My jaw clenched at her request, and it took everything I had not to lay into her.
Did she have any idea what her betrayal did to him?
Had Charity not gotten in the way of her attack, and nearly died in the process, Sam might’ve succeeded in taking me out. The pain in Clay’s eyes when he roared at his sister to leave, his hands shaking with the need to protect his mate, even against his own blood, still haunted my nightmares.
He’d patrolled every night since. For four fucking years.
He didn’t say so, but I knew, at least in the beginning, that he was waiting for her to come back.
Not knowing whether she’d come back tail between her legs or claws and fangs poised to finish what she started ate at him. It ate at him almost as much as the prospect that she might keep her promise and never come back at all.
“Save your apology,” I hissed, taking a shaky breath to steady my nerves. “I’m not the one you owe it to.”
I gestured to Archer and Vivian to bring her. “Bring her inside. Don’t take your eyes off her.”
They nodded and left, leaving me to whisper a string of curses under my breath alone.
With trembling fingers, I drew out my phone as they walked away, finding Clay’s name in my call history and hesitating for an instant before jamming the screen.
I paced as it rang.
“Allie?” Clay’s voice came over the receiver. “What’s wrong?”
Leave it to him to know something was up before I could even get a word in.
“Are you at Grove’s End?”
“What happened?” he growled, and I could already hear him moving, muttering to himself how he knew he should have stayed at camp. “Allie, start talking.”
“No one’s in danger,” I told him, mentally adding, at least I don’t think anyone’s in danger. “Just get here, ’kay?”
“Already on my way.”
The line went dead, and I sighed. I guessed we had about ten minutes before he got here. He was just that fast.
The telltale clatter of a screen door back at camp was followed by several others, and I knew that there wouldn’t be a soul at camp who didn’t know she was here within the hour.
A flash of light hair caught the sun through the trees, and I sensed him coming. It took a lot to wake up Jared, but camp just got a whole lot louder than it normally was on a Thursday morning.
Jared’s hands were in fists at his sides, and his eyes glowed with the light of his wolf begging to be freed as he came into view. His fury only served to reignite my own, and I had to work twice as hard to keep myself in control.
“Want to tell me why Samantha fucking Armstrong is in our kitchen right now?”
“She just showed up wanting to see Clay,” I explained, throwing a hand in the air. “What was I supposed to do, Jare?”
“She tried to kill you.”
He grabbed me by the arm, forcing me to face him. The contact sent a rush of angry heat pulsing into me, and I had to disentangle myself from his grasp.
“I know,” I lobbed back. “But that was four years ago and Clay—”
“Do you honestly think Clay is going to be glad to see her? He’s just going to send her away all over again.”
What he wasn’t saying hurt more than anything he could’ve said. Clay was going to have to grieve her all over again.
“Maybe not,” I argued. “It’s been four years. Maybe she—”
“Please tell me you’re not that stupid.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, trying and failing to find the Jared from last night in his stare. My steady wolf. My rock. The thing I held on to when things got messy.
This was a hard limit for him, though. He trusted our inner circle and had a wary trust of the rest of the pack, but he harbored no faith in anyone else. Not ever. Not since his uncle’s betrayal.
Not only had Ryland been to blame for the death of Clay’s father, the pack alpha before him, but he’d also been responsible for the death of Jared’s parents. The former gave him control of the pack. The latter gave him the deed to the quarry and control of all of its income.
I wouldn’t trust anyone anymore, either, but he needed to calm the fuck down.
“Maybe you should go,” I suggested, doing my best not to take his comment to heart. If he stayed, he might just end up saying more things he might later regret.
My words seemed to get through his erected barriers, and I saw a crack form in his facade. His lips parted and the strain around his eyes eased. There he was.
“Shit,” he cursed, throwing a fist through his bed-rumpled hair. “I’m sorry, Allie, I just...”
I nodded. “I know. It’s okay.”
“I’m not leaving,” he announced a second later. “I’ll have Todd go take care of things for me. I’m not leaving until she’s gone.”
I could see that there was no room for argument, so I didn’t bother trying. “Clay should be here any minute,” I told him, earning myself a scowl.
“You should have let me question her first.”
“And put you at the mercy of Clay when he found out you didn’t call him the instant she arrived?” I scoffed. “I’d be cleaning your guts up off the kitchen floor by noon.”
The joke fell on deaf ears as a knot formed between Jared’s brows, and we both made our way back to the cabin. Side by side, but miles apart.
5
Jared and I dispersed the growing crowd of curious shifters and went inside to wait for Clay to show up. I half wondered if I should put away the breakables but decided it really didn’t matter right now if some shit wound up broken. We had bigger things to worry about.
But the thought that he would either be utterly relieved to see his sister or murderous left me antsy as fuck.
“You guys can go back on patrol.” I dismissed Viv and Archer, holding the door open for them as Jared and I took over babysitting.
Sam made herself comfortable on one of the barstools next to the kitchen island. She had one of my chocolate chip cookies in her hand and a half drunk glass of milk at her elbow.
“You got something I can wear?” she asked with a mouth full of cookie.
“You sure you’re good?” Viv asked, her gaze hard as she paused in the doorway to read my stare.
I gave a terse nod.
“Peachy.”
My stomach soured as I closed the door behind Viv and Archer. “Stay with her while I find something for her to throw on.”
“Jared crossed his arms over his tan chest and leaned against the refrigerator, not making any secret of his distrust as he watched her unblinking while she annihilated my cookies. The bitch.
I found my ugliest dress tucked away in the back of the closet. I never wore dresses, but I owned a sum total of two of them, and I didn’t care about getting this one back. She could keep it, and if she didn’t want it, it’d make half decent bonfire kindling when she was done with it. There was no way I’d be wearing it again once her scent was clogged into every inch of the fabric.
My wolf shifted within, sensing her mate approach. I could feel his apprehension like a spike through my own chest. I rushed back downstairs, thrusting the dress at Sam.
“He’s here,” I muttered, and she dropped the cookie she’d been munching on and tugged the dress over her head, grimacing no doubt at the lingering scent of me clinging to the fabric.
Clay burst into the cabin a moment later and got about two steps in before he froze in place. He would’ve known it was her. Clay had an insane sense of smell. He would’ve scented her within a mile of camp.
His burning blue eyes flicked to me for an instant, his jaw clenched so hard I thought he might shatter his teeth.
“Hey, big bro,” Sam said in a voice that was trying to sound nonchalant, but I could sense her fear. The sweet, sour smell of it wrinkled my nose.
Clay’s dark hair was still rumpled from sleep, and his dark shorts hung low on his hips. Every bulky muscle in his body coiled as though expecting an attack. Cl
ay was already one of the largest shifters in the pack four years ago. Now, no one could compare to his monstrous size.
Sam looked up at him, and I could tell she wasn’t breathing. Her face a pale mask of calm.
“Did you miss me?” she added in a joking tone, making his eyes narrow.
For a split second, I thought he was going to kill her.
I felt his anger flare like a lit match meeting a pool of gasoline, and my wolf rose to meet his, a snarl curling my upper lip. But as quickly as it came, it began to wane.
“Where the fuck were you?”
Sam’s face pinched. “Does it matter?”
Clay glared at his sister, and I could see his muscles shudder with rage. “Sam,” he warned.
She rolled her eyes and gestured vaguely with her hand. “Here and there,” she replied. “I was running with a pack out east for a while, but…” She trailed off, and Clay seemed to notice the state of her for the first time.
Some of his fury fizzled out, taking in her thin, dirty hair. The way my dress hung from her bony frame. Her gaunt face and hollow eyes.
“...let’s just say it didn’t work out.”
Clay sniffed the air, scenting his sister and likely picking out any other lingering scents of her pack. He grimaced. “You’re unclaimed.”
It wasn’t a question, but she answered it anyway. “I left them two weeks ago.”
Clay’s expression shifted and he took in the room, probably sensing my unease. “She try to hurt you?”
I shook my head, admitting the truth through gritted teeth. “She actually...apologized.”
“You want to stay then? Is that it?” Clay demanded of his sister. “You come crawling back after four fucking years—after you tried to kill my mate—looking for what? Pity?”
Sam reeled back as though the blow of his words were a physical one and something in my chest ached at the sight of her pain.
“Clay,” I said, giving my head a small shake when our eyes met.
Sam deserved everything she got wherever she’d been for the past four years, but if someone killed either of my mates, I could say with confidence that nothing on this earth could stop me from ripping the culprit’s head off.
Ryland may have been a psychopath, but I could see her forgiving a lot for her mate. Besides, she never really got a chance to see the worst of him before it was too late.
The door opened again, and Grams hobbled through, muttering something about the damned stairs before she nearly ran into Clay’s back.
“Sam?” she asked, her unseeing eyes widening as she sensed the presence of her granddaughter. She shoved past Clay and carefully stepped toward her, hand outstretched.
Sam bristled, jumping from the chair before Grams reached her. For a heartbeat, I thought she was going to bolt, but her chin quivered, and when Grams wrapped her arms around Sam, they both began to cry softly.
Sam broke the embrace first, stepping away from Grams who was now leaning against the countertop, her hand to her chest.
“Is that what you’re after?” I pressed, leveling my stare on Sam. “You want to stay? Rejoin the pack?”
I didn’t want to break up the reunion, but the fact remained: she was an unclaimed wolf on our lands. She couldn’t stay here, not unless she was pack, and I was the only one with the power to make that happen.
Her teeth ground together, and she looked to her brother instead of me as she replied, “Yes. If you’ll have me.”
I nodded to myself, wondering how the hell I should handle this.
“Allie,” Jared interjected, piping up for the first time. “I don’t agree with this. We should talk about—”
I lifted a hand to hush him, realizing that this shouldn’t be up to me after all. There was only one person who should be the one to make this call, and he was staring at his sister like he still couldn’t decide if he wanted to chase her out of our territory himself or wrap her up in his arms. I ached for him.
“This shouldn’t be up to us,” I told Jared, turning my attention to Clay and his sister. “Your brother will decide your fate.”
Clay’s head snapped up, his cut-glass eyes sharp and accusing.
“It should be your choice,” I told him. “Not mine. If you decide you want her here, then I’ll honor that. If you would rather she leave, then I’ll escort her off our territory myself. It’s your call.”
Jared cursed under his breath and shoved off from the fridge, storming out the door.
“I’ll give you some privacy,” I offered, lifting myself up on tiptoe to kiss Clay’s cheek and squeeze his shoulder as I passed. “Take your time. I’ll get someone to cover your patrol tonight.”
He grunted his assent.
“Text me if you need me.”
I hardly got more than ten feet from the front porch when Layla and Vivian came out of the woodwork. No doubt they’d been waiting since word spread of Sam’s arrival.
“Is it true?” Viv demanded. “Is she actually trying to rejoin the pack?”
Layla’s eyes flared to a fiery glow.
I supposed Jared had already told them what was up before he took off wherever.
“It is,” I told them. “I’m leaving it up to Clay to decide.”
Vivian looked like she was going to argue. Hell, Layla seemed like she might get in on that action, but seeming to sense my tension, they both thought better of it. Sharing a look and then falling silent.
“Did you see where Jare went?”
“To get someone to take his shift at the quarry so he can stay at camp with you. He said he’d be right back,” Layla supplied, wringing her slender hands. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“What else am I supposed to do? If I force her out…”
Maybe it was foolish, but I didn’t want Clay to hold it against me for the rest of our immortal lives.
“I get it,” Viv said, gripping me around my shoulders for a sideways hug before sighing. “But that doesn’t mean we forgive the bitch. I wouldn’t trust her as far as I can throw her.”
“Bet you could toss her pretty far, though.” I smirked, and Viv released me to punch me in the arm.
Layla shook her head at us, lifting her gaze to the heavens.
I shoved at Viv, feeling the weight on my shoulders shift free, if only for a second. “Thought I sent you back on patrol, huh? What are you still doing here?”
“Leave and miss the most dramatic thing to happen in years? I don’t think so. I sent the next patrol out early. Said you needed me for something.”
“And the second and third ring patrols?”
“All still doing their rounds. Third ring patrol were the ones who brought her in to us.”
Good to know our patrols were doing what they were meant for. I’d been wondering if Sam had somehow snuck through the first two rings to get Viv’s first ring patrol route. It would have been a massive failure if she had.
“Who was running it?”
I meant to give them a few words of commendation for their good work when they got back, but before Viv could reply, my cell buzzed in my pocket.
My face screwed up at the name on the screen. I assumed it’d be Jared letting me know he had to go to the quarry after all.
“It’s Jacob.”
“They were on patrol,” Viv blurted. “Answer it, what if—”
I had the phone to my ear before she could finish.
“Jake, what is it? Did someone else break the lines?”
Immediately, my wolf was on the defensive. If Sam’s coming were some sort of distraction so that others could slip through our ranks, she would be fucking sorry. My cell phone crunched in my fingers, and I cursed inwardly at having broken yet another damned screen.
“No, it’s not that. The ring is solid, no one else has been around. It’s…”
I could barely hear him, a strange sound in the background drowned him out.
“Spit it out.”
“It’s Sal’s. We smelled smoke and deviated a littl
e from the route to check it out. Sal’s was burning.”
That’s what it was, in the background of the call. Fire.
Sirens sounded in the distance, and I felt both relieved and devastated all at once.
Sal’s Butcher Shop was where we’d been going for our meat for years after the last butcher in town closed up shop and retired. We went weekly for meat runs. We were due to go tomorrow.
Layla and Viv were already whispering, having heard Jacob from where they stood.
“You’re there now?”
“Yeah.”
“Then who the hell is on third ring patrol?”
“Danny is on it alone,” he rushed to say. “I’m heading back in a minute. I just wanted to let you know about Sal’s.”
Bits of glass cut into my fingers as I released my grip on the phone, finding that I could smell the ghost of smoke on the breeze even from here. “Was Sal hurt?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Okay. Get back to your route. I’ll see if we can send a few of ours to help.”
I tapped my shattered screen to end the call.
“Kind of fucking suspicious isn’t it?” Viv hedged, her hands in claws at her sides. “Not an hour after she shows her face and Sal’s is up in smoke?”
Bad timing?
My gut said no, but what else could it be? The witch from town? Gregory? My pulse skittered at the thought. No. He left. What reason could he have for attacking a local?
None.
Get your head on straight, Allie.
“You busy?” I asked them.
Viv glanced longingly back toward her cabin—the one she shared with Destiny. No doubt Des was still asleep inside after her long shift at Grove’s End. Like Jared, she tended to sleep like the dead. And the fact that their cabin was near the fringes of camp would make it easier for her not to hear the commotion of the morning.
“Stay if you want,” I offered. “I can grab Seth.”
Layla winced, and I knew at once that her beau was very likely a little worse for wear this a.m. He tended to overdo it and not even shifters were impervious to hangovers, though they tended not to last as long at least.
Shifted Scars: A Wolves of Forest Grove Novel Page 4