Total pages in book: 202
Estimated words: 193561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 968(@200wpm)___ 774(@250wpm)___ 645(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 193561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 968(@200wpm)___ 774(@250wpm)___ 645(@300wpm)
He flexes his jaw like this is the last thing he wants to do.
I moisten my lips and huff out an exhale.
“You didn’t tell me much about him,” Grey adds, “Definitely not about the pair up plans.” He waits.
I open my mouth and nothing comes out.
Now Grey looks hurt and that won’t do, so I find my voice. “No, I didn’t tell you that, but it’s not exactly like that.”
“I asked if you were in a relationship that first night and you said not exactly. Guess that refers to Malachi?”
Yeah, that is what I said.
“I was desperate to fix things around here somehow and he was a friend growing up, one of the few men around here I’d dare to talk to about it. He and my brother got together, and their conversation turned to a plan for me and Mal to pair up when I got back from… from my mission in Drowsy Hollow and Arcana Falls.”
He says nothing, but I feel emotions from him that feel a lot less than nice.
“We didn’t have a romantic thing, but Wyatt figured we did.”
“You might not have had a thing for him, but he did for you,” Grey says.
I shake my head.
“He does,” Grey snaps like I’m disagreeing with him.
“I’m not arguing that; I know he does. If I didn’t do what Wyatt wanted, he held the fate of the women and the elderly, of Halla over my head. But if I did, I’d get taken off rotation here and also get Malachi closer to Wyatt so he could find a way to take over, I hoped.”
Grey jerks back, lips thinning as I keep talking.
“I held back some of the poison herb I was putting on the pies. I’ve got some hidden in the bottom of my suitcase wrapped with catnip. I kept it so that we could… maybe…give it to Wyatt and rise up when he can’t shift. I… I’ve never had a physical relationship with Mal, Grey. Never.”
His jaw muscles clench. “That poison was in our fuckin’ house?”
I’m about to answer, but he snaps, “Another thing you didn’t tell me.”
His tone and body language are both bitter and angry now. And this is my fault.
“There was a lot happening,” I reason, but we both know I’m making an excuse. “And you never told me everything. I don’t know how my suitcase got to your house.”
“Bailey brought it over from the motel.”
“Oh.”
“So this Malachi wasn’t one of the ones who took you on all fours as a reward?” he snaps. “That’s obviously what you mean by being on rotation, right?”
My face drops.
“He’s not one of the ones who made you fear being claimed by me?” His voice gets a little louder.
And everyone that was outside in earshot has moved into the mess hall and I hear the door close. They’re trying to give us privacy.
I shake my head, lowering my voice. “No. And I’ve never had romantic feelings for any male but you. I was only considering the pair-up to help my pack, not that I had a choice. If Wyatt wanted me paired up, it was his choice to do so.”
His eyes work over my face.
“Plenty of other men did use me as a reward, though,” I admit.
He bares his teeth. “Any of them here right now? Any of those guys back there?”
My face clearly gives him his answer because he barks, “Fuck!” thrusting his hand through his hair.
And now he’s on the move, marching away from me.
I follow.
“Where are you going?”
He picks up his pace and his hands are clenching and unclenching.
And I realize he’s about to go into the building the men are currently in.
I wince. “Grey, don’t!”
He spins around to face me, and his eyes are practically on fire.
“I don’t want anyone else to die because of the culture Wyatt created here. Wyatt did that. He turned our pack into this.” I throw my hand out. “He did this, and those men don’t deserve your fire. If they had a chance to be good men, maybe they would be.”
He looks away, pissed off.
“I was in survive mode,” I tell him. “But so were they. We’ve all been in this mode for a long time. But now, with you, I’m moving to thrive mode instead.”
His fire dims just fractionally. But not enough.
I hug him tightly and press my cheek against his chest. “You’ve changed everything for me, Grey. Everything. I’m so grateful.”
It’s a long moment before his body loosens up and I can breathe again when his fingers sift through my hair.
“Please don’t go in there and hurt anyone,” I plead.
He’s so tense, so angry, so I repeat, “Please, Greyson. Please don’t.”
Finally, his arms wrap around me, and his lips press to the top of my head.
“We’ll talk more later about all that. For the moment we’re gonna get things shipshape here or figure out where these folks are gonna set up.”