Moon Claimed (Werewolf Dens #2) - Kelly St. Clare Page 0,74
I could appreciate. “I felt the same when I set foot into this valley.”
“Sometimes, when I’m upset, I just go out and hug the trees. Makes me feel good inside.”
Wade coughed into his water.
I schooled my features. “If it makes you happy, I’m all for tree hugging.”
Her gaze turned dreamy. “Yes. Happy and peaceful.” A wrinkle formed between her brows. “Rhona’s made concerning comments at trainings—about a more violent approach to the game.”
Dammit.
I tapped a finger on the threadbare side of the sofa. “I’m sure you can appreciate that my sister has lost two grandparents and her father to Luthers. Her views are a way of expressing her current grief. I assure you that there are no plans to take a more violent approach against our opponent.”
The training propaganda was an issue, but I’d started waking at 4:00 a.m. to cram study, shift, and run. I made it to the manor for the first head team meeting at 8:00 a.m. when dawn training ended. I wasn’t sure how to stomp on the problem without being physically present.
Jessi sighed. “I’m glad to hear it. Do you think I should talk to Rhona about hugging trees?”
Wade piped up, “Please do. I think she’d greatly benefit from it. Don’t you think so, Head Steward?”
Bastard. I nodded, shooting him a death look. “Absolutely.”
A few minutes later, Wade interrupted our conversation on whether dirt had feelings. We walked to the door and I shook her hand in both of mine.
“Andie,” she said. “I mean, Head Steward, it’s so nice of you to stop by and see me. I don’t play a big part in Grids—I never much liked shooting the tranquiliser gun—but this tribe means everything to me.”
“Jessi, you’re an essential part of our tribe and the game. I mean that with complete sincerity. If you ever have a question or concern, my door is wide open.”
We left to her repeated thanks.
“Sweet lady,” I murmured.
Wade slanted a look at me as I pulled Ella F out of the bumpy driveway. “You know, you’re kind of amazing at this.”
I scoffed. “Whatever.”
“I’m serious. You connect with people so easily. That double-hand handshake is inspired. I’m almost envious.”
“Don’t be. A connection is easy to fake. Very few of my relationships progress past that—and most that did ended in a burning ball of flame.”
“Your mum and Herc?”
They were the two main ones. “Yes.”
“To be fair, I’m not sure they could have lied more than they did.”
I blew out a breath. “Tell me about it. And that’s not all.” Now the dog was out of the rucksack, it made no sense to hold anything back.
I filled him in on Murphy and my suspicions about Pascal and the journals.
Wade blew out a breath. “You think Herc killed him? That’s really hard to imagine.”
Unless Pascal fessed up, I’d never know for sure. “It’s a possibility I can’t deny after how easily he drew a gun on Sascha.”
“Since you brought up the werewolf himself, what’s happening there?”
I sighed. “I keep going back to what happened in Sandstone. Herc knew that killing Sascha would hurt me, but he still fired. So, did Herc come to protect my life at all? Or did he come to protect the image of me as a Thana and his eldest daughter? On one hand, I feel like I lost Herc too soon, but I also don’t stand with slaughtering someone you hate or disagree with. I’ve let go of enough anger to see that Sascha was defending himself and me too. In my mind, that’s an acceptable reason for what he did. I believe Herc was in the wrong that night.”
Wade chewed his lip. “That’s a lot to process. Baby girl… you may not find the tribe very open-minded on that front.”
“Don’t worry—that’s between us.” I took the manor turnoff.
“Does that change things between you and Sascha?”
“Wouldn’t the thought of me being with him disgust you? Seriously, you’re so unjudgmental, it’s almost off-putting.”
“Thank you. Flattery will get you somewhere with me, but don’t think you’re getting out of King Wade Day.”
I grinned. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Well then, I’ll tell you what I saw a few days ago. I saw a woman wrapped in a sheet come out of Sascha Greyson’s bungalow. And her nipples were hard.”
Ugh.
“Something that’s never happened around me, I might add,” he said. “I saw that same woman stop crying when Sascha Greyson held her. Then, I saw her blush like a schoolgirl meeting One Direction after a certain Luther kissed her on the cheek.