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Naomi did not seem convinced though. She snorted and looked down her nose at me, folding her arms across her chest. “We’ll see, but I can’t see how you wouldn’t want to make a play to be the mate of the Alpha. It’s what every wolf wants.”
“Not this one,” I replied through gritted teeth. “But then you always did have trouble putting yourself in other people’s shoes Naomi. Perhaps that’s why you found it so hard to be a good friend. I have no intention of stealing Brandon away from you, but if you keep acting like this then it probably won’t be long until he tosses you aside anyway. I imagine being bonded to you must be insufferable.”
She had been slapped by my words and rendered speechless. Her mouth hung open, and I walked away before she had a chance to respond. A smile twitched upon my face. It was not as intense a battle as my one with Amara, but at least this small victory had been a satisfying one.
*
When I entered the building that had been given to us my heart sank. It was just like what I remembered this place to be. The building was made of stone. There were two rooms, one with a bed inside, the other with a few chairs. A pile of blankets sat upon the table. Father and Cassius were standing in the middle of the room. Father was going through all the people who had lived in this place before. I suppose it was better than standing in awkward silence. It must have been hard for him and Cassius to find some common ground. They both lit up with relief when they saw me.
“It must have been nice to catch up with Naomi. You two were such good friends,” Dad said. I arched my eyebrows and wore a sardonic smile. How easy it was for them to see the world differently than me, to push away all the grim memories that had plagued me so often.
“Indeed, so this is our new home then?”
“It’s hardly a castle,” Cassius said, laughing.
“I’m sure you’ll get used to it, and maybe there will be a chance for you to get something bigger, but this will do for now. Did everything go well with Brandon?”
“I suppose as well as it could have gone,” I replied. “Dad, you should know that having us here might bring a huge danger as well.”
Dad did not look fazed. “If it means having you back then it’s all worth it. I have missed you so much Willow. We all have.”
I knew he didn’t have the authority to speak for all the pack, but I wasn’t going to challenge him on this. I appreciated the sentiment and tried to push away this nagging sense of unease that itched beneath my skin. A moment of silence lingered before Dad said that he would give us some time alone. He invited us to eat with him in the evening, an invitation I did not think I could refuse. He gave me another hug, squeezing me tightly and holding me for so long that I thought he might never let me go, but then he walked away.
I picked up one of the blankets and went to the bed. Cassius leaned against the doorframe.
“Are you well?” he asked.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” I snapped. I sensed his shame and regret.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have brought us here. I’m sorry. I didn’t have much time to think. Are you terribly mad at me?”
I turned slowly to face him. His head was cast downwards. He looked like a boy who had just been caught doing something mischievous. It was hard to believe that he was an ancient man, a man who had gone through many phases of life, even being called a butcher by my own people. But he was not a villain by any means, and I did not wish him to believe that my frustration with the world meant that I was frustrated with him. I sank to the edge of the bed, using it like a perch.
“I’m not mad at you Cassius. I’m just mad at the whole situation. I’m mad that our lives have to be uprooted, I’m mad that we’re back in this place, and I’m mad that I wasn’t able to end things with Amara.”
“You gave it a damn good shot though. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone get that close to killing her.”
“It wasn’t close enough though,” I said ruefully. He came to sit beside me and placed his arm around my shoulders. My head fell against him and I let him support my weight.
“I am sorry. I wish there was something I could do, or undo. But at least we have a roof over our heads, and we can actually eat proper food for a change, and maybe I’m wrong and Amara won’t try to find us at all.”
“So then we can live our lives here,” I said with mock enthusiasm. Cassius looked troubled. I sighed and tried to shake out the negative emotion that swam within me. “I’m sorry Cassius. I don’t mean to be so difficult, it’s just that being in this place again… it makes my skin crawl a bit.”
“I thought you felt better about your relationship with people here after our last visit.”
“I do, I mean I did, at least I thought I did. It helped resolve a few things, but I still didn’t want to come back here. I know that Dad cares about me, and it was good to know that I am still considered a member of the pack. But despite all that, I can’t forget the way they treated me. I can’t just ignore all the years that I was ostracized and bullied and made to feel like there was something wrong with me. And to come here now begging for them to help us it just… it makes me feel like they were right all along.”
My voice turned small. He spread a palm across my back and leaned towards me, kissing my forehead. “You know that’s not true. They weren’t right at all. You are your own person with your own life and your own accomplishments. You have seen things that they could never dream of seeing, and have done things that they could never dream of doing. You are in no way lesser than them.”
I gave him a weak smile. “I appreciate you saying that Cassius. But knowing that is one thing, believing it is another.”
He drew back. “Well, perhaps it is enough that I believe it for both of us.”
“Perhaps,” I said, nuzzling into him and putting my arms around him, seeking to draw comfort from his body and the familiarity of his scent. He looked up and around.
“I must say though that it’s going to take some getting used to being in such a small home.”
“You always did say that the castle was too big for you,” I joked, “and at least there are no eerie tombs below us.”
