Shattered

Chapter 65: Mental Block

Kane's POV:

"If you hide, I'm gonna hunt you down."- UNSECRET

I sat at the kitchen table with the small cup of tea, sighing as Kora sat opposite from me, elbows on the table, watching me and unable to sit still. Sipping the tea, I shrugged and set the cup down. "It's good."

Kora sighed and scrunched up her face. "You hate it."

"It's tea."

"Baby, he just doesn't like tea," Rykan sighed, shaking his head.

"No, he just hasn't tried very many," Kora argued, springing up from her seat and flitting over to her massive collection of jars full of tea on the kitchen counter. "Come on, what's your favorite flavor?"

"Pretty sure you've made him try every single kind you have," Rykan commented.

"That would mean he didn't like any of them!"

Rykan raised an eyebrow, his gaze shifting to me. I sighed, looking over at Kora. "It's nothing personal."

"But tea is life," Kora pouted. "You drink your coffee black, don't you?"

"I cannot fathom why anyone would drink it differently," I said honestly.

"Ugh, you and Tess are perfect for each other," Kora said, rolling her eyes and coming back to the table. "Tell me about Kaden's mate. What's she like?"

"She is not very social," I warned. Kora pouted again. "She is smart, genius smart. Intuitive. She..." I frowned as pain went through my head. That same headache that kept coming back. "Kaden is smitten."

"Is she okay?" Kora asked, her brows pulling together. "Who's this guy after her?"

"I don't know much about him. She's a private person."

Kora chewed on her lip and shrugged. "We'll have to figure out a way to help her feel at home."

"Ready, Alpha," Vanessa said, peeking her head through the doorway. "Sorry I took so long."

"It's all right," I said, rising from the table.

We thanked Rykan and Kora then made our way to the car and out of the pack. I glanced over at Vanessa briefly once we were off the territory. "How did it go?"

"It went fine," she shrugged, pulling her knees up, resting her feet against the seat and leaning her head against the window.

"You still can't shift."

"Probably never will," she said quietly, hugging her knees to her chest. "But I'm not in pain right now."

"That's good."

We fell silent. Not only was I bad at this, but I felt guilty. She was in pain because of my father. She couldn't shift because of my father. I didn't kill him soon enough. If I had, maybe she'd be able to. But she was permanently in pain because of him.

"Were you with someone new?"

"What?" I asked, looking at her out of the corner of my eye before focusing on the road.

"You... Feel strange," she said, tilting her head to the side.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know," she said, chewing on her lip. "It's like there's... A wall."

"I'm unsure what you mean."

"Are you trying to keep me out?"

"No," I frowned. "Why?"

"Because it feels like you are. I won't invade your privacy, Alpha."

"I don't think you will."

"Then why is there a block?"