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Trent’s eyebrows shot up and he sucked in a sharp breath as he realized the implications. “Well, fuck,” he breathed out and I nodded. “Why is she here?”
“Excellent question. One we need to find out the answer to,” I paused, not needing to glance up at the position of the sun to know we didn’t have a lot of daylight left. “First though, we need to find Dylan.”
“You don’t think he’d go back, do you?” Trent asked in disbelief. He was referring to the Hanley pack, and while I didn’t think Dylan would go back, I couldn’t predict what he would do in wolf form.
“No,” a sharp voice answered from below and we glanced down. Monster had managed to sneak up without either of us noticing.
This kid freaks me out. Trent’s thought drifted through my mind and I had to fight an instinctual agreement.
“Dylan hates them. He would never go back. He just wants to run,” Monster said, his words so confident I crouched down in front of him.
“Did Dylan tell you that?” I asked curiously, wondering if somehow Monster had bonded to Dylan. If he had, then it would infinitely complicate an already complicated situation. Monster shook his head and I let out a relieved sigh.
“He didn’t have to tell me,” Monster told us. “I could feel it.” He turned away then, striding back toward his trail of cookies as I rocked back on my heels.
“I need a sucker,” Trent mumbled under his breath. “Hell, I need a whole boatload for this town.”
“Jess wants me to bond him,” I blurted out, feeling Trent still next to me.
“You couldn’t have waited to tell me that until after I found a sucker?” Trent growled, knocking his hand against my shoulder hard enough to knock a lesser man to the ground. “First, Liam, and now this?”
I slowly straightened to my full height, rotating my shoulders to try and release some of the tension in them, but it was fruitless. Ever since she had asked, it felt like an anvil had been set on my back. I understood why she wanted it. Hell, I could feel her need to protect him through our bond and I would do anything to make her happy.
The problem was Caleb, and the fact that I was essentially the beta of the Navarre Pack and the Alpha of my own pack, an unintentional byproduct of saving Liam’s life by giving him my blood.
“Liam could change his mind,” I replied carefully and Trent scoffed.
“Liam is not going to change his mind,” Trent denied, turning so he faced me, our shoulders almost brushing as he spoke. The close position implied friendship, but he kept his head lowered slightly, acknowledging he was speaking to his Alpha and not his friend and my chest squeezed painfully at the change. I wanted to tell him he could look me in the eye, but I couldn’t bring myself to say the words.
“I can feel your turmoil, Dom,” Trent said in response to my emotions. “This is how it’s always been. You just refused to acknowledge it.” I glanced at him sharply and for the barest moment our eyes met and I could see that Trent had always considered me his Alpha. “You saved my life that day and I’ve never forgotten it. I owe you and will gladly follow you anywhere. It’s how I know that Liam won’t change his mind. I can feel his emotions through the bond and I recognize that devotion.” I swallowed at Trent’s admission and a little of the tension that had been strangling me eased. “Don’t push us away. That’s all I’m asking,” Trent continued. “The kid….shit. I don’t even know, but if you and Jess are the real deal, then you know what you have to do.”
My hand slammed into Trent’s throat as I reacted without thinking, and growled, “Don’t question my relationship with Jess.” He froze as I cut off his airway, his head tilted back at the force of my grip, and it took me a second to realize he couldn’t respond. I released him as I stumbled back and Trent started to apologize. I cut him off with a shake of my head.
“No, don’t apologize. I owe you the apology,” I mumbled with a grimace as I squeezed the back of my neck. “I shouldn’t have reacted like that.”
“She’s your mate. I would expect nothing less,” Trent replied, his voice raspy and I winced.
“Doesn’t mean I like it,” I muttered, still shocked at how violently I’d reacted to my old friend.
“Which is why I remain loyal to you,” Trent reminded, his voice returning to normal as he cleared his throat. “Granted you might need to be more careful with the kid,” he added, jerking his thumb toward Monster, who was staring at the woods like he could will Dylan to come back. I wasn’t entirely sure he couldn’t, a thought I shoved away before it took root. “Jess might string you up by the balls if you hurt him.”
