Page 26 of Broken-Hearted

“We do,” Matilda agrees as she pulls two glasses down from an exposed wood shelf and turns to the refrigerator. “But it would be nice to have something a little more private. Our own land maybe.”

“Thing is, land is expensive,” Simon says, joining us at the dining table. “And we’re looking for something underdeveloped so we can build things exactly how we would want.”

Nathan moves so close to me, our thighs bump. I scoot further away, but my options are limited. One more shuffle to the right and I’ll wind up on the floor.

“Move to Hardin,” Nathan suggests.

I snap my head toward him, surprised. So do Matilda and Simon.

“Move to Hardin?” Simon echoes.

Nathan nods. “We have land. A couple of my packmates bought a neighbor's land to turn it into a rural mountain retreat for inner-city kids.”

“And how did that work out?” I ask, because the thought of dealing with a bunch of screaming kids getting lost in the forest does not appeal to me.

I don’t mind kids. One or two, maybe even three, sound manageable. More than that, and I start looking for the nearest exit.

Nathan scratches his hair, his expression wry. “Uh, not actually that well. It was a pretty big undertaking and kids like to wander off and try to get themselves eaten by the local wildlife. Turns out you can’t just growl at them to come back when theymisbehave. So now that land is just an extension of ours and we use it to run, but that’s it.”

Simon sits up in his seat, cocking his head. “Would you be open to selling it?”

Nathan shrugs. “You’d have to speak to Savannah and Jeremy. It’s their land. Can’t see why not when they spend more time at our house than over there.”

Matilda sets down glasses of water in front of me and Nathan. “Dinner is going to take a little longer. We have steaks and salads.”

Nathan’s stomach rumbles so loud it drowns out my own. I glance over at him. He doesn’t look the least bit sheepish. “I’m a growing man.”

I snort.

“So, how long have you two been together?” Simon asks, bouncing his gaze between us.

My cheeks burn. “We’re not together.”

“Yet,” Nathan adds softly, but firmly.

I debate arguing, but I figure we’ve argued in front of Matilda and Simon enough for one day. “You said something before about having trouble,” I say to Matilda instead.

She retrieves packages of steak from the refrigerator as Simon pushes himself to his feet. “I’ll grab the salad, baby.”

Matilda aims a smile at him and flicks on the stove, setting a cast-iron skillet on it before she faces me. “My parents died when my brother and I were younger. He wanted to lead, and Damian Markus, our neighbor, wanted me. Since my brother is a beta like me, he wasn’t strong enough to hold the pack on his own, so he promised me to Damian in return for his help. Damian was only happy to agree.”

Nathan whistles between his teeth. “Shit. That is?—”

“Yeah,” Simon says tightly. “Damian Markus was also responsible for killing my father. I was there looking for revenge.Instead, I found Matilda about to go through with a moon-blessing mating ceremony she didn’t want.”

I bounce my gaze between them. “And so you dealt with Damian and your power hungry brother?”

Matilda stops seasoning the steaks to look at me. “Simon killed Damian, and my brother ran off. That was months ago now and I have no clue if he ever led our pack like he wanted to, or what happened to Damian’s pack without him there to lead it.”

“So that’s why you’re living in the woods?” Nathan asks.

It had seemed like they might be hiding from something. And they are. Potentially an alpha-less pack and a brother who tried to sell his sister out for power.

Your pack is supposed to have your back, protect you, and be a family to you.

Not try to sell you out or trade you for power.

I jump at a soft brush of fingers across my lower back. I peer over my shoulder and take in Nathan’s hand. His expression is completely casual.

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