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“What else was I supposed to do? Watch you go to another male and be happy for you?”
Yes. That’s exactly what he was supposed to do. If I’m strong enough to leave him for the good of the pack, he should’ve at least pretended to be happy. My wolf would know how he truly felt, but he could’vetried.
When I stay quiet, he sighs. “I didn’t want it to be this way.”
“Me, neither, West. That’s why you have to put an end to this.”
I suck in a breath, waiting for his answer. He’s a rational male. He has to know that he reacted impulsively, but it’s not too late to fix it.
Right?
“West? Did you hear me?”
“Yes. But I’ve made my choice. Until you make yours, at least I can give you personal territory of your own. I’ll be right out here if you need me.”
Because, if it’s just me and West in who-knows-where, I’m going to need him, aren’t I?
He says I’m not his captive. Unlike poor Quinn, he’s not keeping me in a pair of silver shifter chains to keep me docile. He doesn’t have to. As an omega, I’m already as docile as I can be, and that’s without the quicksilver slowly working its way out of my system.
But that’s exactly why I call bullshit. He doesn’t need chains or silver or locks to keep me right where he wants me. Without a phone, I can’t contact Bishop and let him know that I need someone to escort me back to Hickory. If West isn’t willing to guide me back, I’m as good as trapped.
Oh, I could hold my head up high and walk right out of his cabin. Between me and my wolf, I’m sure we can navigate the woods. What if I stumble upon a human neighborhood? Or, worse, a Fang City full of vampires?
I don’t know where I am. I have no idea how to get back to Hickory.
I have no phone. No money.
And unless I can convince West to do the right thing and bring me home, I’m stuck here with him—which is exactly what he wants so why would he back down now?
Especially since it’s not just my anger he has to answer to. When Bishop discovers that his loyal Beta not only abandoned the pack, but he also ran off with the Omega? With his beloved younger sister? What happened then?
He’s risking his rank in the pack for me. He’s all but challenging our Alphafor me.
Because he thinks he can get me to choose him. If I do, everything he did would be worth it—to West.
But what about me?
* * *
After watchingWest go nearly feral, then listening to him refuse to take me home, I didn’t think I would be able to sleep.
I’m still not sure how long the quicksilver he dosed me with kept me unconscious, and while I took a nap to sleep off some of the lingering grogginess, by the time night rolls around, I expect to lay awake all night.
For the first few hours, that’s true. But old habits die hard, and my traitorous wolf isn’t on her guard when she’s around West’s. She feels safe, as though he would always protect her. Maybe his wolf would. But the human side of West crossed the line, breaking my trust and my boundaries. I don’t want to give him the chance to do it again.
I shouldn’t have worried. When I inched open the door, peeking out into the front room of the cabin, I found West curled up in his grey wolf form, snuffling in the couch as he slept fitfully.
He’s always been a light sleeper. It’s the protector in him. For a heartbeat, I wait for his eyes to blink open, watching me watch him.
But he doesn’t, and I have to wonder if it’s finally because he has me in the same cabin with him.
It could be. The only times I ever saw him fully knock out was when we were in bed together and I kept him up late during the days leading up to the Luna. Or maybe it’s because he hasn’t slept since he made his move, spiriting me out of Hickory without being caught by any of our packmates on patrol.
Or, Luna help him, the Alpha…
Bishop will find me. He won’t stop until he does, and I only hope West isn’t so far gone that he decides to challenge him.
Though I’m not so sure how my brother will react, either—and that wasn’t something I wanted to think about just then. So, instead, I watched West sleep and tried to figure out what I should do while I waited for Bishop to track us down.
