Chapter 6

Eli

"Feels weird to be away from the pack. Don't you think?" Aldryn asked.

It felt freeing, but I wasn't sure that saying that out loud was the best option. Eventually I would need to be honest with Aldryn about how things were for me at our old pack. Yet, I hesitated because I didn't wish to experience his pity. And now, he had his own troubles to track down. I was more than happen to be there for him and to keep the spotlight off me.

Aldryn knew that I wasn't happy in our pack, but the extent of the misery I faced was not something we talked about often.

I grinned at him. Being with him made all of the misery worth it, even if we could never be more than friends. It wasn't as if I could profess my feelings now. He was going through his own crisis and didn't need my feelings clouding his judgment. And let's be honest, I was never going to admit it out loud anyway, no matter how often I practiced the speech.

"Yeah, it feels really weird not having to wake up to go to work." And do dishes. Also, with the amount of snacks and food his mom packed for us, I would not go hungry.

"I might miss Mom's cooking."

I laughed. "Your mom is a good cook. She sent us with plenty of cookies."

"It's not the same. Does your aunt cook much?"

I shook my head. She did cook, but I was only allowed what was left after the family had eaten their fill.

"Have you talked with the Alpha about the teaching position?" Aldryn asked. I sensed that he wanted to focus on something other than why we were traveling. I was happy to oblige him.

"There aren't any open at the moment. I haven't spoken with him about it recently, though."

"Perhaps you can ask if there's anything you can do at the school to get your foot in the door? One of the biggest reasons my sister wanted to leave the pack was because the schools we have are understaffed. Surely they would welcome an extra set of hands. I don't understand why they didn't just hire you straight out of college."

This was a conversation we had had many times before, ever since I got my degree, which wasn't exactly like a teaching degree that humans got. Mine was a combination of college courses and shifter-focused courses.

I didn't have the heart to tell Aldryn that my aunt had blocked me from working at the school. If I worked at the school, I'd make more money and would be able to move out of her home. Staying working at the lodge meant that my paycheck went to her and I never had enough to move.

"I will," I said.

"Maybe when we get back? I can go talk to him with you."

"No," I said quickly. Too quickly. The last thing I needed was someone fighting my battles for me, especially someone in the higher class. "I'll be fine. And I like working at the lodge."

"Right, but I know how much you love teaching. You love kids. You always seem to have so much fun on the days you babysit for pack members."

I grinned. I really did. Kids were easier than adults. They didn't know the nuances of our class structure yet, and so they treated me like a person. "I have still been babysitting for anyone who needs it." I had all of that money tucked into my bag just in case I needed it for this trip. My aunt did not know that I was paid for the babysitting that I did, so she had no way of knowing I had any extra money at all.

We were quiet for a while, and I thought about telling him about how I'd applied at another pack to work. That interview had gone well. I hadn't heard anything from them, but that didn't mean the option was off the table. Plus, there were other packs and even a few prides I could apply to work for. Other packs that didn't have the same hierarchy that ours did. I could go to one of those and be treated almost like an equal. What a concept.

"I really appreciate you coming along with me," Aldryn said again. It was the fifth time he'd told me. He squeezed my hand again.

It wasn't often that we held hands, but it seemed as if he didn't ever let me go now that he had shifted. He'd had his hand on or near mine for the entire drive so far. I had to keep myself from reaching over and running my fingers over the nape of his neck.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," I said. "I'm really excited to meet your brothers, that'll be interesting. I am sure they are amazing."

Mentioning his potential family was like a cloud entering the car and making the air too thick to breathe.

Aldryn's features darkened, and he gripped the steering wheel until white showed on his knuckles. It was almost like his skin flashed the green hue of his scales. I sensed his dragon rising to the surface.

"Shit. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have—"

"It's fine."

"We don't have to talk about it."

"I want to. With you. Not with anyone else. It's just weird, because I have a family. I mean, I knew that I was adopted. No one ever made a secret of that. Obviously, I wasn't a wolf. I just didn't know if I'd ever see my other family, my biological one. And now that I'm on this quest to go find them… It's a lot to take in."

I dropped his hand and put my hand on his shoulder, offering as much comfort as I could. He relaxed under my touch and let out a long breath. My fingers tingled with the heat of his skin, almost like touching the front of an oven. It wasn't enough to burn, but I felt the heat. His skin felt rough, like scales were erupting.

"Pull over at this town," I said. "Let's take a break." We had been in the car for a few hours. Shifters didn't always do well when confined, especially when they were so close to their first shift. We might not find a place where Aldryn could let his dragon out, but we could at least walk around and get some fresh air.

"There." I pointed to the exit. It had a sign indicating there was some sort of event happening in the town. Since I couldn't see any buildings off the highway, I assumed the town was small.

Either way, we were about to find out.