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“I’ll find something.” That easy grin slips back into place, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.
“We’ll call my sister when we get closer.” I’m not leaving him to fend for himself if things are really as bad as he says. Dominic is going to be so mad at me for this. “She has a good heart and won’t turn you away until you’re ready to go. You can stay with her pack until things are safer. And selfishly, that means you’ll be close in case I need to beg for your help again.” I toss that last part in hoping maybe it’ll guilt him into staying.
I have a feeling Peter isn’t the type who wants to burden anyone. Otherwise, I can’t imagine why he wouldn’t just join one of the packs he’s practically been living with. It’s in a shifter’s nature to gravitate towards pack life. Usually the only time they don’t is if something is wrong or they’re not welcome.
“Oh, that’s not necessary. I knew what I was getting into when I became a rogue, Tasha. I knew anything would be better than turning into my brother.” The look of disgust on his face is so familiar that I know who he must be talking about.
“Greg?”
“Yeah.” He thumps his hand on the steering wheel. “Our parents fucked him up more than any of us. I was one of the few that was left with him when the family started to scatter. I saw the worst of it.”
For a second, his eyes are so haunted I wonder if the friendly persona of his isn’t simply a way to cover up his pain.
That’s what I did. When the Sovereign Pack first summoned me, I really tried the wholekill them with kindnessthing. It didn’t work at all on Waverly, but it did make me feel a little better. Fake it until you make it. That kind of thing is sometimes the only way to survive the bad stuff.
My heart still aches for Jimmy with every breath, but I did eventually start going to bed without being plagued by nightmares and what ifs.
“To answer your earlier question, I think there are eighteen of us. There were thirteen of us originally. When the Luna Sovereign caught wind of what my parents were doing, breeding like rabbits and hoping to stage some kind of uprising, my parents chose to run instead of staying to accept their official sanctions.
“One of my sisters, Poppy, has been trying to figure out what happened to the youngest pups. The ones my parents had after they left the pack.
“Poppy’s really into genealogy. She’s found out that eleven of the original thirteen are still alive. And I hope for her sake she finds the little ones. I talk to her occasionally, and I can tell it haunts her not knowing what happened to them after our parents were killed. None of the pups were with them when it happened, and no one has ever been able to tell us where they went.”
My heart aches for this family.
Their parents didn’t do them a kindness by giving them a big family. The bigger their family got, the more threatening their way of life became to other packs. The Luna Sovereign had no choice but to break their pack up by the time they’d recruited three other families to join them, all hoping to procreate their way to power.
And now somewhere in the world, there are five young shifters split from the rest of their family.
I glance at Peter. He’s kind. Even after the mess with Zeke, I have faith that Peter is truly being kind and taking me home. He hasn’t thrown me any curve balls, which makes me desperate to repay him.
If he won’t agree to go stay safely with my sister’s pack as repayment for his kindness…
“I’ll find your siblings, Peter.” I train my eyes out the side window to hide the rush of emotion I’m feeling over their family. Empathy threatens to consume me. “The Luna Sovereign has access to resources that your sister might not have. I’ll use every resource at my disposal to help find all of them. The younger ones included.”
He hesitates for a second. “You would really do that?”
“What good is a Luna Sovereign if she can’t help where it really counts?” I force my head to turn so he can see the sincerity shining in my eyes, unshed tears resting in the corners.
“A lot of folks think we should be paying for our parents’ sins.”
I know what that feels like. “Not me. Families deserve to stay together.” It’s the thing I most wish I could have for myself. Tevin, Tess, and I all back together. While I’m looking for the Glass siblings, I’m also going to be looking for one of my own.
Where are you, Tevin?My wolf puts out a silent call, but it’s useless. Tevin could be anywhere. I highly doubt he’s hanging out close enough to hear a mind link. If he’s heard about the bounty on our heads, he’ll protect us by staying away.
That doesn’t mean I have to like it. I don’t like any of this.
11
Paxton
Peter sits alone at a bar in the middle of a small, roadside town in human territory. The place is a real dive, the small parking lot half-full with beaters that have seen better days. The brick exterior is in dire need of a cleaning and the sign over the door is so faded you can’t even read it anymore.
The inside of the place isn’t much better. The red leather seats in the booths near the front wall are cracked. There’s a game of pool in the back corner that seems to have reeled in most of the small crowd in the bar. Only a few people seem to have opted out of witnessing the rowdy game, sitting with their backs to me as I approach the bar.
I almost didn’t recognize my brother at first, probably wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for the fact his car is sitting in the parking lot out front.
I’m livid with Leah for sending my mate away, but she’s always had a weak spot for me. As tight-lipped as she was about where my brother was supposed to be taking Tasha, she did mention she had given Peter the cherry red sports car that Greg coveted up until his death.
