Page 33 of Knotting Autumn

Of all the things I expected Thorne to say, blaming it on an evil twin brother wasn’t on the list. I barked an obnoxiously loud laugh. “Are you serious?”

Nodding, Thorne dropped his hand. “His name is Hunter. And he’s why we came through town. We were leaving our pack because he took over as the new alpha. And we don’t exactly get along.”

“Oh,” I said, sobering.

“How did he know about her?” Thorne asked, turning his attention to Cole.

Cole’s light gray eyes flitted around the room. His thick lashes were pitch black, adding contrast between his eyes and pale skin. “He could feel your fated mate bond with her.”

“Fucking twin bond,” Thorne grumbled. “How much can he sense?”

Gnawing on his lip, Cole thought for a minute. “He can track her and sense hints of her emotions. That should fade as the bond settles.”

“How do you know that?” Sawyer demanded.

Thorne’s jaw ticked. “He has his sources—”

Cole interrupted him. “We might as well tell them. I don’t give a shit.”

“Fine,” Thorne said, sitting back.

“I get visions,” Cole said, his eyebrow arching in challenge as he watched for our reactions.

Cocking my head, I tried to process his words. “Are you psychic or something?”

“Yeah, essentially,” Cole said, his arms crossing and a scowl twisting his face. He clearly wasn’t a fan of the designation.

“He’s a seer,” Sawyer said softly, staring at Cole with mixed emotions flashing across his face. His lips parted, his brows furrowed.

Cole nodded, his typical arrogant posture as he looked past my shoulder at Sawyer softening, his expression smoothing out. It felt like they were having a silent conversation.

Thorne studied his friend for a moment before addressing me. “He’s the one who told me to visit your work. He saw you were important.”

My jaw clenched, holding back accusations that it was Cole’s fault I was in this mess. That wouldn’t help the situation at all.

“But Hunter wants Cole in the pack because having a seer lends a certain air of power and importance. So he’s pretty pissed we left, I expect,” Thorne said, slumping back. He looked exhausted, lines around his eyes and a tightness to his mouth.

“Thorne, are you okay?” I asked quietly.

“That’s why we came,” Cole said, every word taut with expectation. “He’s getting sick from your bond being rejected. And it’s going to get worse for both of you.”

Sawyer’s hold on my shoulders tightened. “It’s only a temporary problem. You’ll both adjust and be fine.”

“Not exactly,” Cole growled.

“I can’t give you what you want,” I said.

Thorne’s eyes closed, his head tipping back to rest on the cushion. “I understand. But being close to you helps. If we can spend a little time together, I should recover enough that we can get away from Hunter for good. Then I’ll ride out the rejection wherever we land. But I can’t protect Cole like this.”

Cole bristled, crossing his arms.

“What if he tries to take Autumn again? You’re trading your own safety for hers,” Sawyer accused, finally tearing his gaze off Cole to glare at Thorne.

“It’s too late for that,” Cole said. He scrubbed his hand over his face. “He clearly thinks he can use Autumn to get to you.”

“Can we convince him that we aren’t together and Thorne doesn’t care about me?” I asked.

Thorne chuckled dryly, but it was Cole who answered. “It doesn’t work like that. Even if you completely rejected him, he would still care about you. A fated mate bond is strong.”