“He is,” I admitted. “Noah’s nice to everyone, and everyone loves him. So I was convinced that the reason our relationship was failing was because of me. The hitting didn’t start until a couple of months ago. So it just made me try even harder to do better. I really wanted to fix things.”
I rubbed my forehead, overwhelmed by the surge of emotions. Then I noticed their confused expressions. They’d trusted Noah. They had invited him into their home, and he had earned their friendship. They liked him, so maybe they were having difficulty swallowing my side of the story.
“You believe me, don’t you?”
“One hundred percent,” Tak answered, and everyone agreed with him.
Hearing that made me want to sob on their sofa until it was unsalvageable, but I suppressed my emotions so I could finish the story.
Joy shifted in her spot beside Mercy to face me. “I didn’thave a good feeling about him. The first time he came over, I bumped into him outside. He flirted and came on to me, and I just thought he was one of Archer’s friends. It put me in an awkward position since I didn’t know you very well. People have all sorts of understandings in their relationships. Had hetouchedme, I would have made sure everyone knew.”
I exchanged a glance with Joy to convey that I didn’t blame her. On the times Noah and I had gone out, he flirted with women in front of me, so it didn’t come as a surprise.
“Where is he?” I asked.
Tak straightened up, hands on his thighs. “Breed jail.”
“For now,” Archer grumbled. “What happens when they let him out? They’re just keeping him there long enough to cool down.”
Tak played with his braid. “Someone needs to shift with Catcher and guard the house.”
Strolling onto the scene, Virgil stood behind the other couch with a cereal bowl in his hand. “Put Krys on duty. His wolf is the craziest in the bunch.”
“That’s up for debate,” Tak said, giving Virgil the side-eye.
Virgil finished chewing his cereal. “I meant crazy as in he embraces violence like Hope embraces donuts in the morning when nobody’s looking.”
Tak shot an amused look at Hope, who immediately tossed a pillow at Virgil.
“I’m pregnant, you gossiping hen. You better run when I get up, because I’m going to take a switch to your backside.”
Virgil strutted off, a grin widening on his handsome face. “Promises, promises.”
Tak waggled his eyebrows at Hope, who blushed and stubbornly crossed her arms. “I thought we agreed that too much sugar is bad for the baby?”
“It cures my panic attacks.”
Melody barked out a laugh and then covered her mouth.
Hope slanted her eyes at Melody. “Traitor.”
The break in tension relaxed me, but there was still one looming question. “Where do I go?”
“Like I said, you stay here.” Tak held my gaze, and in his dark eyes, I saw compassion. “I come from a proud tribe who has always been skeptical of outsiders for good reason. Leaving home is never easy, butmypack—everyone seated at this table—weren’t born of the same blood. We all came to this place as strangers, and now we’re family. What kind of leader would I be if I didn’t offer shelter and food to a friend in need? We have more than enough rooms until you get on your feet.”
“The books—the store. Noah pays the lease on it.”
“Not anymore,” Tak informed me. “I bought the lease out from under him this morning. The owner is supposed to change the locks today and give us the keys. Your books are safe. Lucian is heading up there today to rip out those cameras and do his security magic.”
Lucian played with a ring on his finger, not saying a word from his spot by the wall.
“How much?” I asked, stunned by the turn of events.
Tak sighed. “You don’t owe me anything but the lease amount. You can open the store when you’re ready, but Joy volunteered to keep the momentum going until you decide.”
I looked away so they couldn’t see my tears forming.
Mercy stroked my back. “We know how much those books mean to you. If you don’t want to sell them, that’s your decision. We can pack everything up.”
