“It’s not,” she said flatly. “You proved me wrong last night. You didn’t hesitate. You went in there and you saved Sally, even though it could’ve killed you. Even though it almostdid. That takes guts. More than most people have.”
“Thanks,” I said, feeling strangely touched. “I appreciate that.”
She nodded once, decisively, as if the matter was settled.
We drove in silence for another few minutes. Then I said, “Can I ask you something?”
“Shoot.”
“Why are you so hard on Reed?”
Her jaw tightened and her fingers gripped the wheel so hard they whitened. “What do you mean?”
“You challenged him at Emma’s place. You’ve been pushing back since I got here.”
She went quiet, as if weighing her words. “You’re not wrong. It was happening before you arrived, too. It’s got nothing to do with you.”
“So what is it?”
“Look, the pack is smaller than it’s ever been. Half of us left after Jeremy’s… mistakes. And now we’ve got this Algea, and the bleeds, and who knows what else is coming next. Reed’s doing his best, but…”
“But you don’t think it’s enough,” I finished.
“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to.”
She shot me a look. “You’re pushy, you know that?”
“Detective,” I said, tapping my temple. “It’s what I do. Occupational hazard.”
“Fine. Yeah. Jeremy was an asshole, but at least he made decisions. Reed second-guesses everything.”
“He doesn’t want to make the same mistakes Jeremy did.”
“I know that!” she snapped. Then she exhaled slowly. “And he can be a good alpha—I know it. I can see it. But he can’t do that when he’s completely cut off from the rest of us. He can’t have it both ways. He can’t be indecisiveandclosed off from input. It won’t work.”
I fell silent, staring at her.
“Most of us love Reed—I’ve known him his entire life. We were both born into the pack, not bitten.” She paused. “But when he became alpha, he went cold. Closed off. He started trying to shoulder everything alone, but that isn’t who he is. He’s going to get himself and the rest of us killed.That’swhy I’ve been hard on him.”
I blinked. “Wait. The problem is that he isn’t letting anyone in?”
She gave me a speculative look. “Ithasbeen. Now you have him actually engaging with us like we’re people. You have him acting like himself again. I hope it can last.”
“Me too. He cares about all of you.”
She nodded. Then she hesitated before adding, “Look, it’s not just about Reed. Mostly it is. But it’s also about Daniel.”
I frowned. “Daniel?”
“He’s my friend,” she said cautiously. “And Reed treats him like he’s a magical vending machine. Need a spell? Call Daniel. Need research? Call Daniel. But does Reed ever really see him? Does he treat him like a person instead of a tool? No.” She let out a breath, then added, “Jeremy did the same thing. But at least Jeremy helped him when it mattered.”
I held back my instinctive indignation—the irrational desire to defend Reed at all costs. What she was saying was important, if I had any hope of understanding the dynamics of the pack. “Helped himhow, exactly?”
Her hands tightened on the steering wheel again. “The twins. Lee and Hunter. They were Daniel’s childhood friends. They were both dying. I don’t know the details—none of them ever talk about it. When Daniel brought them to the commune, he asked Jeremy to turn them into wolves to save their lives. He couldn’t stand the idea of losing them.”
Everything clicked into place. “And they blame him for it.”
