He said, “You can’t go back in there. Not by yourself. Not until we—”
“You can’t fix this,” I said as kindly as I could. “Not now.”
He flinched away, but I held on to his hand.
“Ox, I—”
“I didn’t mean it like you think.”
“You… you don’t know what you mean.”
“Maybe. I don’t know. Everything is weird right now.”
“I know.”
“But we’ll fix this.”
“I know.”
“We will,” I insisted.
He looked away. “We need to talk, Ox. I’ve… made a decision. About this. About everything. I need you to…. We just have to talk, okay?”
And I felt cold.
WE STOOD in Thomas’s office. All of us in the pack. It was the first time the wolves had all been human at the same time since the night Richard came. The fact that we all stood together was not lost on me, especially since Gordo was with us too.
Gordo, who apparently had a place in the pack now. Something had happened the night Thomas died, something that bound him to the Alpha, just like the rest of us. I didn’t know if it was his magic, the changing of the Alpha, or a combination of both. Gordo wouldn’t talk about it. In fact, none of them would talk about it.
I thought there was a very real chance they all knew what this was about except for me.
Elizabeth looked pale and wan, an afghan wrapped around her shoulders.
Carter and Kelly were frowning, standing side by side near Joe.
Mark was looking out the window, arms across his chest.
Gordo leaned against the far wall, staring down at his hands.
Joe sat behind his father’s desk. He looked like a child playing grown-up.
And there was me. In-the-dark me.
No one was talking.
So I said, “What did you do?”
All gazes snapped to me, but I only had eyes for Joe.
He sighed. “We’re leaving.”
“What? When?”
“Tomorrow.”
“You know I can’t leave yet,” I said. “I have to meet with Mom’s lawyer in two weeks to go over her will. There’s the house and—”
“Not you, Ox,” Joe said quietly.