Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
If I could have beaten myself up for my carelessness, I would have. I knew not to shift, but I’d been losing my damn mind and had needed an outlet. By letting my wolf take control, I hadn't stayed focused on my surroundings as I should have. I was having fun chasing down a flipping rabbit.
Rosemary's charcoal wings spread out, causing her hair to blow around her face. She was somehow even more breathtaking in this form, and I was almost thankful I was in animal form, or I'd have been gawking.
This was the first time I’d seen an angel with wings, and now her rose scent made sense. But I had no clue how her gray sweater wasn't torn to threads.
Thankfully, I couldn't speak to her in wolf form, so it wasn't like I'd be able to answer any of the questions that had to be churning in her mind. I could only hope that she didn't know who I was. Granted, whether Rosemary knew it was me or not, the news of a silver wolf being seen running around near town would cause a lot of excitement and would inevitably get back to the people hunting me.
"What is a silver wolf doing here? I thought they were extinct." She arched an eyebrow as she examined my body. "You need to shift back into human form before someone else sees you."'
Out of every possible scenario, I did not see that one coming. I figured she'd be eager to expose my existence.
"That means you better move your ass now." She waved a hand for added emphasis. "More people run in this section of the woods, so the longer you stay like this, the more likely others will see you."
She was right. These woods were near downtown and close to campus. My dad had been lecturing me about not thinking like a leader, and this proved he was right. Making dumb mistakes like this solidified that I needed him here with me. Not dead. I wasn’t anywhere near ready to lead or even survive on my own without a pack.
Hysteria inched closer to the surface, and I took a deep breath, attempting to keep the negative emotions at bay. I couldn't afford to do another stupid thing.
Not wanting to get close to Rosemary, I nodded and took off, giving her a wide berth. I'd never been around angels before, but I had a feeling they would have an excellent sense of smell like most supernaturals, so the farther I stayed away, the less likely she'd figure out who I was.
Not altering my plan, I rushed back in the direction of my clothes. However, this time, I kept my eyes and ears peeled for sounds coming from any angle. Luckily, all I heard were the animals that naturally lived in the woods.
As I got closer to the edge of the woods near downtown, I slowed to a trot. When I reached my clothes, I scanned the area one more time before shifting back to my human form and getting dressed. I ran a hand through my hair, making sure there weren't any branches or grass stuck in it. I yanked my black top down over my jeans and forced my legs to propel me forward.
I needed to get out of here before Rosemary found me again. I didn't need to help her connect the dots.
This time, instead of almost getting hit, I checked both ways before crossing the street. If that car hadn't been able to stop earlier, I could've died.
What scared me was that dying didn't sound horrible.
If Zoe could hear what I was thinking now, she'd smack the hell out of me. But depression was a bitch, and I was at her mercy.
I got back to the diner as Killian exited. His eyes immediately found mine, and he hurried to me.
"I've been worried sick," he said when he caught up to me. "You freaked out on me."
That pretty much nailed my actions dead on. "Yeah, I'm sorry. The past few days kind of caught up to me, including not being part of a pack any longer. Being a rogue is beginning to take its toll."
"Shit." He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. "I hadn't even thought about you being rogue. Maybe you can join my pack. Not that I want to be your alpha, but it’s a good pack, and you have fighting skills."
"My problems aren't your responsibility." He'd already done so much by giving me a place to stay, finding me a job, getting me a fake ID, and being a friend when I didn't have anyone. He was taking all of this on like my problems were his too. “And, thank you. Let me think on that.” The answer was no, but I didn’t want to hurt his feelings.
"No, they aren't," he agreed and shrugged. "But I'm invested, and there's no getting rid of me. After all, you're my old hag."
A laugh slipped out, surprising me. I glanced around and lowered my voice so no one but Killian could hear me. "Old hag? Wow. No wonder you had to con me into playing this role."
"Con." He gasped and placed a hand on his chest. "That's hurtful."
"But calling me an old hag isn't?" I pushed his arm while smiling. "You turd."
"You keep calling me names, but look what I got for you." He pulled an ID out of his pocket and held it out of my reach. "Now tell me how much you love me, or you won't be getting this."
Enjoying the lighthearted moment, I sprang into action and elbowed him in the stomach, causing him to lean forward while trying to block me. I spun out, grabbing the ID as I moved. I looked at the picture, which was the one Killian had taken that first night on his phone, and read the name.
Dove Davis .
I tapped my finger on the ID and grimaced. "Dove Davis ?"
"Yup." Killian nodded and waggled his brows. "Double Ds, right there."
The sexual innuendo rang clear. "That's why you picked Davis?"
"Think of it as an inside joke." His smile was full of pride. "I mean, it's not like you have to pull that out whenever you meet someone."
"Even if I did, I'm pretty sure most wouldn't think about boobs." At least, I hoped not.
"Come on, let's go." He took my hand and led me to the truck. "Before you're late and Carter shits a brick."
"Wow, your eloquence is on point today." I stuck out my tongue, trying to keep the conversation lighthearted.
When we got settled in the car, Killian pulled out of the parking spot and glanced at me. "You do realize that the longer you stay rogue, the more your mind will slip."
"I know, but what am I supposed to do?" I stared at my hands. "It's not like finding a pack that works for me is a simple thing to do. I’m an alpha." I wouldn't be able to submit to another alpha. Dad was the alpha when I was born, and he was also my parent, so accepting his authority over me hadn’t been an issue. But I was born to lead, which made this whole situation complicated. I wouldn't be able to join a pack unless I could be the alpha. My wolf wouldn't let me, and there wasn't going to be a current alpha who would stand down... especially for a girl. Male alphas tended to frown upon women in leadership roles, although that made me even more determined to prove myself.
I got that Killian didn’t want to be an alpha—at least, not yet—but I didn’t want to take over his pack. That wouldn’t feel right. I could tell he was meant to lead.
"Why am I not surprised by that? That does make things way more complicated. Maybe we should try running together," he suggested.
"No!" I said quickly.
His face fell, and his hands fidgeted on the steering wheel.
Great, I'd hurt his feelings. I hadn't meant to. Rosemary already knew the truth; maybe I should let him in too. "There's another reason I can't run with you or join your pack."
'’And what's that?" His forehead lined with confusion. He was making it abundantly clear that he wouldn't be dropping it, and in fairness, with the way he was helping me, he had a right to know. "Can you not shift or something?"
"You have to swear that if I tell you this, it stays between us. No one else can know. Not Griffin. Nobody." The last thing I needed was Griffin or Luna finding out unless they had to be let in on my secret later. Or if Rosemary figured out who I was and told people.
"If I haven't proven my trustworthiness by now, I'm not sure what else I can do." Killian scowled.
Fair enough, but I’d known him for only two days. It was kind of insane to think about revealing what I was to anyone after living my entire life in secret, but all I got was good vibes from him. I'd have to go with my gut.
"Have you heard of silver wolves?" Maybe he could figure it out on his own instead of me having to say the actual words.
"The race of wolves that once served as the protectors of Shadow City and were connected to the moon?" He nodded. "Atticus raised Griffin on stories about them. They sounded badass. It's too bad that they died off. I heard that they were powerful."
"Well, they all did die off—two days ago. Except for one, who managed to escape." I said the words quietly, bracing for his reaction.
He blinked a few times, staring straight ahead as the words settled over him. He inhaled. "You're a silver wolf ?" He turned to face me. "How the hell is that possible? Your race left the city over one thousand years ago and vanished."
There had to be a piece of the story missing. "Atticus knew my dad, who was the alpha of our pack. My dad even visited the city at least once because Atticus wanted us to come back."
"Why did your ancestors leave?" He rolled his shoulders. "Did whoever attacked you know what your pack was?"
"All I know is that we left because things were taking a turn, and our race was being used for corrupt things." Dad never got into specifics. He’d said he'd tell me more when the time came for me to lead the pack. But that wasn't relevant now. "And the people who killed my pack knew. They attacked on the new moon when we’re at our weakest and more in line with the strength of a normal wolf shifter. What I can figure is that they wanted to capture me alive so they could take me to someone to make babies with him."
"Why would anyone want to be forced into a mate bond?" He lifted a hand. "Not that you aren't gorgeous. I'd be all up on you if you didn't remind me of my sister."
For once, I was speechless. A car blew a horn, startling me. Both Killian and I looked out the windshield and found ourselves barreling down the wrong lane right toward a huge SUV.
"Fuck!" Killian yelled as he jerked the steering wheel hard to the right.
My breath caught as my head snapped sideways. I closed my eyes, bracing for impact, and forced my body to relax, remembering one of the training exercises Dad made us do regularly. When your body was relaxed, you didn't get as injured as if you tensed up. That was one reason that drunk drivers so often walked away from an accident without injury.
After a few seconds, nothing happened, and I opened my eyes to find Killian wiping his forehead then clenching the wheel extra hard.
He glanced at me. "Are you hurt?"
"Eyes on the road." I snapped, not wanting to experience that again. "If you can't stay focused, we can chat later."
"I'm fine now." He patted his chest. "I knew you had secrets, but I would've never guessed that."
No one would. "To answer your question, any child I bear will be a full-blooded silver wolf."
"How is that possible?" He grimaced. "I mean, wouldn’t that be only if you mated with another silver wolf?"
"Let me repeat." I chuckled. "Any child I bear will be one hundred percent silver wolf. It has to do with our connection to the moon."
"How could you know that unless..." He trailed off. "Did your pack mate with normal wolves? Have you not been hidden all this time? Why haven’t any of us heard you exist?"
He was asking a lot of good questions that I'd never thought about before. "Yes, sometimes, although we did stay hidden as much as possible. We integrated into society to find our fated mates—no one outside our pack was allowed to be brought home unless they were a pack member’s fated mate. Because of that connection and the need to keep growing our pack, those were the exceptions. However, we’d go to the grocery store and school like any other wolf would. We just didn’t shift with outside wolves or invite them to our homes. We kept a safe distance from them."
"That's insane." Killian turned the truck toward the entrance of Shadow Ridge University. "So whoever this person is wants you so he can father silver wolves. This is so much worse than I expected."
And that was when it hit me. Now that he knew my entire story, he might not want me around. I couldn't blame him, with the danger hanging over me. "I get it if you want me to leave."
"Of course I don't." He reached over and patted my arm. "You're only the second person I’ve truly connected with since my own family died. And honestly, the reason I live in the Ridge is because my pack became the protectors once the silver wolves left. Maybe with you by my side, I could become the type of alpha my pack needs and the two of us can work together."
"Really?" I’d never thought Shadow City would replace us. “And you do miss being close with your pack.”
"Yeah, so I think it's cool that history has kind of come full circle." He rolled down his window and scanned his card. "And I do, but it’s so hard to look at my pack members, knowing I failed not only them but my family. In a way, this has to be destiny."
My heart fractured. "My parents and pack being slaughtered was destiny ?"
"Dammit. I didn't mean it like that." He cleared his throat as he rolled his window back up. "Let's talk about this more later."
"Okay, but there’s something else you need to know." I stared at the building in front of us. "When I kind of lost it earlier, I ran into the nearest woods and shifted."
"While I was getting your ID?" he asked, his words careful, not conveying any sort of emotion.
"Yes, and someone saw me." If he got upset with me, he'd have the right. Since he was providing shelter for me, when I did anything stupid, it could fall back on him.
His jaw clenched. "Griffin?"
" What? " Out of all of the people he might guess, I hadn't expected that one. "No, not him."
"Thank God." His shoulders relaxed. "Then who?"
"Rosemary." The next words left my mouth faster than ever before. "But she didn't see me in human form, so maybe she won't know it was me."
"I take it back." He tensed. "I would rather it have been Griffin after all. If Rosemary figures it out, that's going to be an even bigger problem.”
“Why?” If she was a bigger threat, then there was no telling what we could be walking into on campus.