Heartsong (Green Creek 3)

I was touched. “You’re one of my favorites too.”

“I knew it,” he crowed. “I tried telling all the other kids, but they didn’t believe me.”

I laughed. “Maybe keep that to yourself. It’ll be our little secret.”

Something crossed his face then, something dark that looked tragic on a child so young. I could almost taste it, and it was like ash on my tongue.

“What’s wrong?”

He looked away but didn’t let go of my hand.

“Hey, it’s okay. You can tell me. Did something happen?”

He shrugged, though he looked uncomfortable. “It’s… a secret too. Like how you like me better than everyone else.”

“Okay. Is it a secret that will get someone hurt?”

He hesitated before shaking his head.

“Are you in any danger?”

He shook his head again.

“Is it something only for your mom and dad? Like a parental secret?”

“I don’t know,” he said, brow furrowing. “I mean, I heard my mom and dad talking about it, but it wasn’t their secret.”

“Did they know you were listening?”

The ash was replaced with the sourness of shame. So, no. They didn’t know. I suspected as much. “I didn’t mean to,” he said, kicking at the dirt. “It was just… they were talking, and they said your name, and I wanted to hear what they were saying because I like you a lot.”

“Ah,” I said. “I like you too, Tony. But I don’t know if what they were saying was meant for either of us to hear. You should probably just forget you heard anything, okay?”

“But you’re blue,” he said fiercely. “I know it. And they said you weren’t always blue, that when you were here before, you were green and happy and it was awesome.” He looked up at me. “What was it like when you were here before? Why were you blue when you came back?”

Gooseflesh prickled along the back of my neck. “From where? One of my trips? Sometimes I have to go see other wolves, and it can be tough because not everyone wants the same thing. It’s just… how it is.”

He shook his head. “Not that. I know about that. I’m talking about before. When you left for a long time. I don’t remember ’cause I’m too little, but when you used to live here with the pack.”

“I think there’s been a mistake, cub,” I said. “I never lived here before Alpha Hughes summoned me. Ezra found me and brought me back with him. It wasn’t…. I’ve only been here for a year. You know that.”

He scrunched up his face. “Where did you live before?”

“All over,” I told him. “With many different wolves.”

He didn’t look like he believed me. “But Mom said they already knew you. And that you were different. And she doesn’t lie about anything because lying is bad.”

His

parents. Griff and Maureen. We could have crossed paths before. I didn’t remember it, but it was possible. But I didn’t remember them before I’d come to the compound, and I’d never been to Caswell before that. After my own mother, I’d bounced around to different packs. I tried to remember all of them, all their names, but there were so many. It was all bleeding together. I stayed with some longer than others, but I’d never—

“Blue,” Tony whispered. “It’s all blue.”

I forced a smile on my face. “Hey. Nothing for you to worry about. Listen. Let’s just keep this between us, okay? I won’t tell your parents if you don’t say anything to anyone else. Is that okay?”

“Another secret?”

I nodded.