My wolf’s pacing inside, agitated, and not because of her views on the WSSO. I’m sitting here talking while Garrett’s out there arguing with his alpha. What if that over-sized male is pummeling Garrett? I’m wasting time when I should be escaping.
“I don’t know what to do,” I confess out loud.
She hands me the sweater and jeans. “You can put on some better-fitting clothes to start.”
“I’m sorry for causing so much trouble.” I smile as best as I can considering I can’t stop shaking. “I’m Angelina. Lina, to my friends.”
“Nice to meet you, Lina. I’m Tess.” She crouches in front of me. “Look, there’s something you need to understand here. Damien didn’t have an easy time of it when he found his mate… for a lot of reasons. One of the hardest things for a male is to watch his female suffer. He blamed himself for a lot of what she went through after he brought her here. There was… well, we had a mole. A shifter who worked with the WSSO. Damien’s just being cautious about who he allows into the pack.”
“Garrett didn’t tell me any of this.”
“Maybe he didn’t want to scare you off.” Her eyes lift with a smile.
“He wants me to stay long enough to heal. I don’t think he plans for me to stay any longer than that.”
Tess pats my knee as she stands. “That’s not his call.”
“No, it’s the alpha’s,” I state flatly.
“Lina, it’s yours. You determine your future, no one else.”
A nervous laugh escapes me. “You didn’t see how the alpha reacted towards me. He doesn’t trust a hair on my head.”
“If he considered you a security risk, there’d be a dozen guards in here with us.”
“He didn’t see us sneak away.”
“Sure he did, though he probably doubted you’d go with me. I wasn’t so sure myself. You looked kind of stuck.”
“Lately, I freeze up when I’m scared. I would have gone with anyone who pulled me away. It’s a big part of how Garrett got me to come to your pack.”
“He forced you?”
God, I’m going to do that male in by my recklessness. “He didn’t force me to do anything.”
She falls silent for a long moment. “What happened when he rescued you?”
“I was afraid to go with him.” Her eyes widen slightly, which makes me blurt out, “Not because of him. Because of his pack.” Shit, that’s not much better!
I reach for my wolf who’s always there for me, but she’s retreating, which adds to my anxiety. “I mean to walk into a pack after….” I can’t say it, but those green eyes are staring at me, waiting so incessantly. “… after what I’ve done.” My voice falls off. It’s time to leave, before I say too much.
As I start to rise, Tess takes hold of my hand. “Survivor, remember? Whatever you did, you did it to survive, and that’s all anyone needs to know. Now, take a deep breath, and tell me whathappened with Garrett. I sort of need to know. He hasn’t been himself for a long time.”
“Since Marla died?’
“He told you about her?”
“I need you to understand… Garrett’s been wonderful. I just wasn’t ready to be with other shifters. He talked me into coming here, though I don’t remember much of the discussion. I think he led and I followed, mostly. Much of it is a blur. I remember thinking I didn’t have anywhere else to go and he’d just rescued me, that I could trust him.”
“He can be charming when he wants.”
“More like desperate to get away from the WSSO.”
“Makes sense. He left here without telling anyone where he was going. Not even which direction. Continue, please.”
“There’s nothing more to it, really. Garrett saved me and never once judged me. I guess that’s why I followed his lead.” I shrug. “I trust him.”
“He was right to bring you here. We’ll find you a cabin to stay in and show you around. No work or expectations other than taking the time to heal. Though I’m sure Damien will want to debrief you, glean any intel he can from your experience.”
