“I swapped with Talis. Rys made him go for a run to clear his head.”
I knew it was him out there.
I should’ve left it alone, but curiosity was a fae trait I hadn’t managed to let go of. “Oh? Something happen?”
She didn’t roll her eyes, but it was probably a close call. “Do you really want me to answer that? Think carefully, because I won’t lie and you might not like what you hear.” Again, no judgement, just brutal honesty. She was a lot like Dathal in that respect.
And no, I probably didn’t want to know the truth, but I couldn’t help myself. “Tell me.”
“Talis is still fucked up from the incredibly stupid thing the two of you did. Rys is worried it’s going to affect the pack dynamic, and he made him talk about it. You can imagine how well that went. He made Talis swap with me because he wasn’t in the right frame of mind for guard duty.”
Well, I did ask.
My thoughts got stuck on the first part of her sentence. “So you agree we made a mistake?”
She scoffed. “Seriously? You’re a free spirit who likes to sample all that Midnight has to offer, and Talis looks at what Rys and Gabriel have with hearts in his eyes. Throw in the fact that he’s wanted you from the minute you stepped through the gateway, and I don’t care what bollocks the two of you came up with to convince yourselves it was a good idea, it was never going to end any other way than likethis.”
“I like him too,” I protested. Because fuck that. I liked everyone I slept with.
“Yes, I know you do, and I’m not throwing blame around because you both did this. I’m just saying that as loveable as you are, Axel, you can separate sex and emotions with the precision of a fine blade. But Talis?” She grimaced and shook her head. “Not so much.”
The main pack house came into view, and I’d never been so glad to see it in my life. “You can drop me here if you want, and I’ll walk back.”
Sasha snorted. “I don’t fucking think so.” She drove past the house and kept on going deep into the forest. “I have instructions to leave the car at your house and patrol the woods until morning. Someone will come and pick it up later.”
I didn’t bother replying. What was the point?
When she pulled up in front of my house, I unclipped my seatbelt at lightning speed, but Sasha was quicker. She stopped me from reaching for the door handle with a hand on my arm.
“You’re both responsible for this mess, but it won’t get resolved while you continue to be a dick to him, when to everyone else who’s shared your bed, you’re all sunshine and roses.” She raised an eyebrow and I shrugged because it was true. “Fix it, Axel. I miss seeing your ugly face at the main house.”
She threw me the car keys, whipped off her dress, and was out of the car and shifted before I had time to blink. Her dark brown wolf nodded towards my front door, one paw scraping the ground impatiently as she waited for me to get out.
Another of Rys’s pack materialised out of the shadows. Naked.
I’d never get tired of shifters and their lack of modesty.
“The house is secure.” He glanced between me and Sasha, then with a quick nod, he closed his eyes. The air shimmered around him, magic swelling outwards for a split second until a grey wolf stood in his place. The pair of them sloped off into the trees to keep watch, and I followed their progress until they vanished from sight.
I remembered the tortured howl from earlier and wondered if they were the only wolves out there now.
Sasha’s words poked at me as I stood there.
“Fix it.”
I wanted to. I just didn’t know how, because it wasn’t just Talis’s thoughts that had freaked me out that day.
* * *
“Fuck.”I screwed my eyes shut, wondering if I could ignore whoever was knocking on my door. Maybe if I didn’t answer they’d get the hint and go away. Sleep had been elusive when I’d finally got in bed last night, way too many thoughts swirling around for me to switch off. I couldn’t even blame it on my magic, because it had been strangely absent this past week.
Another knock.
Firm, yet not loud enough to be obnoxious.
A sense of familiarity skittered down my spine, and I knew without even getting out of bed who was at my door.
Goddess, help me.
