AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The wolf crossed her arms and leaned back on her heels. "You heard me."
Kates chuckled behind me and Gavin was all eyes. He didn't hide his attention now.
"I can't believe you. You have some nerve, Pippa! You're the reason we're all here."
"No, I'm not!" she shouted back. "We're here because of Pete. He didn't like Davy and he could tell there was something different about her. He's the one who went to the Mother Wolf. I've been trying to shield Davy from her. I've been trying to protect her. I wanted to protect all of us."
"Why? And what's so special about her? I don't understand any of this." The hysteria in Emily's voice was evident.
Pippa opened her mouth and then clamped it shut. She grabbed the ends of her braids and held on.
"Well?"
She pulled harder on her braids. "I don't know what Davy is, but she's something. I could tell right away. But Pete didn't care. He got mad. He didn't see that she's a person and a good one. And she's your roommate. And she cares about you. He didn't stop to think about any of that."
Emily turned heated eyes to me, but looked back at Pippa. "What are you talking about?!"
A plate was placed beside me gently and I saw that Gavin had a resigned look in his eyes. Then I saw behind him that Wren and Tracey had filed into the room. They stood in the background waiting for an opening. Something had happened.
Roane and Bastion came in next. He jerked his head to the side and motioned for me to come. Before I left, I looked back once more. Brown and Kates both saw where I was going, but neither said a word. When I followed Roane out into the hallway, I heard Pippa explode, "Because it's not right! They want to hurt Davy and I know it's never right when someone is going to get hurt."
Roane reached for my hand and led me into a different room. When the door closed, he didn't say anything for a moment. "The Alpha's coming. He's on his way right now. They're waiting for me to talk to you and then when we go back in, they're going to grab your friends."
"How do you know he's coming right now?"
"Gregory called it in. He was on sentry duty last night. We don't have long. They're coming fast."
"They?"
Roane nodded. "I wanted him to come alone, but he's not. It's going to be a full fight. Your roommate's boyfriend is bringing twice the number. Forty wolves, plus the Alpha. I'm not going to lie to you. Some of your friends won't make it out alive, especially the female wolf."
"Pippa?"
"They see her as a traitor. He's been talking to Emily. He's brainwashed her into thinking you're the enemy and so is the other girl. Emily's no longer Emily anymore."
"That's not true. She still has feelings for you."
He sighed again and leaned back on a desk. He braced against the edge, his arm muscles bulging. "Maybe. Maybe not. She feels lied to. She saw us last night. I'm sure she could see how we feel about each other. You've been lying to her since the beginning and she doesn't understand our side. No one's been talking to her to explain it."
"She should've talked to me."
"She came to your room last night. I think she heard us talking. I knew she was there, but she left. I should've given it more thought."
It didn't matter anymore. What was done was done. I swallowed back the pain and asked, "What do I do?"
"You do what you can." Roane held my face in his hands. He tilted it up so his eyes held mine captive. He'd been guarded before, but now he let me in. The wall lifted and I saw his love. It was clear as day and I had to choke back tears. "I love you, but stay close to me. Okay?"
My throat was thick with emotion. He wiped some tears from my face. Then he pressed a kiss to my forehead and dipped to meet my lips. I pressed against him.
Someone rapped on the door with their knuckles. Bastion poked his head inside. "Gregory's here. We've got five minutes."
Roane straightened and the hunter took over him. He was cold. Ruthless. "Let's go."
"And her?" Bastion nodded to me.
"You don't have to protect me. I'll be fine. I promise."
"Let's go!" Wren shouted from the hallway and then all the vampires sprinted away.
