Chapter 10
Gray
“He’s keeping something from us,” I ranted, my wolf and I both seething. At least we agreed on something. Though the reasons for our anger were totally different. I was seething because our mate kept things from us. My wolf was seething because I’d left him on his own while he was terrified.
I ran a hand through my hair until I found one of the many small braids, this one adorned with a small metal bead I rolled between my fingers. It was the wolf’s head Jasper had gotten me as a Secret Santa gift last year.
“He’s afraid,” Levi said.
Rhett snorted. “I think everyone noticed. He’s stinking up the whole room. Hell, I can still smell him here.”
A growl slipped past my lips. My mate wasn’t stinking up anything. And even if he was, it wasn’t his fault. It wasn’t like he could just turn off his scent or his feelings. I just wished…
Why wouldn’t he talk to us?
Why not get it all out in the open? Clear the air?
“He’s terrified of shifters,” Levi said quietly, his eyes searching mine. “Ever since I met him, he’s been deathly afraid of shifters. I don’t know why, though.”
I sighed, my wolf yowling in distress. I didn’t want him to be afraid of shifters. Didn’t want him to be afraid of me.
But how did I prove to him that he didn’t have a reason to fear me if he didn’t even want to be alone with me? If he didn’t even give me a chance to help him?
“You’ve got your work cut out for you,” Rhett said with a laugh. “I think fate has a sense of humour. Giving you a mate who needs a patient and tentative approach is bordering on cruel.”
“Wait!” Levi shouted, his eyes wide as he turned to me. “Nix is your mate? And you threw him in a cell?”
I lowered my head in shame, rubbing my chest at the reminder that I’d royally fucked up my first encounter with my mate. “I didn’t realize who he was to me,” I grumbled, my wolf yapping.
I did.
But you didn’t tell me.
My wolf huffed, turning in a circle inside my chest. He was exuding unhappiness, and as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t fault him for that. Every step I took away from our mate was harder than the last one. My body and wolf both fought me, but what choice did I have?
I couldn’t very well sleep in front of his door, could I?
Maybe I could.
I’d need to post a guard in front of his room anyway.
My mate was a sneaky one, that much I knew. He’d not only managed to sneak into our territory and hide here for… I didn’t even know how long. I had no doubt in my mind that he could easily slip through our fingers if he wanted to.
I had an inkling he was good at running and hiding.
The haunted look in his eyes and the way he kept flinching at the slightest things were proof of that.
Something had happened to him. Something bad.
And I intended to find out exactly what he was afraid of, so I could make sure he never had to fear it again.
Yes, my wolf agreed. Mate. Protect.
I would. But for the moment, I’d let him rest. The only thing I could protect him from right now was the thing he was most afraid of. Shifters.
Which included me.
The night was spent tossing and turning, and morning came way too quickly. Before I knew it, I was carrying a tray up the stairs, heading to the guest rooms where our newcomers were staying.
I could feel the pull to my mate. Hell, my wolf was urging me to skip my conversation with the new wolves in favour of tending to my mate. And damn if I didn’t want to.
I longed to talk to him, to find out why he was so afraid. Longed to see his face, all of it, not hidden behind knees or under hoods. I wanted to see how it’d transform when he smiled. Wanted to know what his laughter sounded like.
I also wanted to find out what he was hiding, what secrets he was keeping. I needed to know why he’d snuck onto our territory. Somewhere along the way, a couple of hours into tossing and turning, I’d decided he hadn’t done so with malicious intent.
It’d been wrong, and I’d certainly been angry last night, but… he wouldn’t have been enforcing our barrier if he’d planned something malicious, right?
Right, our wolf agreed. See mate.
I would see him, just… later. First, I had two other wolves to talk to.
Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door of one of the wolves.
“Yes?” came back immediately, but the voice was high-pitched and thin, the answer forced and rushed. I smelled his fear spiking as I opened the door and ducked to enter.
Wide eyes followed my every move as I stepped inside. I smiled and tried to keep my face open, while anger rose inside me. Jasper had told me he thought the wolves were young, but… fuck. This was definitely a teenager. Still all gangly, body mostly arms and legs.
“Hi,” I said, raising the tray a bit to direct his attention to his breakfast and away from my size. “I brought breakfast. And if you’re up for it, I’d like to ask you a few questions.”
The young wolf nodded. “Where’s Nick?”
“Nick is your friend?”
He nodded rapidly. “I can scent him close by. Is he okay?”
“He’s in the room next door. He was shot, but he got help and should be fine in a few days. Would you be more comfortable if we joined him?”
The young wolf—hell, he could probably still be considered a pup—nodded. “Yes, please. If that’s okay?”
“I offered,” I said and nodded to the door. “Come on, let’s head over. Can you walk?”
The pup nodded as he pushed back his blanket, revealing his rather thin, gangly form. He was wearing pack clothes, simple sweatpants and a hoodie, but the clothes were clean and would keep him warm. If they wanted to stay, we’d see about getting them new stuff.
But first things first.
He put on a brave face as he got up, but couldn’t hide the wince when he put weight on his leg. He’ll have to shift later, I thought, thinking about Jasper’s instructions. But breakfast first.
Fortunately, his friend Nick was staying right next door, so it wasn’t a long way for this pup to walk. Well, stumble-hop.
If I thought he’d like help, I’d offer it, but pups that age were stubbornly independent, so I just gave him time to get to his friend’s door on his own.
The kid didn’t even wait to knock; he opened the door and hobbled inside as fast as he could go, throwing himself onto the bed of his friend, a sob breaking free as he did.
“I’m so sorry, Nick,” he whispered, hugging his friend. “It’s all my fault.”
His friend snorted, a hand finding its way into the pup’s hair. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t shoot me. And see, everything’s okay. I feel fine. The mage did a good job healing me. I didn’t know mages could do that.”
I perked up. He didn’t know mages could do that? But he knew about mages and what they could do?
I gave them a couple of seconds to check in with each other, then cleared my throat. They both flinched as if I’d fired a shot, their heads swivelling to me, eyes wide.
Great. More people who were afraid of me.
At least with shifters, I knew what to do.
“Hi,” I said, approaching them with slow, deliberate motions, and set down the tray of food on the bedside table, then took a couple of steps back and sat on the desk opposite the bed.
Sitting down usually calmed nervous wolves, and it worked with them too.
“I’m Gray,” I introduced myself. “I’m the Alpha of the Cedarwood Pack. ”
They gasped, their eyes turning wide. I was used to that reaction; I got it a lot with newcomers. They never expected the Alpha to be the one bringing them breakfast.
Which was one of the reasons I always did. It set a precedent. I was there to serve them, just as they served me.
“Alpha,” they both mumbled respectfully, their voices laced with fear.
“If it’s okay, I’d like to ask you a couple of questions, starting with your names.”
They looked at each other, a silent conversation taking place until the one with the chest wound nodded and opened his mouth.
“I’m Nick, Alpha. Nicholas Spencer. I was a member of Green Creek Bay.”
I had to give it to him, his voice was firm, his body still, even though he was exuding fear.
“And I’m Connie, Alpha. Err, I mean Conrad. Conrad Mayfield.”
I raised my brows. “Conrad or Connie, which one do you prefer?”
The pup shrank back a bit, his eyes searching for his friend. Nick grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers, and I had to hide a smile. Maybe not just friends?
“Connie, Alpha?” he asked, his voice pitched high.
“Connie it is. And you can call me Gray, there’s no need for honorifics here. I know I’m the Alpha; I don’t need everyone constantly reminding me.”
They nodded rapidly, but I knew it’d take a while for the words to settle in. Unfortunately, I’d seen it all before.
“Yes, Alpha.” See, right there. “We want to thank you for sending your mage to help us,” Nick said. “I was surprised to see him alone, without a guard, but… he came just at the right moment.”
Without a guard? I furrowed my brow but filed the information away for later. First, I had more questions for them, even though I desperately wanted to hear what he knew about mages. Maybe it’d help with Nix.
Nix, who wasn’t sleeping anymore. I could feel him pacing in his room.
“How did you end up at our border?” I asked, purposefully not mentioning Nix at all. What should I say? That I hadn’t sent him and that he wasn’t our mage? That was none of their business. I’d already interrogated Connie yesterday, but maybe he’d forgotten in the chaos of the moment.
Nick and Connie exchanged looks, a whole conversation taking place while I watched, a myriad of emotions flickering over their faces.
“I’m the reason,” Connie finally said, jutting out his chin, blue eyes flashing with defiance. “It’s all my fault.”
“It’s not…”
Connie silenced his friend with a look.