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“Yes, stable and resting,” the doctor replied. “We were able to sedate him through most of the painful shifting, and his fever has broken. He’ll probably be asleep for a few more hours, but he’s out of the woods. It was touch and go there for a bit, but if none of you have eaten in a while, I suggest you take care of whatever needs you’ve been neglecting. He’ll be fine. We just ask for no more than three visitors at a time.”
“Lana, you and Syl go on back to be with Travis,” Cole said. “Marley, you want to come with me to pick up some food for everyone?”
“Yeah, definitely,” I said. “You going to be okay without me for a bit, Lana?”
“Yeah, just—come back, okay?” she pleaded. “I know I need to be strong for Travis, but I’m not feeling super strong right now.” Her voice trembled, and a tear slipped down her cheek.
I nodded. “I promise.”
Cole and I left, climbing into his car before making our way to a fast food place to get something cheap and easy for everyone to eat. I hadn’t eaten much at dinner, but I wasn’t feeling too hungry with everything going on. I was worried about Travis, and Cole, and my best friend.
“So, sweetheart,” Cole said as he pulled onto the main road. “Why don’t you tell me how you and Sylvia fared at the event?”
He was doing his best to alter his tone, to make it light. I could tell he was trying to salvage both our moods, and I appreciated him for it.
“It went well,” I said. “We got a couple hundred people who gave us their information. There were lots of people with similar situations as us, or people who are just tired of the traditional pack structure. I think you’ll like a lot of the folks.”
“Where were you guys when I called?”
“We were at dinner. Sylvia was giving me some advice.”
“Yeah?” Cole asked. “About what?”
“Uh...” I hesitated.
He looked over at me, raising a single eyebrow. “Marley?”
“We just talked about the whole...you know, me potentially becoming a shifter thing. She was giving me another ear.”
He shot me a sharp look, irritation flashing in his eyes. “Marley, this is really not the time,” he snapped.
My heart sank, the sting of his words hitting me harder than I’d expected. I knew he was stressed, but he’d asked me about it; I hadn’t brought it up. What was I supposed to do, lie?
“I wasn’t trying to start a conversation about it,” I retorted. “I was just sharing what we talked about because you asked.”
But Cole’s irritation only seemed to grow, and he let out a frustrated sigh. “Why would you even bring that up with her? Why would you even need to discuss that with her?”
His reaction fueled my frustration, and I squared my shoulders, meeting his gaze head-on. “Because it’s been on my mind, Cole,” I said. “Is there an embargo on who I’m allowed to confide in now? It’s not like I’m talking about doing this tomorrow.”
“You shouldn’t be thinking about it at all!” He narrowed his eyes, disbelief and anger flickering in his gaze before he looked back at the road. “Especially with what just happened with Travis. He’s not even fully out of the woods yet, and you’re over here talking about it like it’s the same thing as getting a tattoo.”
“I am not!” I took a deep breath, willing myself to stay calm despite the rising tension. “And yes, it is on my mind. Even after that,” I affirmed, my voice steady. “But I need your support, Cole. No matter what decision I make, I need to know you’re there for me.”
His frustration boiled over, and the bitter anger in his voice cut into me. “Support you? After everything we’ve been through? You still want to go through with something so risky? Marley, I told you it would be even more dangerous for you because you’ve already been bitten.”
I refused to back down. “I’m not asking for blind support. I’m asking for your understanding, your willingness to stand by me while I consider my options. I haven’t even been able to entertain the idea because you act so overbearing any time I bring it up.”
His anger seemed to waver, replaced by a mix of emotions I couldn’t quite place. He raked a hand through his hair and down his face. “I don’t know if I can give you that,” he confessed. “Marley, I can’t just sit and watch you careen closer and closer to your death. I can’t fucking do it.”
Hearing that he might never support me, that he might never let me become part of his family—not in a true way—broke my heart. Silence stretched between us as he pulled up to a red light. The only sounds in the car were our labored breaths and the rumble of the idling engine.
Cole’s shoulders sagged as if a weight had settled on him, and his lips turned down. “Marley, I can’t deal with this right now.”
I nodded, my throat tight. “We’ll put it aside for now,” I agreed. “Things are too crazy right now, anyway.”
We were silent for the rest of the trip to the drive-thru. Cole just ordered whatever. I think we both knew no one had much of an appetite right now. Either that, or Cole just didn’t want to talk to me anymore.
I felt uneasy, not only because he was so upset, but because I was now facing the genuine possibility that I might have to leave him for my own good if things kept going the way they were going.
