Ravensong (Green Creek 2)

The sky was starting to lighten. I sat in the truck, yawning as I leaned forward against the steering wheel. Joe and Ox were with Pappas, trying to figure out some way they could get through to him. I doubted it would work. Omegas could become Betas again if only they could find a tether to bring them back. I’d seen it happen before. This wasn’t like that. Whatever was happening with him, whatever had caused his tether to break, it wasn’t something wolf related.

It was magic. It had to be.

But I didn’t know how.

I was about to start the truck when he knocked at the window.

I thought about ignoring him.

I rolled down the window instead.

“Home?” Mark asked.

“Yeah.” I stared straight ahead.

“Good. You look tired.”

“Getting old. Can’t pull these all-nighters like I used to.”

He snorted. “You’re not that old, Gordo.”

“Says you.”

“Yeah,” he said. “Says me.”

I wanted to say so many things. So I picked the most inconsequential of all. “What are you doing up? Shouldn’t you be—I don’t know. Resting. Or something.”

He leaned against the door, hands dangling inside the truck. I barely resisted the urge to touch his fingers. If Michelle was right, in a couple of weeks, he wouldn’t know me at all. “Maybe. I’ve got some things to do first.”

“Like what?”

“I—you sure you want to hear this?”

I was uncomfortable. I was also an asshole. So I just shrugged.

He saw right through me. He always did. “Going to go see Dale.”

He heard the uptick of my heart. He had to. “Little early.”

“Going to walk. Maybe run a little. Clear my head.”

“Abby’s a half hour away. By car.”

“I know. But I need it. I have to.”

I finally looked over at him. His eyes glittered in the low light. “Why?”

He shrugged. “Have to put an end to things.”

My hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Why are you—” Then, “You fucking dick.”

Mark didn’t flinch. “It’s not—”

“You’re giving up!”

He remained infuriatingly calm. “I’m not giving up, Gordo. I’m doing the right thing. I can’t take the chance that I could hurt him. And if I suddenly disappeared, he’d show up in town. Asking questions. How long do you think it’d take before he found his way out here? It’s better this way. Especially if Michelle was right about the full moon. That it’ll make things worse.”

Goddamn him. “I’m going to fix this. I don’t know how yet. But I will. We’ll figure this out. There’s gotta be a way. I’ll find it.”