Chapter 16 - Rand

Silence hung over the group as I finished telling them everything. The Silver Wolves all stared at me, identical expressions of shock on all of them.

"She said they were coming here?" Jameson asked.

I nodded.

"Why would she tell you, though?" Tannen asked. "That seems like a bizarre change of heart. She really didn't tell you?"

"She tried to explain, but I didn't particularly care to hear her out at the moment," I growled. "I figured there'd be time for that after I brought her here. My main focus was making sure she didn't get away."

No one pointed out that I'd done a shit job on that end. They didn't have to.

"So what's the plan, then?" Mark asked. "We need to prepare for an attack, but can we actually trust all her information? For all we know, this whole thing was a lie to throw us off."

"You don't need to remind me that she tricked me," I snarled. "I'm very aware of that fact."

"Regardless of how much she's lying, she's our best asset at the moment," Jameson said. "We need to get her back here and get as much information as we can from her. That's our top priority."

"Great," I said, already heading for the door. "Let's find her before it's too late."

"Not you, Rand," Jameson ordered.

I snarled but stopped, turning to glare at him. "Why not?" I demanded.

"Probably because you're too pissed off," Mark said.

Jameson nodded. "You're not going to be able to think straight. Stay here. I want some of you to stick to town, anyway, just in case the Gray Wolf decides to make his move tonight."

"I want to be the one to find Astrid," I argued.

"And I told you no."

I marched toward him, hovering over my alpha by a good head. He looked back at me, not breaking eye contact, expression steely.

"You're staying here," Jameson said. "Trust the rest of us to find her. We've done enough search-and-recover missions to know how to find her."

Complying, I stayed where I was, silent, bristling. If he weren't my alpha, I would have decked him. But even my wolf had respect for Jameson, and as angry as I was, I wouldn't hurt him.

That didn't change the fact that I was still furious.

"Think of it this way," Tannen chimed in. "You'll get first dibs on the Gray Wolf if he comes early."

As usual, Tannen had a point. I grumbled but nodded, jerking my head as I took a step away from Jameson.

"Right," Jameson said as if nothing had happened. "She's gotten a couple hours' head start. We'll spread out and head out of Brixton in different directions so we'll cover the entire perimeter. Let's go out twenty miles to start. If we don't find her, we'll expand the perimeter or come back to defend the town, depending on the situation. If any of you find Astrid, bring her in."

The rest of the Silver Wolves nodded. Jameson then delegated different directions for each wolf, leaving me, Mark, and Luke behind in case of an attack.

I paced back and forth, glancing at the clock every few seconds as if expecting one of them to come back with Astrid already. As I released some of that pent-up energy, the rage began to simmer down, still present, still fresh, but quieter than it had been. Quiet enough that I could think straight and begin to ask questions.

What if she had been telling the truth? I knew enough about Astrid to know she would do just about anything for Thea. I had no doubt that she would fall in with the wrong crowd if she had thought it was the best for Thea.

I remembered when we were dating, she had made it clear that Thea was always going to be in the picture. That she wouldn't leave her behind for anyone.

Except, if her story was to be believed, she had for me.

I pushed it from my mind. There was no way Astrid would risk Thea like that. That was why I had thought she was lying in the first place. Even if she was telling the truth, she could have been manipulating me to save Thea.

Unless she got in too deep , a thought in my head said. Unless she thought telling you was the only way to guarantee her sister would be safe.

I blocked out the voice, trying to hide my growing discomfort. Astrid was lying. She had to be. End of story.

So why didn't I believe it?

"You all right, man?" Mark asked.

"I'm fine," I growled. "Never been better."

He left me alone to pace after that, and my thoughts swam in murky water as I tried to make sense of the last few hours. Because no matter what I kept telling myself, something didn't feel right, and I needed to figure out why.