that I knew demanded obedience.
Hunter’s jaw tightened and his eyes flashed golden yellow.
“We are here because of a witch.”
My breath caught in my throat. Keith squeezed my knee as if to reassure me. Instead I felt like he was holding onto me, keeping me from bolting from the table.
“Well, not exactly. More the warlock who attacked some of our pack mates.”
Keith, Griffin and I seemed to share the same relief, but in a different way. Griffin tore his gaze from mine. Keith released his grip and I let out a slow breath. A new hand touched my other knee. It was gentle. Almost so faint that I was sure I imagined it. I stole a quick look over at Hunter who watched subtly.
“I have decided that given Colette’s past it would be best for her to wait here until we either retrieve our man, or dispose of him completely. We will pick her up after we have completed our mission.”
“And when exactly did you decide that you were going to take a member of my pack away?” Isaac’s frame straightened a little.
“We know who she is. She isn’t technically part of this pack. As Hunter is her mate, he has every right to take her home.”
Jude stated, watching Isaac. Calculating. Seeing the influence of his words.
“That’s an old law. No one follows that and you know it. Colette has been in my Beta’s care since she was a child. She belongs to this pack. She has every right to stay if she doesn’t want to leave. It is her decision, not yours.”
All eyes turned to me and I tried to swallow the lump of food in my throat. I thought about it. What did I want? Truthfully at the moment I just wanted their ever increasing curious stares to move away from me. I wanted to bind my other half. I wanted to know for sure who I was. My past. Griff looked upset but… in time he would learn to live without me.
Griffin was strong, he always had been, when we were children in those cages he was the one who told me never to cry while the men were in the room. I knew one day, maybe even sooner than later, he would find his mate. He would eventually stop looking at me like he was now. Like I was his world. I no longer felt the same way about his loving gaze. My heart didn’t skip a beat at the thought of him kissing me. Instead I felt the love of a best friend, but he would never be everything I needed him to be.
And I would never be that for him.
I shyly looked over at Hunter. He seemed so uptight. Even in the morning Griffin, would still be playful, even if he wasn’t a morning person. Hunter on the other hand looked like a person who might not enjoy mornings but he was still awake because he had work to do. I had rarely seen him smile, and one thing I learned from my time in that cage was a smile was a gift. To be happy was not a privilege everyone got to enjoy. Maybe he was worth trying to make smile. I would never know if I didn’t give us a chance. Fear would keep me here for now, until I could destroy my other half. When he was away on his mission, I could complete my own.
“Hunter deserves a chance. I would be willing to go with him after his mission, given some terms.”
Chapter 9 — Terms and Conditions
Half of the breakfast table practically exploded. Well mostly it was Griffin, he stood so fast that he knocked back his chair, aiming a glare at me. There was a snarl on his lips. He was livid, the hatred burned from his eyes. Isaac turned to look at his son, but Rose and Keith both stared at me. Rose’s eyes filled with unshed tears and her lip trembled.
I couldn’t bear to look at her any longer. Keith’s brows were pinched, and his eyes were glossy with the pain that I had caused him. The food that I ate was merging into a ball of steel in my gut. I wasn’t hungry anymore and excused myself from the table after Griffin had stormed off.
I headed up to my room to change clothes. In my room all I could think about was how in a few weeks things would be different. I shut my door. And pressed