Page 106 of Chasing Ruin
I huff, shaking my head. Then swallow hard. “Where’s Charlotte?”
Wolf doesn’t even miss a beat. “In her room,” he says dryly. “The one you rebuilt to match her Craven Ridge apartment. Gave up your own bedroom for. The one with a full kitchen so she doesn’t feel crowded and lose her appetite. You know…that one.”
I go rigid. My breathing shifts too fast, too uneven.
‘And this one is in love with her.’
Fucking Mihai.
“Are you?” Wolf asks, voice rough now. “In love with Charlotte?”
My fingers scrape against the grooves of my glass. A nervous tick I didn’t even know I had.
I don’t look at him when I answer. “Is Ryder getting this talk too?”
Wolf scoffs, pulling my gaze up. “He’s hung up on Isabelle, from the looks of it.” He pauses, dragging a nervous hand over his face. Then quieter, heavier, he says, “And Charlotte’s an adult. I don’t need to…” He exhales, long and tired, jaw tightening. “As much as I wanna say I’ll beat your ass if you hurt her, I haven’t earned the right to be her brother like that.”
He looks worn. Stripped down to something honest and raw.
“You’ll get there, Wolf,” I say quietly. “I think you will.”
He nods, but doesn’t look convinced. “And you?” he asks after a beat, clearing his throat. “You gonna getanywherewith her?”
A humorless laugh escapes me. “I doubt she even has the energy to forgive me—let alone see me likethat.”
He downs the rest of his drink in one go and stands. Looks at me like he’s weighing something.
I wait, not even knowing what I’m waiting for.
Approval? Permission? A sliver of hope?
Instead, he smirks. Slaps my back hard enough to jolt me forward, almost spilling my drink. “Yeah,” he says, already turning away, “I wouldn’t hold out for that.”
Fucking asshole.I scowl after him as he makes his way to where Ryder is. Then I pause.
Wait. He’s here?
Which means—
A cold, sharp realization cuts through me.
Who the hell is guarding Charlotte’s door?
I sprint to her room, almost stumbling on the way. Then I freeze when I hear soft laughter ringing through the hallway.
There she is, leaning against her door frame, a wine glass in hand. Laughing with…what the fuck?
Spike stands opposite her. A little too close for my comfort.
Jealousy rolls off of me in waves. I watch him lean close to her ear and say something before taking a sip from his own wine glass. It only enrages me further when she laughs harder.
What the hell is he doing here? Who the hell approved him to guard her door, especially when the bastard called her a traitor and got a beating for it?
“Shane!” I bark, grabbing both of their attention.
I’m careful not to use his road name. He’s not beenSpikesince the day I demoted him when Charlotte came back. He’d only been patched in for a few months before fucking up.
He looks up at me, suddenly flustered and backing away. “Ruin, I—”
