BETA LANCASTER

PART 21 - STAY AWAY FROM HER

TAYLOR

I nod my thanks to my brother Jenson as he hands me a large whiskey as I sink back into one of his sofas in his living room as he sighs before he sits down on the one opposite and takes a big swig of his own drink. But my eyes aren't on him. I'm staring at Harper's painting that I made the omega bring back up to Jenson's room which is currently leaning up against the wall on the floor. My brother can't even look at it, as if it pains him to do so.

"...and she has no idea that it was you, that night in New York." I grit out as Jenson slowly shakes his head before taking another swig of his drink.

"Like I said when I explained what went down that night, I was in a mask. I never told her my real name." Jenson says quietly.

"Fuck." I growl, before I throw my drink down my throat and slam the glass on the table before levelling my brother in the eye. "And at no fucking point you thought you should share all this with me? Kind of important don't you think?"

"At what point exactly should have I told you, Tay? Huh? After you fucked her senseless or right after you took her home with your fucking mark imprinted on her neck, brother?" Jenson says coolly as I shake my head at him in disbelief.

"You should've told me the truth." I snap back at him.

"And you shouldn't have taken what was mine." Jenson growls as I scoff and my brother sits forward in his seat, slamming his own glass down. "Oh what, that amuses you. Ever wondered why of all the diners, she ended up right outside the one we were in. It's not like that place is right off the highway. Her wolf was pulling her there and you were sure as shit was not alone at breakfast, brother. She was trying to find her way back to me."

My wolf growls loudly in my head and I don't even try to pull him back letting my eyes go black as Jenson smirks knowing his comment has hit the mark. Annoyingly he has a fair fucking point, the day she came careering into my life and stole my car from outside the diner, I just took it as fate, but it's too much of a coincidence to ignore this. Subconsciously or not, she felt the pull to my brother and that's why she was fucking there. If she hadn't been high on drugs, she could have easily strolled into that diner and been Jenson's mate right now. Not mine.

I chuckle darkly before I run a hand through my hair.

"What's so funny?" Jenson says quietly.

"You know, she told me she'd come to this pack for Kit, to become his mate." I say to Jenson as my brothers' eyes flair gold and his cocky smirk melts away in a heartbeat.

"Is that so?" Jenson replies, but I can hear anger in the tone.

"Because she thought he brought that." I say frowning as I flick my head to the painting. "She said she followed her painting here because she thought the person who had brought it shared a connection with her, that they'd truly understood her. She thought it was Kit, but it was fucking you." I say bitterly.

"She said that." Jenson says, barely louder than a whisper, his eyes locked onto mine to see if I'm telling him the truth before I nod, and he abruptly stands up and paces about his living room as I watch his reactions carefully.

"Fuck Taylor, I want you to be happy I really do, but why does it have to be at my fucking expense, brother?" He yells as he runs a frustrated hand through his hair.

"Be honest with me, have you been tempted to take her from me." I say to him seriously as my brother stops pacing and turns to face me.

"Yes." He says without hesitation as I feel my claws cutting through the skin on my fingertips and my jaw tenses up.

My wolf didn't like that answer. I didn't fucking like that answer.

"You want honesty, brother? I've considered everything. Pursuing her, seducing her away from you. Telling her the truth. Lying to her some more. I've considered fucking everything. Even throwing down an official challenge. Only one wolf usually gets to live but I guess at least there's some honour in that." Jenson says seriously as I curse once more.