Page 68 of Fractured Mates
I lean over her and trail my finger over her collarbone. “And we’re stuck in this tiny cabin with nothing to do for possibly hours more. Whatever will we do…?”
“Eat,” she muses with a saucy grin. “Me.”
The blankets get thrown back, and I match her smile. “Wouldn’t you know… I’m suddenly famished.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Sophie
Kyler’s mouth and hands and cock serve as the perfect distraction for the rest of the day. We stay in bed, getting to know each other’s bodies and focusing on the good in our lives instead of the shit sandwich River served us earlier.
Hearing my father is working with Astor initially shocked me, but the more time I’ve had to consider what I remember, I’m not surprised. Yes, it was my mother who wanted me to give in to Thane, but my father also knew. He began having dinners with Astor once he saw how influential the Crowe family seemed to be getting, spouting on about how great our families were going to be and the grand life we were going to live. Even more so once it was realized that Thane was my fated mate.
My dad only seemed to see me as his golden ticket to ranking higher within the pack he’d never quite fit into before Astor’s arrival. Now, it seems even without me tying him to Astor, my father has gotten what he wanted.
Still, as I wait on Kyler to bring me food, I stare at the wooden ceiling in the bedroom of this cabin and wonder why my mother isn’t at his side. What is she up to? What has Jules been subjected to because of their choices?
Worse, I wonder if my leaving only made life worse for my little sister.
But I don’t dwell on that thought, because I can’t change the past, but I can fight to protect her now. Something I’m more than eager to do.
With a grimace on his face, Kyler comes back into the bedroom holding a tray with two bowls on it. “I have spaghetti from a can or chicken noodle soup. Neither of them seems appealing, but you’ve eaten all the good stuff I bought at the store.”
“I’ll take the spaghetti,” I say, knowing it’s pretty hard to screw up chicken noodle soup, even in a can. Kyler can have the safer meal. He deserves that and more after the orgasms he’s given me.
He hands me the bowl with trepidation. “Are you sure?”
“I’ve eaten so much random shit in my time on the road,” I say with a grin. “This can’t be that bad.”
To prove my point, I grab the fork and swirl it around until there’s a mound of noodles at the end, then shove the utensil in my mouth. “Mmmm, so good.”
I practically choke on the words, but still, I try to chew and swallow. I need some sort of food before the fight, or I’ll be a cranky bitch. I laugh to myself. Maybe that would be a good thing.
Kyler’s hand pats my back as I struggle to swallow. “Seriously, Soph. Spit that out. I’ll go kill something.”
My lashes flutter up at him. “Sweeter words have never been spoken.”
“I’ll be right back.” He leans to kiss me, lightly touching his lips to mine.
My fingers curl around his shirt, holding him closer and deepening the kiss. “Hurry up,” I mutter.
The smile he sends my way nearly takes my breath away as I watch every step he takes until he disappears out the door.
As fucked as life seems right now, I’m also finally feeling incredibly lucky. In fact, I should call Dawsyn and thank her for putting her nose where I previously didn’t think it belonged. Hell, I owe her a massive apology as well.
She might not officially be Alpha yet, but I lied to her, and she knew it yet still did what she could to protect me. I’ve taken advantage of the pack’s kindness for far too long.
I get up and throw a shirt on before grabbing my phone. When I pick it up, I see there’s a text from an unknown number.
How the hell did I miss this?
Opening the message, there are no words with it, but there is a picture. It’s of my mother and sister. I zoom in on their faces. My sister’s eyes are closed, and there are dark circles beneath them. Her fair cheeks are hollow, and her dirty-blonde hair is matted as if she hasn’t properly bathed in weeks. Her head is down, her chin touching her chest, and her bony legs are pulled up to her ribs.
That motherfucker.
My mother is clean…ish, but still thinner than I ever remember. Her green eyes, much like my own, are trained on my sister and her thin lips are pulled downward. Still, her clothes are free of dirt and there aren’t signs of abuse on her like there are on my sister.
How could my mother and father allow this to happen? I knew what they’d been willing to let me go through, but Thane had been my fated mate. A part of me understood their reasoning, even if I didn’t agree with it.