“Okay?” Why did I have a bad feeling about this...
“Gracie was extremely upset about what happened with her son yesterday. She told me I needed to take Sky someplace far away from Greymercy and leave him there. She wants him gone, yesterday. Says there’s no place left for him here, in our pack.”
It felt like he’d swiped his claws across my stomach and gutted me. “What?” I shrilled. “You can’t do that!”
Adam held up a hand. “I never said I was going to. Calm down, kitten.” He glanced sidelong at Sky, then back at me. “Look. I talked to her. Explained the situation a bit, and we came to an agreement of sorts. Gracie said that Sky could stay in Greymercy—for now—if we vouch for him.”
“Okay?”
“That means accompanying him everywhere, at all times, Fletcher. Never letting him out of our sight. He would need tomove in and live with us. Go to therapy, see all the necessary doctors. Take any prescribed medications. Keep going to work. Help around the house.”
His gaze flicked to Sky once more, who was watching us both with wide, worried eyes. Sky chewed on his bottom lip, a nervous habit I’d noticed more than once since he’d begun working for us at Bixby’s.
Still, I couldn’t help but think that it was kind of reminiscent of how I came into Adam’s life. Just a stray off the streets, in need of some TLC. Kind of ironic that it was coming full-circle with Sky.
“Do you think you can do that?” I asked him, my hand gentle on the small of his back.
Sniffling, Sky nodded slowly. “Y-Yeah.”
Adam reached out and placed a hand on his knee. Sky flinched, but he didn’t look away from my Alpha.
“Okay, but if we do this? I need you to promise us you’ll stop trying to hurt yourself. It’s obvious you need help, and we know people who can get you the help you deserve, but you have to work with us, alright?” Adam’s voice was a low rumble, warm and soft, but not without an edge of warning.
Sky’s head bobbed up and down in a quick, jerky motion. “C-Can I go take a shower?” he asked, deflecting. “I feel gross.”
“Of course, sweetheart,” I said, giving him the out he so desperately needed. Adam could be a lot, and Sky was probably still reeling from yesterday. He needed a chance to breathe and collect his thoughts.
I stood and offered a hand. Sky glanced up at me, but took it. I helped him up, then led him to the bathroom down the hall. Once he got in the shower, I went and fetched some clean clothing out of Adam’s dresser, stuff that would probably be a bit baggy but would otherwise fit, and left it on the closed toilet lid. I pulled the bathroom door shut behind me.
I returned to the kitchen to find Adam sweeping up scattered pills with a broom and dustpan.
I frowned. “What happened?”
“He was trying to overdose,” he replied, his tone grim, and anything else I might’ve said fled my mind at the thought of Sky downing a handful of pills.
Damn.
After a long stretch of silence, I finally found my voice. Quiet, I asked, “Are you sure about this, Adam?” When he met my gaze, I continued. “Last night, you wanted nothing to do with helping him, and now…”
“Yeah, well Gracie basically wants him dead, and I can’t fathom dumping him on the side of the road like an unwanted pet. I don’t trust him, Fletcher, but you know I’m not cruel. Abandoning him is cruel. You’re right. He needs help and we can help him, but please…”
He stepped closer, cupping my face in his hands and angling my jaw up, so that I was gazing right into those worried eyes. “Please promise me you’ll be careful,” he uttered. “I can’t lose you. I might break.”
With a soft sigh, I stepped into my mate’s space and wrapped my arms around his middle. Hugging him close, I said, “You won’t lose me. I promise.”
7
SKY
My toes curledover the floor mat in the bathtub as water cranked as hot as I could handle it sluiced down around me like a wave. It beat down on my back and neck, but did little to help the throbbing ache in my skull.
I felt like shit. If this was how it always felt to get shitfaced? Never again. Of course, smacking the back of my head against the kitchen floor when Adam slammed me to the ground probably didn’t help things any.
Just thinking about the glint in his sharp golden eyes made a shiver wind down my spine. His Alpha energy had been so visceral, so raw. My wolf had practically gone belly-up and curled into a ball at the back of my consciousness, wanting nothing to do with the stronger beast.
I hung my head and let the memories from yesterday wash over me. The truth circled the drain. Xan was alive. That was good, but Gracie Howell wanting me dead? That wasn’t so good. Still, after what I did? I couldn’t really blame her.
Clean, but not willing to leave the comfort of the warmth and the steam yet, I sank down onto the floor of the shower and hugged my arms around my knees.
