Page 112 of Knot Her Cowboys
Bruce nodded sharply.
“Hmm, I thought so. Unfortunately that won’t be possible. I liked your mother and I’m sorry to see that she and her mates raised an absolute snake of a son. I’m sure your parents and our friends in New York will beveryinterested in how you’ve behaved today. It will have a rather detrimental effect on your reputation, won’t it?”
“Please,” Bruce gasped. “I can fix this.”
June carried on as if he hadn’t spoken at all. “Now, my dearest son-in-law is almost back from fetching that rifle, so you should get going. I would hate to see you with an ass full of buckshot because you’re too stubborn to see reason. Go on, dear. Tell your mother I said hello, and that I’m deeply disappointed.”
Bruce looked like he was ready to launch himself at June, his muscles poised, but he turned to me instead, fury bright in hiseyes. Bryan moved first, catching Bruce in the chest as he leapt forward, and Cash pulled me out of the way. Dakota and Levi formed a barrier between me and June, and Bruce.
“Don’t you fucking touch her,” Bryan hissed, wrestling Bruce to the ground. “Don’t touchanyof them. I’m done with all of this! With us. Withyou. I can’t fucking do it anymore.”
The rest of our guests rushed over and Cooper returned, cocking his shotgun, but even that sound wasn’t enough to quell the rage in Bruce. June could cost him everything, and while he wasn’t that intuitive about a lot of things, he knew when he was outmaneuvered. I’d never seen him lose it like this.
The alphas present dogpiled on both my former alphas as sirens wailed down the dirt roads, signaling the arrival of Levi’s cousin. Bruce spat curses from the dirt. “I’m going to sue every fucking one of you. Get the hell off!”
Levi opened the gate for Jensen, presumably giving him a rundown of the situation because once the alphas cleared enough space, Jensen got handcuffs on Bruce. I intervened for Bryan so he didn’t get caught in the crosshairs of Bruce’s bad decisions, though Jensen did insist he’d have to come to the sheriff’s office to make a statement before he left Montana.
“I’m so sorry,” Bryan told me softly as Jensen and two of Dakota’s brothers helped get Bruce into the back of the car. “I was a terrible alpha to you.”
“You weren’t always.” He really had been a sweetheart at the start of our relationship, and Bruce had eroded that over time. “I’m confused, though. What did Bruce mean by you having nothing without him? I thought your family had money too?”
Bryan sank into the dirt, his hair tousled, dust coating him head to toe. “You would’ve found it distasteful if you knew the real reason we created a pack.”
I tilted my head, not any clearer on the situation. “Elaborate?”
“My parents basically forced it. They threatened to cut me off if I didn’t support a business merger by creating a pack that connected the Reeds and the Rochfords. You’d have hated knowing it was for business, so I pitched it as a personal situation because I didn’t want to be cut off financially. They told me I’d never be able to take care of an omega without their support, and I wanted to be able to take care of you. Guess I ended up doing a shit job of that.”
“I’m not sure I understand. Did Bruce even want me in the beginning? Is that why you had him join us instead of forming something separate with him?”
“Iwanted you.” He buried his face in his hands. “You didn’t understand anything of my world, and that made me feel like I was a real human for once. I did love you, and I should have been better. My parents tried to make me break up with you multiple times and I wouldn’t do it.”
“What?” They’d always been a little frosty to me, but I hadn’t known they’d pushed for that.
“I was selfish. If I had been a better alpha, I would’ve let you go and faced a lifetime under Bruce’s thumb all alone.” Tears streaked down his cheeks, leaving trails in the dust there when he lifted his face to look at me.
I followed my compulsion to comfort him, getting onto my knees and drawing him into my arms. I might not want to be with him anymore, but he deserved someone to show him compassion after blowing up his entire life.
His hands shook where he held on to me. “I didn’t really understand what was happening because the way that he treated us was how my parents had always treated me. I didn’t even know anything else existed until you, and I couldn’t even protect you. I’m so sorry, Riley. I never wanted to hurt you.”
My heart ached. I’d loved him once, and things had fallen apart so slowly I hadn’t realized how much of a gap had formedbetween us. “It’s okay. Not that you hurt me, but I understand. I didn’t recognize it either, but because it was so different from how I’d been hurt before.”
“Are you happy?” Bryan asked, eyes pleading. “They’re taking care of you here?”
“I am, and they are. I have a pack that adores me.”
“Good.” He took a deep breath, slowly collecting himself. “Good. You deserve that. Do you hate me?”
Did I? “No, I don’t, but I’m still firm on things being over between us.”
“I know. I wasn’t asking to see if you’d take me back. I just want to be sure you have what you need.”
“I do. You deserve to be happy, too. I’m sorry that we couldn’t be what each other needed.” In another life, another world, maybe we’d have worked out, but not in this one. With a sigh, I sat back and laid my palm on his shoulder. “Come inside.”
Cash squawked. “What do you mean, come inside? Why are we letting him in our house?”
“He came all the way here to warn me and get ahead of Bruce. I’m not going to make him sit in the dirt while we all go have dinner.”
My alphas frowned, tugging me into the protective phalanx of their bodies, but Dakota did offer Bryan his hand to help him stand.
