I swallowed thickly. “I’m not—it’s not like that.”
“It is,” she said. She gestured toward the bones. “I’ve seen it. There are paths ahead for you, wolf. Roads that diverge. Which one will you take, I wonder? You’re slipping. It’s already begun. A wolf without a pack cannot survive. It will pull at you until you’re drowning. And yet you persist. Do you even know why?”
I looked away, unable to take her knowing gaze. “I’ve done it once before. I can do it again.”
“But why? Why have you chosen what you have? They believe in you. They know you. Why would you take this chance? You know better than that.”
Her words, though spoken softly, were barbed and cutting. I didn’t understand how she knew what she knew. It was impossible. My knees were weak, and I stumbled against the counter. The bones shifted, spilling black powder. My claws dug in, leaving long scratch marks on the counter. She made a startled noise and put her hands on top of mine. My gums itched, and I had to fight back a shift.
“You’re exhausted,” she said quietly. “Come. Rest your weary head. You’ll need it. The days ahead will be long, and you’ll find little relief.” She smiled quietly. “Not a king, though you act like one. I don’t know how you manage. You must be very brave. I’ve known men like you. My loves, my boys.”
“I don’t need—”
“You don’t know what you need,” she said, sounding irritated. “That much is obvious. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”
I didn’t fight her as she pulled me toward the back of the store. It seemed like too much work. And she was right. I was exhausted, and it’d been a long time since I’d seen a friendly face. There was a voice at the back of my head warning me that this could be a trap, that I couldn’t trust her, but it was negligible.
She led me to a small office. There was a cot against one wall. She pushed me down onto it and crouched before me to slide off my boots. I didn’t stop her. I could barely keep my eyes open. “What have you done to me?” I muttered, my words slow and thick like molasses.
“Nothing you can’t handle. Sleep, wolf. Nothing can harm you here.”
I wanted to believe her.
In the end I didn’t have a choice.
My eyes closed and didn’t open for two days.
KELLY SAID, “HEY.”
I grinned at him. “Hi.”
Kelly said, “This isn’t real.”
I ached. “I know.”
Kelly said, “Is it worth it?”
I leaned my head back against a tree. “I don’t know.”
Kelly said, “Do you remember when Robbie was taken?”
I nodded tightly. “I… should have done more. For him. For you.”
Kelly said, “Maybe. It’s weird, isn’t it? Looking back. The choices we’ve made. Where they’ve led us.”
The grass swayed in a cool breeze. “I’m lost.”
Kelly looked away. “I know you think so. But you know where I am. You know I’m waiting for you.”
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“Everything.”
He shook his head but didn’t speak.
“I thought it was for the best. To keep you safe. That I could find them on my own.”