28. Daphne

CHAPTER 28

DAPHNE

R ory’s story was even more tragic than mine. He also grew up in a family he couldn’t relate to, but whereas my parents were just selfish and neglectful, his parents were aggressive and cruel. He told me awful things about how they would ‘train’ the young shifters to lose control and let the wolf take over—mostly by taunting them, beating them, until the kids snapped and their animal instincts kicked in.

Beyond that, they were being fed false information about humans. How we were nothing but a bunch of mindless flesh suits, who had no business running the world. It would seem that Rory’s old pack wasn’t just fighting for their right to exist or fighting to keep themselves safe. They believed there was a war coming and that they needed to be prepared to take down any human that got in the way of them winning that war. It was like something from a fairy tale book, and the more Rory spoke about his past, the more emotional he became. My heart ached for the poor little boy who had to be put through such horrific trials, and I held him close as he cried into my chest, revealing to me the worst thing he’d ever done—and why he had finally made the decision to run away from his pack.

When all was said and done, the emotional rollercoaster of reliving all of this had clearly taken its toll, and he could hardly get to the point of why he brought all of this up in the first place.

“I would’ve waited to tell you,” he said. “The last thing I want to do is overwhelm you right now, but we have a problem.”

He pulled away from my embrace, but I kept a tight grip on his hand. “What is it?”

“Cornelius was so afraid of what happened last night that he called his sister and asked her to meet us at the house. I think he wants to warn the pack or something, but I still don’t understand why he had to do this in person. It’s reckless.”

“What’s the deal with his sister?”

“He’s convinced that he can trust her, but I’m not so sure. She was young when we left the pack, and none of us besides Cornelius has had any contact with anyone from the pack since the day we walked off the compound. She could show up with backup, and the four of us could be dragged back to the pack against our will.”

I gasped. “You can’t let that happen!”

“Easier said than done,” he told me.

“Can’t you leave town before she gets here?”

“If I run away, not only would I be leaving you, which is not an option, but I’d also be leaving them behind. I know Cornelius is just trying to do what he thinks is best, but he could be walking into a trap. All three of them could. I can’t walk away when there’s a fight possibly coming their way.”

“Then what are you saying?” Fear curled its fingers around me and squeezed the air from my lungs. “Are you going to go there?”

He grew quiet.

“Rory.”

“I have to,” he said eventually. “I’ve been thinking about it all day, and it’s what I have to do. They have always been there for me. They are my family. And I’m not going to let them down. But don’t worry—Al’s going to be here with you, and the second I know for sure that the three of them are safe, I will be right back here with you.”

“I want to come with you,” I protested.

He smiled and kissed me lightly on the mouth. “I love that you just said that, but you can’t. I’m not going to put you in danger again, remember?”

“But—”

“This isn’t up for debate, I’m afraid. If you’re there—I won’t be able to think straight. I won’t be able to help my friends because I’ll be too worried about you.”

I tucked my chin into my chest. “This is so fucking unfair. I just got home. We just found safety and solace, and now you’re going to walk into another fight to the death?”

“Maybe not,” he tried to reassure me. “Maybe I’m the one who’s being paranoid this time, and Cornelius is right.”

“I still don’t like it.”

“I know. I don’t either.” He rested his forehead against mine. “But you understand why I have to do this, right?”

After a few seconds of looking into his eyes, I nodded and closed mine. “Yeah, I do. But do you have to go right now?”

“Soon.”

“But not right now?”

“No. Not right now.”

I closed the gap between us and covered his mouth with mine, drawing him down into me and holding on tight, just in case there was a chance I could still convince him to stay.