Page 77 of The Untamed

Upon seeing me, he visibly relaxes, which does wonders to take my own edge off. “It’s not mine. It’s Kristen’s.”

I take the damp cloth from him and start to clean his hands for him since he was absently scrubbing in the same spot over and over. “Is she okay?”

His pained eyes pin me. “She…She tried to kill herself.”

“What?” I gape at him in shock. “Why?”

“Those rapists really fucked her up, Rae. She was speaking all sorts of nonsense. They made her crazy!”

I tear my gaze from his to focus on cleaning him off. He’ll have to take a dip in the river to scrub the blood from beneath his nails, but at least I’ve gotten most of it off.

“Is she okay?” I ask, taking his hand in mine. “Areyouokay?”

“Dad’s sewing her up. He said they’re flesh wounds and look worse than they are.” Ronan sighs and drops a head on my shoulder. “I, uh, I had to hold pressure to her cuts. I was terrified of messing up. Logan would’ve hated me for letting his wife die.”

My hackles rise at the mention of one of them. Ronan shouldn’t give a damn about what those people think about him. But he’s always been the most tenderhearted of the three of us. I wouldn’t have him any other way.

“You’re awfully sad about this woman we barely know,” I murmur, giving his hand a squeeze. “Are you letting Wild’s lies get to you?”

He lifts his head off my shoulder and looks down at his feet. “Nah, it’s not that.”

“Well, if it is, I understand. It bothers me too, which is why I’m going to confront Mom and Dad today.”

Ronan snaps his attention to me and frowns. “W-What? Why?”

“Because I need to hear it from them that it’s not true. That they didn’t willingly put all their kids’ lives in danger. I have to know.”

He shakes his head, eyes flaring with panic. “You can’t.”

“Why not?” I scoff at him.

His hand pulls out of mine and he runs his bloodstained fingers through his messy hair. “Because they’ll send you away too, Raegan. I can’t lose you too!”

Every muscle in my body stiffens as I let his words sink in. They’re cold and ominous. A threat of something that’s going to destroy me. I know this because the heartbreak that’s making his eyes glassy and his bottom lip shaky will destroy me too.

“Who’s being sent away?” I choke out. “Who, Ro?”

Somehow, I know.

I can feel it in my bones.

But I need to hear it.

“Rowdy?” I ask, voice squeaky. “It fucked him up last time. He’s broken now.”

“Forget I said anything,” Ronan mutters, tearing his eyes from mine to focus on something unimportant behind me. “It’s nothing.”

Great. So now my own brother and best friend is going to lie to me too. Everyone in this freaking state is a liar and I’m so over it. It certainly makes me want to hitch a ride with stupid Wild out of here so I can start a life away from all the liars.

Now who’s the liar, liar?

“It’s not nothing. Tell me, dammit!” I shriek, shoving at his shoulder. “So help me, Ronan, if you don’t tell me, I’ll—”

“They’re sending Ryder away.” His teeth grind together and his jaw muscle flexes. “They’re sending him away because they’re worried he’ll get you pregnant.”

What?

Is he joking right now?

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