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Rook’s family had been blocked from visiting the ward no less than three times. I didn’t put it past his family to eventually find a way around the security.
Sure enough, once we were home, his family were at the gates within the hour.
Ebony caught up as I went to meet them.
“What are you doing?”
“I want to deal with them,” he said.
“You do?” I asked, surprised.
“He needs someone to fight for this.”
“You think I won’t?” I asked, affronted.
He side-eyed me. “You’re still lukewarm.”
I stopped walking, catching his arm. “Is it good enough for you? He pulls that stunt and she just forgives him?”
“It’s who she is. What gives you the right to devalue that?”
“It’s not her I’m worried about. It’s him…” I rubbed my face, torn. But how was I supposed to just forget everything that had happened?
“He’s doing the best he knows how to do and has been for a while now.”
“His best is—”
“Shit. Yeah, I think we’re all clear on that, but you can’t keep people around despite their flaws like a saint, and then take issue with them when it’s convenient to you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.
“It means he was trying, and you weren’t there to help, but you’re happy to turn up and do the criticising.”
“I’m focused on her,” I said. “She deserved that.”
“I’m not saying that was the wrong choice.”
“Then what are you saying?”
“This pack has the same flaws as it always has. You allowed that then—were willing to turn a blind eye then—so you don’t get to take it out on Rook now.”
I stared at him, jaw ticking. Was it possible that this was about more than just Rook?
I’d never seen Ebony defend Rook a day in his life—and he wasn’t just defending Rook. I could see it in his eyes: he would die on this hill.
Actually… that wasn’t entirely true. There had been one day of his life that Ebony had defended Rook, though I’d thought it was simply about securing Rook’s spot in our pack so he wouldn’t have to deal with Prey.
Except my understanding of Ebony was, perhaps, more incomplete than I’d previously imagined. Or was Vex changing us—changing him?
He was right though. And he’d been there when Rook went into a rut. I even believed that he’d done what he thought was best for them both—as insane as that was. And, fallout aside, maybe it was.
“Okay.” I nodded to the group at the gates. “Your call.”
It had, after all, been the Harrison pack to whom Ebony had made his defence of Rook the last time.
I didn’t like Rook’s parents one bit. I knew he kept his distance when he could, but his relationship with them was complicated.
They were musicians, renowned in their circles, and they hadn’t liked Rook packing up with me and Ebony. The last time I’d seen them had been the day that they’d come for their‘final intervention’as they’d called it—which had proven prophetic, even if not in the way they’d hoped.
