Page 61 of Wolf's Endgame

“It would.” We stepped closer to each other, and I took comfort in his presence. “Landon told me you were dead. He was gone for a few days, and he said he was at your death service, paying his respects.” Cannon was already shaking his head.

“Bullshit. I was close to it, I won’t lie, but no one was ready to send me to Luna yet.”

I told him the thing I hated admitting. “I don’t know if Landon can be trusted.”

“What gave it away?” Cannon drawled with a roll of his eyes.

“He protected me in that place. When Bale beat me the first time?—”

The alpha had me in front of him, fury rolling off him in waves, his hands curled around my biceps as he stared down at me, fire in his eyes. “Say that again, very slowly.”

“He went crazy. Bale said horrible things about my mom. He beat me and if Landon hadn’t dragged him off me, I don’t know if he would have stopped.” I touched my cheek. “He broke my cheekbone… Landon was allowed to take the cuff off to let me heal, but I had silver in my system and it took a while.”

“I’m going to kill him.”

“Landon stopped him.” I hated recounting this. Cannon was right, I wasn’t sure I could tell this story again. “I was allowed to bathe when Bale told Landon I was broken.” I looked away from the steady green gaze of my alpha. “I couldn’t stop crying at the thought you were gone. I wouldn’t eat or drink. You were dead, and I’d never see you again.”

“You’re so quick to write me off, pup.” He cupped my face gently. “You couldn’t feel me?”

“I was numb. I had an ache in my belly?—”

“That was me.”

Startled, I stepped back. “Wh-what?”

“Have you never felt me before?” Cannon was genuinely surprised. “It’s how I know where you are and how to track you. I can feel you. You tug at me like an annoying little gnat.”

His gentle smile softened the blow of his words, but still…a gnat? “A gnat? Really?”

“Meh.” Cannon acting playful when I knew how angry he was, soothed my anxiety. I knew he was angry, but he was taking care not to further upset me with his emotions. “Where was she during all of this?”

Looking away from him, I shrugged. “She wasn’t present for a long time, not until I started calling for her. I asked her for help.” We shared a look and Cannon gave a nod of understanding. “Moonstar told me you weren’t dead. She said I’d feel even worse than I did if you were gone.”

“You felt my pain. The silver did its job.” Cannon pulled me into his arms. “That ache that you felt? It was the bond straining to get us together, I think.”

“When Landon told me his plan, for me to give him an alpha child?—”

“A child?” I could feel his rage through the bond. Gone was his forced calm, and his anger pulsed through our connection. “Did he touch you?”

Swallowing hard, I forced myself to look him in the eye. “We slept together.” When Cannon reared back, I grabbed for him, placing my hands on either side of his face. “Slept. That is all. I slept in his bed. Nothing else. We needed to show Bale I could be tamed.”

Shaking free of my touch, Cannon stepped back. “Nothing you’re saying to placate me is making me feel less murderous.”

“Well, let’s rip the Band-Aid off,” I muttered. “Bale tried to force himself on me.” I hurried on. “I’d finally felt Moonstar, and she told me you weren’t dead, but I was too weak to escape.” Cannon was still as stone, and I spoke quickly. “Bale hates me—it’s frightening how much he hates me. He knew who Kris was from the second he took us into the pack. He told me Cass is pregnant…” I saw Cannon’s eyebrow rise in surprise. “And he called me a whore and said… It doesn’t matter what he said; it was horrible, and all that matters is that he was going to…assault me. I was weak. I was terrified. I told her that if you lived, she must heal you, and in turn?—”

“In turn, you gave up on us.”

It was like a slap to the face. “No!”

“Yes.” Cannon was stony-faced, but his eyes were wild with emotion. “You gave up.”

“I was weak! He was going to take something that didn’t belong to him, and I used the only weapon I had! Moonstar. And before I did, I made sure she would heal you. She did, didn’t she? I gave her control for you! I needed you to be okay, Cannon.”

I watched him turn away from me. “They fed you a lie to make you weak, and you let them.”

“Cannon…”

With his head tilted to the sky, he let out a deep sigh. “I’m sorry.” Looking at me sideways, he was still furious, but I could see he was sincere in his apology. “You’re mine to protect. You’re mine and we need to be smarter than this. They played you, pup, and I am grateful Moonstar came and healed me…but it shouldn’t have been at your expense.” The way he was looking at me made me relax slightly. His words stung, but I knew he was being honest. “But I understand that you have weaknesses. Your brother. Me. Fuck, even that lying fucker Landon.” Crossing the short distance to me, he wrapped his arms around me, squeezing me briefly. “I’m angry at them. At myself. Everything.”

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