Page 13 of Exiled Mate

She shuts her eyes. “Of course. You know that you’re being a real asshole when you say shit like that?”

“I know.”

“And yet you’re still sitting there thinking that it’s best for us not to talk?”

“Yeah.”

She sighs. “What the hell are you doing here then, Rylan?”

I shuffle on my feet slightly. “I need to talk to Thorne.”

Terra’s face radiates anger. “Oh, for the love of… And you thought that the way to get to Thorne is through me?”

I don’t answer.

She throws her hands up in frustration. “You have to be kidding me. Seriously? You thought I was just going to be like, ‘Okay, Rylan. Even though I thought you were dead, I’ll let you chat with Thorne’?”

“I didn’t think that,” I murmur.

I didn’t think she would be easy about it, no.

“Why do you need to talk to him?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

She growls.

“I can’t tell you, Terra, because I think that if I did, it’s information that could hurt you.”

“Rylan. What the heck are you talking about?” She didn’t cuss. That’s a good sign. Terra only cusses if she’s really, really angry.

“I promise that I’m not trying to use you. I have a really good reason for needing to talk to Thorne. He won’t listen to me, and I just need you to bring me to him and… vouch for me,” I finish lamely.

“Vouch for you,” she repeats, her voice flat.

“I know. I know what I’ve done, and I know it’s asking a lot. But Terra, the stuff I have to tell him… it’s for the safety of the pack.” For your future, I don’t add.

I could give a shit about the pack. It’s Terra I care about. It’s always been her.

Terra studies me. I see the shift in her eyes, and a tiny fissure of hope sparks in me.

“I’ll think about vouching for you,” she starts.

I look at her, hopeful.

“But only if you have some freaking answers for me,” she finishes.

I pause. There’s technically nothing that I could say now that would make my situation with the pack worse. I already broke the biggest rule of my exile, which was that I was forbidden from having any contact with the pack again. If I continue on this path, Thorne might not be so forgiving a second time. He might kill me, or do something that isn’t death but still involves pain. I don’t really know what kind of alpha he is now, given that Chet is probably still whispering in his ear.

Any punishment that I endure for saving Terra, though, is worth it.

I look at her. “I really don’t think this is a good idea,” I warn.

She squints at me. “Do you have an alternative?”

No, but I don’t want her to know that. “Can we talk somewhere that’s a little more… secure?”

Her eyes narrow. She nods.

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