They’d treated him like family, and when his mother passed away after his eighteenth birthday, the Callahans had been there, assuring him he would never be alone. He hoped they would be as supportive after he revealed his intentions toward Julie.
Growing up, there had been an unspoken rule among the Callahan clan. Julie was their treasure, and they guarded her closely. He never knew whether it was the fact she was the youngest, or her human status that compelled her siblings to protect her so fiercely. But whatever the reason, it had been clear she was off-limits. Respect for the family had held him back from staking a claim years ago when he’d first felt the mating pull. Julie had only been fourteen to Brendan’s eighteen, and there had been no doubt her family would have disapproved. But now they were both adults, and she made her own decisions.
It would be interesting to see their reactions as the next few weeks played out. Jason might be Premier, the leader of the pack, but nothing would stand between Brendan and Julie.
Although he’d never flaunted his strength, nor had any desire to lead the pack, Brendan was an alpha wolf too. He didn’t want to fight any of her brothers but would if he had to. Of course if all three jumped him, he might have problems.
As he pondered the possibility of fighting his three pack officers, he caught Julie studying him. She blushed as her lips curled up in a smile. Brendan couldn’t help but answer with one of his own.
She was worth any cuts or bruises he might have to endure. She was worth everything. Now all he had to do was convince her they were made for each other and figure out why she seemed so eager to pull away from him whenever he got close.
2
Julie looked up from the account books as the bell above the front door jingled. The formal greeting died on her tongue as Brendan strode into the bookstore. His charming smile never failed to heat her blood. He looked around the room for a moment before settling his gaze on her. The warmth in his stare surrounded her, and she couldn’t help but return his smile.
“Hey beautiful,” he said, strolling over to her counter. “Where are Laurie and Samantha?”
Julie’s smile slipped a tiny bit before she plastered it in place. Of course he wanted to know where Laurie was. He probably came by every day at lunch to spend time with her.
“I’m sorry you just missed them. They went out to lunch at the diner, but you can probably catch up to them. They left a few minutes ago.” Brendan’s gaze narrowed as if he sensed her inner torment.
“Now why would I want to go chasing after those two when I can spend time alone with you?”
Julie felt his hand brush her cheek as he pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. Wanting to savor the sensation, she closed her eyes until reason returned. What was she doing? This was Brendan who was not only way out of her league, but thought of her as a little sister. Besides, even if he were interested, she’d never betray Laurie like that. She had to get her imagination under control.
“So what are you doing out this way? Shouldn’t you be working in your studio?”
Unless he’d moved, Brendan’s metalworking studio was located on the other side of town. Not a huge trek considering how small Alpine Woods was, but the bookstore was far enough to be out of the way.
“I wanted to see you. You’ve been away a long time. I thought we should catch up.” Brendan shrugged. The carefree move drew Julie’s gaze to his shoulders. She could imagine gripping them in her hands, pulling him closer as he leaned in for a kiss.
A blush stole over her cheeks as she pushed the thoughts out of her head. Why couldn’t she get rid of this stupid crush? “It has been a long time.”
“Have dinner with me. Tonight.”
Shocked, her gaze shot to Brendan. Dinner? The invitation sounded like a date, but that couldn’t be right. She must be imagining things again.
* * * *
Brendan cringed. That wasn’t what he meant to say. He’d planned to come in and charm her a bit. Lay down some ground work before asking her out. But when she looked at his chest and blushed, he hadn’t been able to stop the words.
“Of course. I’d love to have a friendly dinner. Maybe we should invite Laurie too.” The emphasis she put on the words “friendly” and “Laurie” made him frown. Had Julie just shot him down? It wasn’t every day a woman he asked on a date invited another woman along.
“Laurie?”
“Yeah, why not? I wouldn’t want to steal you away from her, even for a night,” Julie said, the fake smile he hated back in place. He was getting better at distinguishing between the real one and the fake one. The differences were subtle but obvious if one paid enough attention and knew where to look.
Trying to absorb every detail, Brendan stared at her. Something wasn’t adding up. Why would she invite Laurie with them if the idea displeased her?
“Julie, what do you mean ‘steal me away from Laurie’?”
Julie started to fidget, avoiding eye contact. So he walked behind the counter until he stood in front of her. Cupping her jaw in his hand, he tilted her chin until her gaze rose to meet his.
“What’s going through your head, baby?” Brendan stared into her eyes, hoping he would somehow break through the wall she had erected. Her face fell until not even the fake smile remained. For just a moment, he glimpsed the turmoil within.
“Brendan, stop. What if Laurie walks in?” She tilted her chin out of his grip and stepped back, away from him. His wolf’s hackles rose at her retreat. A growl rumbled from low in his throat, causing Julie’s eyes to widen.
Why did she keep bringing up Laurie? He needed to figure out what was going on, and he needed to figure it out now. Every instinct screamed at him. Something wasn’t right, and his wolf struggled for control. All he wanted to do was shift and hunt down whoever had put the haunted look on her face.
“Why all this talk about Laurie? What does she have to do with anything?”
“She’s my sister, Brendan. You can’t be naïve enough to think fooling around with me wouldn’t hurt her. I wouldn’t do that to anyone, much less my own sister.”
Brendan took a step back. He held up his hands and shook his head.
“I’m sorry. I’ve obviously missed something. What are you talking about?”
“You and Laurie. I don’t know why you two haven’t mated yet, but she’d be hurt if we fooled around.” As Julie’s words sank in, his frustration gave way to the slow burn of anger.
“Laurie told you we were mates?” He couldn’t help the forcefulness of his voice, even seeing her start. The way her eyes widened made him regret his tone. Wanting to assure her, he took a step forward, and watched her take a hasty step back in retreat.
The last thing he wanted was to scare her. Didn’t she know he’d die before he ever hurt her? He needed to get away before he scared her any more. He didn’t trust himself right now. His wolf was too close to the surface, stirred by his strong emotions.
Anger burned in his gut. He needed answers, but he couldn’t force them out of Julie without damaging their relationship. There had to be another way to get the information he needed. Hopefully, Laurie could tell him why the woman he loved, his actual mate, believed he was destined to another. Not just another, her own sister. He’d waited too long for Julie to have this keep them apart.
All those years, waiting for Julie to be ready and holding back from any serious relationship. The whole time, the woman he’d waited for thought he was already taken. And had suffered as a result. The regret and torment in her eyes whenever he got close told him this misconception