Page 29 of Pack Nightmare

“Wait,” I can’t help but interrupt. “So you were allowed to attend school away from the pack?”

“Well, yeah. You have to remember, the restrictions on Smoky Falls are… unique. Based entirely on the issues that arise from the curse. At my former pack, we were free to come and go as we pleased. The magic enables shifting on pack land, but there’s not the same sort of… compulsion to do it you have here. At least, as far as I understand. I’m still learning.”

My red-hot fury becomes molten, like lava in my gut. My pack’s existence is so difficult because of them, and they share none of the consequences. “Go on,” I spit from between clenched teeth.

“So anyway, my mom finally told me the truth. I freaked out and ran away from the responsibility before they could catch on. I ended up in LA, and you know all that happened after that, until the night you were attacked. Your uncle knew right away I was not human, and his witch could sense magic on me. They didn’t tell me where they were from or what they knew, but basically they said enough to get me to confess who I was. I’m also part wolf, you understand. My dad was a member of the pack, my mom their witch. So I have both of them in my blood, and none of their gifts. It is an odd combination.”

“Wait, you’re also half wolf? But you said you have none of your father’s gifts… does that mean you can’t shift?”

“That’s what my mom told me. To be honest, I never tried. It was like a dirty secret. I got the impression she had an affair with a member of the pack. The official story was that my dad was some human, an outsider, but once I learned the truth, it all made a ton more sense.

“So, once we figured out I couldn’t really work earth magic, we moved to a neighboring town to keep it secret, and she commuted to Montrose for work every day. She told the pack she wanted to raise me among the humans so I could get a break from the magic in between working spells. The truth is, I could do some tiny spells if I spent a ton of energy to make them happen. My mom supplemented me a good deal, trying to encourage me. Like making me believe I had powers would make them manifest.” He snorts in derision.

“But anyway, your uncle figured out who I was, and offered me the position here. He promised to keep my lineage a secret, with the cover story of being related to the seer to answer questions that came up.”

“Why, though?”

Derrek seems relieved to have finished his story, and sits down. “Why what?”

“Why did my uncle do that? The part I don’t get is why, after finding out you’re a runaway from the pack who cursed us, actually related to the witch who cast the spell—why would he invite you here, and give you a place to stay, a job?”

“I don’t know for certain, but he said a few things to me over the course of a year that made me suspect he had a plan. I reached out to some family that I trusted, and I think your uncle was on to something before he disappeared.”

“And what’s that?”

“I think your uncle was looking for a way to break the curse.”

The suspicion and derision drain from my body in an instant, electric tingles racing over my skin. “Why do you think so?”

“Your uncle asked a lot of questions about my bloodlines, my family, the Montrose Pack structure. I told him everything I knew, and I think he had a contact within that pack. But he seemed interested in my family, the magic they practiced, and the pack bloodlines. It didn’t mean much to me until I found out about the Smoky Falls curse and how it came to be. And that’s when I realized it.”

“Realized what?” I’m breathless now. As if we’d been of the same mind without even knowing, Derrek and I were on a similar path of discovery all along.

He leans forward, eyes alight with excitement. “I think the way to break the curse is to recombine the packs.”

Chapter Fifteen

Layla

“Well, he’s completely off his rocker,” Landon snorts. We’re at Badger’s, having an early dinner after class.

“Told you I didn’t like him,” Jared agrees with an air of vindication. “I never trusted him, and turns out my instincts were correct. So, did you banish him from pack lands?”

“Not exactly,” I hedge. In fact, Derrek and I talked a good deal more, right until class started. And by the end, I forgave him for concealing his identity from me.

“Are you kidding?” Jared is incredulous. “He’s from Montrose, and the whole lot of them are traitors.”

“Well, I understand his logic in not revealing his history to me back in LA, and he had an agreement with my uncle to protect his cover story. To be fair, he didn’t even keep that promise a week before he confessed, guys. And… I know it’s hard for you to understand, but even though I can’t use alpha senses on him, I still don’t feel like he’s trying to hurt me.” The truth I don’t reveal is that Derrek is feeling more and more important to me with every minute I spend in his presence, and I still don’t know what it means.

Milo hasn’t spoken for an extended period, thoughtfully chewing his food and listening to the three of us. “I think it comes down to whether or not we trust Lex. I trust her to do what’s right for the pack, period.”

I beam at him gratefully, but his next statement swiftly sours my generous feelings.

“However, just because he’s not actively trying to harm anyone doesn’t mean he’s right. Our pack has been under this curse for decades. Surely if there was a solution to it, someone would have found it by now. And no offense, Lex, but your uncle wasn’t exactly the strongest alpha to ever run our pack. I can understand him being desperate to get out of the curse, especially when you’ve already proven to be ten times the alpha that he was, and not even half his age.”

“Exactly,” Jared leans back in his seat. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

My excitement drops and my eyes shift to Landon. “So you really don’t think it could be real, either?”

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