“It isn’t Willow’s fault.” Ezra’s voice was too loud, too sharp. A tremor passed through his frame.
“If I thought it was, she wouldn’t be here right now.”
Ezra’s arm tightened around her. “Yeah. I know that. Sorry.”
The deep rumble came again. Malachi was ten times harder to read than Ezra was, but this sound held clear concern. “It’s not your fault either, Ezra.”
Ezra turned his head to stare toward the dark woods at the farthest edge of the yard. “I said I trust y’all.”
“Your scent says otherwise.”
Oh, Ezra. He blamed himself for Dad’s awfulness? She had to talk to him. Privately. Tonight. When he refused to meet Malachi’s gaze, the alpha gave a long quiet sigh.
“Willow,” Malachi said, “I have to consider my pack. Can you think of ways your father might escalate? Anything I might prepare for.”
She tried to think of something, anything to give Malachi some springboard to a strategy. At last she shook her head. “I’m sorry. I never saw him as capable of physical assault in the first place. I can’t imagine where else he’ll go. But you could be right that he hasn’t given up yet. I don’t know why I think so, but…now that you said it out loud, there’s this dread in my gut.”
“Please be careful,” Malachi said. “Violent personalities tend to remain violent, and you’ve crossed him as well. He might escalate with you.”
With her? No, he wouldn’t. But with Ezra…escalate to what? Would he set fire to Ezra’s cabin? Would he lie in wait when Ezra left work and attack him with more than his bare hands? She began to shake, couldn’t stop even when Ezra swiveled on the bench and drew her to his chest. She pressed her cheek to the low rumble there and tried not to show herself a coward.
“What if I don’t give him a reason?” she whispered. “If I’ve got to sleep in my car so no one else is hurt—”
“No.”
“Ez, we have to consider it.”
“No.”
“The bonding ceremony is necessary for you to join the pack,” Malachi said. “But even now you’re recognized as Ezra’s mate. And a wolf’s mate won’t sleep in her car.”
“Okay,” she whispered. She could resist abuse if she had to, but she couldn’t resist kindness. “I know I want to be with Ezra. I won’t leave him. But the bonding is sacred. I need time to be ready for that.”
“Of course,” Malachi said and stood from the table. “Thank you for telling me what you could.”
Ezra stood too, stepped away from the table as Malachi did. They clasped arms, and Malachi reached out to grip Ezra’s shoulder.
“I’m here if I can help.”
“I know,” Ezra said. “Thanks, Mal.”
The alpha nodded, moved away into the darkness, then rejoined the rest of the pack within the circle of firelight.
Twenty-One
Thefirstthinghismate said to him when he walked her up the porch steps of his parents’ cabin: “What were you and Malachi talking about? Do you really think any of this is your fault?”
“It’s not that,” he said. “Not…exactly.”
“Well, what then?”
He scrubbed his palm over his hair. His gut churned. She was trying to help; her scent held nothing but concern for him. But she was too close to this. Telling her might hurt her.
She stepped close beside him and rubbed his arm. “You think you can’t talk to me because it’s about my own family.”
He nodded.
“That’s not how it works, Ez. We’re mates.”
