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“Are you okay?” Braxton asks, still seeming upset by my reaction. He reaches for me, but then drops his hand, as if unsure whether or not he can touch me.
I force a smile. “Yeah, just tired.”
Max snaps his phone shut and charges back towards us. “Moving out,” he says, tracing a circle in the air with his index finger. Heading for the SUV without looking at us, he claps his hands twice together. “Chop, chop.”
I see him wave to Thomas. The big wolf shifter grins and waves back before refocusing on the laptop in front of him.
The others head for the SUV, but I linger for a minute longer, wanting to touch the trees, to breathe in the air before being pulled away so abruptly. This place is the closest I’ve come to being reunited with my brother. It feels wrong to leave, but if Max has a lead, it’s better than the nothing Thomas and his crew have.
It’s time to go.
Max places a warm hand on my lower back. His gaze finds Orson’s, and his expression is almost aggressive as he steers me to the front seat and opens the door. My wolf shivers inside of me, finding pleasure in his possessive movement. It surprises me. After being experimented on, I sometimes find it harder to connect with my wolf. To know what she wants, so it’s nice when I sense her there. Showing me instinctually what we want.
And, apparently, we like our romantic partners to show ownership of us.Interesting.
The others climb into the vehicle as Max twists the key, me in the passenger seat. Its engine roars to life and a second later, its tires gnaw at the dusty earth, hiding the tent and its busy bees behind a tan curtain. By the time it clears, we’re halfway down the road, Max speeding towards our next destination.
Wherever that may be.
Orson rides silently in the backseat beside Braxton, a contented expression on his face, unfalteringly calm even with Trouble's tail slapping against his leg. Apparently, Orson knows better than to assault his new master with a bevy of needless questions. He’ll learn the details when he needs them.
Braxton, despite being Max’s twin, slots more evenly into a younger brother’s role. As such, he accepts the commands of his superior unquestioningly, interested only in the golden retriever occupying his lap. Or maybe it's the soldier in him. Either way, everyone seems settled.
How the hell did everyone just jump into this car silently? Isn't someone going to ask something?
Time ticks painfully by. Silence. Fucking silence follows.
Nope, apparently no one plans to say a thing…
Which leaves only me, probably the least ranking member of our foursome, to inquire about our new objective. Max grips the wheel in characteristic machismo, a mean stare leveled on the world through his windshield. Perhaps the least receptive person to pointless questions. Of course, I don’t find them pointless, but that’s a difference of opinion between the two of us. I like to know what the fuck we’re doing, whereas he prefers not to disclose.
He's irritating.Allof this is irritating. Me hopelessly searching for my people. Finding my brother and losing him. Being in a powerless position when logic says I should be otherwise.
My life just makes me want to scream and scream until everyone feels the same pain inside of them the way I do. Until they understand what it is to have no control over their lives, like I have since the day I was captured.
It takes effort to swallow down the scream building inside of me. More effort than I like. Enough that I realize just how much I need to shift into my wolf and forget what it means to be human for a while.
Calm. Just calm down.
I lean back towards the window, observing Max from the passenger seat. Veins rise beneath the flesh of his forearms, pulsate in rhythm with his heart — an organ I believe I’ve touched, albeit circuitously, via aseparateorgan.I have a right to know, I think, permitting a little umbrage to boost my confidence.We banged. Things are different now, dammit.“Max, you can’t just—”
“It’s just another lead, Asha, no big secret.” The corner of his mouth pulls back in an almost-grin.
"How did you know I was upset?"
“Your indignation was palpable.” He turns to face me, amusement in his gaze. “You could have just asked.”
I can't decide if I'm insulted or uncomfortable that he knows me so well. “You didn’t let me get more than three words in—”
He turns back to the road and raises four fingers between us. “Four words. And I spared the both of us a pointless fight.”
I tuck my fists under my armpits and scowl.Maybe I wanted a fight. But as I lean back in the leather seat, its cushions welcoming to my sore back and legs, exhaustion sets in. I don’t have the energy to fight. Maybe… maybe I just wanted to feel in control for a little while.
You're okay," he says, his voice gentle.
"Am I?" I ask. Nothing about me is okay.
Max reaches over and pats my thigh, and even that minimal touch does things to me, quiets the fight in me. I feel my wolf padding around within, settling like a dog against the arm of a couch. An undeniable connection binds us together now. I’m not sure how I feel about that, but I'm too tired to parse the emotions.
