“We’ll ask her later. You can judge for yourself.”
Wolves can’t lie to other wolves.
With that settled, I call an end to the meeting. “Eat, rest, and get your heads together. We’ve got two days to get Beth ready. Be in the library for four.”
Mal and Jet head off towards the house, but Callum lingers.
I raise my eyebrows as he waits for the others to get out of earshot.
When they reach the house and go inside, he sighs. “You really going to let this go without any sort of retaliation? Flint could’vedied!”
“I’m aware.” More than fucking aware how lucky we were. Aconite is a bitch to cure once it gets a foothold in your bloodstream. I hold my hands out. “What would you have me do? We can’t jeopardise the run, no matter how much I want to hunt Birch down.”
“I know, but?—”
“We have one shot at this before they move to a new location.” And some won’t make it out alive if we don’t fucking help them.
He groans and grips his hair, head tilted back to the sky. It exposes his neck, and the alpha in me can’t resist stepping closer to him. His scent is a boiling mess of anger and frustration, and it hurts to see him so conflicted. “We’ll make it right,” I whisper, skimming my nose over his throat, my wolf humming in satisfaction as some of the tension drains away. “After the weekend, when we’ve got the time to plan properly. Trust me.”
“Always.”
I pull him in for a hug, his arms wrapping around me and gripping tight. Callum Holt is my best friend, my vice president, but more than anything else, he’s my beta. I can’t do any of this without him. If we’re not in sync, then there’s a good chance of everything falling apart.
5
MORGAN
“You can stay here as longas you like, you know.” Ash shoots the basketball at the old hoop barely hanging onto the garage wall. He got it for his thirteenth birthday, and we’ve spent many, many hours out here talking about everything and nothing.
Setting the world to rights like only teenagers can.
I wish we were doing that now.
I wish all I had to worry about were upcoming exams and which boys looked hottest on the football team.
“Thanks,” I say, stealing the ball from him and taking a shot. Once again it bounces off the rim and Ash scoops it up. I can’t shoot for shit today.
Hardly a shock considering I lose my home in two days.
“Morgan!” Ash walks over to me and nudges my shoulder. “Did you hear what I said?”
“Yeah, and thanks.” I nudge him back. “But I don’t want to outstay my welcome.”
“Fuck off.” He scowls. “You know that’ll never happen.”
It’s true. His family are the best, and they’ve done nothing but make me feel at home here when everything around me is going to shit. But I can’t stay. Not now. “You won’t have the space soon,” I say softly. I don’t want him to think I’m anythingother than grateful for everything they’ve done for me. “Not with your nan coming to stay.”
His face goes through a few expressions before settling on determination. “We’ll make it work.”
“She’s dying, Ash. She needs peace and quiet and her family around her.”
“She’ll get that with you here.” He’s got that stubborn set to his jaw that usually makes me give in, but I can’t this time.
I’ve seen the toll this is taking on his mum, and as much as I know she’d never kick me out, I can’t add to her stress by staying here and being another mouth to feed and find room for. I shake my head. “I can’t stay.”
He drops the ball, hands out to the side. “Well, where the fuck are you going to go?”
I have somewhere in mind, but he’s going to hate it. “I’m going to join the Wild Wolves.”
