16

“No, it’s not. I was born first. I’m tabbed to be the next leader of the Eleventh Pack. Kira’s an alpha, too, though. Super rare in a female, and even though she can’t shift, she constantly made sure my parents knew she would lead the way. Kira’s always known I had no desire to be the pack alpha, that I had other dreams. She took the entire burden of my parents’ expectations onto her shoulders. She was determined to find a match that would strengthen the packs, either by combining us with another or creating a powerful alliance that would keep me from having to take the mantle.”

Kolton was very intelligent and had also been born an alpha. With Kira’s shifting ability suppressed, he was expected to take over. Kolton wanted that about as much as most people wanted a root canal. It all made sense now. Kira had latched onto the idea of mating with Jayson to bring pride, power, and prestige to her pack and save her brother from a life of misery. It made what happened the day before sting all the more.

“Those motherfuckers,” Kolton hissed. “Gods-damned Ninth Pack motherfuckers. I’m willing to drop everything—school, Fangmore City, all of it—if it means wiping those smug bastards off the earth. No one humiliates my sister like that and gets away with it.”

Kolton’s reaction was out of character. In all the years we’d been friends, I’d never seen him so angry and full of hate. This betrayal had done more than harm the Eleventh Pack; it had devastated both Durst siblings. I wanted to see Kira and find out how she was dealing with it.

“I’m going to check in with Zoe. Maybe she’s talked to Kira and knows how she’s doing,” I said, standing up.

Kolton blew out a breath. “Sounds good. I think she’s still waiting for Kira at my parents’ place. It’s possible she’s made contact with her. Even at the best of times, Zoe spends more time at our house than at her place in the city.”

We decided to walk instead of drive. The Dursts’ house was only half a mile from my place, and Kolton and I needed the fresh air. As we walked, I tried to think what I’d say to Kira if I found her, but everything I came up with sounded hollow and silly. How did you console someone who’d had their whole future ripped out from under them? Especially when that person wasn’t your biggest fan in the first place?

Upon entering through the front door, Kolton and I froze and sniffed at the air. Kira’s scent was there, and it was fresh. It was the first time I’d scented her since the ceremony. It meant she’d finally come home. Hope mingled with worry on Kolton’s face. I probably looked the same way.

I heard Zoe’s voice coming from the den. It sounded like she was ranting about something. Preparing myself for the worst, I headed toward the room. My imagination flicked through a dozen different scenarios. Kira, in pajamas, crying on the couch. Kira, still wearing her ceremony dress, staring off into space. Kira, with a tub of ice cream in her lap, binge-eating and watching TV.

Kolton and I stopped short as we stepped into the den. Zoe stopped talking, her face red and flushed, but she quickly schooled her expression at the sight of us. Kira, for her part, looked totally calm. What was even stranger was her clothing. She was dressed in her field gear. Full Tranquility ops uniform. My brow furrowed as I took in the sight. She looked more irritated that we’d interrupted her conversation with Zoe than anything else.

“Come on in,” she said.

When Kolton and I exchanged another confused look, she huffed, “I’m not glass. You aren’t going to break me.”

Kolton walked over to sit beside her on the couch. “Kiki? Are you okay? How are you holding up?”

The nickname he used for her was usually said with such sweetness, it made my teeth hurt. But this time, his voice sounded so sad and hesitant that all I could think of was the two of them as children. For a moment, I didn’t see two adults on the couch. Instead, they were two kids, one trying to console the other.

Kira nodded. “Oh, life’s just peachy.”

The words were stated flatly. Kira didn’t even try to make it sound believable. That worried me. The look in her eyes worried me as well. I’d known her long enough to know when she was planning something dumb or dangerous. Hell, I’d spent years trying to prevent her from doing dumb and dangerous shit.

Kolton gestured at her clothes. “Um…why are you in your ops gear?”

Ignoring the question, Kira stood. “Anyone want a snack?”

Without another word, she walked through the arched doorway into the dining room and then into the kitchen. I shot Zoe a questioning glance, but she only rolled her eyes and shook her head. The three of us followed Kira into the kitchen, where she was pulling a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter out of the pantry.

Kolton watched her go through the motions of making the sandwich. I could tell by his expression that he was confused and concerned. Kira’s face was set in stone as she smeared her knife across the bread.

“Still pining over Jayson?” I asked.

Kira spared me one sharp glance over her shoulder. “Oh, I bet you’d love that, wouldn’t you?” She made a pfft sound. “No time to think about that shithead. I’ve been too busy with work.”

“Work?” Kolton and I say almost in unison.

The knife clattered to the plate as she tossed it down and whirled around to glare at us. “Yes. Some of us have to work to make money and get douchebags off the street.”