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“Like how you let me in?” he accused.
“That’s not fair. I told you everything. You know about my mate and how I was treated. You know all my pain. And you still sent me back. I know nothing about your past,” I said.
“You’re right.” He stood and walked to his pack, then pulled out a flask. After a long drag, he walked back to the rock and sat before offing the flask to me. “You told me about your mate and about your life in Wolf Creek. It’s only fair if I do the same.”
I took a swig, the liquor burning my throat on the way down. It made my eyes water a little. “What was that?”
“Bourbon,” he said. “Takes some getting used to.”
He took another swing, then closed the flask. “My mate and I grew up together. We’d been friends our whole life. So when the mating bond appeared, it was natural to fall into each other. We were happy.”
I knew she’d died, but he’d never talked about her other than that. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“She’d have liked you,” he said, glancing up at me. “She was feisty, and strong, and never quit anything.”
“What was her name?” I asked.
“Sofia,” he said.
“Beautiful name,” I said.
He hummed and nodded.
We sat without speaking for a long while, the sound of the fire and the wind the only noise. For the first time since my return, I didn’t feel the need to fill the silence or escape from him. I was content to just be. He’d opened up and shared something, and I appreciated how difficult that must have been for him. I never knew his mate, but I knew how strong the bond could be. And what I was experiencing was for someone I didn’t want to be with. I couldn’t imagine how crushing it would be to lose someone you wanted to be with.
“My pack was small. Right on the border of Wolf Creek. There weren’t many of us left, but we had been there a long time. It was our home for generations. Wolf Creek wanted the land. We turned them down.” He took another sip from the flask and offered it to me.
I declined. “I’m not sure I like where this story is going.”
He nodded, knowingly. “They attacked while I was away at my first year of college. Used the toxin to weaken everyone and prevent shifting. Then, they killed anyone who resisted, which meant, they killed every member of my pack. I never even got to bury her. They burned all the bodies. There were no survivors. Not even the children.”
My lips parted and my eyes widened. I tried to process the utter horror of his story. How could anyone do such a thing? I recalled a ceremony years ago for new land acquired by the pack. I didn’t know the details because I hadn’t been welcome to attend, but the posters were all over the school. I was young, and it didn’t cross my mind to question why any of it was happening.
“I’m so sorry.” My words sounded hollow, empty. How could I express exactly how terrible I felt for him? “Nobody should have to endure what you went through. And nobody should kill innocents. I knew my pack was made up of monsters, but I didn’t know how hateful and truly monstrous they were.”
“I know.” He turned to me. “Now you know why I needed the recipe.”
“No, I don’t,” I replied. “Honestly, it makes me regret giving it to you. We don’t need more of that out in the world.”
“I’m not trying to make it,” he said. “I was a chemistry major before the attacks. I have friends in the field working on an antidote from a scientific perspective. And that witch we’re seeing, she’s been working on potions and spells to see if we can fix it with magic.”
“Wait, what?” It seemed too good to be true. “How would that work?”
“I’m not sure yet. A pill, maybe, or a potion or some kind of herbal mix. If my pack had something, anything, they might have stood a chance. They couldn’t shift, and they couldn’t heal. Instead, they were slaughtered.”
I wiped a tear from my cheek. The more I learned about the pack I’d grown up in, the worse it got. I wasn’t sure if my mom was originally from Wolf Creek, but I didn’t know if where she was from was better or worse. Add in the fact that my father’s family would kill me on sight, and I wasn’t sure there were any good packs out there. Maybe feral shifters were the ones with the right idea.
“I don’t think I can do it,” I said.
“Do what?” Alec asked.
“Take over Wolf Creek.” I shook my head. “I can’t lead a place like that. I don’t want anything to do with them.”
“Their history is exactly why you should be going after this,” he said. “You got that mark for a reason.”
“What about you?” I asked. “What if you challenge Ace?”
“My pack is gone,” he said.
