She nodded, but hurt flashed as she turned away.
My wolf twisted against my skin, anxious and desperate at her words.
I wanted to argue, but there was no time. Instead, I closed the distance and pressed my mouth to hers in a searing kiss that hopefully spoke louder than words could.
“Lock the door behind me,” I said.
“I will.”
14
Easton
Angus was waiting in the lot when I pulled into Nicole’s Bed & Breakfast and cut the engine. I crossed to where he waited at the edge of the gravel. In the shadows, he looked nearly as dangerous as I felt. After being with Cat, my wolf was stronger than it had been in weeks. I needed to kick someone’s ass—or stop fighting this and just admit that I might be here to stay after all. Where Cat went, I went too.
Even though the idea freaked me out, I couldn’t regret what we’d done. The only thing I regretted was waiting so damn long.
“You ready?” Angus asked, leading the way into the trees. We’d used this path as kids so many times. I wasn’t even surprised to see Angus waiting here. He’d known this is where I’d come to shift. Just like I’d known he wouldn’t let me do it alone.
“Thanks for having my back, man.”
“Always.” When we’d gone far enough from town, he glanced over. “You ready?”
“Let’s do this.”
Together, we shifted.
My wolf burst through faster than it ever had. Blood pumping, my paws hit the ground, and I took off at a run on Angus’s heels. He made a straight path into the deepest parts of the forest, and when we hit the base of the mountain, we began to climb.
Angus didn’t go easy, either. I pushed harder, appreciating the run and the chance to work off some of the rage that had been building since I’d found my mother. The pain in my knee remained a sharp ache as I ran, but I ignored it, pushing harder.
Despite the pain, it felt good to be out here with another wolf. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d run with a partner.
A few miles into the woods, Angus stopped short just before a clearing I’d only visited a few times in my life. Even so, I knew it without a map or directions. But even more than the location, my wolf was drawn to the man inside the circle.
The alpha.
I shook off the pull to go to him, to submit. That’s not what I was here for.
Just outside the clearing, Angus and I shifted back to two legs again, and then he led the way into the gathering space.
“Easton.” Tobias came forward, his broad shoulders moving as he extended a hand toward me. “Good to see you again, son.”
“You too.”
He looked at my wingman. “Angus. Thanks for bringing him in.”
“Is everyone here?” Angus asked, scanning the shadows beyond the firelight. No other pack members had assembled, which surprised me. Tobias was famous for justice and doing things by the book, which meant a public display for trials like these.
But no one else had been summoned except the parties involved.
While Angus searched the space, I’d already spotted him. On the far side of the clearing, beside the sheriff. Sulking.
“Everyone necessary,” Tobias said. “Come. Let’s get started.” He gestured to the sheriff, and he and my father stepped into the light.
I purposely kept my gaze locked on the man who’d raised me. He glanced at me then away again, unwilling to match my stare.
Coward.
Beside him, the sheriff was stiff, arms crossed as if reminding everyone this process was going to be civil.
“We’re here to discuss an incident that happened early this morning involving Bertram Raines and his wife, Trisha,” Tobias began.
I listened as he gave a quick account of my mother’s injuries.
“Shit,” Angus muttered when Tobias finished.
Angus aimed an angry glare at my father. The old man shook his head as if this whole thing were nothing but an inconvenience.
“Bertram, we’ve called you here so that I might act as an intermediary between you and your son,” Tobias said. “And so that we might help prevent something like this from happening again. What do you have to say for yourself?”
“What do I have to say?” my dad repeated, scoffing. “I shouldn’t have to say shit. What goes on in my home is my damn business.”
“When your son calls me to report his mother’s unconscious body, it becomes my business, too,” the sheriff pointed out.
“Trisha ain’t pressin’ charges, so there’s not a damn thing you can do anyway, Zach. This is horse shit.” My father scowled at Tobias. “What happened to protecting our own?”
“We protect our own until they harm others,” Tobias said.
“Especially innocents,” Angus muttered.
“Mind your fucking business,” my dad snapped.
I ground my teeth together to keep from losing it. This was Tobias’s show, not mine.
“Look, it’s all under control,” my father said.
Tobias was unmoved. “You attacked your wife, Bertram. In a town filled with humans who like to gossip.”
“Trisha won’t be a problem,” my father said. “She won’t say anything to anyone about what I am. We’ve been through this before.”
“So I’ve heard.” Tobias glanced at the sheriff. “This makes the fourth report involving a physical altercation. Not to mention the noise complaints from your neighbors over the years.”
“This is slander,” My father huffed, eyes narrowed in fury. He looked from Angus to me then back to Tobias. “Y’all dragging me out here to accuse me of shit, but at the end of the day, the law is what counts.” His mouth curved in the hint of a smile. “And since Trisha ain’t pressin’ charges, I’m free to go.”
I snarled, my wolf surging to the surface. Before I knew it, I’d taken a step forward. Angus grabbed me, hauling me back.
Tobias watched me, his expression set in a hard mask.
“East, you have something to say?”
“Four times on record, but the real number’s
