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He looks like he wants to say something but then thinks better of it. “Go inside to Leah and make that call. She’s trustworthy.” He nudges me in that direction, and I go.
I hate that it suddenly feels like him vouching for someone means anything, but I feel a hell of a lot safer as I run toward the house because of it. Paxton is big and scary and maybe not altogether sane, but I suddenly feel safer here than I have anywhere else in months.
A shiver runs through me as I step up onto the porch.
“Are you okay?” Leah watches me with wide eyes from the doorway. She doesn’t make any move to link arms with me this time, which I’m thankful for. “Paxton took off so suddenly I thought…” She trails off, her face twisting up unhappily, and I know exactly what she thought.
She should have been right too. I should have been the one hurt, not Zeke. So how do I explain the thing inside of me that’s been protecting me? And am I even sure I want to? Because if I start asking too many questions, I have a hunch I might not like all the answers. Shifters don’t have powers they can’t explain. Not normal ones.
I watched the same spark appear when I was with Tess, and I assumed it was her. It would make more sense to me that way. There’s always been something special about her. Even her scent was unusual after her first adult shift. But twice now, this ball of light has appeared to protect me. I can’t tell if it’s something inside of me or something that’s following me.
Studying to be the Luna Sovereign hasn’t prepared me for this.
“Are you okay, dear?” Leah asks again. Her face is wrinkled with concern.
“Yes.” No, actually, but manners always win out.
“Okay.” I can tell she doesn’t believe me, but she thankfully doesn’t push. “What do you say to a glass of wine? I don’t know about you, but this has been a lot of excitement for me for one day.”
I nod and follow her into the monstrosity of a house. It’s hard to believe this would all be too much excitement for her considering how proudly she admitted to killing her own husband. But if there’s anything I’ve picked up on, it’s that there’s no judging these shifters by first impressions. All of them seem to be surprising me.
I hesitate on the edge of the kitchen as Leah scans the labels on the wine bottles littering one edge of the kitchen counter.
“Is there somewhere I could make a call?” I ask, desperate to reach out to Tess and Dominic like Paxton asked. I need to hear comforting voices to soothe my frayed nerves—and to make sure my sister is safe.
“Of course. Pick any room, there’s nothing to hide here.” She smiles brightly, and I can’t help but feel like what she’s actually saying is there’s nowhere for me to hide here.
I thank her and move toward a long hallway, ducking into the first open door I see. It’s a bedroom decorated in fluorescent yellows. It’s almost too painful to look at, so I walk to the window and stare out at the flat grassy field outside.
Dominic’s number is programmed in the phone just like Paxton said. I press the screen to call, hanging tightly onto the phone as if it could be snatched away at any moment like before. The line only rings twice before the Alpha’s gruff voice answers.
“Is Tess there?” I ask, my voice cracking softly.
“Fuck,” he murmurs, and then I hear him calling my sister’s name. I’m relieved to know he keeps her close. If I can’t be there to help keep her safe, at least I know he is. It’s the only thing that offers me true comfort at the moment while I’m still spending most of my time terrified that bad things will happen to the people I love.
“Tasha?” My sister’s voice is panicked. “Where are you? What happened? I made Dominic send someone to the Sovereign Pack, and they’re saying you ran away.”
I can feel my lip pull up in an uncharacteristic sneer.Of course they are. My wolf isn’t impressed by that and neither am I.
“Who’s saying that?” I ignore her other questions for the moment.
“Alpha Waverly. She said you packed up your things and left. Is Paxton really your mate? Are you with him?” Her questions make my chest ache so badly I wrap an arm around myself as if I can somehow squeeze myself tightly enough to keep all of my feelings in.
“Waverly hates me,” I murmur. I didn’t pack anything, and Paxton clearly doesn’t have my things if he’s dressing me in his own clothes. She has to know I was taken, and I’m sure it thrills her.
She probably thinks this is her shot to be the Luna Sovereign herself. I was never going to be good enough in her eyes.
“Hates you? Why?”
“That’s really not the point right now,” I tell her, remembering Zeke’s words. “Something’s happened, and I need you to put me on speaker. Dominic needs to hear this too.”
“Okay.” She fumbles with the phone for a second before I hear the change in background noise that tells me I’m on speaker. “Go ahead, we’re both listening, Tasha.”
“I just had a rogue say something that leads me to believe there’s a bounty on our heads, Tess. He mentioned the Jarreaus specifically, so I need you to call Tevin and warn him too. I’m not sure what exactly what they want with us, but I noticed the rogue kept mentioning human things so maybe—“
I stop mid-sentence when Dominic angrily lets out a rapid string of curses.
“Tasha, where are you?” Tess asks, with more urgency in her voice now. She seems completely unfazed by her mate’s tirade.
