, either.
My Friday passed in a blur until my last ranch call. A mare with colic. Horses usually passed a blockage after treatment, but when they didn’t, things could go south fast. After pumping her belly full of mineral oil and giving her a shot of dipyrone, she seemed comfortable. I left her owner with instructions to continue watching her and my cell number in case the situation didn’t resolve.