Page 67 of Brazen

“Because you’re human?”

Ouch. Why did that hurt so much?

Oh right. Because I was always going to be the outsider with these wolves. I’d been the outsider with Ted and his pack, and now I was an outsider, even with my own son!

“Because–” I stopped. How did I explain any of this to a five-year-old when it didn’t even make sense to me? All I knew was this was a no-go for me. “Yeah, I guess because I’m human.”

He reached out and took my hand. “Are you scared of them, Mommy?”

Another shiver ran through me. I wanted to say no. I wasn’t scared. I was angry. Maybe at the heart of it, I was scared. Wolf shifters were powerful–far more powerful than humans. It was part of what made Sam so damn attractive. Plus, they were organized into packs–which made them practically undefeatable. So, yeah. I was scared of what they could do.

“No, Mommy’s not scared,” I lied and faked a smile.

“You smell scared,” he added.

Shit.

“Are you scared of Sam?”

Hot tears pricked my eyes. Sam. My chest constricted with pain.

My hot, generous lover. The man who believed I was his mate. Who wanted to go all in with me. Said he wanted to build a house for us on his land. Had he meant it all? Or had it all been a farce to get to my kid?

His alpha had put him on seduction duty with me. To find out about JT.

I couldn’t forgive him for that.

Except…it didn’t burn quite so much this time when I remembered it. Sam’s explanation might have been true. He had said he’s the butt of all sex jokes with his pack. His reputation as a player was well-discussed.

And he’d seemed genuinely upset.

I care about understanding why you are running away from a good thing.

I sniffed back the tears. “No. I’m not scared of Sam. I think… he’s a good guy.”

As I spoke the words, the cloud of betrayal and doubt started to lift. I still wasn’t sure what to believe, but I had a deep sense that Sam would never let any harm come to us.

But… he was a part of a pack. I didn’t trust them.

“Can Remy still be my best friend?”

My heart pinched. Could she? If I wanted nothing to do with the pack, would Remy’s dad still let her be friends with JT?

God, I didn’t know. I wasn’t even sure I wanted that.

I was so confused.

I sucked in a breath and blew it out. “Of course you can, sweetheart. You’ll see her every day at school.” I could at least promise him that much.

I leaned in and kissed his forehead. “Goodnight, sweetheart. I love you.”

“I love you, Mommy.”

As I shut his bedroom door, I heard the sound of a truck pulling up out front. I looked out the window to see Sam’s graceful jump out of the passenger side of a truck before it pulled away.

God, he was beautiful. My heart crawled up into my mouth. I stood there, paralyzed.

I’d left the keys to his truck on the seat, not wanting to see him when he came to pick it up. Now, I hesitated. Should I go down there?