Page 18 of Clash of Sin and Secret

I yawn, but can’t face my demons again yet. “Will you keep talking to me? I’m not ready to go back to sleep.”

“We’ll talk all night if you want, beautiful. Whatever you need. I’ve got you.”

Tucker

I cradle Scottie against me, her body trembling slightly as her breathing returns to normal. The heat that my shifter DNA gives off is put to good use and the icy chill of her skin warms. Hernightmare still clings to us, its violent shadow dancing in the corners of the room.

Whatever happened to her in New York all those years ago was devastating. I won’t press her for details—she’ll share more, when and if she’s ready.

For now, I’ll comfort her and be her safe place.

Her heart beats steadily against my chest, a soft rhythm that matches my own. Her eyes glisten with unshed tears, and my heart twists at the pain in them. “Hey,” I whisper. “You’re safe now. You’re home, where people love you and will kill for you.”

She eases back enough to study my face. “I just hate feeling so weak.”

I offer her a small smile. “Scottie, no. Of all the ways I could describe you, weak isn’t one of them. We all have our moments. You’ve lived through something, and it left its mark, but it doesn’t define you.”

“Then why can’t I shake this feeling? Even when I push it down, it’s always there, under the surface.”

I know that pain. I’ve spent years keeping my truth buried deep inside me. But looking into those dark blue depths filled with vulnerability, something shifts in me. She shared something raw and personal.

It’s time for me to do the same.

“You’re not the only one who feels that way, beautiful. I’m a shifter who can’t shift.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just what I said. Haven’t you wondered why, in a battle, I don’t take my shifter form?”

Her brows furrow. “I just figured you didn’t want to risk exposure.”

“No. I’ve lived my entire life hiding the defect of who I am. My mother was a polar bear shifter. The pack I grew up in isfilled with strong, impressive bears that take your breath away, but I have never been one of them.”

Her gaze softens. “Why do you think that is?”

“The squire magic altered or interferes with the shifter magic. I feel my bear inside me. He’s fierce…but he just can’t take form.”

“I’m so sorry.”

Me too.“The pack saw it as proof that I was a mistake from the moment my mother fell in love with a human. They saw me as weak—a pariah because of what happened between Jack and my mother.”

Scottie leans closer, her tears now falling for me and my pain.

I use the edge of the blanket to catch her tears. “My mother’s love for Jack and for me never faltered. It stretched to the depth and breadth of her being, despite it leading to her being shunned by our pack. We lived our entire lives as outcasts in my pack.”

“That must have been hard for you both.”

“It hurt me, but I’m pretty sure it’s what got her killed.” Anger rises from somewhere deep within me—anger at them for judging us when they knew nothing about love or sacrifice. “I’ve never known who attacked her and left her to die, but someone killed her because of me.”

“Oh, Tucker. I’m so sorry.” She hugs me, pressing her cheek against my chest. “The good news is, you’re here now and it’ll differ from now on. You’ll never be alone on the outside with me and Jack at your side.”

It’s surreal to open up so fully about my life. It’s not something I do. Not even with Jack. But Scottie is a part of me, and I don’t want any secrets between us—on her side of things or mine.

Closing my eyes, I nuzzle my face into her hair and breathe her in. Her scent has become my sanctuary—the place where my bear and I finally feel at peace.

Scotland McCullough is my home.

CHAPTER SIX

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