Chapter 10
Dakota
The back of my neck kept itching, crawling, like there were ants on me, or someone was watching me from a distance, and it was freaking me the hell out. The feeling made it harder to pay attention to what Prudence was doing, but I tried my best to force my attention to where it belonged.
Healing. I needed to learn healing, so next time I could jump straight to that, instead of having to wait for someone else to help.
The werewolves kept coming and going, though, which wasn’t helping my attention.
Every time someone walked into the room, I felt like I needed to be on guard for a second, until I figured out who it was.
But it was always a pack member, because there was no one in the house who wasn’t pack, unless I was counting Prudence.
Since I trusted Prudence as much as my pack, I shouldn’t be so on edge.
The other wolves, I realized, were even worse off than I was. They were pacing in and out of the room because they had nothing else they could do, unlike me, trying to learn something.
Maia was leaning over the bed, inspecting Cash’s wounds, when her nostrils flared, and I finally realized the biggest issue: the scent of blood. We could all smell blood in what was supposed to be a safe place for the pack. It was unsettling on a primal level.
“Beasts,” the annoying voice from before reiterated. “Beasts rely on their sense of smell to tell them when they’re in danger. They can’t control themselves.”
I scrunched my nose in annoyance and looked around again, but there was no one else in the room, just me, Prudence, Maia, and the unconscious Cash. Surely he hadn’t said it.
There was a scoff at that. “Of course not. He’s just another beast, and a weak one at that.”
That seemed to come from right behind me, and when I spun around, there he was.
I hadn’t heard him come in, or ever seen him before in my life, but he was definitely a member of my family.
He was a beautiful Japanese man, probably in his twenties, but the beauty was marred by the sneer on his face as he looked down on Cash.
“What use is a beast who can’t even defend himself?”
“You listen to me, asshole,” I hissed, stepping in on him, baring my teeth.
“I don’t know who you are or how you got into my house, but that man was attacked by his fucking alpha.
Someone he should have been able to trust with his life.
You’ve got no place to talk shit about someone you don’t even know, for circumstances you’ve never been in.
So if you want to keep being an asshole, you get the hell out of here, you hear me? ”
The man blinked at me, as though shocked, and the whole room went silent but for Cash’s ragged, slow breathing.
After a long moment, Maia broke the silence. “Dakota? Are you . . . okay?”
There was a whine in her voice, something I’d only ever heard directed at an angry Jax before. Fear. Worry. I was her alpha’s mate, and I’d lost my temper at a moment when the whole house was already stressed to its limits.
I turned back to her, schooling my features, trying to make sure I wasn’t presenting her with more reason to worry. “I’m fine. I just . . . am not in the mood to put up with bigoted assholes. The pack hasn’t done anything wrong, and we don’t need to be dealing with some douchebag calling us names.”
She squinted at me, clearly confused, as though she hadn’t been bothered by the bullshit the guy had been spewing.
Prudence, apparently, had no such hesitation. She was frowning at me, and motioned to the asshole at my back. “Dakota honey, exactly who is it you see over there?”
My whole body froze for a second as a picture started to come into focus in my brain. If anyone else in the house had heard the asshole, they’d have snarled as much as I had, maybe more. I had more patience than almost anyone else in the pack, especially given our states of mind in the moment.
More than that, I hadn’t said anything I’d been thinking out loud, but the man had heard and understood me. I hadn’t said that Cash hadn’t been the one to speak; I’d thought it, and the man behind me had heard and responded.
Slowly, I turned back to look at him, and he stared right back at me.
Traditional Japanese clothing. I hadn’t even thought about it, because we’d been in Japan so recently, and seen more than a few people dressed that way even in the modern era. A familiar face like a member of my family.
No.
Not “like” a member of my family.
An actual fucking member of my family.
I swallowed hard and looked back at Prudence. “There’s an Igarashi in the room. You don’t . . . none of you can see him?”
“You can see me?” the asshole demanded from me, but I ignored him.
Prudence looked at me, then made a wide motion to the room, like she was a stage magician showing off something impressive. A rush of silver sparkles filled the room, then slowly faded away.
Well, they faded away everywhere except around me.
When I turned to look at Prudence, her lips were pursed. “It seems that you’ve returned from Japan with a ghost, sweetheart.”
A ghost.
That was exactly the last thing any of us needed right now, when we had more important things to deal with. Life and death things.
As though on cue, the still-unconscious Cash gave a little cough and shifted in the bed. “Jax,” he murmured. “Have to talk to Jax.”
Fuck me.
I had thought we were settling in for a less stressful life now that things with the Igarashi were handled.
Clearly, I was far too optimistic. Without another word, another question about a fucking barnacle of a family ghost or how to get rid of him, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and texted Jax: Come here.
He’s not entirely awake, but he’s asking for you.