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Then, “Fine.” Shannon stood from her chair. “Malik, we’ll use your office.”
He nodded. “If you’re sure.”
“I am. The sooner we hear what they’ve come to say, the quicker they’ll leave.”
“That’s all I ask for,” Ezra said. He grunted as he stood slowly. He looked stiff, more so than usual. That car ride hadn’t done his body any good. I’d have to keep an eye on him. “Robbie, perhaps you’d help Malik with clearing the table. It’s the least we could do for our hosts.”
No, I did not want to help Malik clear the table. But Ezra shot me a look that told me to keep my mouth shut. I knew he could take care of himself, but wolves hunted by dividing and conquering. I just hoped they didn’t think Ezra was the weakest part of us. They’d be mistaken.
Shannon led Ezra out of the dining room and down the hall. I heard a door shut, and their words and heartbeats disappeared.
“It’s soundproof,” Malik said. “You understand.”
I flexed my hands on my thighs. “Of course. She… she seems like a good Alpha.”
“She is.”
“And John and Jimmy are good.”
“They are.”
I licked my lips. “That’s all that matters.”
Malik looked amused. “Is it? How kind of you to say.” He stood and began to gather the dishes on the table. Not wanting to seem rude, I rose and did the same.
He led the way back into the kitchen. The window above the sink was open, and crickets were humming, frogs croaking. I set the dishes in the sink. I was about to go back for more when he said, “Robbie Fontaine.”
“Yeah?” A burst of laughter came from just overhead. The house settled around us, its bones shifting.
“Where are you from?” He wasn’t looking at me. Instead, he stared out the window.
“Caswell.”
“Always?”
“No. I… moved around a lot.”
“Did you.”
I rubbed my neck. Ezra wasn’t the only one suffering from the long car ride. “Long story.”
“We all have those, I think.”
“Yeah, I guess we do. It’s not… important. I was orphaned when I was a kid. A few packs fostered me. One helped me with my first shift, and I stayed with them for a while.”
“But?”
/> I shrugged. “I don’t know. I liked being on the move. I know it’s not ideal for a wolf. Pack ties and all. But it seemed like the right thing for me to do. I wanted to see as much as I could.”
Malik turned around, leaning against the sink. “And what did you see?”
“The good in us,” I said honestly. “The wolves… we may not have the numbers we used to, and we may not always agree with the way things are, but pack is pack. It’s important. I was accepted most everywhere I went. And even though the bonds between us were always temporary, it was enough.”
“To keep the Omega at bay.”
“Yeah. Exactly. I was never in any danger of that. I knew myself well enough to never have that happen to me. And then I was summoned to Caswell, and I’ve stayed there ever since.”
“Summoned? Where were you before?”
