Cole

Cole took a deep breath, inhaling what would’ve been the freshest air that he could get his hands on at this time of the year. He was glad that his parents had built a conservatory; the fresh oxygen emitting from the hundreds of plants around him made him feel whole again. He’d hardly had time to go out into the woods and let his bear loose lately. There was just so much to do. So many politics of being the alpha. He was constantly managing the clans and their leaders and trying to keep his finger on the pulse of all the rumors flying around.

It had been nearly a year since Bianca had passed, but people were still following up on potential leads. Cole still truly believed that she’d drowned; it was a terrible accident. But Olivia and Sam seemed to believe that there was something else going on. They wouldn’t elaborate on what had happened on their little trip down south, but Cole could tell that something was different about Olivia—she was darker and more serious. Still pigheaded and stubborn as ever, but she seemed to be more focused somehow.

Cole was poring over yet another ancient book about shifters and mates. He had been hiding out from the rest of his family so they wouldn’t see how interested he was in whatever had happened between him and Juliet. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. He knew he could go down to the post office and charm one of the old bitties behind the desk to tell him exactly who she was and where she lived and everything that they knew about her, but he didn’t want to take the risk. He wasn’t ready to let anyone know how he felt about her.

And then there was the spark. That random little bolt of lightning that had shot directly between them. It had shocked him right down to his core. She’d been so quick to leave afterwards. Like she knew that it meant something. But she was just a human, so what would she know about any of this?

He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard a rustling behind him in the leaves. Their parents had always picked ridiculously large jungle plants for the conservatory. His mother claimed it was because she’d never gotten to travel, though he doubted that. Knowing only pieces of his parents’ past, they had seen plenty of the world. Maybe she just dreamed about going back to those places. Maybe that was where they truly were now. He closed the book and slipped it under the chair that he was sitting on before turning around and seeing Olivia dragging Liam in by his upper arm.

“Look who’s home!”

Cole stood, placing his hands behind his back. “Liam, excellent to see you, brother. How was your vacation? I suspected that you be home before New Year’s but here we are…”

Liam, who was usually bold and outspoken, looked sheepish. He knew he was supposed to return home and that was a direct order from his alpha that he’d ignored.

“Listen. I got a little caught up in some clan activities and just so you know, everything is fine…” he said, putting his hands out in order to placate Cole.

“You and I both know that everything isn’t fine. Olivia, would you mind getting Isabella and Lucas? And is Dax around?”

Olivia shrugged. “I haven’t seen him since New Year’s Eve.”

“Isabella is here? Why is she here?”

Olivia rolled her eyes at her younger brother. “Like you don’t know. You screwed up and she caught your ass.”

“I don’t understand.” Liam ran his hands through his shaggy blonde hair while Olivia turned on her heel and left the conservatory.

“You don’t? You don’t understand how I would take issue with the head of the West Virginia clan saying that I don’t know what I’m doing as alpha?”

Liam rolled his eyes. “Are you kidding me? It was not that big of a deal! I told that Lucas guy that. But let me guess, Isabella convinced him it was a big deal? Why does she have to be such a troublemaker?”

Just then, Isabella walked in behind him. Even though she was still clear on the other side of the conservatory and Cole couldn’t see her, he could smell her, and she could definitely hear Liam throwing her under the bus.

“I am not a troublemaker! What he said was serious, Liam.” Cole and Liam turned to see Isabella busting through the leaves with Lucas and Olivia on her heels.

“I know our uncle better than anyone, and my mother even admitted that we wouldn’t side with him in this. Whatever he’s planning, it’s big. He wouldn’t have said anything otherwise, and I think it’s crap that you didn’t believe him. You made it so that Lucas and I had to travel all the way out here and do your dirty work. Just admit that you didn’t want to tell Cole yourself because your little clan weekend wasn’t as perfect as you were anticipating.”

Liam seethed. “Well, it was perfect until you and your new little boyfriend just happened to bail on Christmas dinner. Let me tell you how that went over with your mom, by the way, since I’m guessing you haven’t spoken to her.”

“I’ve been gone for over a week, of course I’ve spoken to her. My mom is fine. Stop trying to point the finger at me when you’re the one in trouble.”

Cole walked between them, putting his hand out on either side. Liam and Isabella were practically the same age; they had always had a bit of a rivalry between them. The youngest of the clan in their generation, they were competitive in nature. And both slightly immature.

“Enough. Here is my solution.” He turned towards Liam. “You were there when the threat was made, so it’s your responsibility to handle it. I’m sending you to West Virginia.”

Liam lowered his head, a sign of submission.

“And Isabella, considering you have a relationship with our uncle, I’m sending you with him. You two need to make some negotiations together. Lucas, you may join them if you choose. I’m not sure what your schedule looks like or if you want to get involved in more Bradwick politics.”

Lucas moved to stand protectively in front of Isabella. “Wherever she goes, I go.”

Cole nodded. “Then it’s settled, you’ll all leave in the morning.” Isabella, Lucas, and Olivia took that as a dismissal and filed out of the conservatory, but Liam stood still.

“Something else, brother?”

Liam sighed heavily. “Listen, I’m really sorry. But I just felt like he needed to blow off some steam. Olivia did it last Fall, so what’s the big deal?”

Cole put his arm on his brother’s shoulder. “The big deal is that you had something you needed to tell me before you just ran off. What was her name, anyway?”

“Caroline. She’s gorgeous, the sex was great. But she had to go back to Canada and I had to come back here.”

Cole could hardly contain the smirk playing on his face. Of course there was a girl. Poor kid. “Yes, you did. I’m trusting you, Liam, I know that you can handle this. Just prove to me that you can.”

Cole wrapped his arms around his younger brother and held him tight for a moment in a quick hug before releasing him. “Christmas wasn’t the same.”

Cole nodded. “Wasn’t the same here either.”

“I really miss her.”

“I know, Liam, I miss her too.”