him. We barely knew each other for all that I’d saved his life. I wasn’t comfortable speaking about Chaz’s betrayal yet, though I’d no doubt be railing and ranting about it as soon as I had a chance to wrap my wits around all the crazy twists and turns my life had taken in the last twenty-four hours.
He stared at me evenly across the table, the chocolate hue of his irises darkening. I tensed, but he gave no other sign of apprehension; his fingers curled loosely around his mug, and the set of his shoulders remained relaxed. It both relieved and bothered me that he wasn’t more upset about my predicament.
“So you’ve been injured, possibly infected, outside of a contract. Have you informed any authorities?”
“No,” I said, mollified that he was more interested in the technicalities than the dirty details of Chaz’s infidelity or what had led up to the scratches on my arm. “I wasn’t sure what to do at first. I only just got home. I’m afraid to go to a hospital for the vaccination shots.”
“Don’t bother,” he said, holding up a hand. “It’s not worth it. The chances of the shots stopping the infection from spreading are far lower than they would have you think, and it will only endanger you if your name goes on a list of possible lycanthropes. We’ve lost three of our newest pack members since January; it wouldn’t do to have you become a statistic, too.”
Chilled, I nodded and hid my discomfited grimace by taking another long sip of coffee. I very nearly choked on it at his next words.
“It could be war between the Moonwalkers and the Sunstrikers if we take you in. I’m not sure that I can risk it.”
I grabbed a stray napkin from the middle of the table and blotted my lips, coughing my breath back so I could speak. “Why? Chaz burned his bridges with me when he cheated on me. Why couldn’t you take me?”
Rohrik met my gaze, his own reflecting a great deal of regret in the face of my confusion. “You may not have been contracted to him, but Chaz was grooming you to be a part of his pack. He wouldn’t take it kindly if we offered you a place in our ranks after he’d spent so much time and effort on you. Werewolves are very territorial, Ms. Waynest. He’d see it as an unforgiveable encroachment if you joined our pack instead of his. We outnumber the Sunstrikers by a great deal, but they are still the third largest pack in the state. Relations between us are already quite strained, and I can’t see how this would improve matters.”
I carefully placed my coffee down in front of me, rubbing at my burning eyes with both hands. Not that long ago, I’d have sworn I’d rather be dead than furry. Now I was upset because the werewolves wouldn’t have me. Funny how these things turn out.
“Okay.” I paused to compose myself before continuing. My life was turning into one long comedy of errors. If I kept up at this rate, I’d be a homeless werewolf begging for spare change from the tourists in Central Park before the month was out. I needed to come up with a plan. “I see what you’re saying. I know this is a risk for you. But I’m willing to use every resource I have to back you up, too. If you’ll help me, I have friends in The Circle, in another Were pack”—if the Nightstrikers could even be called as much—“and I can also ask for help from Alec Royce. I can bring a lot to the table, even if it’s only temporary. If I am infected and you really don’t want me to stick around, then just help me get through the first time or two so I don’t hurt myself or someone else when the change comes. Please? That’s all I’m asking.”
Maybe it was the helpless despair to my tone, or the “please” I tacked on at the end. Rohrik reddened, rubbing the back of his neck and glancing away.
“I can do that much. I can’t promise we’ll keep you in the pack, but we’ll help you through the change and with sorting out how your new needs will fit into your lifestyle.”
New needs? There was a thought that didn’t bear much scrutiny. It was my turn to look away, fingers tightening on my mug as I thought about Chaz’s talk of “needs” in the car.