“I’m fine,” I assured him. “It’s not my blood.”
His eyes narrowed. “What happened?”
“We think the man who tried to burn down our store was an extortionist. It happened so fast. He was threatening to splash me with gasoline when Tak showed up and—”
“Who’s Tak?”
“An old acquaintance of mine,” Lakota interjected. “He’s from the Iwa tribe.”
My father held my gaze. “Go on.”
“Tak challenged him, and the man shifted into a grizzly. Everyone was still trying to put out the fire.” My head spun just thinking about it, and I rubbed my forehead. “He’s hurt, Father. I need you to make him shift. You’re the only one here who can. Will you do it, no questions asked? Can you trust me for once?”
He lifted my chin with the crook of his finger. “I trust you always. Everything I do is to protect you, Hope.Everything. If that feels like punishment, it was never my intention.”
“I thought it was to protectyou?”
Suddenly we were talking about something else. Melody and Lakota veered into the living room to give us privacy.
My father shook his head, his long hair framing his rigid expression. “Tell me why it is you think I care more about myself than my own flesh and blood?”
“You’re a Packmaster. Every decision you make is to secure that position.”
“Fair enough. But consider this: if the truth had come out all those years ago and I lost packmates as a result, it would only prove that they weren’t worthy enough to live under my rule. River shamedmewith his lies, not you. He abused his position, and you were young and naive, even if you don’t see it that way. You weren’t a child, but old wolves are persuasive. He should have never led you to believe that breaking pack rules was acceptable. I kept the secret to protect your honor—to protect your future.”
I looked down at a smear of dried blood on my arm. “You’ve taught me so much, but you also taught me silence. Someday when I join a pack, I want to teach them the consequences of betraying the Packmaster and how it affects everyone’s lives. Secrets tear away trust. I never loved River, and that’s why I didn’t want to tell you about my intentions. I had none. I wanted to know what it felt like to have a man hold me in his arms, and I stupidly believed his lies.”
My father drew in a deep breath. “I should have killed him.”
“To what avail? He didn’t deserve a death sentence. You would have had to explain it to the pack and to the Council, and that would have meant giving up my shameful secret.”
“I’m not ashamed of you.”
“But that’s how I’ve felt all this time. Don’t you understand? This secret has made me afraid of ever having a relationship or joining a pack. What Packmaster is going to trust a woman who kept secrets? These scars on my face have never gone away. I still have panic attacks, and that’s something I’ll have to work through. But it’s the trauma of what happened in my adult life that’s scarred me the most. I don’t want you to protect me, Father. I want you to accept my mistakes and love me. Anything else feels like shame.”
The light in his eyes grew dimmer. “What can I do to make it right?”
I took his wrist. “Heal Tak. Make him shift.”
Without a word, my father bowed and headed down the hallway. Wheeler’s wolf trotted in and looked between all of us.
Melody reached in her purse. “I better call my dad to come pick up my uncle before he pees on the floor.”
I gave Lakota an apologetic smile as he strolled toward me. “So, how did the get-together go?”
He shook his head and put his arm around me. “Everything’s going to be all right, little sister.”
My mother collected their bags from the hall and set them inside. “We’re staying the night,” she said, inviting no argument. “My daughter needs me more than the pack.” When she shut the door, she tapped her cane against the floor and looked at the kitchen. My mother was a beautiful woman who still looked in her twenties, but her wisdom somehow made her seem older. “I’ll make breakfast. The sun will be up in a few hours, and you’ll need your energy. There’s much to be done, like assessing the damage at the store and organizing repairs. Try to get some rest, and change out of those clothes. Goodness! All that blood.”
Melody leaned over the kitchen island, her feet in the air while talking on the phone. Lakota ambled up behind her and playfully slapped her ass. My mother shooed him out and began pulling food out of the fridge.
Thus ended all my fears that my family wouldn’t stand by my decisions and forgive my mistakes. The house felt full again, as did my heart.
Minutes later, my father reappeared with a bemused look on his face.
I met him at the hall entrance. “Well?”
He shook his head. “He wouldn’t shift.”
