Page 75 of The Untamed

I fell for it.

He laid a trap, much like he plans to for that buck, and he pounced.

“Ro,” Ryder says, panic flickering in his eyes. “I…I can’t.”

I cross my arms over my chest and glower at him. “You can. Tell me and stop playing games to confuse me.” My voice quivers. “That’s fucked-up to lead me on like that.”

His eyebrows pinch together and he squeezes his eyes shut. A heavy sigh rushes past his lips—lips I was craving desperately seconds ago. A liar’s lips. “I wasn’t leading you on.”

Now his liar’s lips are spilling audible lies.

“Look at you,” I hiss. “You don’t even care. You were just doing what you knew would distract me to avoid a stupid question.”

Oh God.

This is so messed up and it’s all my fault. I let him get me off the other night and press a kiss to my lips. I basically begged for it. But he’s never wanted any of this. It’s all been out of some duty to help me, his brother, and today, avoid my line of questioning.

Unbelievable.

“I care,” Ryder says, unable to look at me as despair consumes him. “I care so much it fucking kills me.”

All the indignant fire burning through me swooshes out to make way for guilt. Guilt may as well be my middle name.

“Then why won’t you tell me?” I demand, my voice a mere whisper. “Please.”

His jaw tightens as he sears me with his gaze. “Dad’s making me leave.”

“Leave to go where?” I frown as I try to make sense of his words. “What does that even mean?”

He sets down his rifle, propping it up against the shelves, and then cautiously approaches me. This time, he’s not looking at me like he wants to kiss me. His eyes are searching mine, pleading with me to understand. He raises his hand like he wants to cradle my face in his palm. I’m desperate enough for his touch, I almost tilt my head to meet him halfway.

Almost.

When he realizes I’m not going to let him get away with this twice, he gives up, dropping his hand to his side. His nostrils flare in frustration. “It means when Wild and them go back to town, I’m going with them.”

My heart stutters to a stop as I gape at him. “What? For how long? Why?”

“As long as it takes to find a wife,” he mutters, scowling. “Indefinitely if need be.”

I’m already shaking my head. “N-No. You can’t leave us. You can’t leave us!”

He swallows and shrugs. “It’s out of my hands.”

“Why would he do this to us?” I demand, rubbing at the center of my chest. An ache has formed there and I want it to go away. It grows wider and wider by the second. I realize that hole is where Ryder lives and he’s being excavated by my dad’s stupid order. “Why, Ryder? Why?”

His mouth parts as he prepares to speak, but a blood-curdling scream pierces the air. Since Ryder is closer to the pantry door, he turns on his heel and is out before me. I follow him toward the sounds of continued screaming toward the makeshift infirmary that used to be Dez and Raegan’s room.

Stacey must be in labor.

Ryder slams to a halt just inside the doorway, forcing me to step around him so I can see. Stacey is crying and screaming, but she’s not the one in pain here.

It’s Kristen.

Kristen, face chalky and eyes wild, slashes another red stripe across the flesh of her forearm near her wrist. Blood slides down her arm, puddling on the white sheet that’s tangled in her lap. She’s about to slash a third time before I snap into action.

“No!” I bellow, rushing her. “Stop!”

She grunts when I grab onto the wrist of her uninjured arm. I squeeze tight enough she lets the steak knife drop. It slides to the floor with a clatter.

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