He didn’t want to be alone anymore.
Although at least he hadn’t grown up fearing the person who was supposed to be responsible for his safety and protection.
Now that he allowed those memories to return, he could admit that not all packs were managed the same. Mallory and Alaina had the unfortunate bad luck to have been born into one of the worst ones.
“His response to the abuse was to abuse someone who was weaker or at least intimated by him,” Mallory said, shaking her head.
“Full circle,” Remy said, gritting his teeth. That wasn’t the way it should happen. And yet, it did, time and again.
“Probably why he came after you again all those years later,” Remy noted. “You went to the pack leader. To the one personhewas afraid of.”
Alaina’s eyes went huge. “You…?”
“Yes,” Mallory said shortly.
“I’m assuming the pack leader is going to come after you, Alaina, because he will feel like he needs to save face. In his mind, he will be afraid to look bad in front of the pack, like they might respect him less if he does not seek justice,” Remy said.
“Even though he’s the one who led everyone to hate his brother in the first place,” Alaina spat.
“Yes,” Remy said, nodding. He slipped his phone out of his pocket. “Do you want to call your parents, let them know you are okay? Maybe warn them that we’re coming.”
They finished their meals, paid the bill, and headed out to the parking lot. Remy and Mallory kept on an eye on Alaina as she talked to her parents from a bench next to the restaurant’s entrance, a few dozen feet away.
Mallory paced a small rectangle around the pavement, until Remy caught her arm on her next pass. “Hey,” he said when she stopped and gave him a swift glance. “When do we get to talk?”
“About what?”
“About how all this makes you feel.”
A short laugh burst from her. “What, are you my therapist now?”
He shook his head. “A friend.”Your mate. “Why did you go back to your pack today, Mallory?”
He waited a few beats.
“Closure,” she finally said, pushing out the word like she wanted to push it over a cliff.
“Do you have your closure, now that he’s dead?”
She flapped her hand, the movement stilted. “She’s still in danger.”
It wasn’t an answer, not really, but he understood. With a slow nod, he said, “We’ll protect her.”
“I know. I just I don’t know why I still feel so…edgy.”
Remy suspected he knew, but now was not the time to explain. She might not believe him, and with a teenage girl in tow, they didn’t have the privacy for him to show her that they were fated to be mates.
Instead, he gave her neck a quick squeeze and said, “You’re worried for Alaina. Once she is safely with her parents, you’ll feel better.”
“Do you think they’ll go back to their pack?” she asked. “After what happened?”
Alaina, down the sidewalk, swiped a tear from her cheek. “I don’t know. I’m not sure they can. With what you told me about the pack leader, I don’t think he will forgive and forget.”
“No, I don’t think so either.”
She sounded infinitely sad.
ChapterSix
