I woke up before Scotty and decided to let him sleep in a little. I’d really worn him out last night and knew he needed the rest. I wasn’t exactly full of energy myself, but I got up anyway.

Chuck and Jamie had gone into the city to get things done at the shop, but Preston and Kenneth were in the living room eating some eggs and toast. Juan was at the kitchen making some of his famous carrot, apple and celery smoothies.

“Look who it is,” Kenneth grinned, his mouth full of egg.

“How’s the ol’ Johnson treating ya?” Preston teased. “From the sounds of it last night, you wore yourself right out.”

“You could hear us?” I asked, slightly embarrassed as I made my way to the counter as Juan started pouring his drinks.

“Downtown Austin could hear those strokes,” Kenneth chuckled.

“And half of Mexico,” Juan added, handing me a glass. I scowled and took a sip. Delicious as always.

“This is good,” I told him.

“That’s what he said?” He replied, raising his eyebrows.

“Yeah, yeah,” I scoffed. “You wish you had a taste of this.”

Everyone laughed and I made my way over to the couches and took a seat. I could see Preston eyeing me, obviously with something on his mind.

“What’s up, boss?” I asked him.

“Have you—have you thought about this?” He asked me. I understood immediately.

“Course I have,” I replied. “He’s a Vanderton. But he’s also my fated mate. I mean, what would you do!?”

Preston paused before he replied. “Are you…sure about that?”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“I mean—are you sure he’s your fated mate,” he asked. The question was so unexpected it stunned me, and for a moment, I didn’t know what to say.

“Yes, I’m sure,” I finally said firmly.

Preston nodded slowly. “Because if you’re not sure, this situation is going to get very difficult for me.”

“I’m sure, Preston,” I told him, starting to get angry. “Difficult for you? Do you have any idea what I’ve been going through for the last week?!”

“Of course I do,” he replied. “If Kenneth left me…I’d be devastated. I don’t know if I would survive it.”

“Exactly!”

“But that’s not what this is about, Terry,” he said, leaning forward.

A cry came from the back room and Kenneth got to his feet.

“That’s Schuyler,” he said. “I guess naptime’s over. I’ll be right back.”

Preston waited for Kenneth to disappear into the back before he spoke again.

“Listen to me, Terry,” he said slowly. “The Vandertons are trouble. They’ve been trying to destroy me—destroy this place—for as long as we’ve been here. What makes you think this isn’t part of all of that?”

“What are you talking about, Preston?” I asked, growing more and more angry by the second. “What are you saying? That Scotty, my fated mate, is here as like—a spy or something?”

Preston’s only response was a stare. I was shocked. My pack leader was asking me if my fated mate was lying to me and had returned with ulterior motives. I don’t know whether I was fuming mad with Preston for suggesting it, or with myself for never having even considered the possibility.

But—there was no possibility!

“Fuck no,” I growled. “It’s just not possible.”

“You’re sure?” Preston pressed me. “Because he left you once before. What makes you think he won’t do it again!?”

My rage boiled over. I rocketed to my feet and hurled my glass across the room. It hit the wall and shattered.

“Now listen here, Preston,” I snarled, feeling my fangs extend. “You’re the leader of this pack, but there’s only so much shit I’m going to take from you before I lose it. Do you understand? Scotty is my fated mate. He’s not a spy, he’s not working for his family, and he’s not going to leave me again. End of of discussion!”

With that, I turned on my heels and strode outside into the heat. I wasn’t looking for a fight, and if I challenged Preston any further, there was a chance he’d assert his position as pack leader and we’d get into it. And that didn’t help anybody. I’d said what I needed to say and that was all there was to it.

As if Scotty would be a spy for his family!

I couldn’t believe it—literally. As hard as I tried to imagine a world where that would even be a remote possibility, I just couldn’t do it. Scotty was my fated mate and that was unmistakable. There was no way he’d be capable of such a despicable thing as that.

But Preston did have a right to be concerned. This was his farm after all, and he was responsible for the people living there. I understood his motivation, but that didn’t help my anger one bit. I’d been going through enough shit already without my pack leader questioning the loyalty of my mate. How would he feel if I suddenly started to put bad thoughts in his mind about Kenneth?

It wasn’t a very hot day, but I was still sweating. Even if Preston was wrong about Scotty, which he was, it didn’t mean he was wrong about the Vandertons. There was no doubt that Scotty’s family wouldn’t take him leaving them lightly. That meant some kind of reprisal, and there was no telling what that meant.

If it came down to a fight, I was ready for that. But it wasn’t what I wanted. Going to war with the family of my fated mate was not the outcome anyone wanted. Even if we won, what would happen if I killed Brad or someone else in his family? Scotty was in love with me, but would he be able to forgive me for something like that? Years down the line, would I be the fated mate who killed his brother?

“No,” I muttered, gazing out at the clear blue sky. Clouds were starting to form on the horizon, and it looked like the afternoon might bring rain. “No, there has to be some other way.”

I would do whatever it took to protect my mate, but there had to be another way besides violence. Maybe the Vandertons would see reason—but then again, based on what I knew about them—maybe not.