“Protection,” Shannon said, flipping the spoon next to her plate over and over.
“Exactly,” I said, relieved.
“From what?” Malik asked.
I blinked. “From the outside world.”
Shannon snorted. “And what would you know about that? Alpha Hughes sits on her throne in her little walled kingdom. She doesn’t know shit about us. What it means to be in the outside world.”
I glanced at Ezra. He didn’t look at me. “That’s not true. She… she would be here herself if she could.”
Shannon picked up on the traitorous skip in my heartbeat. “I doubt that.”
“Be that as it may,” Ezra said, “it wouldn’t hurt to check in every now and then. It prevents… complications. Shannon, if we could—”
“Alpha Wells.”
Ezra wasn’t ruffled. “Alpha Wells, if we could speak privately. Just the two of us. I’m sure I can impress upon you what my young friend here means when he says strength in numbers.”
There was a long moment of silence. I tried to catch Ezra’s gaze to tell him that was a bad idea, that Michelle wanted us to stick together, but he only had eyes for the Alpha.
Then, “Fine.” Shannon stood from her chair. “Malik, we’ll use your office.”
He nodded. “If you’re sure.”
“I am. The sooner we hear what they’ve come to say, the quicker they’ll leave.”
“That’s all I ask for,” Ezra said. He grunted as he stood slowly. He looked stiff, more so than usual. That car ride hadn’t done his body any good. I’d have to keep an eye on him. “Robbie, perhaps you’d help Malik with clearing the table. It’s the least we could do for our hosts.”
No, I did not want to help Malik clear the table. But Ezra shot me a look that told me to keep my mouth shut. I knew he could take care of himself, but wolves hunted by dividing and conquering. I just hoped they didn’t think Ezra was the weakest part of us. They’d be mistaken.
Shannon led Ezra out of the dining room and down the hall. I heard a door shut, and their words and heartbeats disappeared.
“It’s soundproof,” Malik said. “You understand.”
I flexed my hands on my thighs. “Of course. She… she seems like a good Alpha.”
“She is.”
“And John and Jimmy are good.”
“They are.”
I licked my lips. “That’s all that matters.”
Malik looked amused. “Is it? How kind of you to say.” He stood and began to gather the dishes on the table. Not wanting to seem rude, I rose and did the same.
He led the way back into the kitchen. The window above the sink was open, and crickets were humming, frogs croaking. I set the dishes in the sink. I was about to go back for more when he said, “Robbie Fontaine.”
“Yeah?” A burst of laughter came from just overhead. The house settled around us, its bones shifting.
“Where are you from?” He wasn’t looking at me. Instead, he stared out the window.
“Caswell.”
“Always?”
“No. I… moved around a lot.”
“Did you.”
I rubbed my neck. Ezra wasn’t the only one suffering from the long car ride. “Long story.”
“We all have those, I think.”
“Yeah, I guess we do. It’s not… important. I was orphaned when I was a kid. A few packs fostered me. One helped me with my first shift, and I stayed with them for a while.”
“But?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I liked being on the move. I know it’s not ideal for a wolf. Pack ties and all. But it seemed like the right thing for me to do. I wanted to see as much as I could.”
Malik turned around, leaning against the sink. “And what did you see?”
“The good in us,” I said honestly. “The wolves… we may not have the numbers we used to, and we may not always agree with the way things are, but pack is pack. It’s important. I was accepted most everywhere I went. And even though the bonds between us were always temporary, it was enough.”
“To keep the Omega at bay.”
“Yeah. Exactly. I was never in any danger of that. I knew myself well enough to never have that happen to me. And then I was summoned to Caswell, and I’ve stayed there ever since.”
“Summoned? Where were you before?”
I frowned at him. “Before?”
“Before you were summoned.”
I shook my head. It was starting to ache. “It’s not important. All that matters is Ezra came for me, telling me I was needed.”
“By Alpha Hughes.”
I didn’t like the censure in his voice, though I couldn’t exactly fault him for that. “I know she has a… reputation. But I don’t know that it’s deserved. I can’t imagine what it must be like to be an Alpha, you know? All that power. But then to be the Alpha of all? It has to take a toll on a wolf. She handles it well,” I added quickly. “Just give her a chance, okay? I don’t know what Shannon has heard. I don’t know what’s happened to her. I know it sucks that she had to lose her mother like she did and become something before she ever thought she would. And I’m in awe of what she’s made here. But I wasn’t lying when I said we’re stronger together.”
“Temporary.”
I frowned. “What?”
“The Alpha of all. Michelle Hughes. She’s temporary. She’s not meant to be—”
I stumbled. I didn’t know what happened. One moment I was listening to Malik, hearing his words, and the next, the pain in my head detonated with a dull whumpf. My fangs dropped, cutting into my lip. Blood trickled down my chin. I was astonished to see my claws were out as I brought them to my head, pressing my hands against my skull.
It was
(little wolf little wolf)
like I’d lost control, like I couldn’t
(can’t you see)
breathe, I couldn’t breathe and I was going to fucking shift in this house and
(i see you i see you i’ll)
I had to get out, I had to get out so I didn’t hurt anyone, so I didn’t hurt those boys
(never let you go)
because I could never hurt anyone, I could never—
Malik said, “Robbie.”
And just like that it was over.
I looked up as I slowly lowered my hands. My fangs had pulled back, my claws retracted.
Malik was watching me warily. His own claws were out, and his eyes were orange.
“I’m sorry,” I choked out as I wiped the blood from my lip. “I didn’t—I didn’t mean—I don’t know what the hell just happened.”
“You lost control of your shift.” He didn’t move toward me.
“I know. I don’t know what set it off.” I shook my head, trying to clear the fog. “I promise this hasn’t happened in years. If it had, I never would have come here. Michelle wouldn’t have sent me. I wouldn’t put those kids in danger.”
His own claws pulled back slowly. “I believe you.” He hesitated. He looked toward the hallway. The only sounds were the house settling and the boys above us. “Can I trust you?”