“It’s a risk I’ll take,” I answered, letting her hear how little doubt I had.
Karen’s eyes moved to Sawyer, who was admiring the layout of the main office like she belonged there already. “Be careful, Bridger.”
“You too, Karen,” I said, the threat as open as a wound, knowing she’d remember this when the day ended.
I walked back to Sawyer, dismissing the possibility that Karen might sabotage what I’d laid out so perfectly, and felt her anxiety mix with fresh confidence as I neared her. “It’s a lot to take in,” she said, but I could see from the look she gave me that she meant more than the school. “When would I start?”
“I’m thinking Monday,” I said.
She swallowed my suggestion with more courage than doubt. “Whew! That’s fast. But good.”
“That’s the good thing about being independent.”
Sawyer waited for me to explain more, green eyes steady with fascination.
“We own the land, the school. Everything.”
Sawyer’s expression held promise, the emotion of it clear and confident now. She’d found more here than she’d expected, and it showed. “I’d love to be part of this,” she said. “Is it always like this?”
“What do you mean?”
“The Pack. How it works.”
“You’ve only seen a fraction,” I told her, deciding she’d have to know everything if she was going to take the leap I needed from her. “It’s more self-contained than you realize. The school is not the only place the Pack exercises independence. We try to be completely self-sustaining.” I explained as we left the school.
She absorbed the information, letting it reshape the world she thought she’d entered. “How do you mean?”
“We grow our own food,” I said, testing her reaction to each new piece. “Raise livestock. Run businesses on pack land and in town.”
“And the school?” She sounded more sure of herself now. “I’ll be teaching only pack children?”
“That’s right.”
Her eyes were bright. “That’s as it should be.”
“How independent it all is.” Her words were soft, full of something close to awe.
“That’s the point.” I waited, my breath tight in my chest. “Keeping us safe. Keeping us secret.”
She didn’t flinch. Didn’t look away.
“So, you think you’re ready?” I pushed, wanting to hear her confirm it.
Her determination flared, a wildfire in the dark forest of her eyes. “Yes.”
The force of her answer rocked through me.
“It’s a lot to take on,” I warned, trying to give her a way out. Knowing I didn’t want her to take it. “You’ll have pack parents to deal with. There will be battles to fight at times.”
Her expression was fierce. Full of things she couldn’t put into words. “I know how to fight.”
I pulled the truck up to her apartment and put it in park. My eyes held hers, and I knew I had to say it. That it was too soon to mean everything, but not soon enough to mean nothing.
“You’ll get what you want, Sawyer.” The name burned in my throat. “Everything you want.”
The gratitude and hope in her gaze staggered me.
“Can we talk more tonight?” she asked.
