Page 161 of Secret Shifters Next Door

I didn’t answer. All I could do was stare at the face on the screen. My blood seemed to be alternating between freezing and boiling. My brain wanted to split apart, because it made absolutely no sense. I shook my head at my friends as I stared at Kellan’s face on the screen.

It made no sense. How could Kellan be working with the hunters? How could he do something like this after what they did to Aiden? There was no way the kidnapping was fake. I’d seen how it had affected Kellan. He’d been a step away from shock. No one was that good of an actor. What the fuck was going on?

“I need to take care of April. We… I guess we need to think about this. Before we act, I mean,” I said, backing out of the room.

Blayne looked worried, and Tate looked pissed. I didn’t blame him. If Kellan really was working with the hunters, it meant he was helping the people who wanted to kill Tate and his family. It worried me. What would happen the next time Tate saw Kellan? Jesus, what would happen the next time I saw him?

Without another word, I left the bedroom and found April still on the couch. The crime scene team was packing up and heading out the door. She looked a little less distraught, but I could tell she was still traumatized. My bear stirred within me, wanting to comfort her.

We didn’t even speak, all I did was rub her back and lead her upstairs to bed. I got her shoes and pants off and helped her slip under the covers.

“Take a nap, if you can. Hopefully, you’ll feel better when you get up.”

April barely managed a nod. “Thank you, Steff.”

Tate and Blayne left not long after, and I was alone with my thoughts. It was hard to believe that my oldest friend could be involved in this crazy conspiracy. My heart was telling me that there was no way I could entertain the thought. My brain was telling me the opposite. I went over how easily he’d accepted the fact that I was a shifter. The way he’d told me that he’d guessed something was off about me, even when we were kids. That he’dknownI wasn’t quite human. He was supposed to be my friend. Christ, he was basically my brother. The idea that I could be betrayed by another brother like this almost sent me over the edge.

That night, I threw a frozen pizza in the oven and tossed together a simple salad. April came down after being in bed for nearly six hours. Somehow, she looked both restedandexhausted. We ate in silence. I didn’t want to broach the subject, so I waited for April to say something first.

After finishing her salad, she sighed. “I can’t stop thinking about it, Steff. Those…thingsin the box? Luca was a son of a bitch, but no one deserves that. They maimed him. The cruelty and heartlessness? How can anyone be that way?”

“I know. It’s crazy.” There was no way I was going to tell her that our one lead was Kellan. “We’re working on it. Hopefully, this will all be over soon.”

“I’m not hungry anymore,” April said. “Can we sit on the couch? I just want to be held.”

Eager to help her in any way I could, I took her hand and we snuggled up together on the couch. We sat that way, in silence, for several minutes. The weight of what I knew was crushing me, but if April found out? It would totally destroy her. She’d already experienced something today that would have made anyonequestion their sanity. I had to keep the secret, at least until there was no other way around it.

“Are you okay?” April asked.

“Me? What about me?”

“I’m still worried about you. The way you’ve been acting. How do you feel?”

It made me feel like shit, that even with everything going on, April was still worried for me. I nodded, “I’m better. I’m sorry I left you here alone. It’ll never happen again. I promise that.”

Her head moved against my chest. “Good. You had me worried. Also… I’ve made a decision.”

My bear immediately rose to attention, eager to hear what she had to say and hoping beyond hope that she was going to ask to be claimed. My human mind fought against it, irritated that the bear worried so much about that, even after the agreement we made.

Keeping my voice neutral, I said, “What’s that?”

“There’s no question anymore. I can’t go back to that life. Not now. I’m retiring. I’m sure of that now.”

I sighed and relaxed. My bear was disappointed, but still glad that she wouldn’t be leaving. It wasn’t the news it wanted, but it was better than the thought of her leaving.

“I think that’s a good choice. I respect it, and support you.”

We watched TV, but neither of us really paid any attention to what was on. After a few hours, we decided to go to bed early. April, even after her long nap, fell asleep almost instantly. I stayed up for hours, mulling over everything that had happened that day. My eyes finally slid shut for good after midnight.

The next day, April’s parents came over. Knowing her dad was there, I felt it was safe to leave April alone to go meet with the guys. April’s dad was a scary dude, and if anyone tried anything, he’d rip them apart.

They were both on high alert when they got there. Apparently, the news about Luca was all over the media. The only details they had was that he’d beenassaulted.That was putting it mildly. There was no mention of the box or April’s involvement. The police were keeping things pretty tightly wrapped up, which was a good thing.

When I got to the office, the guys were already there, and our entire staff was out patrolling the town. Everyone except Kennedy, who was at her usual place at the reception desk. The guys were in the conference room. As soon as I walked in, I saw Kellan’s face on the big screen at the front of the room. It was the zoomed-in picture we’d found the day before.

“Okay,” Miles said. “What do we do about Mr. Knight here?”

“First off. Which brother is this? I know it’s one of them, but they’re identical. Kris or Kellan?” Tate asked.

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