I swallow the words past the lump in my throat and smile at Jrue, pretending to be the same person he last saw before everything changed.
Grayson hasn’t said a word. He clamps down on his lips until they pale and his eyes glitter with the promise of words unsaid. We’ll have to make time for those words eventually.
Sweat sheens on his skin as he scratches his arm again.
“Now that we’ve found you,” Jrue says, turning to me, “we’ll take you home.”
I jolt in his arms, unwilling, a movement he marks with a casual arch of his eyebrow.
“Right, of course.” I cover the mistake quickly.
“You’ll come with us, Grayson. I’m sure the alpha would love to meet the guy who helped his daughter. There’s always a place for another wolf in our ranks.”
Jrue’s face mimics hospitality.
There’s no good way to disguise Grayson’s scent. It’s unmistakable, musky, a calling card to other predators marking him as one of ours, but not quite right. They know he’s wolf.
But unfortunately, Jrue and the others have no clue what secrets lurk in Grayson’s blood. Neither do I.
The tightening in my stomach turns painful and I brush a hand across my abdomen, glancing up in time to watch Grayson mirror the motion.
Our eyes meet and lock again, and the questioning tilt to his head gives me the soapbox.
It’s up to me. Whether we go with them or not, the decision is mine to make.
I shrug, as if to say we’ve got no choice, with the predators tightening ranks around us. The circle shrinks until several members brush up against my back and force me to step closer to Jrue.
“I’m really glad we found you.”
He draws me in for a hug, his arms comfortable and strong. It’s not his fault.
When he finds out I’m moonlocked?—
Blood drains from my face.
At some point in the future, we’ll have to have another Talk, the kind of Talk you’d rather erase from existence. Jrue’s the most understanding guy I know and I still can’t predict how he’ll react when the truth comes out.
I return the hug and force my attention away from Grayson.
“It’s better we get going before the moon rises again.” Another search party member tits his head to the sky. “She’s riding heavy this time of year.”
Jrue nods. “Absolutely. Come on, let’s go. It’s a long walk back. You sure you can make it, Grayson? You look a little sick.”
“I’m fine.” Grayson steps up beside me but Jrue is faster, whisking me out of reach and keeping me pinned to his side with our hands pressed together.
I gnaw the inside of my cheek.
The last thing we need is to go back to the pack. Once Grayson is inside the gates again, it’s a crapshoot whether or not we’ll be able to sneak out. They certainly won’t let him leave. Not if the moon turns him into a cursed monster.
The woods are quieter now, as though squirrels and birds know to steer clear of so many bad things in one place. Or maybe it’s something else.
I keep my ears pricked for signs of the hunter, but the further we walk and the more distance we put between us and the cabin, the easier it is to relax my guard.
It’s a mistake.
Hours pass before we stop for a quick bite to eat. Iziah, the oldest member of the search party, draws a couple of plastic wrapped sandwiches from his backpack and doles them out one by one. I’m the first to receive lunch. Grayson is the last. He catches it hard enough to dent the bread.
When Jrue dips his head in deep conversation with Morg, I scoot closer to Grayson.