“It’s too late for that,” I said bitterly.
“I know. But things could be worse.”
“How?” I looked up at him.
He nodded toward the front of the garage.
Kelly was crossing the street toward us. He was in uniform. He saw us watching and gave a little wave.
“You could still not know he exists,” Gordo said quietly. “And if there’s one thing I’ve learned through all of this, it’s that we need each other now more than ever. We’re pack, kid.”
Ox drove us home. His work shirt lay folded on the bench seat between us, the old truck bouncing on the potholes in the dirt road. He wore a loose tank top, the window rolled down, his arm hanging out the side. The air was warm, and I didn’t know if there was anywhere else I’d rather be.
That lasted until we rounded the corner to the houses.
The driveway was filled with cars.
I said, “That’s… a lot of people.”
He said, “It is,” but I could hear the smile in his voice.
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sp; I said, “Maybe I should just….” Go away? Stay in town? Head back down to the basement? Something other than face people I didn’t know but who undoubtedly knew about what I’d done.
He stopped the truck next to the blue house, letting it idle for a moment before shutting it off. The engine clicked. The trees swayed in a soft breeze. A fat bee flew by his open window, and he watched it as it crossed over the front of the truck.
He said, “If that’s what you want.”
I didn’t know what I wanted.
He said, “But I’d rather you stay with me, if that’s all right.” He was calm. Serene. He breathed in through his nose and exhaled out his mouth. He tapped the steering wheel once, twice, three times before settling his hand on the seat near his shirt. It was palm up, fingers open.
An invitation.
I put my hand in his.
He held on tightly. “You don’t remember these wolves. They’ll remember you. Some of them won’t like it. They won’t understand. But you’re with me. You’re with your pack. That’s what I want you to focus on. Can you do that for me, Robbie?”
I could. I thought there’d come a point where I’d do anything for him, and it would happen sooner rather than later. “Yes.”
He nodded. “And if there ever feels like a moment when it’s too much, tell me and I’ll do whatever I can to make it all go away. We’ll run. Just you and me.”
“I can’t do that.”
He didn’t look angry or upset with me. “Why?”
I looked down at our joined hands. His palm was rough and callused. I wondered why they didn’t heal. They felt like scars that couldn’t be taken from him with a shift. “Kelly.”
“Tell me.”
“He’s nervous. Upset, I think. About not being able to shift with the rest of us.”
Ox nodded. “Did he tell you this?”
“No.”
“But you know anyway.”