Chapter 106-2
Cham
He stopped for a moment and stared at us before turning and running in the opposite direction. Willa started to take off, but I grabbed her arm. “You can’t chase him. We don’t know that he’s a
threat. He could have been running just like we were, and if we start attacking London’s wolves,
we’ll wear out our welcome.”
Willa snorted. “Running in full camo and a face mask? I don’t think so. Besides, London won’t kick
us out. He needs Saul.”
“He knows that Saul won’t leave. Even if Troy orders it, I don’t think Saul will listen. London can kick
us out, and Saul will be here alone. I’m not about to let that happen. We’ll report what happened to
London, but we’re not going to just attack any of his wolves.”
I agreed with Willa that it was suspicious, but I also knew that unless he attacked first, there was nothing we could do.
We rounded the buildings that ended up being a strip of offices. The windows were large and open, and everyone inside stared as we walked by. I lifted my hand in greeting, which a few returned. “So now you want everyone to like you?” Willa asked under her breath. “I remember when you were antagonizing people for the hell of it.”
“Bullies,” I corrected her. “I was antagonizing bullies, and it wasn’t for the hell of it. It was how I held
on to my sanity.”
“Come on. I want to get a few more miles in before we call it a day. Let’s run to London’s office and see if he or Cruz are in. Think you can do it or are you too out of shape?”
“Fuck you,” I muttered and started jogging.
Willa laughed. “Wrong way, alpha mate.”
Ugh. Was it really necessary that we be friends?
We ended up passing Cruz on the way to the offices, so our run was cut short. Cruz assured us
that his guards didn’t train in camo, and he would have the security look into it. He didn’t seem
outwardly concerned, and I could tell that Willa was frustrated, but there was nothing else we could do. London and Cruz had bigger concerns, and the man hadn’t done anything except seem a little strange. I jogged back to the room to shower.
Troy was gone, but he’d left a note to say that he was going to check on Saul. I was surprisingly relieved that he was gone, although there was no real reason behind it. Just because he’d been looking at me oddly didn’t mean anything. Still, I couldn’t shake this unsettled feeling in my stomach that he was keeping something from me.
20
|||
O
Chapter 106 2
Claim
After showering, I ate the snacks that Troy had left for me-was the man just going to feed me every second of the day until we returned?-and I went to Janelle’s room to check on her. To my surprise, she was gone, but Cindy was there.
“You smell like you haven’t showered in days,” I said without preamble. “Are you planning on punishing Janelle with your stink?”
She stared at me for a moment before she bowed her head and inhaled. “Oh, Goddess. I do smell.”
Then she burst into tears.
“Whoa, easy there. It’s an easy fix. Just take a shower,” I said in alarm. Crying women were so not in my wheelhouse. “It’ll feel good to get all clean. It’s kind of like a reset.”
“I don’t know how to do this,” Cindy cried. “How am I supposed to be a part of a pack when I know
that Janelle is there and can do what she does? And Troy isn’t going to let me leave because I
know too much. Whenever he comes to get her, I feel like they’re going to conspire to take control
of me again.”
“He’s just checking up on her,” I told her. “I know Janelle has made some mistakes, and you paid a heavy price for it. Her magic was being controlled by others, and she did exactly what she needed to do to try and save everyone. I know you don’t know Troy, and it’s easy to assume the worst. I
was in the same position as you.”
She wiped her cheeks. “What do you mean?”
“You haven’t heard? Why don’t you take a shower, and when you’re done, I’ll tell you just how Troy and my relationship have progressed.”
Nodding, she headed for her bathroom. Once she was showered and in a clean change of clothes, I told her my story about Troy. From when he killed my father and all the way up to when he came
to save me from Morven.
“Romantic,” she said dryly.
I laughed. “Yeah. It’s dark and messy, and I sometimes am worried that it’s only going to get darker and messier, but I gave Troy a chance, involuntarily, and learned just what he would do to protect his pack. Stick around long enough, and you’ll learn the same. As for keeping Janelle’s secret, it’s not so he can use her later. It’s to make sure that no one can use her. You’ve experienced firsthand what happens if a corrupt alpha gets their hands on her, but Troy won’t keep you with us. If you want to leave and start over, he’ll let you do that. A rogue life isn’t easy, though.”
“You’ve killed all your enemies,” Cindy pointed out with a sniff. “And I guess mine too, except for
Janelle.”
00 20
O
r
Chapter 106 2
“Do you think she deserves to die?”
“No,” she admitted. “And I’m not all that strong. I’m not sure I have it in me to kill.”
Claim
“Don’t be so sure about that. You fought Morven’s hold on you and threw liquid silver in his face.
while he was still your bonded alpha. That took a lot of strength, Cindy. You don’t have to forgive Janelle or try to be friends with her, but eventually, you’re going to have to find a focus in your life
that isn’t about her. You’re punishing her, and she’s letting you because she feels just as guilty. Keep it up for too long, and neither one of you is going to be able to move on. Maybe you don’t want her to, but you deserve to move on. You deserve to be happy.”
For the most part, she’d stopped crying, and she smelled better. I figured it was too much to ask her to leave the room today, but at least she looked a little more alert when I got up to leave. “Wait, is Janelle with Troy right now?”
Cindy nodded. “He came about an hour ago and asked if maybe she could help. Some wolf is in a
coma.”
Eloise.
Comments
LUCK DRAW >
