“Why?” Brad answers. “I’m not allowed to have a mate?”
“Of course you are,” Gregor says. “But whoever you choose, the pack will have to adapt to it, and that will never be easy…but this situation is quite different.”
“Why?” Brad asks again, his voice coming out as a thick growl.
“Because she can’t shift,” Mitchell says, sniffing the air again. “I have no idea how the rest of the pack will react to a shiftless wolf coming in here at all—let alone as your mate.”
My hand trembles a little in Brad’s grip, and I bite my lip to stop it from doing the same. Even though I put all my effort into looking calm and collected, deep inside, my heart sinks, and I feel my shoulders drop with it.
It doesn’t matter where I go, or how far I travel. I’ll always be an outcast.
Chapter 5 - Brad
When I see Alisha’s face fall, I immediately want to get in Mitchell’s face. I keep my cool, though, because I get the feeling he really is trying to be nice by warning us.
Probably used up every last drop of tact in his body.
It reminds me that Eccles can be a prejudiced town. After all, this is where Scarlett was ostracized for years, and I know the class divide is still a severe problem.
I say my goodbyes to the elders and get Alisha out of there as soon as possible. She looks so miserable that my heart just goes out to her, especially after all the suffering she’s gone through over the last few years. When I met her, she was obviously carrying a great sadness that she never shared. Now it looks like a fuck ton of trauma was dropped on top of it.
And that was entirely my fault.
As we get into the car, I want to ask her about the incident and why Mitchell’s words hit so hard, but I know she’ll probably just clam up even harder.
What can I do to make her feel better?
Then I remember that her house had been full of plants. She kept indoor pots in every room, and hanging baskets on the patio overflowing with herbs and flowers. Her outdoor gardens were a flourish of chaos, runners, vegetables, and blooms breaking free of their beds to slowly overtake the overgrown lawn.
I let the silence deepen between us as I pull out onto the street. I don’t think anything I can say would be well-received right now, and I think it would be better to surprise her by pulling up at the garden. Anticipating her happy face when shesees the place gives me a warm feeling, and it makes me realize my urge to please her isn’t selfish—I genuinely want to see her happy.
Glancing over at her several times, I see her nervously chewing on her lower lip, her beautiful violet eyes narrowed as she looks idly out the window. I can sense the weight of her thoughts and a heavy dose of pain.
I have to make it up to her. I don’t know how, but I will!
Turning into the wide stone gates, I pull the car into a sweeping drive that leads to a parking lot beside the main entrance. Alisha blinks, sitting up suddenly as if waking up from a deep sleep.
“Where are we?” she asks.
“Come on, I’ll show you.”
We both get out of the car, and I reach for her hand. Alisha lets me take it, even though her eyes are fixed on the sign above the entrance.
“Memorial garden?” she asks.
“Yeah,” I say. “I’m not sure who it is supposed to remember, though. I just know it was started by the first settlers to the town and expanded on since then.”
“Why did you bring me here?” she asks with a gentle smile.
“I remember how much you love plants,” I answer. “And I just thought you needed cheering up. I haven’t actually been here before. I only know about it because of my connections to the other pack and the supply chain details.”
Alisha chuckles softly. “That sounds boring.”
I give a little huff in agreement. “Yeah, it is. Why don’t we go inside and check the place out?”
She nods enthusiastically, and we walk through the gates together. The second Alisha steps into the main courtyard, her dark mood lifts. It’s as if a light switches on inside her, making her skin glow and her eyes sparkle with amethyst depths. A light, warm breeze washes over us, teasing her hair and bringing a beautiful smile to her face.
I don’t say a word, not wanting to spoil the moment for her.
