Page 19 of The Wolf's Plus-Size Bride

My heart suddenly aches for Reiner.

“I’m so sorry,” my uncle says. “I had no idea.”

“Oh, the poor boy,” Aunt Gwen coos.

“Don’t worry about it,” Jack assures him. “He’ll be fine.”

“I think I’ll go check on him,” I say. “I’ll check on the meat while I’m out there. Be right back.”

I find Reiner sitting on the steps, staring off into the distance. I’ll say one thing about Green Lake. The stars are much brighter out here, and the night sky is a deep, rich black.

“Hey,” I say, taking a seat next to him. “You okay?”

“I’m good,” he replies. “Sorry, I just got up and left like that. I just really don’t enjoy talking about my family.”

“I understand. I should’ve steered the conversation away from family, so I’m sorry. More than anyone, I know how hard it can be.”

“I guess you do,” he replies quietly. “But it’s not your fault, you know. You don’t have to apologize.”

I shrug. “I know. I just… I want this to work, and I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”

“I’m not,” he says, turning to look at me. “It’s not you. It’s me.”

“That’s a very cliché line,” I tease.

“I’m serious,” he says, and his voice is so soft, so vulnerable, I can’t help but lean in. “Do you know I still have nightmares about the day my parents were murdered?”

“Oh, Reiner…”

“I was ten years old, and I watched those assholes tear my parents apart. I can still hear their screams, and I can still see the blood. I can still feel the fear that flooded through me. I was powerless, and it was the worst feeling in the world. I swore I’d never let myself be that weak again. So, I trained, I fought, I pushed my body and my limits, and I got stronger. I worked my ass off to become the strongest, toughest wolf I could be. I had to. I had to make sure nothing ever happened to me or Jack, and I couldn’t let my parents’ deaths be in vain.”

“Who did it?” I ask.

He gives me a half-shrug and says, “Rogues. There’s a lot of ‘em out there. They’re lone wolves—no pack, no allegiance. They just roam the country, picking fights and fucking shit up. They’re just a bunch of low-life criminals. When I got older, I did a lot of hunting, but I never found the ones who did it. I don’t even know if they’re still alive.”

“I’m so sorry,” I whisper, and I reach out to touch his shoulder. “That’s horrible.”

“Yeah, it is,” he says, and his voice is tight. “And I’m not proud of a lot of the things I’ve done. I was a real asshole, and I’m still working on the whole anger management thing. But you know, when you’re younger, being pissed off is a lot easier than being sad, you know? I didn’t want to cry. I didn’t want to feel weak. So, I made a lot of enemies, and I didn’t care.”

“I can’t even imagine what that must’ve been like,” I whisper.

“It was a long time ago,” he says, and his tone is lighter, as if he’s trying to convince himself more than me. “I’m okay now. I’m not the same person I was back then. I just wish I could convince everybody else of that.”

“Jack seems to understand.”

“Jack’s always had my back, even when I was at my worst. Not long after my parents died, his did, too, and I’ve been looking out for him ever since. I didn’t have a choice. Even though he’s only my cousin, I was like his big brother, and I had to make sure he was taken care of. I had to make sure he was safe.”

“You’re a good man, Reiner,” I say, and I mean it. “You’re not the monster you’ve made yourself out to be.”

He scoffs. “You don’t know me.”

“Maybe not,” I reply, shrugging. “But I know enough. And I like what I see.”

He draws in a shaky breath and asks, “How did your parents die?”

The question catches me by surprise, and I feel my cheeks grow tight. “They died in a fire. No one knows exactly what happened. We were asleep, and all I remember is waking up to smoke. I couldn’t see a thing. I tried to get my parents, but a beam had fallen from the ceiling and blocked their way out. My mom told me to run, to get help. I did, but by the time I came back, the house was completely engulfed in flames. There was nothing I could do.”

“That’s terrible,” he whispers.

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