Shadows Of A Wolf Moon(37)

“No, of course not. I didn’t mean it like it sounded. Skylar was my best friend. I figured Zane would mate with someone of his equal…” She bit her lip and groaned. “I didn’t mean that. God, I sound like an idiot.” She rested her head on his shoulder and wished she could stop talking.

He laughed.

She looked up. “I think it’s great Zane and Skylar are together. She deserves someone who will treat her like a queen.”

“And what about you?”

“No male is going to want to mate with me. So it’s not something I think about.” She swallowed the bitterness in her mouth.

“Is that what you want? To be mated?”

She stared at him for a long moment, putting her thoughts into words.

“I want a do-over, to escape and build a new future. Maybe find out what I’m good at.” She shook her head. “More than anything, I want a different life.”

“Why not start over at home?”

She sighed. “Because I can’t. That door is closed. Growing up, it was always about Zane. He was the golden child. The superstar of the family. He could do no wrong.” She idly ran her fingers through his dark hair as she talked. “Hell, even Skylar got more attention than me.”

“Wasn’t Skylar’s home situation bad? Like abusive?”

If he knew this much about Skylar, then he was closer to Zane than he was letting on.

“I think her dad neglected her a lot. I’m not sure. She didn’t talk about it. He always gave me the creeps though.”

“No doubt.” He held her closer. “Are you curious to know how your parents reacted to Skylar when Zane mated with her?”

“No. I don’t need to know.”

“But…”

“But nothing.” She shook her head. “Look, they may have accepted her into the family fold, but with me it’s different. I’m held to a different standard.” She looked away. “Always have been.”

Silence stretched between them. She wanted to get up and leave before anything else was said about her past.

“I was burned.” His voice sliced through the silence.

“What?” She jerked her head back at him.

“You asked what happened to my back. I was burned when I was younger.” He glanced away. She knew how hard it was to share his past.

“Oh my god, Lucien.” She touched his cheek. “That must have been horrific for you.”

“It wasn’t exactly a picnic.” He snorted.

Her heart broke for him. “What happened?”

“You and I are more alike than you think.” He gave her a thoughtful look. “We were both born into families of high ranking. I’m from Louisiana.”

“Really?”

“My family, the Sauvages, came here from France many generations ago. My great-grandparents became wealthy when they started their own shipping company. Soon they were one of the wealthiest families in New Orleans.”

“I had no idea. I thought you were just a hot biker.”

His expression softened, and he grinned before leaning in to kiss her. Her body heated at his touch. As much as she wanted him again, she also wanted to hear his story.

“So what happened?”

“I was eighteen and I wanted to be a Guardian. My brother tried to gain acceptance into the Louisiana Pack but didn’t make it. When he found out I had applied, he got angry. Angrier than I’d ever seen him. It was winter and there was a bonfire in our backyard. I had some friends over and we were drinking beer and we got into a fight.” Lucien’s eyes glazed over as if he were seeing it play out in front of him. “My brother ended up knocking me back into the fire.”

“But why didn’t it heal?” Werewolves had properties in their blood that made them heal at an incredible rate.

“Because after I was pulled out of the fire by my friends, my brother threw salt at my back. He wanted to scar me for life so they wouldn’t accept me into the Guardians.”

“What an asshole.” Catty’s gut twisted in anger. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tight, wanting to take away his pain. “Did he say why he did that?”

“He didn’t have to. He was jealous. If he couldn’t get into the Guardians then he sure as hell didn’t want me to get it. He left that night. After a while I moved out of the state of Louisiana and into Arkansas.”

He lifted her off his lap. He stood and pulled her up with him. “I’ve never showed anyone my back before.” He released her hands and backed up. He swiped his hand across his forehead and then lifted his unsure gaze to hers.

He turned, revealing his back to her.