“I guess it’s about Omar.”
“Oh?”
“It wasn’t just Jasper I got closer to in the desert. Omar is a really great guy and I’m worried about him.”
“Do youlikehim?”
Instinctively, I lift a hand to my chest, where my muscles have gone all tense.
“I’m scared Jasper is going to want to punish him,” I say, knowing that’s not an answer, or maybe it is, sort of. “And if he does that I’ll…”
“You’ll have to choose between them?” She finishes my sentence for me.
For a moment I close my eyes and press my head back against the solid wood of the chair.
“I need to speak to Omar and find out why he was part of the attack,” I say. “And then I can decide what to say to Jasper. But I don’t know how to get to him without Jasper’s help.”
She reaches over, calmly this time, and places her hand on mine. “If he sees what this means to you, I know he’ll understand.”
I hope Katie is right, but she didn’t see Jasper’s face when they pulled Omar from behind those tents.
“Guess there’s only one way to find out.”
“Where do you think you’re going?” Mom asks from the living room as I head for the door.
After much messaging and long waits between replies last night, Jasper agreed to let me visit Omar. I stop in the arched doorway and rub my neck.
“Uhhh, to Jasper’s place…in the city.”
Mom slams the remote on the armrest of the sofa and it falls to the floor. “Uh-uh, no way, kiddo.”
“What?”
“You disappeared!” she says, eyes blazing. “Again!”
I roll my eyes and drop my shoulders. I’m so sick of this. “We were safe. I told you everything that happened.”
She shakes her head like she’s having too many thoughts and can’t decide which to shout at me first.
“You’ve been back three days and you’re already taking off again.”
“I’m not taking off. I’m going to speak with Jasper about Omar. You know this is important.”
“More important than your safety?”
“Yes!” I don’t mean for it to, but the word explodes out of me.
Mom sits back in her chair like the force of my yell has collided with her and thrown her into the cushions.
“Sorry,” I say, less harsh this time. “I don’t mean to yell but yes, this is more important than my safety. There are so many things that are more important than me. Omar needs me. He needs my help. He doesn’t have all the things I have. He doesn’t have amazing parents like you, who are accepting and who actually give a shit. He doesn’t have a pack. He’s all alone in some prison cell and I’m all he has.” I pause briefly, expecting Mom to jump in, but she doesn’t, she sits and lets me continue.
“I’ve seen a vision, I spoke with Selene, the moon goddess! I’m the blood wolf, Mom, that means I have a gift. It means I’m connected to a greater purpose, to all of wolfkind. There are people out there who need me, who need my help. And I’m sorry but that means I can’t avoid every single dangerous thing that could be out there. I’m going to be put in more danger, that’s just the truth. The world is dangerous and we can’t avoid that.”
“But you don’t have to go running into danger,” she says quietly, tears brimming in her eyes.
I take a step toward her. “Maybe I do. Maybe when no one else is willing to…I do.”
Her eyes are shiny with unshed tears, but she doesn’t look sad, instead she has this sort of impressed half smile going on.
