Talley patted my leg. “Stop worrying so much. Liam wouldn’t have brought you to the meet-up point if he thought there was any chance of danger. He’s had every contingency planned out for this meeting since July.”

My teeth ground together. “Of course he has.”

“How is life with Liam?” She asked cautiously. She was still cuddled against my chest, so there is no way she missed my growl.

“Stubborn, self-important ass.” I was taking what Charlie said into consideration, but trusting Liam didn’t mean I had to like him.

Talley jerked up, scandalized. “Scout! You shouldn’t say that.”

“I’m just stating facts, Tal. Honestly, this is the watered down, if-you-can’t-say-something-nice-don’t-say-anything-at-all version. Would you like to hear what I really think of him?”

“He’s not that bad.”

At that moment he was telling Jase how to hold a wrench, and even more annoying than that, Jase was letting Liam tell him how to hold a wrench.

“Oh, you’re right, Tal. He’s a peach. Always so happy and warm to be near. And the way he’s so open and honest, and how he never tries to boss anyone around. A diamond in the rough, that one.”

“Shhh! Library voices,” Talley said, digging an elbow into my ribs.

“Why?” I said a little too loudly. “I don’t care what he thinks.”

“Scout, please don’t provoke the extremely Dominant Shifter who is very angry with you at the moment.”

“The moment? Try ‘the life’.” I scowled towards where the boys were now removing some part of the car which was probably necessary for it to operate. I hoped they knew what they were doing. “And I’m the one who has a right to be angry here. How could he not tell me that Jase was only following his orders? Do you have idea what it was like for me to stand there and hear him say those things? To think that he didn’t care they were going to kill me?” I wanted to cry so I screamed instead. “And your mother. God, Talley. I mean, it was like she hated me.”

Talley’s head jerked down and her fingers immediately went to her hair.

“Talley, your mom was just putting on a show, right? Like Jase? It’s all part of Liam’s Let’s Torture Scout Plan?”

“You have to understand,” Talley said in a small voice, “my mother was raised with some very strong beliefs. And with my dad being so close, close enough to prod and provoke…”

“She wasn’t acting.”

“She was doing what she thought was right--”

Betrayal hurts just as much the second time around. “How could she? She’s your mom. She taught me how to skip and play hop-scotch…”

Talley’s eyes were overflowing. “I know. I know. I’ve tried to talk to her, but I’ve got to play the part of a good little Alpha Potential, and…” A sniffle and lots of rubbing of the cheeks. “I’m sorry, Scout. So, so sorry.”

I wasn’t going to cry again. I refused. Anyway, Talley was shedding enough tears for the two of us.

“It’s not your fault,” I said, meaning it. Like we have any control over our parents. I mean, mine are pretty great most of the time, but when your dad is the superintendent for the school? There are lots of times you have to apologize to your friends for things he does. Sure, he never tried to get any of them killed, but he did make us switch to a schedule that made our summers super-short. When you’re thirteen, two weeks less summer vacation feels like someone is trying to kill you. “I don’t blame you. I would never blame you.”

A wrench or socket or some such thing landed with a thunk on the porch. “Just me, right?” Jase said, squinting against the afternoon sun.

“What are you talking about? I don’t blame you for Mrs. Matthews’ turning me over to the Alphas.”

His jaw muscles twitched. “You sure? I mean, why not? You believed I would willingly stand there and let them take you.”

Well, it looked like we were going to do this now.

“I overheard you talking to Sarvarna,” I said, sounding way more aloof than I actually felt. “She offered you a way out of being mated and a position in the Pack. It was a good bargain.”

“A good bargain?” Jase’s voice was about two notches louder than necessary. “Seriously? My sister’s life in exchange for a place in their corrupt ranks? You thought I would want that?”

There may have been a time when I would have apologized, quelled at his anger. Jase always had the stronger personality of the two of us. He led, I followed. But no more. Things had changed. I had changed.

“How was I supposed to know any different? Did you send me a message?” I turned to Talley. “Or you? Did you try to send me a brain note saying, ‘Don’t worry about Jase. We have a plan.’?” Now I was getting loud.

“Do not yell at Talley.”

“You let me sit in that cell and think you didn’t care.”

“I was trying to save you!”

“You didn’t come to see me!”

“I had a role to play!”

“But you didn’t come see me! You left me! Alone!” I swiped away a single escaped tear. “What kind of brother doesn’t even come and say goodbye? Even Sarvarna would have understood the need for closure. But you didn’t come. It could have all went wrong. I could have died, and you would have never said goodbye.”

“How could I?” He was practically whispering now. “How could I go down there, look at you in that cage, knowing you might die, and not show them how much I love you? You’ve been my best friend since I was six months old. Almost every single one of my happiest memories has you at its center. Just the thought of losing you makes me literally sick to my stomach. How could you not know that?”

Emotional conversations are not commonplace in my family. Yes, we love each other, but we don’t normally feel the need to say it. Maybe we should more often, though, because hearing how much my brother cared for me was enough to start repairing some of the fissures in my soul.

I bolted towards him, arms wide, and he caught me in a bear hug. I squeezed back with all I was worth. He saw it as a personal challenge, and squeezed harder, making my ribs scream in protest.

“I love you, too, you know?”