I’d spend forever in here.
Unsurprisingly, Caleb doesn’t give this room the respect it deserves. He’s propping his feet—with his shoes—on the beautiful desk, fiddling with a bow.
“I’ve brought you Jay, as you asked,” Tyler says.
“Thank you, Tyler. That is all. You may go.”
Tyler hesitates and shifts awkwardly. When he doesn’t leave, Caleb says, “What? Do you want a treat?” Caleb asks rhetorically. “Out.”
“Yes sir,” Tyler says reluctantly.
The large door latches behind me, echoing throughout the room. “You... wanted to see me?”
“Yes...” Caleb holds the bow up to the light, inspecting it with one eye, then rests it on his lap again to wipe another spot. “I know you left my room.”
Crap.“You do?”
“You should know you don’t hide very well. That plant didn’t have aprayeragainst your curves.”
“Are you mad?” I ask, biting my bottom lip.
“No.”
I pause, digesting his words. “You aren’t?”
This feels like a trap.
He shakes his head. “I made a bad call. I should’ve known that an outside pet can’t acclimate to the inside so easily.”
This is definitely a trap. Caleb admitting he’s wrong? Impossible.
Although the way he puts it is insulting, I agree with him. I go stir crazy indoors without anything to do.
“The king mentioned he would like to rehabilitate you. There are plans in the works for you to go stay with Jemma.”
“Okay, a few things, but I’ll start with, what is a Jemma?”
“Jemma is a who, not a what. Jemma raised the queen, herself an orphan and, in the past, has rehabilitated several members of this pack.”
“Got it. And... what will I be doing? When is this happening? And what will I do until then?”
He gently places the bow on the desk. “Knowing Jemma, she will want your help with cooking, cleaning, gardening, going to church... whatever she asks of you, you’ll do. Am I clear?”
“Yeah, sure. No problem,” I say, a little more eagerly than I would like.
But thinking of doing anything other than waiting for my death at Caleb’s hands is enticing.
Caleb glares at me, like he’s waiting for me to say something else. Then I realize the response I just gave is not the one he expects.
“Oh. I mean—yes, Master.” I bat my eyes.
“Good girl,” he says.
My wolf wags her tail, and I even stop a grin from forming.
I shake my head, snapping out of it.
“The king would like you to join him with training the pack to fight.”
