Page 106 of The Reluctant Alpha

"You're fucking insane," Shane croaked, glaring at Kaylan. "I'll have you arrested for assault."

"Try it," Kaylan smiled, the expression all teeth. "I'd be fascinated to hear you explain to the local sheriff how you trespassed on private property to harass law-abiding citizens."

Shane stared at him like he'd grown a second head.

I sighed, feeling suddenly exhausted. "Go home, Shane."

"Not until you explain what's going on here," Shane insisted, straightening.

Rhys stepped forward then, his silver eyes glinting in the late-afternoon sun. "Mr. Jacobson, you need to leave now. You've delivered your message, and your brother has assured you he's well."

"And who the fuck are you?" Shane demanded. "Another cult member?"

"I'm the person who's going to escort you off the property," Rhys replied calmly. "Either willingly or unwillingly. Your choice."

Shane scoffed at what he saw was a teenager, looking between the three of us, calculation replacing fear in his expression. "You know, I always knew there was something weird about Emery's family. But this?" He gestured expansively. "This is beyond weird. This is dangerous."

A chill ran down my spine at his tone. "What are you talking about?"

Shane's attention snapped back to me. "I did some digging, Danny. Emery’s boyfriend owns half the mountain. His building company has land worth millions.”

My blood chilled. If Shane had been investigating Phoenix's business interests, what else might he have discovered?

"And?" I asked, keeping my voice at bored level.

"And I think you've landed yourself a sugar daddy with some very interesting hobbies." Shane's smile was predatory now. "The question is, what's he getting out of it? Because guys like that don't keep pretty boys around out of the goodness of their hearts."

Rage flared in my chest, both at the insult and the implication. "Go home. Now."

"Or what?" Shane laughed. "You'll sic your bodyguards on me? Face it, Danny, you're in over your head. Whatever game you're playing here, it's going to end badly."

"The only game being played here is yours," Kaylan interjected, his voice carrying an authority that made Shane take a step back. "You came here fishing for information you could use, not out of concern for your brother."

"Who the hell are you to—"

"Someone who actually cares about Danny's wellbeing," Kaylan cut him off. "Which is more than I can say for you."

Shane's face flushed red. "Don't lecture me about my own family, you pretentious asshole.” But he took a step to the car. “Know what else I turned up?" Shane gloated, his voice dropping to a conspirator's whisper. "About this area. About the families who live here, or should I say, the families who have lived here a very long time.”

How I kept a straight face, I didn’t know. Emery had told me shifters’ longer life span was one of the reasons they kept to themselves. I just needed him to go. I waved a hand, glanced at Kaylan, and ignored Shane’s comments as he was very forcibly encouraged to get in his car. Rhys moved away, and I knew he would make sure Shane had left. My chest ached.

The memory hit me like a physical blow. I was thirteen, awkward and scared, fumbling through my first kiss with Alfie Chen behind the school gymnasium. Shane had been seventeen, already calculating even then. He'd watched from behind the dumpsters, phone in hand, recording everything.

"Dad's going to be real interested in this," he'd said later, cornering me in my bedroom. "Unless, of course, you want to help your big brother out with some expenses."

For three months, he'd bled me dry. Every allowance, my birthday money, every dollar I earned from odd jobs—all of it went to keeping Shane's mouth shut. It only stopped when, convinced I was going to be thrown out, I followed Dad into the garage and watched him working on the car.

After a few minutes, Dad had chuckled and said he knew I wasn’t interested in getting dirty under the hood, so how about I explained what was really going on?

I remembered the tears, which made everything worse as I’d haltingly confessed I liked boys, not girls.

He’d wrapped an arm around me, hugging me tight. “I know that, Son.” He ruffled my hair. “Hell, I think we’ve both known that since you were about six. Now, I promise not to get any oil on you, but I need you to turn over the engine when I say.” And that was it.

And fuck but I missed him. He’d died two months later.

"Danny?" Kaylan's voice broke through the memory. "You've gone pale."

I blinked, focusing on his concerned face. Shane's BMW was disappearing down the drive, but the damage was done. He'd seen too much, asked too many questions, and now he knew something unusual was happening here.