“What makes you think I won’t do just that?”
He shrugged. “Because pa
rt of you knows I’m telling the truth. You can feel it, can’t you? It’s hidden in shadow, buried deep inside. Something… off. Do you dream?”
The walls were closing in. I rubbed at the skin between my neck and shoulders. I closed my eyes and tried to breathe. “We all dream.”
“We do,” Malik said, and his voice was deeper, almost a growl, like his wolf was just underneath his skin. “Some of us dream in shades of blue. Or green. Or of a field filled with violets that embed themselves in our skin. What is it you dream of?”
There was
an alpha
a strong alpha
black like night
he stands in a clearing
he sees me
he says little wolf little wolf
he says robbie
he says robbie
he says
“Nothing,” I said hoarsely as I opened my eyes. “I dream of nothing.”
“I don’t believe you.”
I shook my head as I took a step back. “I don’t care. You’re harboring an Omega. He could hurt people, Malik. Innocent people.”
“He’s just a child.”
“I know that. But he won’t be able to control it. Do you want to be responsible for that? If he escaped and made his way into town? And if Alpha Hughes finds out you have him here, she’s going to dismantle your pack. They’re going to take him away and—”
Brodie said, “They’re in pain.” His voice was quiet.
“Who is?” Malik asked, though he never looked away from me.
“All of them,” Brodie said, and the blanket shifted as his head appeared, eyes glowing in the dark. “They howl. It hurts. A limb severed. It’s pack and pack and pack. They hunt. They kill. They fight because it’s what they’re supposed to do. The Alpha said they would tear the world apart. It’s the only way they know how.” His eyes seemed to get brighter. “There is a song to be sung. And there is one who sings it above all others. His scream. I hear it. A wolfsong.” He squeezed his eyes shut tightly. “I hear it all the time because I hear them.” His chest began to heave. “I hear them, I hear them, I hear them—”
“Hush, child,” Malik said, pressing a hand against Brodie’s forehead. “No need for that now. You’re safe here.”
The boy began to cry bitterly, tears spilling down his cheeks before he turned and pressed his face against Malik’s chest. “Please don’t let them take me, Malik. Please don’t let them take me away again. I won’t hurt anyone. I promise. I promise.”
“I know you won’t,” Malik said. “And no one will take you from your pack.” Malik looked back up at me. “Ever.”
It was said in defiance.
And I believed him.
Ezra was still snoring when I returned to the barn.
He looked as if he hadn’t moved at all.