Page 60 of Scars of the Sun

“I’m so sorry, baby.” Sylvie kissed my brother’s cheek, despite him dangling the cigarette out of the side of his mouth while he stared unseeingly at the lake before us. How would I comfort Río if we were in their place? While I wasn’theartless, I definitely wasn’t sweet like Sylvie. Whether maternal instincts were inherited or reared, I didn’t have a chance in hell.

Princess, I think I’m gonna have to keep you. He was so damn snarky, but I believed him. There was no lying with emotional scents, and even now, I felt my chest want to hum with the particular note that went along with his Jaguar’s roar. There was a second there, when he held us both in that tree and worked on fucking me to oblivion, that I’d thought he was going to bite me. Like, really,reallybite me.

I must’ve been losing it, because I wanted it. For the tie between Río and I to be complete.

“Mona,” Orion’s voice reverberated withLeader, and my body snatched to attention of its own accord. “I need to meet your… Jaguar.”

“Why?”

He ashed his cigarette in the handmade ceramic tray on the patio table. “Because, you reek of him. I will not demand he become pack, but I also need to know him since he’ll be sticking around.”

I squinted, sensing that there was something he wasn’t telling me, but if there was anyone that could escape the little trick I’d learned over the years, it was the one who’d taught me. Under the heavy scent of Leader, Orion mostly buzzed with stress that was like muggy air after a hot rainstorm. “He… I don’t know whether he’ll be staying here.”

“Bullshit.”

Hot anger flared within my chest, and I actually snarled. It was nowhere near as intimidating as a real shifter would have been able to do. The sound wasn’t human, though. “You’re not my Leader. You can’t order me around.”

My brother’s green eyes flashed, glowing around the edges, and his growl forced my eyes to lower, my shoulders to hunch.Goddammit, I swallowed the whine that almost slipped out, too.

Distantly, I noticed Sylvie get up from her seat and swipe up the babies from the pool before retreating inside. Leaving my brother and I to have it out.

“You are not yet Antler Pointe Pack, but you are stillmypack. You intend to mate him, fine. But I will speak with him, too.”

I nearly choked, “What the hell are you talking about? I’m not…” but the words died on my tongue because it would be a fucking lie. My intense, half-shifter brain was fully on board with the idea of becoming his mate.

O stubbed out his spent cig but didn’t pick a new one out ofmystash. The last nicotine-filled exhale made him look like a dragon as the smoke flowed out of his nose. “Invite him for dinner. Beers. A two-minute conversation, whatever. Hewillbe here, or I’ll go to him myself.”

With that, my brother stood and went back into the cabin, leaving me to simmer down on my own and try to figure out what the fuck to do.

Before I could really stop myself, I pulled out my phone and pressed call beneath Río’s contact photo. It was a shot of him, tongue sticking out as he rolled past me on his board. I’d been scrolling through my playlist when he’d started rolling toward me, and I’d been lucky to immortalize his silliness in high definition.

The fireflies were out again, their yellow-green lights catching in the dying sunset. I hollowed my cheeks as I took the last draw from my own smoke and stubbed it out on the wood beneath me. Yeah, leave a burn mark for my asshole of a brother to deal with later.

I thought for a second that he wouldn’t pick up, but Río answered on the fourth ring, just before it went to voicemail. “Princess? What’s up?”

My lips turned down as I exhaled the smoke, not in nearly as cool of a way as my brother had. Usually Río sounded happy whenever he talked to me, but he sounded preoccupied. Almost irritated.

“Is this a bad time?”

“What? No. What did you need, babe?”

The term of endearment helped me soften, but I still didn’t like the way he sounded. It was so unlike him. Or maybe I still really didn’t know him at all. I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Stupid fight with my brother. Are you too busy?”

“For you? Never.”

I waited, but he didn’t say anything else. “Uh… so can I come over?”

“Um—yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Whenever’s fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“One hundred percent. See ya in a few, sweet cheeks,” and the call disconnected. For a while, I stared at my blank phone screen, chewing on my lip. He sounded weird, but Ihadasked if he was certain.

Cursing, I stood and went to dump the ashtray and cigarette butts. Unsure of where the ashtray lived when my brother wasn’t relapsing, I set it back on the patio table before going to pack my overnight bag. Like hell was I staying here to be ordered around any more.

Even though my brother and I were quarreling at the moment, Sylvie offered up her car when I said I was going to Río’s for the night. Orion had been giving the babies a bath, and I didn’t give any of my typical protests when she assured me that I was more than fine to spend another night away.

I parked next to Río’s truck, stomach flitting with anticipation. That is, until I started up the steps that led to his apartment and took in the unmistakable female scent that led right up to his door.