Archer put his arm around Virgil’s neck and covered his mouth.
“After my first change, my parents were in shock. They were embarrassed and disappointed at first, but something changed, and they wanted nothing to do with me. So I built my own life and kept the secret. My manager knew, and he betrayed me in the end, selling me to a lab. Those men were looking for Salem because he worked there, but he didn’t know what was going on. In the end, he saved all of us. Salem took care of me because I was the only one who was pregnant.”
“There was a tag on the cage they kept her in,” Salem added. “That’s how I knew.”
Montana set his hat on the table.
The silence resurrected all those old feelings, and I broke free from Tak’s grasp. “I need some fresh air.”
Once on the back patio, I swallowed hard and wiped away tears.
“Are you okay?” Atticus touched my shoulder.
“No.”
He wrapped his arms around me from behind. “You were brave in there.”
“I’m not brave—I simply had no choice.”
“One always has a choice. You could’ve kept it a secret. You could’ve left the pack. Give them time.”
“Don’t you see?” I faced him. “If even one person in there doesn’t accept the truth, how can I stay? I refuse to live with someone who rejects me, and I certainly won’t raise a child in that environment even if that means becoming a rogue again. And if Tak is in there badgering them to be nice to me and pretend, that’s not good enough.”
Atticus wiped a tear from my cheek. “He’s not. I assure you. Half of them are marveling over your wolves, and the rest are attacking Salem for being a part of it.”
“Oh no.” I hurried inside, back to the noisy dining room. “Stop! Stop it! Everyone.” When I reached Salem, who was onhis feet, I stood beside him. “I won’t have anyone questioning his integrity. If it weren’t for him, I’d still be locked in a cage. He’s been good to me, and I’m grateful for what he’s sacrificed. He faked a relationship to give me a safe home. He gave up whatever dreams and aspirations he had for me. Salem did what no one else would. If I can’t hold a grudge against him for what happened, none of you can.”
Virgil rubbed his neck. “So that bullet I took was meant for Salem?”
“They want him dead, and if they find out I’m here, they’ll probably steal the baby and take me out too.”
Krys clenched his fists. “I say we hunt them down.”
“I don’t want violence,” I stressed.
“That ship has sailed.” Krys faced the Packmaster. “We’re sitting ducks, and now we got kids on the way.”
Atticus gripped the back of a chair. “As it so happens, I have the money and experience to end this. You say you got their phones?”
Tak leaned against the table. “We’ll talk about this later. Right now Joy has the floor.”
“Thank you.” I gave Salem’s arm a supportive squeeze before addressing the room. “I might keep this baby. If my having two wolves is too much for you, I’ll leave. But I won’t letanyonetreat my child the way I was once treated by the people who were supposed to love me. Don’t hold your feelings in, or I’ll ask Lucian to sniff them out.”
“And I will.” Lucian slumped in his chair and looked around the table. “I lived in a house with a bunch of different Breeds. I’ve got no problem with it. But don’t think you can hide your true feelings from me,” he said, tapping his nose.
Montana put his hat back on and stood. “You said the baby’s a Shifter. Or is it part?”
“I don’t know what it is or how it was made. The baby could be like me—two wolves. Or maybe it’ll be part something else. But now that I know it can shift, there’s always a chance it might happen in public. Until they learn to control their animal… I don’t know. Gracious. I’ve never heard of a baby who can shift. What will people think?”
Archer tapped his hand on the table. “Well,Ifor one think it’s pretty badass.”
“We’ll put you on diaper duty then.” Krys gave him a sinister smile.
“That’s a hard no.”
Robyn stood and touched the ends of her short dark hair, her smile growing. “We’re going to have a baby wolfy?”
Everyone quietly smiled at the idea, and a weight came off my shoulders as I studied their faces closely.
