My stomach rolls as his eyes find mine and I know what he’s not saying immediately, but I need to hear it. I need to know I’m not coming up with my own conclusions. “Say it.”
“Ask it,” he retorts quickly, and my breath catches in my throat.
“I can’t,” I croak, struggling to swallow past the lump forming.
He stops, hands on my shoulders as he stares deep into my eyes, as if he’s trying to steady me before he speaks, but nothing prepares me for the words that part his lips. “Until you arrived, he was her lover, her wolf to command in every shape and form.”
I feel like I’m drowning in his words, and it’s not even about me.
Thinking about the sweet smile Rion wears when I make eye contact with him, the way he winks at me all the time, I can’t help but see him as a golden retriever ray of sunshine.
“Against his will?” I whisper, and Kael shakes his head, making me rear back.
“How can it be against his will when he never understood he was being put in such a vulnerable position?” he offers with a shrug, and I gulp.
“He does now?” I ask, and he grimaces.
“Not entirely, but he’s starting to.” He rakes his hand through his hair, the move much more weighted this time, and my heart aches.
“He shouldn’t be alone with her,” I whisper, and his eyes find mine.
“Exactly.”
I don’t know what passes between us, but it’s something, an understanding, an agreement, a vow.
Silence drapes over us as we rush for the combat field, but when we arrive, there’s no one around.
“They should be here,” Kael says with a frown as I sink my teeth into my bottom lip, trying and failing to control the shiver that runs down my spine.
“Is she angry with him?” I ask, trying to think of places to look, and Kael huffs.
“Furious.”
I slowly spin on the spot. “Then this is too open,” I admit, tapping my finger on my chin as my gaze finds the building off to the side.
Kael must follow my line of sight because he heaves a heavy sigh. “Her office?”
Our eyes collide for a moment before we dart toward the building. I know Kael could move faster, but he doesn’t leave my side, and when we reach the door, he holds it open for me before I rush down the hallway, bypassing the protocol of knocking as I burst into Professor Drayker’s office.
My wild eyes widen as my breath hitches. “Rion?”
TWENTY
RION
Idon’t care to deal with Laurie’s shit today, but I know if I ignore her order of solitary confinement, it will only get worse.
Laurie is many things—a rogue wolf. A victim. A survivor—but with that comes tendencies that I can no longer deny. She is manipulative, controlling, and relentless. Sprinkle in the fact that she hates to be told no on top of all that, and she’ll turn into a raging banshee.
Did I see all of this before? Yes. Did I care? No. So why now? It’s easy. Elodie.
Laurie kept me safe when I became rogue, taking on the role of my guardian effortlessly. So when we came here, as a joint package, it made sense for her to officially assume that title. But astime ticked by, and roles shifted, I didn’t really know any different.
I thought desire was meant to taste average on my tongue.
I didn’t think a woman’s touch was supposed to spark arousal.
I was under the illusion that everything was as it should be.
