pointing to each building in succession.
“Yep, and if there’s anything you need, all you have to do is ask,” Stinger adds.
I stop in my tracks and look at the two of them incredulously. “Okay, what the motherfuck?” I demand. “Why is everyone being so welcoming? What’s the catch?”
They both look at me with mixed forms of pity. Normally, that would piss me the fuck off. I don’t want or need anyone’s pity. But I realize in this moment that they don’t mean it in a condescending way. It’s just a piece of empathy for a stranger who doesn’t understand their world at all.
“No catch,” Stinger tells me.
“There’s always a catch,” I insist. “Everything that seems too good to be true always is.”
Stinger just smiles. “Stick with us, Cruella. You’ll realize that this place is the exception.”
Pursing my lips, I stay silent as we walk through the compound, and I try to wrap my head around all of this. As we get closer to the buildings, I start to see random shifters all over the place, and the sight is fucking bizarre.
There’s a koala draped over the back of a horse as he chomps on some grass on the side of the road. There’s a few people playing volleyball with a seal. In the distance, I can see a lion taking a fucking nap with a lamb in the sun-soaked earth.
“Jesus. You guys really live up to your name.”
They chuckle, looking pleased.
As we get closer to the warehouses, I see families in front of one of the mate cabins, two parents with a couple of kids racing around the yard with a hose, their high-pitched giggles cutting through the air.
And that’s when uneasiness grabs hold of me.
This pack really is different. It’s as obvious as the sun shining in the sky. I have been to thousands of shifter compounds over the years, and there has never been one like this.
It shouldn’t exist.
All of these different types of shifters living together in harmony? No violent hierarchy or bastard alpha ruling like an evil monarch? This is...unheard of. A dream come true. It’s like the universe chewed me up just so it could spit me out right here.
This is probably the only pack in the world who’d take in a rogue like me. Hell, the alpha even offered to help me remove my collar. It’s the most perfect pack I could ever hope to find. A place where I could actually be happy. And that’s what fucking sucks the most.
Because the fact of the matter is, I can’t stay here.
What kind of person would I be if I brought down Kaazu on this pack? Or the Rockhead fuckers who definitely have it out for me now?
I’m a shitty, selfish, surly person, but even I can’t use Pack Aberrant as a barrier.
So I’ll just recharge here for a bit. Rest. Eat. Get supplies. Get help with my collar. Make sure Addie’s really okay. I’ll get my bearings and make a plan, enjoy being safe for a little while.
Just a small rest.
And then I’ll be out of here.
9
Jetta
I’m still here.
Clearly, I’m complete shit at taking small rests anywhere.
“We’ll try something else.”
I glance over at Addie where she stands next to Hugo. She looks sad, despite the fact that she tries to cover it up. The alpha’s face is stoic though, giving nothing away.
Me? I’ve been trained my whole life to perform, which means that my face always exudes something—but what that something is, is entirely intentional.
Like I said, I’ve been trained to perform. I know how to put on an act. And right now? I’m acting like I don’t give a flying fuck that their third attempt at removing this collar just failed.
Emotions war inside of me, because I’m disappointed...but I’m also relieved.
I’ve always wanted to get this collar off. For my whole life, I’ve wanted that. But now, it feels like a ticking time bomb wrapped around my neck. If I get it off, I have no other reason to stay here. And as much as I know I need to leave, I just...don’t.
I tried to leave once. It was a half-assed attempt, but I did try.
While I thought Addie was out of the warehouse, I impulsively grabbed a bag and planned to just slip out without saying anything. But Addie discovered me and convinced me to stay longer, and I gave in because I’m weak and I’m a selfish bitch. I’ve gotten comfortable here, which is dangerous. For them.
Last week, I fought alongside