I shrugged. “Maybe back to LA. I couldn’t feel the pack’s pull out there.” The idea of returning to Los Angeles made my stomach churn. LA reminded me too much of Mom. “Or maybe I would’ve tried my luck on the EastCoast.”
“You know he feels like shit about everything, don’t you? The recording.Tammy.”
I returned my gaze to Sarah, who was alone now. “I’m sure he does, but it’s not really my problem anymore, isit?”
“He’s our Alpha,Ness.”
“What are yousaying?”
“A conflicted Alpha can get sloppy, and that can impact the entirepack.”
I crossed my arms. “So what? Are you suggesting I go down there and give him a big old hug and tell him I forgive him for breaking myheart?”
“Didhe?”
“Break my heart? Yeah, hedid.”
Although the tinny scent of death stained the air, most of the bloody patches on the lawn were hidden behind clusters of shifters—some in mourning, some in celebration. Someone had covered Julian with a white sheet from which only his feet and head protruded. Blood bloomed on the white, so much of it that I didn’t think any amount of meat tenderizer would be able to get itout.
“You cared that much abouthim?”
“Idid.”
“He still cares aboutyou.”
“He’ll get overit.”
“What if hedoesn’t?”
“Did you get overTaryn?”
He watched Sarah as she rose and craned her neck to stare into the sun. Maybe she was hoping its blazing heat would dry hertears.
“I don’t miss her anymore,” hesaid.
She squinted toward the inn. When she caught sight of us, she headed for the porch steps, treading fast, as though in a hurry to get away from her new pack, ironed hair glinting like a swath of gold. When she reached the deck, she lurched toward me. I just had time to open my arms before she sprang intothem.
“We told him not to challenge her.” Her tears soaked the collar of my tank. “We begged him not to doit.”
I rubbed the top of herspine.
“He’s gone. And now we’re . . . we’re . . . Creeks.” Her voice cracked on that last word. “It’s her voice I’ll hear in my mind. She’ll be the one to tell us what to do.” She pulled away from me, fixing me with her shiny brown eyes. “I. Hate. Her,” she bit out, trembling all over. “I hate all of them.” She glared at a small group of Creeks passing belowus.
There were five of them, not much older than us. Where two of the boys and one of the girls stared at us with restraint, the other two—a boy and girl, who looked so much alike I assumed they were siblings—watched us with unabashedinterest.
“They can’t all be bad,” I whispered to her, trying to sootheher.
“I still hate them,” shemuttered.
“I know.” I smoothed her hairback.
She pressed away from me and shot her red-tinged gaze toward Lucas. “Liam has to challenge her. He has to take the packs back. You guys have to tell him to challengeher.”
The blood drained from Lucas’s face, turning his complexion as white as the scar that slashed his black eyebrow. “No way. If she doesn’t challenge him, then we’re advising him to stay out ofit.”
“I’m sure she cheated, Lucas. I don’t know how she did it, but I’m sure of it. Julian wasn’t throwing upfur ballsout there. I bet she poisonedhim.”
“If she had”—I wrinkled my nose for what I was about to say—“she couldn’t have eaten hisheartwithout it poisoningher.”
