Page 38 of Israel

He shut up.

“All my life. All my life I’ve had people arranging every fucking thing without asking me. My parents. My brothers. The Elders of our people. Everyone knew what was best for me. They had my whole life mapped out, from what subjects I should study in school to what activities I should pursue and what ‘accomplishments’ I should learn. Whenever I dared to say what I wanted to do, they just looked at me like I was a bug on the floor. If I was lucky, they ignored me. If I wasn’t, they punished me for being ‘willful’ and ‘inappropriate.’”

Israel leaned against the door, listening.

“I always gave in,” she said, more quietly. “I wanted them to love me. But after a while, I figured out that they only loved me when I did what they wanted. Then I met this guy and…I thought he was different. I thought he loved me, but he was only trying to get in with my family and advance his own career. Once he had that, I didn’t matter anymore.”

Israel could hear the heartbreak in her voice. His wolf growled, wanting to bleed this person who’d hurt Ashley.

Someone should bleed me, he said to his wolf. I’m the one who hurt her this time.

His wolf whined.

She finished, “After that I didn’t care. I only wanted my music, and I fought to get away, to come to Nashville and sing. I cried and screamed and threatened and cajoled, and you know what? It was demeaning. Because I still knew it was all up to them. I couldn’t just decide to come and do all this—they had to let me. And any minute, they could decide to take it all away.”

Israel couldn’t imagine what that would be like. He’d never had anyone in his life at all, until Kane, and then later the pack. And it had been lonely. Scary, sometimes. But at least he had control of his own life, and he was able to make his own destiny.

She looked at him. “I know you think I micromanage everything, and maybe I do, more than I need to. But you have no idea how it feels to me, to be able to tell people what I want, to decide how things are going to be. Even if it’s as stupid as a picture on a webpage.”

She went on, “But even if you think I’m doing it all wrong, it’s mine to do. You don’t get to come along behind me and just decide I’m going to do it differently—or not at all—and just make that happen. Especially by lying and deceiving and using my name. I should totally fire your ass right now.”

Oh, fuck. He couldn’t let her do that. His wolf was panicking. She’s going to make us leave.

“Please don’t do that,” he said.

She stood, hands on her hips, staring at him. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t.”