Chapter 30.-2
Clam
Kind of them, especially since they barely knew me. “Don’t bother. We won’t be here that long, and if I go home, you won’t be able to get in touch with me. I wanted answers. That was more than I
ever thought I was going to get.”
Before they could poke or prod further, I started the shift. Before, when my wolf thought Rhyson was in danger and snapped into shape, I’d plunged into the icy cold darkness, still stunned at the quickness of her shift. This time, I was hoping to control it a little better, but it was like all the other
times: slow and a little painful.
My wolf rose to the surface, and I held my breath, desperate to see if she would take over. She didn’t. Instead, she stayed, just high enough to enjoy the run but not enough to take complete control. I turned my head to see Kiana, a small and scarred blond wolf, watching me carefully. When I chuffed at her, she bounded through the door, and I raced after her.
It was freedom.
I gave myself into the wonder and curiosity and tried to let go of the hypervigilance and fear. We sniffed and ran. Kiana even tried to play with me, although I had no idea how to play as a wolf. When she bowed to me, I tried to run, and when she started to run, I wanted to hunt. In the end, we
settled for running side-by-side.
Other wolves watched, but no one joined and no one approached. Finally, when it felt like we were hundreds of miles from where we started, we collapsed and started to shift back.
Reaching into a tree stump, she pulled out a bag of clothes and tossed it my way. “Ah. I did wonder how everyone always had access to clothes,” I said without thinking.
Kiana gave me a sideways look. “This is the most common method, at least here. How is it off the
mountain? Do you not run for fun?”
“I can’t tell you what it’s like off the mountain,” I said carefully. “You can’t leave the mountain or
come to the mountain, remember?”
Wrinkling her nose, she started to dress. “Right. Okay, then why don’t you tell me what it’s like
where you’re from.”
I took a few moments to figure out what to tell her. Nobody had ever asked me that question. before. My father’s pack knew exactly how I lived, and everyone outside of it believed what my
father told them. There was no point in trying to argue. Here, Kiana was a stranger. She’d never
meet him.
“My father is in charge,” I said as I pulled on the leggings and oversized t-shirt. “He’s so likable and
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Chapte 30-2
charismatic. Even outside of our…group, he’s well-liked and respected. He comes from a long line
of dominant wolves, and no one ever questions his word or his leadership.
“He and my mother weren’t mates. She died not long after I was born, so my father is all I’ve ever
known. He calls me a princess, and I guess he’s not wrong. I am a princess.”
“Kept in an ivory tower?” Kiana asked sarcastically.
“An attic. It has these beautiful dormer windows with small ledges that lead to the roof. It’s
isolated enough that usually no one can see me when I go up there and stare at the moon, or
watch the other wolves play and run below.”
Sitting down, I stared straight ahead. “My father loathes me. He says I have too much of my lowlife mother inside of me. I’ve been kept alive and raised for one purpose: to wed the wolf of his choosing. When he’s not beating me, he lets his second-in-command do it.”
“How sweet,” Kiana said sarcastically. “And Rhyson is the wolf you’re supposed to wed?”
snorted. “Hardly. The night I met him, I was supposed to marry another alpha, and I was rejected and humiliated. Rhyson was there, and I used him for just one night for myself. My father was furious when he realized what happened. Apparently, he’d planned that I’d marry the alpha and then slit his throat so my father could steal his land.”
“Ah. Not a terrible plan unless you know, you’ve beaten your daughter for all of her life instead of raising her to be just like you.”
At that, I chuckled. Kiana, it seemed, did understand a little of what I’d gone through. “I didn’t know who Rhyson was, but when I realized I was pregnant, I thought he might help. Unfortunately, I caught up with him right as he was putting his years-long mission into play, and now I’m just swept
up in it.”
“He cares for you.”
Was she blind? Just a few hours ago, Rhyson had stalked away from me, so disgusted that he
couldn’t even be in the same room as me. “You were rescued by your mate. That’s not always what
happens.”
This time, it was Kiana who snorted. “Oh, believe me, my life has not been a fairytale. I was rescued
all right, and Troy couldn’t stand to be near me for three years. It wasn’t until recently that he
realized he needed me and we were able to put our issues aside and learn to trust each other. Our
wolves may have tried to make the decision, but in the end, it’s the humans who have to make it work. Just because you can’t have a mating bond doesn’t mean you can’t be happy.”
“Maybe.” I cradled my belly. “I’m probably not even going to be able to bond with my child. Maybe
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Chapter 30 2
that’s for the best.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing. How far did we run and do we have to walk back on foot?”
Clam
Kiana’s phone rang, and she held up her hand as she pulled it from the holster strapped to her leg.” What’s up?” Her eyes widened. “No, that sounds like fun. I’m on my way. Western border? I’ll be there in ten minutes. And I might have a friend with me.”
A…friend? Did she mean…me?
When she hung up, she grinned. “There’s a monster heading straight for us. Want to help us take it
down?”
“A monster?” My heart quickened. “Like, an oversized giant that kind of looks like it was a wolf
once?”
“Exactly. You’ve seen one before?”
“It is a wolf.”
“I know. We’re going to try to bring it down humanely and see if we can reverse the effects. Our healer specializes in the drug that turns them.”
She knew so much more about it than Gideon. I let the wolf come out. “Let’s do this.”
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