Page 12 of Flock This

Would Galen lighten up? Would he be warm and sweet to me? Was there a side of him that I’d see, one he kept hidden from others?

My gaze went to his lips, the pink bright against the dark five-o’clock shadow he always had. His round glasses made his eyes appear larger, and I wondered what he’d look like without them, if he’d remove them before he kissed me. He was so careful and controlled, I struggled to picture what he’d be like if he lost that.

Matt cleared his throat, making me realize I’d been staring like a love-struck teenager.

Idiot.

I shook my head, then stared at my coffee instead of him. “I can’t do that. It’d put you in way too much danger. Besides, mates are a for life thing when it comes to Weres. I couldn’t ask you to give up your one shot on me.”

“I wouldn’t have offered if I hadn’t thought about it carefully, if I wasn’t sure.”

And if nothing else, I could believe that at least. Galen wasn’t the type to do anything without thinking about it a long damn time. Still, he also put too much on himself, didn’t want to see others hurt.

I shook my head. “Thanks, but no thanks.”

“Why not? It’s the perfect solution.”

“It really isn’t. For one, I have no idea if I even could become a mate. My spirit can’t be trapped, and I don’t know what that might do to you if we tried. What if it didn’t work but it also took your only chance at a mate? Also, I can’t let you put yourself at risk like that.”

“You think I can’t protect what’s mine?” He lifted one of his dark eyebrows, a challenge there.

“It’s not just me. What if me being here made the vampires attack? You’ve got humans and children in your pack. I couldn’t ever forgive myself if they got hurt because of me.” Even the idea hurt my stomach, made it feel as though my body balled up and I couldn’t breathe properly. I’d met a few of Galen’s pack, the mates, the children, the innocent and elderly and those who couldn’t protect themselves. I’d seen firsthand what vampires could do, and I couldn’t unleash that on Galen and his people.

Still, Galen appeared far from convinced. He was one stubborn wolf, after all. His expression screamed that this conversation wasn’t over.

I took one more drink of my coffee, then got up and rinsed out the cup in the sink. “I appreciate the offer,” I lied, “but I’m not going to risk anyone else for me. I can’t. I just have to keep thinking, and I’ll figure something out. I’m always in trouble but somehow, I come out on top.”

“Grey…” Galen started, then sighed as though he’d figured out I wasn’t going to hear anything he had to say right then. “We’ll talk about it later.”

I set the clean cup in the wire drying rack, then turned back toward them with a forced smile. “I’m going to go get a little more sleep. Maybe I’ll come up with something else then. Or, hell, maybe the world will have exploded, and murderous vampires bent on my death won’t be my biggest problem.”

I didn’t wait for Galen or Matt to say another word—nothing they said would matter anyway—before I headed back up the stairs. If Galen suspected anything, he didn’t show it.

The reason why was clear when I looked at the window of the guest room to find it nailed shut. The sight had me chuckling, wondering when exactly he’d done that. It might have been there the night before and I simply hadn’t noticed. Either way, the clumsy attempt was pointless.

As I neared the window, the nails shuddered, then one by one worked their way out of the wood.

I can’t be trapped.

I’d told Galen that very thing just moments before, but it seemed he didn’t fully understand what it meant. Due to the spirit inside me, due to whatever I was, any attempt to trap me failed. Locks would magically unlatch, hinges would break, windows would shatter. Nothing could trap me, not if I wanted to leave. Sure enough, in a matter of thirty seconds, every nail sat on the windowsill as though they hadn’t just kept the window securely shut moments before.

Which had me taking my leave and sliding out of the now open window.

I was a lot of things, had done a lot of questionable shit, but I couldn’t be responsible for the suffering and harm to Galen’s pack.

Besides, I was used to being on my own.

In my experience, it was the only safe place.

* * * *

I sat across the street from my mom’s house for an hour before risking an approach. I’d been careful to never list her information anywhere, to keep her identity safe. We didn’t even share the same last name since I had her maiden name, and she’d changed her last name after she’d married my stepfather.

Still, fear ate at me. What if someone tried to use her to get to me?

I’d been careful when she’d moved, after I’d understood the world better, and made sure she picked a home safely in one of the small areas of land that were supposed to be buffer zones between the different factions, places we called the Nulls. No Spirits were supposed to come here. I got away with it since I lacked a clan, so no one knew quite what to do with me.

I could have put her in the werewolf territory, but I honestly hadn’t trusted Galen at that time, either.

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