AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Accepting this fact has only made me more certain of my decision to run. If he keeps treating me like a possession, something to protect rather than love, I’m going to do something rash.
Like reject the second chance that fate has given me before I’ve had time to properly think things through.
Something magic happened to bring Dominic and my sister back together after rejecting each other. I’m not so foolish as to think lightning will somehow strike our family twice. My first instinct is to reject the mate bond and send Paxton on his way so I can go back to grieving Jimmy, the wolf I was meant to spend my life with.
But if I reject Paxton, that’s it. I’ve been given a second chance. I won’t get a third.
It’s a lot of pressure to stomach.
I shake my head and return to the present moment. I can’t afford to be distracted. Not out in open territory when there’s a price on my head. We’re as deep into rogue land as anyone can get in order to skirt the busiest territories on our path to the Luna Sovereign House.
“Can I ask you something?”
Peter glances over. “Of course.”
“What’s the deal with your family? Leah said she didn’t know for sure how many siblings you have.” And I’m still having a hard time fathoming how it’s possible.
“We came from the Wild Bend Pack.”
“What?” The word is barely a whisper, but it feels like it’s been ripped from my throat.
The Wild Bend Pack. I never knew it existed growing up—which made sense considering what I learned when Waverly made me sit down with an Alpha who helped ensure their pack was broken up for good at the Luna Sovereign’s request.
The Wild Bend Pack was a cult.
A lot of things suddenly make sense. Of course the pups would all grow up and run off to live as rogues. How could any of them want a pack when all they ever saw was the way their parents ruled? The Wild Bend Pack’s Alpha and Luna believed in devoutly following old shifter traditions. They rejected change at every turn. They encouraged their few followers to procreate as many pups as they could to grow their numbers.
I didn’t consider before what happened to all those pups, but I’m certainly thinking about it now.
My chest aches for Paxton.
He has to be at least a few years into his thirties, which means if my quick calculations are correct, he would have been one of the older siblings. And Greg, the bastard that Leah killed to protect herself, must have somehow tried to hold a pack together even after their parents were removed.
I desperately need to stop thinking about Paxton right now. I can already feel my wolf stirring again, anxious about being carried away from our mate. Because of her, the words are almost on the tip of my tongue to ask Peter to turn around.
“Do you live alone as a rogue, or do you travel with a group?” It’s only a partial subject change, but one I desperately need.
I’m curious about this dynamic left between the siblings, but I need to focus on Peter’s role in it instead of Paxton’s. If fate is really going to dig her heels in about bonding us together, then fate will find a way.
It always does.
I glance over at Peter since he still hasn’t answered me. His eyes dart between the road and the rearview mirror. I glance in the side mirror to see a few cars traveling behind us on the two-lane highway. They’re a little ways back and don’t seem to be rushing toward us, but I can tell Peter sees something I don’t.
“Are we in danger?” I’m starting to become almost desensitized to it at this point. My heart rate kicks up slightly, but I feel more resigned than scared.
He tightens his grip on the steering wheel. “I’m not sure yet. I just have a bad feeling in my gut.” He pulls his eyes away from the rearview mirror to glance my way and answer my initial question. “I stick to one area mostly. A mid-sized town that’s split between two packs. They consider me a friendly rogue there and don’t mind much if I hang around. Or at least they didn’t.”
“Something happened?”
“It’s happening everywhere, Tasha.” He sighs. “Groups of rogues have been attacking each other, and in some cases, they’ve been attacking packs. There’s no rhyme or reason, it’s like they’ve just all been suddenly convinced to turn on each other. The Alphas of the packs I usually hang with asked me to lay low for a while until the storm calms. I’ve never given them any reason to not trust me.” His eyes nervously dart to me like he’s worried I’ll think the worst of him.
It takes me a minute to respond because I’m aching. What he’s describing is exactly how I lost Jimmy. An unexplained attack from out of nowhere against a pack where the rogues had nothing to gain.
Did I lose my mate to something bigger than a random attack?
It feels like there are still so many missing pieces, and I can’t tell how much of it is just paranoia versus true unease growing within me. Even my wolf has quieted temporarily at the revelation.
“Do you need somewhere safe to go?” I force myself to meet his eyes so he knows sharing the news with me hasn’t alienated me as an ally. Peter has been trustworthy thus far so that’s what I’m going to go on.
