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There's no way I'm going back to the pack house with him. Things have gotten too complicated and too confusing. But the one thing that stands out is that I still don't belong here. He said himself I'm not the Luna his pack is expecting.
There's another thing too. If I stay here, I might not get the chance to understand what the Luna's book meant about Legacy Shifters. If I want to truly understand what kind of wolf I am, that book said the only way to learn was from other Legacies.
I know just enough from my history lessons to know there's a Legacy pack out West.
"That was intense," Tasha whispers, breaking the silence.
"I knew you weren't sleeping." I roll over to face her in the dark. "You could have spoken up. He needs to know I won't be staying here."
There's a long pause that leaves me with an uneasy feeling stirring in my gut.
"I'm not staying here," I repeat because suddenly it doesn't feel like as much of a given as it did just a minute ago.
Tasha reaches out to find my hand in the dark. "Let's save that discussion for tomorrow."
* * *
When I wake up to being prodded again hours later, I'm relieved to find it's Al instead of Dominic. He smiles apologetically as he sees me blink up sleepily at him while he takes out my IV. I'm not honestly sure why it was even in this long. Aside from my muscles being sore from lack of use, I'm actually feeling pretty good.
The lights are turned halfway up, though that doesn't mean much because I still can’t tell what time of day it is from in here.
"What time is it?" I ask, not bothering to watch my volume. I glance over to find Tasha, certain this all woke her up before it did me, but she's not here. I sit up abruptly. "Where's my sister?"
"I'm not sure. She wasn't here when I got in this morning. I've been here about an hour and no sign of her; it's almost breakfast now. Maybe she went to eat at the pack house? Dominic was trying to get her to take breaks. He knows as well as anyone how hard it is to be here day after day."
Part of me wants to ask, but I tell myself it's none of my business. No use asking questions about Dominic when I have no intention of seeing him again.
"Are my regular clothes here?" I ask Al as he takes my heart rate monitor and shuts off the screen that's been reading my vitals. He's clearly preparing for me to leave if I don't need to be hooked up anymore.
"Dominic left an outfit here for when you asked for it." Al gestures to a neatly folded pile of unfamiliar clothes on the counter in the corner. Even from here, I can tell they're not just loaners of his.
"Can I…" I trail off, pointing to the clothes. I wish I could shower before slipping into clean clothes, but beggars can't be choosers.
Al nods good-naturedly. "I'll just make myself scarce," he offers, already heading for the door. I tune in with my wolf hearing, listening to his footsteps carry down the hall until they fade enough to make me feel like I'm not under anyone's watch.
Between Tasha's hesitation last night, and her sudden disappearance this morning, I have a bad feeling she might not be on my side as much as I assumed.
I know my sister loves me, but I also know she trusts mate bonds inexplicably.
I slip out of the loose cotton clothes I woke up in—I don't even want to think about how I ended up in them while unconscious—and move as quickly as I can to change into the clothes Dominic left.
I'm surprised to find they're both new and that they fit me well. I slip into the jeans, which feel like liquid gold on my legs, and pull the blue sweatshirt on over my head. I'm vaguely aware that the sweatshirt is nearly the same color as my eyes, as if it really was picked especially for me. I don't want to read too much into it, but the clothes are really nice.
You'll only lose these clothes when you shift. My wolf is unhappy with me, enough to throw in the quick snide comment while she has the chance.
"Shut up," I mutter.
This is the most at odds I've ever been with my wolf. For a shifter, there's nothing more disorienting, but there's nothing I can do to fix it except give it time.
I feel better now that I’m in normal clothes. I crack the door open, surprised when I see a clear hallway. I figured I'd have to contend with a guard stationed outside my door like at the pack house, but there's no sign of anyone nearby. It's a big building, I know there are other wolves around here, but this floor must be reserved because it doesn't have the usual traffic of a pack clinic.
The hallways are clear as I move quietly around the floor, desperately trying to get my bearings. I find an elevator, ignore it, and let out a sigh of relief when I find the stairwell nearby instead. It feels less likely I’ll run into anyone on the stairs.
It's only two flights to the bottom, but I have to take them slowly as my body adjusts to its full range of motion again. I'm itching to shift. I didn't get a chance to before my short-term coma, thanks to Dominic.
I stop at the stairwell door once I hit the main floor because I can hear people just on the other side. I try to guess how many people here might even know who I am. On one hand, it isn't like Dominic introduced me around. On the other hand, I know how fast pack gossip spreads.
Even if they don't recognize me, I'll raise red flags by being a stranger.
