Dare rubbed his hand over his mouth, his eyes narrowed and forehead etched in concern. Finally, he dropped his fist to the table with a thud. “So those two were scouts?”
I nodded. “They were guards too. And they were scouting the area to see if I’d return.”
“So let me get this straight,” Reese spoke up. And I was happy to see how well Dare treated his mate, that although Reese was a werewolf, he was considered part of the inner circle. “They told you they’d torture Hannah if you returned to your home pack.”
“Yes,” I said, my throat hoarse. I glanced at Bay, but he wasn’t looking at me anymore. He and Dare were staring at each other in some sort of silent communication.
“And,” Reese continued. “I’m going to go out on a limb here—they told you that you were responsible for Lee’s death and if you returned, the Silver Tip pack would kick you out anyway?”
My throat closed, and I fought to breathe. They’d told me over and over again that I was defective, that if I was a proper Were I would have saved Lee, that I could have sacrificed my life for hers. “It was my fault.”
Dare’s fist slammed on the table with so much force that the wood splintered. His ears elongated, fur sprouting along his jaw as he roared in a guttural voice, “It’s not your fault!”
The sound echoed off the walls and rattled my brain. The only reason I didn’t slide under the table or curl up in a ball was because Rua grabbed my wrist with a firm grip, keeping me in place. I still felt like I was flailing, and it wasn’t until I met Bay’s steady gaze from across the table that my heart skipped a beat.
I held his gaze, and he held mine. I searched in those green depths for condemnation, disappointment, but all I saw was a steady support. “Nash,” he said softly. “It’s not your fault. Please understand that.”
I answered as honestly as I could, my chest aching. “I don’t know if I can say that right now.”
Bay’s gaze dropped just for a second and he inhaled sharply with a curt nod. “We’ll work on that, then.”
“They lied to you.” Dare drew my attention. “You always were a member of this pack and you will be going forward. Your immunity is something we’ll talk about, but nothing will ever be done to you again without your permission. Your body is yours.”
I looked across the table at Bay helplessly. I hated my own skin, and I’d spent fifteen years cursing everything about how I was made. I wasn’t sure I wanted ownership of it anymore. Bay seemed to understand. He reached across the table and gripped my hands, his smile shaky. “Mine,” he said softly. “Your body can be mine until you remember how to make it yours again.”
Something eased in me—my bones clicked back into place, the hair on my arms settled. Down to my marrow, I felt a calm I didn’t remember ever feeling in my life. I nodded, squeezing his hands back. “Yours.”
“Can I ask, how did you draw the Nowere pack away from us if you’re invisible to them?”
“I’m only invisible in my Were form,” I said. “So I drew them away as human, then shifted. Learned that at the Blanks’ compound.” I had another scar on my back from being slashed by Nowere claws while I’d been covered in silver, unable to shift out of human form.
“Dare—” Vaughn began.
“I know,” Dare said, and a muscle in his jaw clenched. He stood to his full height, towering over the table. “Nash, do you know the location of the Blanks’ compound?”
“Yes. It’s about a day’s journey north.”
He swore under his breath. “How did I not know about this pack or their location?”
“It’s hidden behind a mountain range and isn’t very accessible,” I said.
“How long before these scouts would have reported back?”
“Their shift would have rotated in another five to seven days.”
Dare nodded. “Then we need to vote.”
I frowned. Vote on what?
“I want to kill as many of them as possible,” Vaughn interrupted Dare while cracking his knuckles.
“Wait—” I began.
“We have to rescue the Weres they have trapped.” That was Rua.
“Aye,” was all G said, his face grim.
“Fuck,” I muttered. “Dare, they’re advanced, they have—”
“I’m in,” Bay cut me off.
Dare nodded. “We leave in five days.”
I was desperate. “Alpha, please—”
“We will talk, Nash.” He met my gaze squarely. “You’ll tell me everything about the Blanks and we’ll go in knowing what we’re up against. But you can’t ask us to sit by, not now that we know what they’ve done to you, and how they threatened our pack.” He leaned forward. “What are we all doing if we don’t fight for humanity? If we stand by as the world dissolves into Were-Eat-Were, then why don’t we just let the Noweres take over and be done with it?”
He straightened and crossed his arms over his broad chest. “Five days, and then we show them what a real pack can do.”
Chapter Fourteen
The formal meeting was over, but I didn’t really want to move. Moving meant we were one step closer to leaving the safety of the Silver Tip compound and venturing outside the walls. But my stomach was growling, and I was eager to see if Pace was okay. In all that had happened, I’d forgotten about the Whitethroat alpha and his soldiers.
Before the truth had come out, he was the only one who’d known my secret. The one who’d found me near death in my Were form surrounded by a pack of dormant Noweres who had no idea of my existence. He’d agreed to keep my secret.
Beside me, Rua stood. She didn’t look much older, although her hair was longer. She used to wear it shaved close to her head, but now it fell down her back in a waterfall of small black braids. “Thanks for helping to keep me together,” I said.
“You saved our lives, remember?” She smiled at me.
Oh right, the hero thing. “I guess so.” My stomach growled again.
Rua laughed. “Let me put in an order at the kitchens and they’ll bring up some grub for everyone. You can get a little strength before you have to head out into the main of the Hive.”
She had always been good at that. She knew how to make people comfortable, always had the right words to say. And I remembered how deadly she’d been after they rescued me from the Bluefoot hole. “Sure, that’d be great.”
She said something to Dare, and he nodded, patting her on the shoulder. She threw open the door and jerked at the sight of Pace standing on the other side, his fist raised to knock. He stormed inside immediately, and didn’t even flinch at the larger Weres. “Where’s Nash? If you bastards even think of harming him—”
“Pace.” Reese’s eyes were huge in his face. The table separated him from his pack mate, but that didn’t stop the small werewolf from vaulting over it and launching into Pace’s arms.
“Reese.” Pace’s voice cracked on the one syllable. I’d known Pace for weeks now, and I’d never seen him like this. His entire body shook and he gripped Reese so hard, his knuckles were white. They took time scenting each other until Pace pulled back and gripped Reese’s head, eyes scanning his face. “They told me you were here, but I had trouble believing.”
“I’m here.” Reese gripped his wrists. “With Selene and Jude. We’re all here.”
“I want to see them,” Pace pleaded. He glanced around the room warily, and I couldn’t blame him for being cautious. I’d told him I could never return home, that I wasn’t welcome. He had no idea that I couldn’t be trusted to know my own pack. “Is everyone okay?”
A slight growl filled the room. Everyone tensed except for Reese, who turned and narrowed his eyes at his mate. “Are you fucking serious?”
Pace’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head at Reese’s tone, and that made me smile. Bay snickered across the table from me and, after letting go of my hands, propped his feet up on the table. “Should have brought snacks for this show,” he muttered.
“He’s questioning my ability to t
ake care of my mate and my own pack,” Dare snarled.
“He doesn’t know you. He’s only heard from Nash, who clearly thought we’d reject him. And you all are Weres. Give him a damn moment to adjust and see I’m perfectly fucking happy with my mate who needs to take it down a notch!”
Dare remained tense, but Reese didn’t back down. He seemed to puff up a bit, and Pace stared at me in confusion. I gave him a slight nod and a smile. I’d seen enough of Dare and Reese to know they were utterly devoted to each other as True Mates.
Finally Dare relaxed and sank down into his seat. He jerked his chin toward G. “Get your mate. And Selene. Please.”
“Thank you, G.” Reese’s voice was sickly sweet as he batted his eyelashes at the Great Were.
G shook his head with a snort and walked out of the room just as a couple of Weres walked in with platters of food.
Goddamn, I was hungry. How long had it been since I ate? A long time now that I thought about it. I immediately pulled a leg off a whole chicken and shoved it in my mouth. Bay watched me with mild amusement. “I’m starving.”
“I see that.”
“You didn’t feed me after sex today.”
“Oh, so it’s my job to feed you?” He plucked a handful of grapes and began to toss them into his mouth one by one.
“Yes,” I mumbled around a mouthful of food. “Here’s the deal. If we’re outside these walls, I’ll drop a whole deer at your feet.”
He laughed. “Fine. Deal. I’ll go through all the trouble here of ordering food.”
“Damn right.”
Two werewolves entered the room, and it warmed my heart to see how healthy Jude and Selene looked compared to last time I’d seen them. Jude reeked of G, and Selene’s hair was short. She was heavier now, her frame filled out now that she was eating better. “See, Pace? Jude and Selene are fine.”
Pace looked like he was going to crumple right there in front of everyone. He reached out his hands and clasped the two werewolves to his chest, his eyes closed and his lips moving silently.
He stroked their faces, murmured words to them, and I grew a little uncomfortable witnessing the emotional reunion. Pace put his pack before everything, before himself. He’d sacrificed everything up to this point—a mate, a family—to nurture his pack. Not many knew Vara was the real leader, the one pulling all the strings behind the scenes. But I did. Pace had made a choice to do everything he could to see that his sister was in power. And I couldn’t fault him.
When the werewolves broke their embrace, Pace wiped his face and looked straight at Dare. “I’m sorry for implying you weren’t caring for your pack. I see they are happy and healthy.”
Dare gave him a curt nod.
“I came here with the intentions of trading, and I hope we can establish a relationship.”
“You’re the alpha of the pack. It’s your job to make sure they are taken care of. I respect that.” I could tell Dare didn’t want to compliment the werewolf. Pride and all that. “Consider it in the past. We’ll move on and talk once everyone is settled. You’re in your rooms?”
“Yes, me and my two soldiers, Baron and Tati, are set up in nice apartments. Appreciate it.”
“’Course. We’ll talk tomorrow. I think everyone is a bit worn out today.”
“That’s fine. My sister is in charge of the pack now and is more than capable in my absence.”
Reese gripped his brother’s chin and turned his head, then pointed at me silently. Jude’s eyes widened and he blinked a couple of times in disbelief before he sprinted toward me and threw himself into my arms. “Nash!” he cried. “How? What?”
Another body crashed into us, and Selene’s small cries filled the room. “Nash!” she sobbed.
I glanced over their bodies at Bay, who wore a small smile on his face. If I wasn’t mistaken, he was proud. I hugged them tighter. “It’s me.”
“No one has answered me how yet!” Jude yelled, glaring at G and his brother in turn.
“He’s immune in his Were form,” Reese said carefully. “He led the pack away from us, then shifted. I’m guessing he traveled until the Whitethroat pack found him?” He glanced at Pace, who nodded. “Bay found him when they went to scout out our old home. And now they brought Nash home. Where he belongs.”
That settled feeling seeped deeper into my bones. The room was a mix of Weres and werewolves, mates and alphas, and I’d never thought I’d be surrounded by this much love and family ever again in my life.
Reese waved to his brother and sister. “Look, let’s go show Pace around, all right? I think Nash could rest.” The four of them left, and Rua followed with a wave.
“I’m not a child,” I grumbled, but my body betrayed me as I yawned.
“You’re still healing,” Bay said. “Finish eating, then we’re going to sleep.”
“When do I get a tour?”
“After you sleep,” Bay said, grabbing a sandwich off a platter and taking a big bite.
My chicken leg was long gone, stripped of the meat, so I took a sandwich too. My stomach wasn’t full yet, and I couldn’t let all this food go to waste.
Dare rapped his knuckles on the table. “Eat up. Then we study and train. You get today off, and that’s it. Enjoy it.”
With that last command, he left the room, G on his heels, leaving me and Bay with Vaughn. He’d been quiet since Pace had entered the room, and, even now, he stared out the door thoughtfully.
“What happened while I was passed out?” I asked.
“It was kind of chaos,” Vaughn said, swinging his attention back to us. “Pace and his guards were dead set on finding the Nowere pack that had attacked you guys. Dare told me to go get them, and that’s when we found the scouts. You know the rest.”
“Was I out for long?” I asked Bay.
“Nah, maybe a half hour.”
I ran my hands over my neck. “How’d you get that bruise on your face, by the way?”
Bay touched it with his fingertips. “Oh, uh, not my finer moment. I lost it on Dare after he choked you out, and, in trying to calm me down, he elbowed me in the face. I’d say he didn’t mean it, but I think he did. I probably deserved it.”
“He did it to prevent me from running away.”
“You were going to bolt,” he said. “You had the look in your eye, this panicked, trapped feeling.” He shook his head. “I was mad at Dare, but I’m glad he did it.”
I finished up my sandwich. “Yeah, me too.”
We left Vaughn to the rest of the food, which he seemed eager to scarf up, and made our way to Bay’s apartment. Now that my stomach was full, my eyelids were drooping. Dare said to enjoy this day and I intended to.
I glanced around the hall, surprised at how the sights and smells took me right back like a rocket to when I was a teen. Not much had changed since I’d lived here. It was weird to think I’d live here again, when I never thought I would.
“Dare did make an announcement you were back, but he asked the pack to give you space.” Bay opened his door and ushered me inside.
I stripped off my pants and crawled into bed, tucking a pillow under my head on a yawn. “That was nice of him.”
Bay stretched out beside me and stared at the ceiling while I studied his profile. Laying in Bay’s presence, his scent all around me, the sight of his dirty room, was something I vowed never to take for granted. Ever. I’d been denied it for so long.
I slid toward him, and he immediately held out his arm, wrapping it around my shoulders as I plastered my face to his neck. He was nude, and while we were both half-hard, neither of us was in a hurry. I felt owned just like this, and it was all I wanted.
“I wish I wasn’t so fucked up for you.” I ran a hand over his chest, my thumb catching on a nipple.
“We’re all fucked up.” Bay’s voice was weary. “Not to diminish what you went through in any way. But none of us are perfect.”
“I love you,” I blurted out. “I’ve loved you since we were novuses, before I knew
what love was.”
I pulled back enough to see a single tear slip out of the corner of Bay’s eye. He turned to me, biting his lower lip as he caressed my face. “I love you too, Nash. And that’s why you can’t ask me to ignore the fuckers who did this to you. You know that, right?”
The thought of Bay even in their presence was enough to quicken my pulse. “I do know, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I’ll be there too. And I don’t intend to let you out of my sight.”
Bay smiled at that. “That’s fine. Do you think you’ll be okay? Returning there?”
“No,” I said honestly. “I won’t be okay. But I’ll do what I have to do. There are so many Weres there, good Weres.”
Bay rolled onto his side. “Will you tell me about the pack?”
“There’s the Alpha—that’s what we called him—and he keeps a couple of females. Some are Weres, some are werewolves he collected just for fun. He has about a hundred and fifty guards who are in charge of the prisoners.” I explained there was also a pack of Weres among them who weren’t Blanks, but we’d never interacted with them. They’d lived in a separate part of the compound and kept it running as cooks, hunters, teachers, farmers and the like. But the entire compound revolved around the Alpha and his project. Us.
“He didn’t care about us or our humanity. His sole goal was to replicate what made us immune. It was his obsession. He took in several rogue Weres and injected them with all kinds of concoctions, then unleashed them on Noweres to see if they were immune. They never were.”
Bay shuddered. “It’s sick.”
The screams and the blood and the pain. Always the pain. Even now, I had numerous aches that I was sure would never go away. “They assumed immunity was hereditary, and tried to induce heat in the females, but most were too traumatized. Hannah was…” Sweet, fragile, scared, alone… “I did what they asked for her. So they wouldn’t pair her with anyone else. We did everything we could to make them believe she was in heat. Even when I couldn’t…” I sighed. “We faked it.” Bay’s fingers dug into my shoulders and the pain grounded me. “I loved her like she was my sister. Not like I love you, you understand?”
Chasing Destiny (Silver Tip Pack Book 2) Page 13
