Star Cursed (Zodiac Wolves #2)(26)

He shrugged. "I had to be sure."

I huffed. "Fine, I've passed your test. But you still don't trust me, do you?"

"No, because I don't know what happened after you went with Jordan," Kaden growled. "For all I know, you're one of them now. Their alpha female."

“I would never ally myself with the Leos,” I ground out. “I hate them more than anything. Did you forget that when you found me, I'd been beaten and tied to a sacrificial altar?”

His jaw tightened, and I watched the muscles in his neck flex. "I don't know what kinky shit you're into."

"Yeah you do," I said pointedly, and heat flashed in his eyes. "You're the only one who does."

"I find that hard to believe. Jordan is your mate. Even if you tried to resist him at first, there's no way you could have done it for the entire time you were with the Leos."

"I did resist him. It was hard, but I did it."

"So you didn't do anything with him? Not even a kiss?"

I flinched, remembering the two times Jordan had kissed me, made even worse by the new knowledge that he was my brother. My reaction must have answered the question for Kaden, whose face grew hard as stone. He turned away and started trudging through the woods.

"Wait," I called after him, as I hurried to follow. "Let me explain."

Kaden let out a grunt, but he actually stopped. "Go on then."

"Yes, Jordan kissed me," I somehow managed to say without gagging.

He crossed his arms at that, his scowl deepening.

I grimaced. "Twice."

Kaden shook his head and started to turn away again, but I grabbed his arm.

"But he's not my mate! I mean, he is, but it must be a mistake or something.”

“I’m not here to play therapist while you try to figure out what you feel for your precious Leo alpha. This conversation is over.” He jerked his arm away and tried to shove past me, and I put my hand out once again, slamming it directly into his middle.

“You don’t understand,” I said. “Jordan is my brother.”

His mouth fell open at that, shock clear on his face. "What?"

“Jordan’s mom had an affair with the Cancer alpha. That’s all I know." I drew in a shuddering breath, feeling weak now that the truth was out.

“That’s impossible,” Kaden said. "Even if he somehow is your brother, which seems unlikely, there's no way a mating bond could have formed between the two of you."

“I don’t know how it happened, but he is my brother. I felt the wrongness every time we kissed, I just didn't understand it until now."

Kaden’s eyes held mine for a moment before he looked away once more. “Brother or not, the mate bond is still there, binding the two of you together. It'll continue to pull you both toward each other until either he’s dead, or the bond is fulfilled.”

My stomach lurched again at the thought of Jordan looming over me at the altar. “There has to be some way to dissolve it. I’m not going to mate with my brother. Obviously.”

“There is a way,” Kaden said, his voice growing ice cold. “I’m going to kill him. That will put an end to it.”

"I... I don't know if I can let you do that." I swallowed hard. "As much as I hate him, he's the only family I have left."

Kaden's face darkened. "And that's why I still can't trust you."

He walked away, while I remained caught in the gravity of his words, my heart pounding in my chest. Would I ever be able to win back Kaden's trust, let alone his heart?





Chapter Twelve





The next morning, Kaden shoved some clothes into my hands, and I wondered if they were his. When I held them up to my nose to inhale, right before I changed into them, I couldn’t make out the scent of anyone at all. New clothes then. I tried to tell myself that I wasn’t disappointed.

I took special pleasure in ripping the Leo dress up and putting it on the fire just before the others banked it and cleaned up the campsite. Harper came over and gave me her extra pair of shoes since I'd been running around barefoot this entire time. They were one size too big on me, but better than nothing. Then it was time to get going.

Mira and I packed up the tent, and then Kaden waved us over and told us to get in his car. As he looked at me, I saw a glimmer of distrust in his eyes, like he was waiting for me to turn on him. I wished there was some way to convince him that I could be trusted, but no matter what I said, he still thought I’d run back to Jordan the moment he took his eyes off me.

Even so, it was a nice change to find myself sitting in a car instead of in the back of a van. Apparently, my words last night had gotten through to Kaden on some level, even if he was still cold with me. Kaden drove, while Mira and I sat in the backseat, with Jack in the front. Once we were on the road, Jack put on some music, and I let some of the tension go from my body.

We left Colorado and traveled north along the Rocky Mountains, heading for Canada. As we drove, Kaden stared straight out of the windshield, his mouth set in a tight line. He looked like he was wound so tight that he would pop if anyone spoke to him. I wondered if he regretted letting me travel in the same car as him. Jack was unusually quiet too, and I guessed he was still banned from talking to me and didn't dare go against the alpha's word. After a couple of hours, Kaden switched with Jack and took a nap in the front seat, and we all breathed a collective sigh and relaxed a little.