Page 26 of Daddy's Mail Order Mate

“I convinced her to stay for the trial. Is that what you want to hear?”

There’s a curious twinkle in her eye as she steps in closer to me.

“And what about the rejection? I’ll forgive you for never telling me you had a mate bond with her if you tell me everything now.”

“It’s none of your business,” I assert with a growl to my voice. Rowan stirs in my arms and I immediately settle into shushing him.

“It’sexactlymy business. Don’t forget who set you two up.”

I grumble wordlessly and idly rock in place to keep my son soothed.

“Don’t just grunt at me, Thorn. Seriously; whathappenedbetween you two? All I want to do is try and help you two work things out. And I know you do too! If youreallydidn’t want her to be here, she’d be gone by now. I know you better than anyone. So obviously, youwanther to stay—which means you want her to be your mate again.”

I glare at her, and she puts her hands up in a defensive shrug.

“Okay, maybe I jumped the gun on the last part. But you can’t deny that you want her here.”

All the emotions that Gwen had woken back up from their hibernation crackle and choke inside of me. I can’t bear to look at her, or even be seen. Even though I know my face is perfectly stoic, trained and hardened by years of a hard life, Paige hasalways had the ability to pluck away at the loose threads of me if I let her.

So I couldn’t let her.

There was too much that she didn’t need to know or ever need to bear.

A cold discipline grits in me.

“I agreed to try this for you, and you made a match for me. But this is mine to handle.”

My sister sighs and paces across the room.

“If you won’t talk with me about it, let me try and helpsomehow.You know that we tacked visiting you onto the official pack plans to have a social event with Elm Wood. You said her brother was a recent recruit, right? Maybe she might feel a bit more comfortable being around him too. So maybe you all can come with us? And I could maybe get the chance to talk to her and help win her over for you. I mean, I got her here in the first place.”

My brow furrows.

Maybe. I know Gwen’s loath to have anything to do with packs, but maybe getting the chance to be around her brother could help. If nothing else, I can prove to him I don’t mean her any harm. And there’s the twitching worry in the back of my mind about something she’d said that first day.

This was her last attempt to be a wolf. I understand a reluctance to want to have anything to do with packs, but there’s more to her reluctance than what our shared history could make. What has happened to her that she is so alienated from our people?

Guilt cramps my throat.

I need to take accountability for this—because it has to have been because of me. The rejection had done more damage to her than I had thought. And maybe I could…

I close my eyes and grit out a tight sigh.

“I’ll ask her.”

Paige beams, brightening up the room. I give her a warning glance and a firm scowl.

“Don’t get too excited. And if she says no, don’t guilt her into going.”

“I would never!”

“You love to guilt me.”

She sticks out her tongue at me, just like when we were little kids. As fussy and bratty as she could be, I always felt a certain pride and affection that she’d felt confident to stand up to me. With how much abuse she’d suffered as a child, it had always been my duty as her brother to give her a safe space to act up and know that no matter what, she was safe with me.

“I do not.”

A coarse huff of amusement escapes me.

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