But David wasn’t listening. He turned to me, his expression pleading. “Niko, areyouokay?”
For the first time since he showed up, I realized that I had just been attacked by a huge alpha. I looked over myself, checking for injuries, but found strangely that were were none. Nevertheless, I was still trembling andshakenup.
“I’m okay,”Isaid.
David sighed in relief. “Thank goodness.” Once learning that I was fine, he immediately turned back on Virgil, growling. “What the hell were you thinking? Tell me now before I decide to finish what Istarted.”
Virgil looked at me, ignoring David for a moment. “I’m sorry to havescaredyou.”
I didn’t really know what to say, so I justshrugged.
“If you’re sorry, then why did you do it? One minute we’re walking through the woods, and then a second later you run off and I find you attacking Niko for no reason,” Davidgrowled.
Virgil sighed. “It wasn’t fornoreason.”
“What?”
The alpha in the black hood - who I’d forgotten about, since he was behind us and hadn’t reacted at all to the scuffle - let out an exasperated sound of frustration. “You people cannot bethisdumb.”
“What did you say?” David growled. “And who are you supposedtobe?”
“That doesn’t matter right now,” the hooded alpha muttered. “Use yourbrain.”
David was too distracted by my presence to retort again. Although he was clearly trying to be subtle about it, he kept glancing at me, as if to make sure I was trulyphysicallyfine.
“Niko,” Virgil said. “Let me ask you something. You’ve been… told some things about David,haven’tyou?”
I blinked. Was he talking about what Gunner explained to me? Why was he phrasing itlikethat?
“Yes,” I saidcautiously.
“Why don’t you tell David and I whatthosewere?”
I was shocked he would ask that. Just what was Virgilthinking?
“I… I’m not sure if I should say,” I admitted. I stared at the ground uncomfortably. “I mean, it’s a matter of packsecurity.”
The hooded alpha behind me barked a laugh, which irritated me. I still didn’t know whohewas, but this didn’t seem like the best momenttoask.
“Go ahead, Niko,” Virgil continued. “I promise you won’t get in trouble forsayingit.”
I still wasn’t sure. My skin prickled, almost like Gunner could have been around any corner and was listening into theconversation.
“Do you trust me?” Virgilasked.
Looking back and forth between the confused but concerned David, and the ever calm and collected Virgil who I’d known for years now, I noddedslowly. “Yes.”
“Then, tell David and I what Gunner told you,” he saidgently.
Shuffling my feet awkwardly, I stared at the ground. I felt like a child who did something wrong and was now being put on the spot. But this was something Gunner had told me. I had nothing to be ashamed of by repeating it…right?
“He said that… we shouldn’t trust David. That he’s an outsider whose only here to kidnap me,” I mumbled. For some reason, as the words came out of my mouth, they felt sour in a way that made me uncomfortable. I almost regrettedspeaking.
“Kidnap you?” David mumbled, shaking his head sadly. Or maybe that was just what he wanted me to think. “Did he say why?” Virgilasked.
“No,” I admitted. “And he didn’t really have a reason when I asked why David would wantmespecifically…” I lifted my head, suddenly feeling outraged for a reason I couldn’t describe. “But Gunner wouldn’t lie to me. If he said it, it must be true. Don’t you believe him,Virgil?”
The hooded alpha laughed again, but it was a humorless and bittersound.
