BROOKE

We didn't sleep. We made love until the last possible minute, and then a few minutes more before we left the hotel room. When I gripped the handle to leave the room, he spun me around and pressed me to the door, cupping my neck, kissing me deeply. It was deja vu, another life, him in his suit and me in my dress, surrounded by opulence.

Just like then, duty would rip him away from me.

"I don't want to do this," he rasped, sounding as if he were about to jump off a cliff.

I gritted my teeth and swallowed hard. It would be too easy not to. I palmed his cheek, and I didn't have to say it.

Huck sighed and let me go. The walk down the hall was torturous. The elevator ride was worse. Dominic was meeting us at the restaurant on the third floor for a late breakfast. I never expected to find Jewel and Bear already seated at the table with him. My nerves shot up at the obvious tension emanating from the two of them. Something was wrong.

Huck pulled out my chair and then took the one beside it, eyeing Jewel across the table.

"I want to renegotiate the terms," Dominic said.

"Renegotiate how?" Huck asked.

"Giving you a loan is bad business. You don't got shit." Dominic took a sip from the steaming, black mug in his hands, his eyes dancing above the rim as they lingered on Bear. They fell as he set the drink down. "You're a good thief, though. I'll give you that. So, if we're going to do this, I need more collateral."

Huck's jaw twitched. "Meaning?"

"I want Jewel to stay too."

"Done," Huck said.

"No."

All eyes shot to Bear. The word had been so quiet, but he may as well have shouted it.

Dominic's smile stretched. "So much for being king, huh, Huckleberry?"

Huck's expression darkened. "It will be better if Brooke isn't alone," he said pointedly.

Bear shook his head, but then Jewel leaned in and angrily whispered something into his ear. His scowl deepened as she spoke, and then he stood in a burst and stormed away from the table.

I jolted at his vehemence, but Jewel just chewed her lip as she watched him go. What had she said to him?

"So we have an agreement?" Dominic asked.

Huck held Jewel's gaze for another beat, and when she nodded, so did he.

"Good." Dominic downed his coffee and stood. "There's someone waiting for you at the vendor entrance. They'll get you what you need. I don't want to see your face until you've got my money." His focus shifted to me and then to Jewel. "Ladies, order whatever you like. When you're done, one of the men will take you to your new room."

It took Huck longer than it should have to leave, and when he finally started to, I couldn't let him. Memories of dungeon nights flashed to the fore like nightmares, and I jumped from my chair and wrapped my arms around him. I didn't want to do this. I couldn't do this. What if something happened to him? What if I did this and never saw him again?

Huck released a low growl and squeezed me so tight it stole my breath. He pressed his mouth to my ear, his breaths harsh and shallow. "Three days," he gritted out. Then he released me and turned away, leaving the room as if something were chasing him.

For the longest time, I just stood there. Even after he was gone, I stared at the last spot where he'd last been, desperate for him to come back and do the wrong thing for both our sakes. But he didn't.

"You are so dramatic," Jewel grumbled.

I blinked, and it was only then I realized we were alone. I sat down and searched the room. There was a man against the back wall, his arms crossed in front of him—a subtle reminder that we couldn't just leave. This prison was much better than my last, but it was a prison all the same.

A waitress arrived with menus, but Jewel waved hers off and said, "I'll have a three-egg country omelet, extra gravy, a double side of hashbrowns, a side of sour cream, some hot sauce, a bloody mary, a cup of coffee, and the biggest glass of orange juice you have."

Goddess...

I looked at the menu, then gave up and handed it back. "I'll just have some toast please."

"And to drink, ma'am?"

"Water. Thank you."

"You are so boring," Jewel said.

I busied myself with unfolding my napkin and spreading it across my lap. "Huck will be back in three days," I murmured, ensuring no one could hear.

"To what?" She scoffed. "What a fucking idiot. He can't—"

"Shh!"

Her lips thinned. "Do not shush me."

"You talk so much," I quipped back.

"Maybe I wouldn't have so much to say if you stopped trying to kill the most important person in my life."

"I'm trying to kill him?" I laughed without humor. "I have no more control over his fate than I do my own. Neither do you, in case you've forgotten." I eyed her mark pointedly. "You have a mate. Stop chasing after mine."

She narrowed her eyes and grinned like a cat. "Why? Are you worried?"

"Hardly."

Our meals came, and silence followed as Jewel focused on mixing sour cream and hot sauce into her hashbrowns, turning them into a pile of slop next to her sloppy omelet. She shoved three huge bites into her mouth, filling her cheeks like a chipmunk preparing for winter. A bit fell out and stuck to the corner of her mouth.

I nibbled my toast, but my stomach churned, and I gave up and placed it back onto the plate. How could I eat when he was gone, again? How could I have done this? What if I was wrong and this wasn't the goddess's plan? We weren't on the mountain. What if her presence was like our wolves, and she didn't even exist here?

If Jewel was plagued by such thoughts, she didn't let it show. She moved on to her omelet, took a huge gravy-drenched bite, then sucked down half her glass of orange juice.

I cleared my throat. "What did you say to Bear that convinced him to go?"

She set the glass down with a heavy exhale. "I reminded him of his place." She took one last bite then pushed her plate away and stood. "Ready when you are, Jeeves."

The man against the wall didn't look amused by the nickname, but he walked over and directed us toward the elevator. He took us back to the same floor we'd been on, but this time, he led us to the opposite end of the hall.

"This is it," he said as he unlocked the door.

"We have to share?" I asked.

The man gave me a flat look, and when we stepped inside, I could see why. This space was even bigger than the one I'd shared with Huck, with two separate bedrooms, a full kitchen, a living room, and a dining room. I explored it further, needing the distraction. The fridge was full, as were the closets. Designer clothes still had their tags attached, and built-in cubbies held every color and style of shoes imaginable. A vanity full of makeup, perfumes, and skincare products took up one entire corner of the room.

"Don't look so impressed," Jewel said from the doorway. "This is a bird cage, and we aren't the first birdies to be kept here."

"I'm not impressed."

She hummed. "That's right. I forgot. Nobody is as fancy as you."

"What is your problem?" I snapped.

"You and everyone like you."

"You barely even know me!"

"I know enough."

My hands fisted. "You don't know anything!"

"You don't know anything," she repeated in a high, whiney voice.

I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth. Why her? Out of all the people who could share my blood, why did it have to be someone so...so...

"You're not gonna cry, are you? How embarrassing."

"You're my sister."

Time froze, and my words seemed to echo in the space between us. I hadn't meant to tell her. I wasn't sure if I ever would. I wanted to get to know her better first. At the very least, I wanted to not hate her so much. But it was too late to take it back now. I opened my eyes.

Jewel's expression was unreadable, and she chose the most annoying time to finally decide to stay quiet.

"My father is—was your father too."

I wasn't sure what I'd expected. A sudden change. A joyous reunion. After all, it wasn't every day a person learned they had a sibling. Growing up alone with Mother, I'd often longed for someone else to occupy her attention. Someone to bear the weight of expectation with me. But the woman in front of me couldn't be more my opposite, and she didn't look exactly pleased.

"Jewel?"

She turned and disappeared from view, and I followed just in time to watch her enter the second bedroom and slam the door shut behind her.

* * *

Jewel remained in her room for the rest of the day. She didn't respond when I knocked. She ignored me when I asked if she wanted me to order her some lunch from room service—then again at dinner. I ate alone at the dining room table, a steak dinner spread out before me. Thankfully, my appetite returned; my body decided it was better to eat our feelings than starve sadly.

The sun was set, the moon had risen, and city lights twinkled from the stunning view below. Where was Huck now? Was he still close? Was he back on the mountain? I hated that my wolf was so muted. I needed to feel him and know that he was okay, but, without her, it was impossible.

A knock sounded, and before I could even think about answering, the door opened and Dominic stepped inside.

"Hello, Little Red." He studied the room, taking in my lonely place at the table. "Where's Jewel?"

I pointed toward her bedroom door, and he walked over and tapped on its surface. "Jewel," he sang.

"Go away, Dom."

Well, at least I knew she was still alive.

"Not until we have a conversation."

The seconds stretched, and I eyed him warily, unsure what would happen when she inevitably ignored him too. What did he even want? I wanted to ask, but before I found the courage, the bedroom door swung open, and Jewel invited him inside.