Page 88 of Taming of a Wolf

Shaking the memory from my head, I scramble the eggs in a pan. Jace comes out of his room, yawning. I force a smile. “Hey. Sleep well?”

Jace shakes his head. “My arm hurts.”

“Sorry about that. I’ll get you your meds. Have a seat. Food’s almost done.”

Frowning, Jace looks around the room. “Where’s Anders?”

My breath hitches. How do I even answer that? Unwilling to speak, I plate the eggs, butter the toast, and bring our plates to the table. Next, I fill a glass with water, grab Jace’s meds, and bring them to him. He gulps down the water and meds but doesn’t eat right away, looking in confusion at Anders’s empty seat. The table looks too big without him here, slurping down bacon and shoveling down his eggs, making us laugh with his enthusiasm for the food. A lump rises in my throat. What have I done?

“Isn’t Anders eating?” Jace asks.

“Jace… Anders and I had a big fight. I don’t think he’s coming back.” My voice shakes, and I cram eggs in my mouth to avoid saying anything else.

Jace stares at me with such a look of betrayal I have to tear my gaze away. “Because I got into a fight with Kevin? But he’s the one who attacked me. I didn’t start anything. I swear! It wasn’t Anders’s fault!”

“Hey, no, that’s not what happened.” Crossing the table, I put my hand on his shaking shoulder. “We didn’t break up because of you, kiddo.”

Jace bucks my hand off. “But if I hadn’t gotten hurt, you wouldn’t have fought!” He lurches from the seat and makes for his room.

“Jace!” I stop him by the door, turning him around to face me. Tears streak his face, and he hangs his head with a miserable sob. “Things wouldn’t have worked out anyway. Anders was always going to return to his home.” My voice breaks from how hard I’m trying to convince myself.

“So he just left us?” Jace asks, the pain in his voice making me flinch.

“Yeah, he, um… he probably got on a boat and went back to his time.”

“And you didn’t even try and stop him!” Jace says accusingly. “You just let him go! Every time you’re finally happy, you always ruin it!”

Is that really what he thinks?

“That’s not true—”

“It is! You were really happy with Anders, but you made him leave! All because I broke my stupid arm?” He’s yelling now, catching me completely by surprise. “That’s so dumb!”

“How is putting my family first dumb?” I snap.

Jace shouts over me. “You’re not putting me first! You’re just scared!”

I’m struck speechless by how perceptive my brother is. Is that what this is? Have I been using Jace as a shield to protect myself from committing to the guys I’ve dated?

“That’s not… Jace—”

“We were finally a family again, and you ruined it.” Jace sniffles. “Leave me alone.”

His bedroom door slams in my face.

I thought I was doing the right thing. Now, I just feel like an even bigger asshole.

I call out from work to stay home with Jace, but even though we’re in close proximity, we barely speak a word to each other. I hurt Anders. Not only that, but I also hurt Jace. I feellike a colossal failure. Beside me, Jace watchesAvatar: The Last Airbender, a show he loves, but his face is blank as an anticipated battle unfolds on the screen.

Reaching out, I squeeze his knee. He barely reacts to my touch, but at least he didn’t push me away. “Need anything, bud?”

“Can I have a sandwich?”

I jump up, thrilled to be of use. “Sure. What kind?”

He shrugs. “Ham and cheese.”

“Coming right up.”

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