Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 73170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
“Your uncle treat you bad before he died too?”
Jared scoffs. “You could say that. He had no kids, no mate. After Dad died, he took us in. Treated Mom and my sister as housekeepers. Treated my mother like she was his whore. I think he saw me hitting maturity as a threat to his position, to the shit he was getting away with, so he was sure to do whatever he could to put fear into me before I matured.”
“How old were you when you first shifted?”
“Thirteen.”
“That’s early.”
“Yup.”
It is. Most alphas, other than our council alphas, don’t shift until sixteen or seventeen.
“And you were connected to your wolf then?” Grey asks him.
“No. The first time I shifted was when I killed my family.”
Damn.
“And where was that?” Grey asks.
There’s a beat where it looks like Jared is considering whether he wants to answer the question.
“Utah,” he finally says. “Not far from the Colorado and Wyoming borders. Closer to Colorado.”
“All that abuse,” Grey says. “I think it fucked up your wolf.”
He shrugs. “A lot of shifter kids deal with that. Don’t know any of them that have a wolf like the one I’ve got.”
“You’ve dug into that? Looked for similar cases?”
“As much as I could without digging into my old pack.”
“I have some of the picture but want more. Wanna put my head together with Linc and Joel. Joel’s picking Jase up from the airport.”
Jared stares at him.
“Show some trust, Jared? We’ll do some digging and keep you updated.”
Jared lifts his chin. “Get everyone outta here in the meantime?”
“You got it,” Grey says.
“You or Linc for updates. Don’t really want to talk to anyone else.”
“You’re heard.”
“Get rid of her, too,” Jared grumbles.
I gasp.
He doesn’t look at me; just flexes those jaw muscles.
“Not a chance,” I state, inflexibly.
“Can you arrange a mate bond severing, Greyson?” Jared has the nerve to ask, acting like I’m not even here.
And my blood is immediately boiling.
“He’d better not. I’ll fight you, Grey. And I will fight you,” I warn Jared. “I’ll fight you and your wolf before I let you do that.”
Jared’s lip curls, “Fuck,” he mutters, looking away.
“One step at a time. Yeah?” Grey says.
Before Jared answers, Grey goes to the door and raps on it, calling out, “Open up!”
Someone immediately opens the door for him. Grey winks at me on his way out.
He approves. Not that I care, but I… okay, I do care. And I’m glad he cut off the severing conversation.
I follow Grey out, not looking at Jared on my way. I hear his sigh and feel a minute amount of relief from him. He’s done with all the visitors. I can’t blame him for that, especially given the fact he’s chained up and stressed out. Yeah, I’ll give him his alone time.
I walk into my father’s embrace. Dad doesn’t speak. He doesn’t need to. He’s offering me exactly what I need right now. Support. Comfort. He kisses my forehead. I give Cat a nod. She’s in a huddle with Grey and the Young sisters but has her phone to her ear. Her eyes hit mine and they’re full of affection and concern. She makes her way over and wraps me up in a warm hug.
Cat is like an auntie to me. She was very close to my mom and there every day at the end with me, Dad, and my sisters as Mom slipped away, doing her best to ease Mom’s suffering. She wept with us. And she made sure to be a strong, maternal fixture in our lives from then on.
They’re all getting ready to go. Ronnie Young is sitting in her sister’s car, staring off, looking haunted.
“One sec, Dad, Cat.”
I approach the car Ronnie sits in. She rolls down the window.
“I’m sorry,” she says. “It’s just… a lot. Feeling someone’s deepest pain, seeing the things that haunt them. And he’s feeling a lot right now, too. A lot.”
I lean into the window. “I’m sorry it seems like it’s affecting you so much.”
“It’s not always easy. Sometimes it’s really not. Like today. With him…” She blows out a big breath. “This is a hard one to feel. I’m feeling what he feels and it’s… a lot.”
“I don’t want to give up,” I tell her. “But he’s telling me to leave, he’s pushing me away, talking about requesting the mate bond be severed. What do you think?”
I don’t know her very well, but I feel like I need her to answer this question.
She reaches for my hand, and I give it to her. She holds it for a minute, and I know she’s reading things about me. And it’s strange, but I feel completely comfortable with her doing so. She smiles before she sniffles, then says, “That man is not just full of pain. He’s full of longing, Cicely. I think he wants you more than anything he’s ever wanted. He’s afraid. Terrified of what his wolf could do. A big part of him is a complete stranger to him. And it’s like living with the boogeyman, you know? The kind of thing everyone fears will get them is directly inside him, ready to strike at any moment.”