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Leaving the building with Peter calling after him, he saw Lucas was there. Behind him, Rocko noted the men and women all lined up, ready to stand beside him.
He was no longer welcome, their anger and revulsion clear to see. They were through with him, and he was the fool not to have realized it. Without another look at anyone else, he started to walk away.
“Where are you going?” Lucas asked.
He turned on his heel and looked at him. “I’m no longer needed here, so I might as well go and deal with someone else who needs me.”
The sun was already coming up.
“You’re picking her over us?” Lucas asked. “A quick fuck?”
“No, I’m picking logic over this. You’re all angry and I get that. You think I don’t want to make them pay, but I do. Killing him won’t save any of you. They’re coming back, but if you’re not willing to listen to reason, then I’m no longer required here.” He shrugged. There was no point in him arguing continuously.
“There was a time you’d have killed him and took the fight to him,” Brian said. “The woman has made you weak and so has the child. You should have killed them both.”
Rocko turned to Brian. “You’re right. There was a time I’d have done exactly that, but I would have weighed my options. They have a gas that will debilitate us. Kill us one by one. I’m not going to lead us into a fight we can’t win. If that makes me weak, then I accept it.”
He didn’t stay to argue or fight. He was done.
After climbing into his truck, he started toward the hotel. With the distance between them expanding, he felt the pressure in his chest ease. He didn’t like leaving them, but for now, their path for war wasn’t the right one.
He had no doubt Peter would be dead, and he needed to keep Winter and Daphne safe.
There was a safe house he intended to take them to. It was several miles away, off the grid, and as far away from his pack and civilization as possible.
Arriving at the hotel, he got there in time to see Winter and Daphne leaving the room. She looked completely swamped with all the baby stuff, and so adorable.
Climbing out of his truck, he took the bag from her.
“Get in the truck. I’ll be down in a minute.” He’d already settled the bill for the night. He grabbed the crib and a couple of the other bags he’d been able to bring, and headed back to the truck.
She was strapped in, holding Daphne in her arms.
He secured the crib in place, tossed the bags into the back, and climbed back into the front, behind the wheel.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“I’m taking you to a safe place.” He pulled out of the parking lot and drove.
“What’s going on with the pack?”
“It’s nothing for you to worry about,” he said.
“Your pack was attacked tonight.”
“I know.”
“Why aren’t you helping them?” she asked.
“They don’t want my help.” He gritted his teeth, not liking how that hurt.
“Why not?”
“Because they don’t. They would rather rot away than accept my help,” he said, annoyed with them.
“Rot away? You’re not making any sense.” She frowned.
“I know.”
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Simple. The pack believes that you two have made me weak. That you’ve in some way ruined my ability to think logically, especially when it comes to the matter of dealing in war with the humans.”
“But that’s nonsense,” she said.
“I know that.”
“I don’t understand.”
“There’s nothing for you to understand,” he said.
“How is there nothing for me to understand? You’re here with me rather than being with your pack.”
“I’m not going to argue with you.”
“Surely you know that’s wrong?” she asked.
“I know what I know.” He didn’t want to think about what happened. His pack, they had ruled against him. They’d cast him out in anger. They wanted to follow their own rules, and he was going to let them. “I’m going to take care of you. Keep you and Daphne out of the line of fire. It’s what you need.”
“Rocko, we would be fine.”
“And now you’re going to be more than fine. I’ll take care of you. I can protect you.” He gripped the steering wheel even tighter. He wasn’t going to let them down.
****
Two days later
The safe house Rocko had brought them to was a beautiful cabin in the middle of nowhere near a small lake, surrounded by trees. There was no electricity, but the supplies were all in place from gas lights to candles. The stove was heated by logs. There were two rooms. He’d put the crib in one room, and they’d slept in the other room.
She knew he was distracted.
She put Daphne down for her afternoon nap, pulled on a cardigan, and looked out to see Rocko with no shirt, once again, chopping wood. He spent most of his days chopping wood.
