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“I don’t care,” I said, stepping between Mark and the rest of the pack. His hands curled in the back of my shirt, his forehead pressed against my neck. He sounded close to hyperventilating. “There’s nothing more you can do that you haven’t already tried.”
Ox’s eyes narrowed. “What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But I’ll figure out something. I always do. Just… I need you to trust me, okay? This isn’t because he’s my… it’s not because of that.”
Elizabeth snorted, her cheek bright red. “I don’t know if that’s exactly true. Just ask Carter about that right now.”
“What?” Joe asked. “What the hell does this have to do with Carter?”
“I’ll explain later,” Elizabeth said, patting his hand.
“You always say that, and you never do,” Joe muttered. “I’m an adult now. I’m your Alpha.”
“And I’m still your mother,” Elizabeth said sharply. “I brought you into this world. I will take you out of it, Alpha or not.”
Joe groaned. “Did you have to say that in front of everyone? Jeez.”
“Fine,” Ox said after staring at me for a long moment. “Take him back to the house and—”
I shook my head. “I’m taking him to mine.”
“Gordo—”
“Ox.”
He was frustrated with me, but there was nothing I could do about that now. “Just… stay there. Okay? Don’t go after the hunters. When we move against them, we move together. Understood?”
I nodded.
“Go, then. I’ll send Carter back to the house just to be safe. Kelly and Robbie can go with him to keep an eye on him and to check on Pappas.”
“Don’t forget about the other wolf,” Elizabeth said. “I highly doubt he’ll let Carter get very far without him.”
Ox growled in annoyance. “Yes. And the other wolf. The rest of you will stay with me and see what we can do about—” He nodded toward the others in the bar, who were all watching us silently.
“Better you than me,” I muttered, turning and grabbing Mark by the hand. I thought he was going to protest, because he resisted when I tried to pull him away. His gaze was trained on Elizabeth. She smiled at him, though she winced when she did so.
“Go,” she said quietly. “I’ll see you soon.”
He nodded tightly and let me pull him through the door and out into the snow.
Robbie and Kelly were standing near the door. Carter was still trying to get up, but the other wolf wouldn’t let him. Its front paws were on his chest, holding him down. It turned its head toward me, eyes flaring violet at the sight of me. Its nose twitched, and I was again hit with a wave of familiarity. Like I should know this wolf. It was possible I’d met it (him) before it’d turned Omega, but for the life of me, I couldn’t remember ever seeing a wolf like it before. I would have remembered a shifter that size.
“All right?” Kelly asked, voice strained.
“We’re okay,” I said smoothly. “Go back to the house. Take Robbie and Carter too. Stay there until you hear from Ox. Don’t be seen.”
Kelly nodded slowly. “Mark?”
Mark didn’t speak.
“Kelly,” I said. “Now.”
Robbie took Kelly’s elbow in his hand, tugging him gently toward Carter, who was yelling at us to tell him what was going on, and why we were splitting up, and would someone get the fucking wolf off of him for fuck’s sake?
MARK DIDN’T speak as I led him home. He held my hand tightly, so much so that I was sure there’d be bruises. But I didn’t try to get him to ease up. I didn’t want him to.
I avoided the deepest drifts as best I could as we trekked the mile or so to my house. It was still snowing and didn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon.
