Page 27 of Wicked Wolf

She blinked. She hadn’t thought of that. What if Quinn rejecting her and their potential mating brought them all back a step?

“No, we can’t think like that.” She took a deep breath. “We need to tell the others about the potential mating. They need to have hope.”

Mel shook her head. “Honey, then you’ll have to face the world and tell them that you won’t be mating him.”

She clenched her jaw. “Then Quinn will have to do the same. We are the council leaders. We will show the Packs that we are closer to becoming a strong unit. The others will understand that we chose not to mate. He has a child. He had a mate. That’s all they need to know.”

They didn’t need to know that he’d rejected her for not only that but because she was a witch.

Her palms heated, and she closed them into fists. She was only a half witch. She didn’t have full powers. She didn’t have the control she needed to use them on a daily basis. Yet he didn’t know that. He’d seen only who he thought she was and rejected her in the worst way possible.

For the sake of her Pack, she wouldn’t be able to run away from her problems. It wasn’t as if she could do that to begin with. Her wolf would never want her to do so.

She was stronger than that. She’d fight for her Pack as well as learn to negotiate and strengthen her Pack.

“Gina, you don’t have to do this,” Kade said softly.

“Yeah, I do. If I don’t, I’ll just end up hiding when I don’t need to. I know everything hasn’t hit me yet, and I’ll deal with it when it does, but I need to be strong. I need to be a council and Pack leader. This is good for the den, Dad.” She sucked in a breath. “Maybe more matings will come out of it. Maybe more trust.”

“Do you really think trust will come out of the fact that Quinn rejected you?” Finn asked, and Gina winced. “Shit. I’m sorry.”

“Language, Finn,” Mel whispered.

“You didn’t stop me before,” he said, a small smile on his face.

“We were upset, and I let one pass. Not again.”

Gina’s mouth twitched. God, she loved her family. They understood her even when she didn’t understand herself.

“Finn, he rejected me because he already had a mate.” And he didn’t trust me. “People will understand. It’s only been five years. He’s not ready.”

“Until you find a mate of your own, you’ll always feel the mating urge when you are near him,” Mel said softly. “Are you going to be able to work with him knowing that?”

She nodded. It was going to be harder than hell, but she was stronger than she gave herself credit for. At least she hoped so.

“We can move you off the council,” Kade added.

“Not yet,” she said. “I need to work through it all. I mean, I don’t understand it yet, and I can’t just run away.”

Mark hugged her from behind, and in a few moments, her other brothers hugged her as well. Finn stood in front of her, his hands in his pockets and his brow raised.

“You need help, you call,” he said. “You know I’ll be there in a heartbeat, Heir or no Heir.”

She smiled at him then and let another tear fall. “I love you, little brother.”

He blushed and ducked his head. “Love you too, big sister.” He hugged her, too, as the other boys squeezed her harder. Soon her mom and dad joined in, and her wolf whimpered, rubbing along her skin, needing the contact.

This was her family, her Pack. They would help her heal, so she could move on.

She just hoped that one day she’d be able to face Quinn and not remember his words, not remember the pain.

The wolf had edged his way under her skin, and now she’d have to pry him out.

Once and for all.

Chapter Six

Quinn ran a hand over his head and tried to keep his eyes open. He hadn’t slept in forty-eight hours, and his body was starting to feel it. His wolf clawed at his skin, begging to be let out so they could make something bleed, make something feel worse than he did.