“You have no one?” she asked.
“Why are you here? You don’t care. If you’ve got a guilty conscience, I’ll be gone soon enough, out of sight and out of mind. You don’t need to pretend. I get it,” I told her.
“You get what?” she asked with a subtle frown and walked further into the room until she was within arm's reach.
“That you don’t want me… around. And now you’re wondering if you should feel bad. But don’t pretend you actually care. It’s cruel,” I said.
“Harriet, does he—” She looked away from me.
“If you want to ask me something, at least have the decency of looking me in the eyes,” I said.
She turned back to me, her frown deepening.
“Does he force himself on you?” she asked.
“Whoa,” I said, turning away from her and focusing on refolding an unworn top. “If you’re jealous—”
I was cut off by the presence of her directly behind me.
“Does he?” she asked.
“It’s not—not what you’re imagining,” I said quietly, barely a whisper. I hesitated and cleared my throat. “He’s not allowed to… he’s not allowed… Alpha Julian wouldn’t allow it… It’s just oral,” I finally said.
For what seemed like forever, there was only silence. It allowed me to breathe again. I hadn’t noticed how shallow my breaths had become.
“I’m sorry that you have experienced that. If there is anything I can do—” she began.
“Thanks, but please, don’t do anything. You’ll only make things worse,” I interrupted. “I don’t want everyone knowing,” I told her.
A pregnant pause lay between us, and I almost turned around.
“I won’t tell anyone, and I won’t do anything that could worsen your situation,” she promised.
“Thanks,” I said.
“Do you want me to stay while you pack? We don’t have to talk,” she offered.
“I’d like to be alone for a bit. When are we leaving?” I asked.
“In about an hour,” she answered.
Chapter twenty-two
Sooner or Later
Pack Hail was a pharmaceutical giant within the werewolf world, the largest producer of all wolfsbane medication—shift and heat suppressors mostly.
“The assembly is taking place at the cabin resort within Wolfsong National Forest,” Cole said.
We had travelled for hours. Hours of quiet radio and Chloe discussing Cole’s schedule and another assistant I had never met before—James. He was quiet and had typed away on a laptop for most of the journey. Only pausing occasionally to interject with numbers and percentages that Cole nodded appreciatively at.
“A cabin resort?” I asked.
“It’s quite popular in the summer,” Chloe interjected.
Cole gave her a look that challenged the woman to speak again.
“Pack leadership will be staying within the resort; supporting members and others attending for non-pack business are staying at a nearby hotel,” Cole explained.
