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Chapter Two

Kodi

Kodi would admit it, he was desperate and that meant one thing, seeking out his twin brother now he would be alone. The week at the ranch had been too fucking much, then Lennon had gone to share with Wilder because Kodi was ‘too damn much’. It hadn’t taken more than a few seconds to know he was telling the truth when all he scented on Lennon was Wilder. Why he’d got so angry at Lennon not coming back was something he didn’t want to think too hard on when he knew Monty and Rue were sneaking into town and coming back stinking of sex.

The flight home with a hot ass cheek had given him plenty of time to ruminate, and he had, with the PA in question ignoring him.

He wasn’t ignoring you. You were the one doing that, trying to hide from how you felt being spanked.

Please.

You’re running scared.

Was he?

The PAs had all huddled together down the other end of the jet, probably congratulating Ziggy, on capturing himself a Starling brother. First Taylin, then Booker, and now fucking Silas had fallen into the trap.

Trap! Can you hear yourself? They are in love, all of them, and you know Kari has strong feelings for Bowie. And that Rue is struggling with his emotions for Monty, don’t deny it.

His long strides ate up the distance between Kari’s room and his own, working to block his opinionated wolf. Unaware, he rubbed a hand over his ass cheek and tried his best not to lose his shit right there in the hallway. No mean feat for him when on the average day he let rip at least twenty times. He was floundering because letting go would have him stomping right back to his car and hunting down Lennon but he was too conflicted right then to face what might—would—happen after Lennon’s treatment of him that morning. He’d been aroused to the point of…

He ignored the fact he was running rather than walking to escape his thoughts.

Why did Popi and Dad have to retire?

It wasn’t like they were old, was it! He quashed the selfish thought when the reality was that he was happy for them.

His thoughts rolled back to what had gone on in the cabin while his stomach churned. He didn’t know what to feel, and that was an issue. Kodi knew he was a lot to handle. Fuck, that was probably a massive understatement when he suffered with attention deficit disorder. It made him struggle to control his outbursts when he worked so hard to keep his focus on the many things he juggled at work. He had adapted without the drugs they’d given him when he was younger, as they made him feel like he was drowning under life rather than taking part.

Popi had skimmed over his problem with his brothers about the diagnosis at his insistence when he didn’t want anyone feeling sorry for him. The subject afterwards was dropped, and no one talked about it because Kodi didn’t. He had struggled at school, and Kari had always been there to help him. Had he leaned on his brother? Damn straight he had.

With what was going on between Kari and Bowie, his PA—that Kari was pretending wasn’t happening to his brothers—Kari had been more distant, and Kodi felt set afloat with no one there to lean on. Popi was great, as was Dad, but Kari had always been his support person. The one to help him navigate past his behavioral issues.

Kodi never talked about himself to anyone outside the family. His brothers, in the main, cut him some slack, just seeing it as the norm. Those he worked with had no clue what his daily struggles were, and that was where his problems lay. Day to day, many thought he was a prick, and he could be, no doubting that, just some of it was his battle and embarrassment at being this way.

What do I do now?

You tell Lennon, like I suggested last month.

I wasn’t asking you.

It sure as hell sounded like it.

I don’t have the brain power for this right now.

He felt his animals sympathy, and he blocked it, not wanting or needing it.

Inside Kari’s bedroom, Kodi found it empty, and he walked to the bathroom door and knocked rather than barging in because with the distance came wariness. Kodi was honoring it, despite the hurt feelings he harbored about why Kari wasn’t talking to him.

“Yep?” Kari called from the other side of the door.

Kodi stared at the door in front of him, a frown marring his brow. Why didn’t Kari open the door? He could clearly tell he was on the other side.

“I’m heading to Ren’s to grab a burger and a beer. Wanna come?” Kodi called through the barrier, hating that he was begging. It was early afternoon on a Friday, and they were all taking the afternoon off after the week on the ranch doing ‘team building’. Kodi wanted food and a place to offload away from the rest of his brothers.

“Yeah, just give me a few minutes.”

It was hard to say what he was picking up from Kari’s tone because something had felt off since Silas announced his engagement—shock fucking horror—to Ziggy, his ex PA.