Page 2 of Unwanted
Fen was fascinated as hell. “Do you have nae kin?”
Kyrie lifted his shoulder in a half shrug. “My mom died in childbirth, which is pretty common among our species. My dad didn’t stick around. I was sent to Wulfe to be raised by my mom’s pack. They passed me from home to home until I was twelve. That’s when they called me grown and said I could choose who I wanted to live with full time. I chose Neo’s family. They were the only constant in my life. They were the steadiest I felt. What about you? Do you have any family?”
Except for the fact that Kyrie wasn’t eating, this felt like a date. Kyrie picked up a breadstick and started picking it apart before popping bits into his mouth. If he didn’t know better, Fen might’ve thought Kyrie read his mind and challenged him to deny it was a date.
Fen bit back a smile. Kyrie was cheeky. Fen liked him. “Aye. I have a brother in Scotland. My brothers and father were on the battlefield with me when we were cut down. Only my older brother and I survived long enough to be turned. My mam died from old age a long time ago.”
“How old were you when you were turned? You look to be in your early twenties.”
Fen nodded as he chewed. He took a drink of the water Kyrie had brought him before answering. “Twenty-five. How old are you?” He took another bite.
“Twenty-one.”
Fen nearly spit out his food. While Fen had been turned at twenty-five, he had been that age for many a century. He had never felt so old…or perverted, honestly. This wolf was a child.
Kyrie’s eyes flashed dangerously. “I’m not a child.”
“Did you just read my mind?”
Kyrie chuckled. It was a soft sound that caused goosebumps to rise on Fen’s skin. “Your thoughts were in your eyes. Enjoy your meal. It’s on me.”
Kyrie stood.
Fen panicked a bit. “I did nae mean to offend. You just made me feel verra old for a moment.”
Kyrie held his stare. It was the most serious Fen had seen him. “I’m not offended. It’s a long drive home. I know when I’ve outstayed my welcome and I can’t be home in a flash the way you can. Like I said, enjoy your meal. I’m glad I could help.”
Before Fen could think of a way to stop Kyrie from leaving, Kyrie was out the door. All Fen could do was stare at the space where he had been. If Fen was good at one thing, he excelled at ruining dates. That truly sucked. When Celeste had asked him to move to Wulfe, he had secretly hoped he would find his fated mate. After all, Celeste paired the souls. Surely she wouldn’t continue asking him to serve for the rest of eternity without honoring him with a mate. Life was incredibly lonely after hundreds of years of meaningless encounters. He craved a soft place to land. Eachday that passed without that blessing got harder than the last. Between the emptiness, the dreams, and the voices in his head, Fen didn’t know how much he had left to give. Maybe it was time to walk into the fire.
Bring me the wolf.
Like conjuring the devil, the words brushed his brain. He had no idea where the demand came from or what the words meant. It was possible he had gone around the bend. And fuck, he had completely forgotten to ask how Kyrie knew the name Monnie. Everything was a disaster. That tracked.
In complete silence, Kyrie made the trip home. He didn’t even bother turning on the radio. His social battery and tolerance forsound had been completely drained. Some wolves didn’t get to be young. Kyrie topped that list. He was exhausted and lonely. Tired of rejection. Lights passed by, hypnotizing Kyrie. He zoned out, driving on autopilot. Everything blurred. Life took on an edge of surreality. Kyrie blinked. His car sat in the driveway of his duplex. Kyrie had zero memory of how he had gotten home. That was scary. He needed to get some sleep.
Wolves howled in the woods at the edge of his backyard. Kyrie’s skin itched. He wanted to set his wolf free and run. Just keep running until he dropped. Wherever he landed, he would start a new life there. There was nothing for him in Wulfe. He was different. Everyone knew it. No one wanted to claim a child everyone knew would put them in danger. All it took was one look at Kyrie’s eyes to see he wasn’t full wolf. There was more in his blood. Something powerful. Dangerous.
As Kyrie stumbled through the front door into the darkness, everything looked as bright as day to him. He tossed his apron full of tips on the couch and headed for the kitchen. Kyrie was terrible about remembering to drink or eat. That half a breadstick he had shared with Fen was all he had eaten in probably two days. He supposed he’d had water at some point in the day. While it was fairly affordable to live in Wulfe, especially with a pack discount, Kyrie stayed too exhausted to cook for himself and too broke to eat takeout all the time. He was one hundred percent sick of the food from work. Kyrie simply stood in front of the open refrigerator door and spaced out. Was he even hungry? His hands tingled with numbness and his vision darkened around the edges. An invisible weight sat on his chest, slowly suffocating him. Everything spun and then went black.
Ambrosia filled his nose, overwhelming his system. He felt like he floated on a cloud. Fingertips softly stroked his cheek. Kyrie nuzzled closer to the touch. Goddess, he missed affection. Soft lips brushed his, drawing a moan from Kyrie.
“So exhausted. I should let you sleep.”
Kyrie's chest ached at the idea of losing the invisible arms surrounding him, even though they didn’t love him. If he woke, his house would be empty. His life would still be totally devoid of comfort. Only when the darkness swallowed him did he find solace.
“Oh, beautiful. I miss you too. Sleep. Dream.”
Kyrie wanted to obey. Something gnawed at him, keeping him from sinking deeper into the abyss. Kyrie fought the hot tears that pressed against his eyes. His chest felt like it might cave. None of this was real except the emotional pain. Each time the other side pulled him toward destiny, the less Kyrie craved life. He craved genuine peace.
“Damn, Kyrie. Are you okay? Do I need to call Frost? Your car and front door were standing wide open. Fuck it. I’m getting Frost.”
Kyrie blinked. The shadow of a man hovering over him took shape. Still, Kyrie couldn’t fully see.
The mystery figure vanished.
Kyrie struggled to sit. His refrigerator stood open with Kyrie’s body blocking it from closing. “Goddamn. My electric bill is going to be through the roof this month.” A startled cry escaped him as two figures popped into his kitchen from nowhere.
Frost immediately dropped to his knees next to Kyrie. He looked like he had been pulled from bed. “Tell me what happened.”
