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I’d been through it more than once when my father realized I was keeping secrets.
We ran into Joshua. He seemed surprised to see us and when he’d gone by, I asked Teresa, “Did he seem extra twitchy to you today?”
“You did kill his parents.”
“They were a couple of abusive assholes anyway.” Besides their betrayal of the pack.
“Still, people are attached to their parents.”
I scoffed and Teresa said, “Don’t blame me for trying to explain to you how normal people function. I didn’t make them like that. I wish everyone would be logical.”
She put a subtle emphasis onlogicalthat sounded distinctly like shade. She didn’t think I was being logical.
“Why am I here, anyway?” Teresa asked. “You don’t have any issue getting Amelia to come along with you.”
I ignored her, because I wasn’t even sure why I’d wanted Tee along. Maybe to make sure I didn’t cave to my feelings for Amelia and change my mind about taking her to Louisa.
Once I knew Amelia wasn’t responsible for what happened to Brennan, then maybe I could consider some kind of relationship with her. At least I could develop a friendship with her, and spend time with Dylan without worrying about how much it would hurt him if I had to murder his mother.
I had to know she was innocent.
Teresa sighed, but didn’t push me. I appreciated that; she was the opposite of Amelia, who would never stop pushing me.
We turned a corner, and there she was, parting ways with Janie and another of the moms. They were all laughing, and Amelia seemed carefree and happy in a way I never saw her. Her face was lit up.
“She’s hanging out with the book club moms,” Teresa observed. “She must have been really lonely in her old pack.”
“Just because you hate everyone doesn’t mean Amelia is the same.”
Teresa sighed. “You obviously care about her, Stone. You’re going to regret this.”
“I have to know, Tee.”
Amelia turned toward us, and her face changed as she saw the two of us standing there,
“Stone.” Amelia’s cheeks colored as her gaze met mine.
Teresa glanced at me meaningfully.
Now I regretted bringing her. The way Amelia looked at me made me want to just… talk to her. Just kiss her. But I had to go through with this.
“Amelia. Come with me. I want you to meet someone.”
Amelia nodded, then turned to Tee. “Hi, Teresa.”
There had been tension between them, and Teresa jerked her head in a nod. She was never the most polite person.
The three of us made our way out into the woods. With every step, my sense of foreboding grew. Usually these woods felt as comforting and familiar as my own bedroom, but today the trees seemed to curl in toward me, blocking out the sun. Amelia stumbled over a gnarled root, and I reached to catch her, but then she walked on and I let my hands fall. God, I wanted to touch her so badly. To comfort her, but that wasn’t my place.
I was the one who would bring her pain.
And no matter how necessary that pain was, it made the air in these deep, quiet woods feel scant.
Amelia glanced at me curiously. “Is this about the scent in the woods? The rogue wolf?”
My brows arched, and her face clearly gave away that she’d just made a mistake, even before I asked slowly, “What do you know about that?”
Amelia took in the way Teresa was looking at her, and she blushed even deeper. “I overheard you and Cole talking about it. I thought it might be Longroad pack. You can’t blame me for having a pressing interest in any visit from the Longroad pack.”
