Chapter 31
Timber
My heart explodes with panic even though my common sense tells me Kane is fine.
It’s suspicious enough that the second I burst into the hospital and run to the desk, the receptionist tells me what ward Kane’s in without asking my name.
With each footstep pounding on the linoleum floor, I grow more frantic. What if he’s had an accident? What if Ollie has been hurt? What if they’re both so ill that there’s no saving them?
I’m already so sleep-deprived that I’m taking all my messy thoughts as fact. By the time I reach the room and fling open the door, I can’t fucking breathe because I’m so scared that I might have lost him.
“Kane!” I shout as I jump into the room. There’s a curtained area on the far left with a slit in the center. I’d recognize the back of Kane’s head anywhere, so I bolt toward it. I whip the curtain back, and shock chokes me.
Because in the hospital bed across from where Kane sits is Ollie, dressed in a hospital gown, with the blanket pulled up to her waist.
“Yo,” she says, waving one hand, but my alpha side takes over the second I see my omega is hurt. A snarl rips from me as I fling my arms around her, dragging her to my chest, shaking as my panic flips into overdrive.
“What happened?” I gasp. “Why are you here?”
“Oh my God, it was so tragic. You are not going to believe what happened.”
My brow furrows because it doesn’t sound like Ollie. Her voice is deeper, and there’s something about her body that’s off.
I pull back, clutching her upper arms. She still looks like Ollie, but the way she grins isn’t quite the same.
She bursts out laughing as I drop my hands and lean back in shock. I spin to Kane, who is smiling in an annoyingly relaxed way for someone who is supposed to be sick.
“What’s going on?” I ask between breaths.
“It’s nice to know if we’re ever in danger, you’ll go for Ollie first,” Kane says.
“You’re not sick…” I trail off, my gaze hopping over him. Now that I know he’s okay, anger rushes through me, and I clench my fists. He fucking lied again, and even though I knew he was doing it, I still fell for it.
“How kind of you to notice,” he says dryly.
I turn back to the person lying in the hospital bed, who looks so like her it’s uncanny.
“I didn’t know we were going to meet like this, but you’ve made my heart all fluttery.
” He fans his face. “Phew. Ollie said you’re the hot but reserved type, so I’m kind of wild about you hitting on me as soon as you saw me.
It gives a guy confidence, you know? Even in this awful hospital gown, I’ve still got it. ”
Kane just shrugs as my brow furrows at whoever’s in front of me. “Ollie told you she had a twin. Though I guess it was Luke who told you he had a sister… but don’t worry, you’ll get used to him. Probably.”
Before I can reply to ask why the hell I’m even here, Luke cuts in.
“I don’t want Timber to get used to me. I want to be fresh and fancy-free! If we’re going to be family, I’ve got to make sure we don’t go stale!”
“Maybe ease off on the whole family thing, eh? You’ve just met Timber. Why don’t we slide him into it rather than hitting him with the full Luke experience?”
“Fine, but only because I like you.” Luke pouts.
With all the crap I’d forced myself through today, I can’t keep up with what’s going on.
I tip backward, thumping into the chair behind me, which shakes and creaks precariously as they both watch me with curiosity.
“You missed a game… for this?” I say to Kane.
“You’re more important to me than hockey.” He places a hand on his chest and sighs longingly. “I know it’s dramatic, but you needed to meet Luke, and I couldn’t think of any other way to get you to come. At least in that way.” Kane chuckles as he throws me a wink.
“Ew, no. If you’re going to flirt, don’t do it in front of me,” Luke says.
Everything is growing odder by the second. I try to find the rage, but it’s already seeped away. From the day he broke my nose, I’ve always had a resting state of anger whenever I’m around him. Sometimes it’s quiet, other times it rips free, but it’s the fuel that keeps my feelings for him strong.
But looking at him now, after everything he’s done over the years, I just ache.
“That’s why you pretended you were sick?” I ask. I don’t even want to snarl at him because I’m so worn down.
“I am sick, Timber. I’m lovesick. I just missed you so much,” he hums. And his teasing just makes it hurt even more.
“I’m leaving,” I growl, jumping up straight away. “I can’t believe I was fucking worried about you.”
“Wait, hang on!” Kane shoots forward in his chair, grabbing my wrist. “I didn’t know how else to get you here.”
“After every fucking thing that’s happened this week, you really thought lying was the best plan?”
He grimaces as he drops his hand. “Yeah, fuck, okay. That was the worst, wasn’t it?” he groans. “But you need to hear Luke’s side of the story so you can at least understand all this. It’s not just a black and white situation.”
“Why would I care enough to listen to you both spout more bullshit?”
“Well, you’re here, aren’t you?”
I sigh again. “I’m so fucking tired of being strung along by you.” But I still let him hold on to my wrist.
“I haven’t strung you along, though!” Luke pipes up, and I glare at him.
“From everything I can tell, you’re just as complicit as Kane and Ollie.”
It’s unnerving how similar they look, down to the sparkle in his eye. Seeing Ollie in a dress for the first time shocked me, but now I know for sure they are two different people, it’s still strange.
“Okay, how about you take a seat and hear about how I’m the bad guy in all of this. That’s always a fun story!”
“You need to stop blaming yourself,” Kane says to him, which just made Luke’s smile brighter.
Kane slips his hand down from my wrist to softly squeeze my fingers. It’s fucking annoying how much it helps.
Kane actually looks serious as he speaks again, “Timber, you’re already pissed off with Ollie and me.
It’s okay if you don’t forgive me for hiding it all from you.
I really did try to bring you together, but I just messed it up like I do every time I interfere in your life.
” I flinch as he strokes the back of my hand.
Being here with him means he hasn’t completely abandoned me. It’s sad that I care more about that than him forcing me into another situation I never asked for.
“It’ll cut me up if you never talk to me again, but please, just listen to Luke so you can learn about Ollie’s side of the story.”
The need in his voice drips with the same regret I feel over how I treated her. Along with guilt for how rough and brutish I was when I threw all my anger at her. She’s the reason I sit back down, not him, even though I like the pleading look on his face.
Kane shuffles his chair closer so he can keep holding my hand, and I don’t push him away. He doesn’t acknowledge it; he just keeps stroking me, and I hate how I hope it’s because he needs it as much as I do.
He’s doing it for Ollie as well. I had my chance to listen to her, and I gave in to my alpha side so much that she actually cried.
And I’m sure it wasn’t just from pleasure.
After all my endless shit about not wanting to make my omega scared, the shock on her face is still etched into my mind, and my heart clenches every time I think about it.
She fucking betrayed me, but I let her down the moment she was most vulnerable. I was constantly looking for ways she was manipulating me, but I fucked with her as soon as I learnt the truth.
Maybe if I listen to Luke, it could help balance out my sheer anger, the guilt that chews through me, and the emptiness in my heart and home because she’s left, and I fucking let her go.
“Hey, soooo. This is super cute and all, but can we talk about me now?” Luke says awkwardly, and I realize I’ve become lost in my thoughts again. He tilts to the side to sweep up a McDonald’s cup and slurps loudly on the straw. “Where shall I start my grand story?”
“How much time do you have?” Kane asks me, squeezing his thumb softly into my palm.
Kane isn’t exactly a selfless guy, but he looks like he cares more about me forgiving Ollie than him.
“It’s not like I’m busy now the game’s over,” I mumble.
“Aaah, so we’re going with the backstory first?” Luke asks as he waggles his eyebrows. “Do you want to know about our checkered past?”
“Let’s stick to the truth,” Kane says as he folds his legs. “Timber just needs the bare bones. Ollie can fill him in on the rest once we’ve made up and had our happily ever after.”
I growl at him because there’s no chance of that happening any time soon, but he just winks at me. Why is he so confident that we can fix things?
He’d been insistent on being a pack as soon as he told me he’d met her, but it’s like he knows for sure we’re going to end up together.
“So, our mother left before we were born, and—”
“Luke!” Kane’s voice fills with warning, and Luke promptly clamps his mouth shut.
It’s annoying how Kane’s commanding tone turns me on. But I know fuck-all about my body at this point, since it betrays me at every chance it gets.
If my body were faithful, it wouldn’t have let me scent match with another omega who used me. So, getting horny over Kane is just more proof that I can’t trust it.
“Ugh, okay.” Luke sighs before he turns to me. His wild expression fades into something more real, biting his lip the same way his sister does, but it does nothing for me.
“Okay, Timber, my pal, buckle up. This is gonna be a good one.”