Buckle blinks back at me. “Why?”
“My Kettle...” I look to Perry for help as I dig my hands into the blanket below me.
Perry squeezes my shoulder, but doesn’t take over the story.
My shoulders drop. “My Kettle very much thinks we should keep humans out of shifter towns, so shifters have the freedom to be themselves. But at Mink Hollow, they accept everyone. There was a war between the different shifter types and my Kettle was pushed out to keep the peace. There are a lot of rules at Hawk Ridge.” I rub my chest and keep to myself how harsh the Kettle has turned even on their own people. I hate that it still has a pull on me. Even here I feel the magic of my Kettle.
“I’m sorry,” Buckle says. He swipes a hand through his thick hair. “But you’re not there anymore. You’re here with us.”
“For now,” I whisper.
“What does that mean?” Perry asks.
“It’s nothing,” I say.
Buckle tips my chin up to force me to look into his eyes. They’re so intense and I close mine to keep from losing myself.
“Abel.”
“It’s nothing. I’m a Beta.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Perry asks.
I swallow again and again. “Water.” I croak, and Buckle runs from the room.
Perry seems to slide closer to me and I pop to my feet, needing space. “Sorry.” I pace back and forth in front of thedresser until Buckle races back with a bottle of water. He unscrews the cap and hands it to me. I can stall only for so long.
“Come back.” Perry pats the space I left.
I shake my head, placing the water bottle on the dresser. “Better if I stand.” I go back to my pacing. “No one in Mink Hollow knows this.”
“Go on,” Buckle urges.
“I’m the Kettle heir.”
They both suck in a breath.
“But my Kettle doesn’t want me. They kicked me from the Nest a decade ago and I found myself here. In Mink Hollow. It’s so nice and I’m terrified my parents will send the enforcers after me. Or worse, try to destroy the town before. But I’m a Beta. Not worth the effort. I’m not useful to anyone, according to the Kettle. I’m weak. They said they’ll find someone else. I hope they do.” I squeeze my hands into fists as I shake.
“Fuck,” Perry whispers.
“You said it,” Buckle says.
“So, I should leave because I don’t want either of you sucked into Kettle politics.”
“But it’s not a done deal?” Buckle asks.
I breathe slow. “I know my family. Someday they’ll come for me. Maybe not to make me Kettle heir, but they’ll take me from the place I love and force me to do their bidding.”
“Then we won’t let them,” Buckle says.
“And how do you propose we keep them from taking me?” The words are snappier than I intend and I cringe. “Sorry,” I whisper.
Perry looks to Buckle.
Buckle pops to his feet. “The only thing I can think of that might work would be a bond mark or we could scent mark you every day from now until eternity.”
My bones turn to liquid and I’d slide to the floor if I hadn’t of grabbed the dresser. “A bond mark means sex.”
