“And Grayson does?”

“Grayson gave me a choice. He asked me to mate with him, and when I said I wasn’t ready, he backed off. He’s strong and kind, and he makes me feel safe.”

My eyes stung with the threat of stupid tears at the thought of the golden-haired alpha. Fuck, I should have mated with him all those weeks ago when he’d asked. I should have given my Loup to him. I missed him.

“Grayson never tried to force himself on me, but you…You fucking kidnapped me.”

His knuckles were white where he gripped his glass. “I just saved your life.”

Oh, God, he was impossible. “From a situation you forced me into, and just for the record, I saved your furry ass too.”

“Yes, you did. You could have run, but you stayed. You wanted to protect me because I’m your fated mate.”

I was sick to death of that term. “I don’t give a crap about the fated mate shit. I stayed because I’m not a fucking asshole.”

He ran a hand over his face and sat back in his seat, finally looking directly at me. The buzz in my veins amped up a notch, and I grit my teeth, willing it to go away.

“I needed to buy some time alone with you,” he said softly.

“Time to coerce me, you mean.”

His lips thinned. “I found out you were about to mate with my brother, and I…I lost it.”

“Because you want to win. You want me because you don’t want Grayson to have me. I mean, what is the deal with that? Why do you hate him so much?”

Hunter stood abruptly, shoving his chair back so it clattered to the floor. I guess we were done with calm.

“Why do I hate him?” His eyes narrowed to slits. “He stole my life.”

“What?”

Hunter leaned forward, palms braced on the table. “Have you any idea how it feels to be outside looking in. To be the shunned one, the black sheep, the pup that killed his mother?”

“What?”

His lips twisted bitterly. “Giving birth to me killed my mother, and my father couldn’t bear to look at me. He never once held me, but Grayson…Grayson was the golden son. And all because he was born first. How different things would have been if I’d been born first, eh? Ten minutes, that was all it took to set the course of my life. Ten minutes from Grayson’s flawless delivery to mine, fraught with difficulties, that ended my mother’s life.” He closed his eyes, and I could see the struggle play out across his face as he reined in his emotions. “I accepted it all. I worked hard for my pack. I wanted my father to be proud. To look at me… really look at me just once.” His voice vibrated with passion. “I was good at everything. I made sure to excel. I was a better fighter and a better negotiator than Grayson. The Regency Pack alpha spot would have been mine, but my father cheated me out of that too.”

His emotions pressed in on me, spearing me with their sincerity. His pain was a knife peeling back the shield of don’t-give-a-fuck I’d wrapped myself in.

“I don’t understand.”

Hunter’s shoulders rose and fell, and he blinked as if realizing he’d said too much. He wandered over to the counter and topped up his glass with more whiskey.

I needed to know more. I wanted to know more. “What do you mean, he cheated you?”

He sipped his drink, and for a moment, I thought he’d shut me out again, that he’d withdrawn back to his arrogant shell. But then he spoke, his tone a calm vibration that was at odds with his words.

“He had me drugged before the fight for alpha spot. Wolfsbane. But in a small amount, enough to slow me down and hinder my reflexes but not enough to kill me.” His smile was wry. “He should have killed me. It would have been kinder.”

“Grayson won.”

“Yes, and I left the pack.”

“Does Grayson know?”

Hunter made a sound of derision. “The truth came out a few years after our father died. Petra, the Regency Pack shaman, confessed to drugging me on my father’s orders.”

Petra…I couldn’t imagine her doing something so awful, but her warnings and her conflicted words when it came to Hunter made sense now. “Why didn’t you say something before then?”

“And look like a sore loser?” He gave me a not-likely look. “Grayson invited me back to the pack, but the Regency Pack was never a happy place for me, and the last thing I want is anyone’s pity. I only want what’s rightfully mine.”

Me…He wanted me. I was a prize that fate had marked for him, and he didn’t want Grayson to have me, because that would mean he’d lost again. How could I not feel a pang of pity for this man? What his father did to him was despicable. Blaming a child for something that was out of his control, punishing him by withholding affection. It was abuse. By alienating Hunter, he’d not only fucked with Hunter’s head, but he’d also forced a wedge between brothers, allowing resentment to fester.

Yes, I felt sorry for Hunter, but that didn’t mean I forgave him for kidnapping me. It didn’t mean I wanted him.

He was doing the not-looking at me thing again, and I swear it was out of embarrassment. His body was stiff and tense as if he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. He was regretting opening up. He probably thought it made him seem weak, but it was the first true glimpse of him I’d seen, and it was revelatory.

“I’m sorry for what happened between you and Grayson.” I kept my tone soft. “What your father did was wrong, but it’s unfair to use me to settle some kind of score or balance some kind of scale.”

His throat bobbed, but he didn’t reply.

“I won’t be used as a trophy to satisfy the pain of your past. What you need is a good therapist.”

He snorted again, but his mouth lifted in half a smile, and my heart did a little pitter-patter when his gaze slid my way. “I see why Grayson wants you as his mate. You’re a straight talker, and you won’t take any shit. Not even from me.”

“That’s right, so I’ll tell you once again, and I need you to listen to me this time. I don’t want you, Hunter.” His eyes flinched at my words, but I forged on. “I don’t care about this fated mate bollocks, and if I have to be a part of this Loup world, then I choose Grayson.”

A pained look flashed across his face, but he masked it quickly.

I lifted my chin, ignoring the fire flickering to life inside me at the sight of his beautiful features, so much like Grayson’s. “Hunter, you need to let me go.”

He downed his drink and set the glass on the counter behind him. “It seems like Grayson wins again.”

My heartbeat sped up. Did that mean yes?

He scanned my face as if reading the hope scrawled across it, and then his mouth twisted in defeat. “We’ll need to leave soon, before the storm hits.”

My shoulders dropped in relief.

“But remember, mating with Grayson might fool the heat, but it won’t change the fact that your Loup chose me, that it mated with me. You might be able to mate with Grayson in human form, but given a choice, your Loup will always choose me, and there’s a reason for that, Fee. Don’t you think you owe it to yourself to find out what it could be like between us?”

“I might have, Hunter, but the things you’ve said and done put me off even before I met you.”

“What things?” Hunter looked genuinely perplexed.

Was he being serious? “I was there at the outlier meeting when you sent Larson to demand the females from Grayson’s pack. Grayson pleaded that the girls were only fourteen, and Larson told us your response was, if they can bleed, they can breed.” Even recalling it made me sick. “What kind of decent male feels that way?”

But Hunter was looking at me with confusion and horror. “What? Larson told you I said that?” His brows pinched earnestly. “I didn’t say that.”

Eldrick had wondered the same thing, but, “Larson was speaking for you.”

“Maybe.” Hunter frowned. “But I would never say something so vile.” He canted his head. “Is that why you hate me? Over something you thought I said? Why didn’t you just ask me?”

“It’s not just that, Hunter. It’s everything. Your reputation precedes you. The fear, the dislike…everything.”

He looked confused, and my conviction cracked a little.

“Fee,” Hunter said. “Larson’s words were not my words. I’m not a monster.”

Fuck, why did I believe him all of a sudden?

His attention flicked over my head, and I glanced over my shoulder to see a figure in the kitchen doorway.

“No, Hunter,” Larson said. “You’re not. I speak for you, and I like to get creative.” The beta shrugged, looking sheepish. “It has been fun creating an evil villain persona for you, Hunter.”

“Larson… I don’t understand.” Hunter pushed away from the counter and moved instinctively toward me. “What are you doing here? How did you find this place?”

“I never lost you, Hunter. I always keep a close eye on the competition.”

“What?”

“You, Hunter, with your little charities, your do-good attitude, and Eldrick’s ear. You, coming into my pack and taking my spot.” He sneered. “You didn’t think I’d take it lying down, did you?”

I stood up, sensing that I needed to be ready to act, and Hunter stepped in front of me in a gesture that was pure primal instinct.

“What have you done, Larson?” he demanded.

“Oh, I haven’t done anything. It’s all been you. You’re the mastermind. While you were off setting up charities, I used the fact that you didn’t want anyone knowing about your philanthropic exploits to tarnish your name. Why do you think Loup fear you? Why do you think your own brother despises you?” He jabbed his thumb at his own chest. “Me. I created you, Hunter, and now even Eldrick sees what a monster you are.”

Hunter’s fists clenched. “What have you fucking done?”