“We’ll catch upter, then!” Roman called after Amber.


    Rafael’s POV


    This… did not go as well as I would have thought it would have. By all ounts, the articles and tabloids had painted Roman and Amber to have a heated affair during her time at his pack. While my own run–ins with the tabloids kept me from believing the worst of the garbage they printed, I still had some suspicion there might have been a kernel of truth in his words.


    Now, seeing the awkward way the pair interacted and the way Amber practically flew out of here, I had no idea what to think.


    It was clear they hadn’t been in contact in some time. Maybe that could ount for some awkwardness.


    But not all of it.


    “I’m not sure this will work,” Roman said to me. “Amber and I are friends, but she’s always kept a wall up, unable to connect with me emotionally. Part of that, I think is because of Julian, but I’m not sure…”


    “The two of you just need some time together,” I said. “Without Julian in the way. Trust me, I can facilitate


    that.”


    “I’m not sure that will be enough,” Roman said. “I’ve taken chances in the past. I even proposed…”


    Gods, maybe this was an uphill battle, but I wasn’t going to give up on this n. Not yet.


    Compared to Julian, who was an insufferable brute, Roman was an honest, hard–working man who seemed to genuinely care for Amber.


    He was the kind of man I would want her to be with, to help take care of her and the pack. Perhaps, someday, we could facilitate a pack merger…


    But that wasn’t why I wanted this. I genuinely wanted what was best for my sister. Or maybe sister. Or…


    “Listen, Roman. You are perfect for Amber, she just needs to realize it. Trust me, I will take care of everything. I’ll make moments for the two of you to be together. And when she can finally see the kind of man you are, she won’t even remember Julian’s name.‘


    That was a tall order, even for me. I hoped I could pull it off.


    Julian’s POV


    I followed Amber out into the parking lot where I found her waiting by the car. I’d given her the keys, so I


    found this curious. She could have waited inside instead.


    “You okay?<i>” </i>I asked.


    +15 <b>BONUS </b>


    “I couldn’t sit still,” she said. She pushed away from the car door then<b>, </b>shuffling her feet while weaving her fingers together<b>, </b>showing her restlessness. “I was rude to him. He didn’t deserve it.”


    <b>“</b><b>It </b>was a shock seeing him after all this time,” I said. “You two weren’t romantic, right? But <b>you </b>still had history. You didn’t have to be nice, Amber. That was an ambush. You didn’t have to be anything.”


    “Still…”


    Leaning closer to her, I pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. “You are a good person with a kind heart. But it was okay to want to look out for yourself tonight. You were surprised. No one will judge you for that, especially me. And not even Rafael.”


    She blinked, like she was surprised that I could tell she wanted to impress her maybe brother.


    “He will understand,” I told her.


    She smiled a little at me, seeming to rx. She smiled more as I handed her the boxed up salmon. She


    tried a bite on the way home and moaned so loud I nearly swerved off the road.


    “Good<b>?</b><b>” </b>I asked.


    <b>“</b>Yes<b>.</b><b>” </b>


    Her voice was heaven.


    Now <b>I </b>just needed to find a way to make sure I was the one hearing it every single day.