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“I’m coming,” I mumbled, my voice barren of spirit, empty of any life. I fixed my fingers under the table, heaving it and turning it over.
The white dog bolted from underneath, its matted coat browned and dirty from the fire. It stared at me, cocking its head, hesitant to go anywhere near me.
I reached forward to pick it up, but it shied away from me. “It’s okay, you can trust me,” I whispered, inching forward.
The dog sniffed and licked my fingers as soon as I closed in on it. For some reason, it had my pack’s scent, all of them, as if they’d been playing with the dog for hours before the fire.
I attempted to pick it up, to get us out of there, though I had hardly any energy left, but I heard wood splintering as a plank broke from the ceiling. I took a hard blow to the back of my head, and then … oblivion.
* * *
I woke up groaning,my back aching like I’d been sleeping on a bed of tiny, sharp-toothed stones.
Unable to find the strength to climb out of the bed, I swept my eyes around the room, only to find a bright surgical light bulb hanging above my head and Cole sitting on a plastic chair with a dreadful gaze aimed at me.
“Where are we?” I managed to ask.
“Dr. Loya’s clinic,” he replied. “How are you feeling?”
I shook my head and changed the subject. “Where’s Aera and the dog?”
“I don’t know what dog you’re talking about, but Aera left already. I think I talked too much about your supernatural connection, and she freaked out—” He stopped himself. “Do you want water?”
I glowered weakly. “What supernatural connection?”
“Nothing. What matters is that you're okay now.” He smiled, grabbing his phone.
Before he could start texting whoever it was, I asked, “Why are you smiling like an idiot?”
As he shifted his gaze toward me, his smile faded. He put his phone down and said, “You almost died, Gray, and I’m just glad you’re back. I was about to let my mom and Aera know you’ve woken up. They’ll be happy to hear from you. They were worried.Iwasreallyworried.”
I blinked before laughing, then grimaced in pure disbelief. “You were?”
Cole glared down at me. “Yes, Gray. I was,” he said firmly, seemingly aggrieved. “I still am. Don’t scare us like that again.”
“You’re acting strange,” I remarked.
“I know,” he said, placing his hand on top of mine and squeezing it, his expression soothing. “And I know I’ve never said this before, but I care a lot about you, Gray. You’re my brother … You anchor me when I can’t control myself. You’re always there for me. I owe you so much, which is why whoever hurt you, I will make sure to cut their heads off one by one. Just give me their names.”
“God, you’re ruthless.” I chuckled softly. “Then, can you call mehyung? You know, since I’m your older brother and you care about me so much?”
He immediately let go of my hand. “No way,” he protested. “You may be a month older than me, but you’re way more childish, and in Aera’s own words, you look like a muffin next to me.”
“She did?”
He nodded. “Calling youhyungwould be embarrassing.”
“What did I say? You’re ruthless, Brother.”
We laughed, and for a brief moment, it brought back good memories despite the fact that I had awoken to find myself practically bedridden, broken inside, and defenseless. It felt wrong somehow, so I dropped my gaze, the weight of the mistakes I’d made, and the price others had paid for them returning to me.
Cole must have noticed the abrupt change in my mood. “Listen … if you need someone to talk to about what happened, I’m here. You can talk to me,” he offered.
After a few minutes of trying and failing to put it into words, I gave in.
“My pack’s gone,” I started, guilt rising once again. “Rainer burned them alive.” I could feel Cole’s eyes pinned on me as I admitted he’d been right about Rainer all those times, that I had been defending a boy who was too far gone.
“You still have me,” Cole whispered.
