She kicks me in the shin.
"Tell me the truth, you idiot!"
"Uh—" I try to think of what truth she’s asking for."I don't really hate hanging out with you?"
"Not that truth!Moron!"
"My wolf wants to keep you and never let you go?"The words come out before I can stop them."And, since we're truth-telling, I don't want to let you go either.I'm not sure I can."
She stops.Stares at me."Uh.Not that truth, but that's...uh...interesting."
We stand there for a second.
"Tell me the truth about my father," she says."What happened?"
Oh.
That truth.
I take a breath."Your father was dealing drugs.Plant-based hallucinogens.Dangerous ones.I saw him in the woods handing off a bag to someone I didn't recognize.I followed him after the buyer left, and I found his stash hidden in a hollow tree."
Her face goes very still.
"There was enough there to get him executed," I say."So I destroyed it.I left the bag because I couldn’t hide his crimes completely.I couldn’t let him hang around here and deal drugs.I figured that if they suspected, but weren’t completely sure, the council would exile him instead of kill him.I thought—" I stop."I thought that was better.For you."
She's staring at me.
"He chose exile over being compelled by a truth mage," I add."He ran.If he'd been innocent, he could have stayed and proved it."
Silence.A bird calls somewhere overhead.The wind moves through the pines.
"I need some time to think," she says finally.
"Okay."
"I'm going back to the guesthouse."
"I can't let you go back there alone.My wolf can’t handle it right now."
Her head snaps up."I can leave if I want to!”
"My wolf won't let me."I'm not budging.I don't even want to budge."I can't—" I struggle for the words."I can't watch you walk away right now."
"You don't own me!The bond doesn't mean—"
"Andrew!"a voice comes shouting from the treeline.
We both turn.Cole is running through the trees toward us, moving fast, and the look on his face makes my stomach drop.
"Andrew!Henrietta's uncle is heading to Hannigan's Bar parking lot right now to death challenge Roderick Frost!"
I wheel on Henrietta."Roderick?Why in the hell would he—"
Her face goes pale.
And I get it."This is what you weren't telling me."
"Oh God."Her voice cracks."Roderick's trying to claim me and I told my uncle and now he's trying to take care of it."
