Kaden’s eyes finally met mine, and I felt a spark light between us. “You’re an enemy of the pack now, like all Leos."
I pointed to the Ophiuchus mark on my arm. “I’m not a Leo. Obviously.”
“What’s that, then?” Kaden's eyes dipped to my torso, where the huge Leo symbol was emblazoned on my dress. They lingered a bit longer than necessary as if he couldn't help but stare at what the sheer fabric revealed of my body.
I put my hands on my hips, my anger flaring. “Do you think I had a choice in putting this on?”
His gaze hardened. “I thought you were one of us, but I was wrong. If I could wipe the Ophiuchus symbol off your skin, I would.”
That hurt. I gritted my teeth. “Why did you rescue me, if you feel that way about me?”
"Because even if you have turned to the Leo side, we can still you use as leverage. As bait."
“Great, I’m back to being bait,” I muttered.
Kaden raised his eyebrows. “You went to Jordan of your own free will, why should you expect anything better?"
“I did what I did to protect the pack,” I snapped. “The Sun Witches had Stella and the cubs surrounded, and the only way they’d back down was if I agreed to go with Jordan. He didn’t give me a choice. I wasn’t going to let anyone get hurt or killed for me.”
Kaden stared at me for some time, as if trying to gauge if I was lying or not. Finally, he said, "I know."
I blinked at him. "You know?"
"Dane saw a vision in the moonlight with his gift a few days after you left. He was able to show me what happened. But I wanted to hear it from you too." Kaden cocked his head. "Consider it a test."
I wanted to scream in frustration. "Another fucking test? Haven't I proven myself a hundred times over by now?"
He shrugged. "I had to be sure."
I huffed. "Fine, I've passed your test. But you still don't trust me, do you?"
"No, because I don't know what happened after you went with Jordan," Kaden growled. "For all I know, you're one of them now. Their alpha female."
“I would never ally myself with the Leos,” I ground out. “I hate them more than anything. Did you forget that when you found me, I'd been beaten and tied to a sacrificial altar?”
His jaw tightened, and I watched the muscles in his neck flex. "I don't know what kinky shit you're into."
"Yeah you do," I said pointedly, and heat flashed in his eyes. "You're the only one who does."
"I find that hard to believe. Jordan is your mate. Even if you tried to resist him at first, there's no way you could have done it for the entire time you were with the Leos."
"I did resist him. It was hard, but I did it."
"So you didn't do anything with him? Not even a kiss?"
I flinched, remembering the two times Jordan had kissed me, made even worse by the new knowledge that he was my brother. My reaction must have answered the question for Kaden, whose face grew hard as stone. He turned away and started trudging through the woods.
"Wait," I called after him, as I hurried to follow. "Let me explain."
Kaden let out a grunt, but he actually stopped. "Go on then."
"Yes, Jordan kissed me," I somehow managed to say without gagging.
He crossed his arms at that, his scowl deepening.
I grimaced. "Twice."
Kaden shook his head and started to turn away again, but I grabbed his arm.
"But he's not my mate! I mean, he is, but it must be a mistake or something.”
“I’m not here to play therapist while you try to figure out what you feel for your precious Leo alpha. This conversation is over.” He jerked his arm away and tried to shove past me, and I put my hand out once again, slamming it directly into his middle.
“You don’t understand,” I said. “Jordan is my brother.”
His mouth fell open at that, shock clear on his face. "What?"
“Jordan’s mom had an affair with the Cancer alpha. That’s all I know." I drew in a shuddering breath, feeling weak now that the truth was out.
“That’s impossible,” Kaden said. "Even if he somehow is your brother, which seems unlikely, there's no way a mating bond could have formed between the two of you."
“I don’t know how it happened, but he is my brother. I felt the wrongness every time we kissed, I just didn't understand it until now."
Kaden’s eyes held mine for a moment before he looked away once more. “Brother or not, the mate bond is still there, binding the two of you together. It'll continue to pull you both toward each other until either he’s dead, or the bond is fulfilled.”