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She didn’t respond, of course, because I was the one who controlled her. Or at least I would eventually.I need you to work with me. We’re in this together, you know.
“You look deep in thought,” Malcom said, breaking me from my musings.
“Do you ever talk to your wolf?” I asked without preamble.
“Well, hello to you too,” he said with a grin.
“Sorry. Hi.” I had seen Malcom a few times in passing during the last week, but he was gone nearly as much as Alec. “Were you out with Alec?”
“Yes, I was,” he said. “And to answer your previous question, yes, I do talk to my wolf. Sometimes I swear he talks back.”
“Well, I feel less crazy, now,” I said.
“That’s got to be good, right?” Malcom said. “If your wolf is responding to you, I bet you’re closer.”
“Shhh.” I pulled Malcom aside. “I don’t want everyone to know.”
His brow furrowed. “You really think they don’t know?”
“Have you been telling people about my problem?” I asked.
“No, it’s not my story to tell,” he said. “But if you think they haven’t noticed that you haven’t shifted in front of anyone, you’re mistaken.”
“There hasn’t been a full moon yet. Lots of shifters go a month between shifts,” I said.
“Yeah, when they’re thirteen,” he said. “This isn’t Wolf Creek. We shift as nature intended out here.”
“I’ve only been here a week,” I pointed out.
“Listen, even if they’ve figured it out, have you noticed that nobody cares?” he said. “Why do you think they would? We’re all here for a reason.”
“Because of my family.” The truth of what my grandfather did had weighed heavily on me for the last week. It was painful to realize I was related to someone who created something so terrible.
“Look around you, Lola. Most of us are here because we don’t fit in with our families. We left them and chose new families. We aren’t our parents or our grandparents. We make our own choices,” he said.
“Why are you here?” I asked.
His jaw tightened and his nostrils flared. “I’m not in the mood to talk about myself.”
“Okay, I can respect that,” I said. “Is Alec back, too?”
Malcom nodded. “He is.”
“Where were you guys? He’s been gone all week,” I said.
“Do you remember what I said to you in Sheila’s tent?” Malcom asked.
I nodded. “Sure, but Alec’s been nothing but nice to me.” He did want me to steal information about a dangerous shifter toxin from my own family, but nobody’s perfect, right?
“I know he’s working on something with you, but please, reconsider before you go anywhere alone with him.”
“Why?” I asked.
Malcom’s expression was difficult to read. It was as if he was struggling to get the information out. “I’m not sure, but I’ve got a bad feeling. Something’s going on and I’m not sure I’d want to be there when it goes down.”
Alec probably hadn’t told Malcom that we were planning to break my mating bond. I wondered if he was being sneaky about it to keep anyone from finding out the real reason I was here. Breaking a bond wasn’t seen as a good thing where I came from. It was viewed as a violation of the sacred goddess’s will. It rarely happened. “I think I’ll be okay. But thank you for the warning.”
Malcom grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. I was a little surprised at his touch. We weren’t close, and it didn’t feel intimate, but there was compassion and concern in the gesture.
“Be careful, okay?” He released my hand.
“I will, thanks.” I excused myself and headed back to my tent. Between my wolf making an appearance and Malcom’s warnings, I could use a few minutes alone to clear my head.
