Page 26 of Pack Nightmare

“Well, your order forced him to agree. But there are several steps he has to complete, and he will balk at every one. So when he does, your magic will force him to comply. It will pull on you when that happens.”

“Now I get what my uncle meant,” I murmur. “He said he was expending a lot of energy keeping the town in line. I didn’t really understand at the time.”

“Yes, because he was not the intended alpha and people were worried, he had less ability to coax them into complying and ended up using compulsion a good deal. Therefore, it’s important for you to determine which situations you can reach an amicable agreement, and which you have no choice but to compel.”

I don’t really have anything more to say after that, so I relax against the leather seat and watch the scenery go by in silence.

Chapter Thirteen

Layla

Friday has finally come—I swear this week has been the longest I’ve ever lived through, attack included—and I’m counting down the hours until I’m finished with classes for the day. After lunch I dart into the ladies’ room on my way to the library—I have a free hour before Lit and am planning to do some reading.

I don’t realize someone else has followed me until I’m heading for a stall and the door swings open… and I’m suddenly alone with Amber.

Almost instinctually, I reach out with my feelings and validate that she’s not planning to attack me. I want to trust her, but I know better than to let my guard down.

Her energy is mostly nervous, and a good deal scared. Instantly, my instinct to protect kicks in and my initial shock at her appearance warms. “Hey Amber,” I say casually, then wait to see if she has something to say. We just had lunch at the same table and she didn’t give me any indication that she wanted to speak to me, but that doesn’t mean much.

It’s also entirely possible that she’s upset about something personal and has no intention of telling me about it.

But the way she’s standing, awkwardly watching me in the bathroom, makes me pause.

She doesn’t look like the same put-together, self-assured princess I met on my first day at Smoky Falls College. Dark circles hang under her eyes, and instead of polished, she just appears… disheveled and tired.

But still, she just looks at me nervously and fidgets.

“Are you okay?” I prompt, resisting the urge to cross my hands over my chest. I want her to tell me whatever is on her mind, and I know that movement will just come across as defensive. With our history, I want her to know I’m not holding grudges.

“You were at my house yesterday.”

“Yes, I was.” Is this about some kind of revenge for her father?

“My dad was… really angry.” Her eyes are glossy with unshed tears, and my heart lurches.

“I’m sorry if that upset you. I didn’t want to use compulsion on him, but he left me no choice.”

“No, it’s not that,” she sniffles, wiping at her eyes with the sleeve of a sweater. “He knows what he does is wrong, but he always justifies it to himself. I don’t blame you for what you did. I swear.”

“Okay…” I wait for her to speak again, wishing I could dive into her brain without having to force her to tell me.

“He… well before you came back, he was angry that Lilliana Harridan rejected him, forcing him to choose a different mate. But I think he sort of saw me as his opportunity to correct it, I guess. I grew up under the expectation that I would become alpha some day.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t come here to take something away from you. I didn’t even know what this place was, or who I was.”

“No, you don’t understand,” she emits a half-sob of a laugh. “I’m terrible at explaining this. I’m not mad you came back. I’m grateful. I didn’t want any of it. It felt unnatural, wrong, and I grew up believing I didn’t have a choice. So I tried to be what they told me I had to be, and when you beat me at the challenge, I was relieved. Just like I was relieved that you told him to stop with the construction. Our neighbors are nice people, and I hate everyone thinking I’m an entitled brat because of how my dad acts.

“But you should know, when you do those things, there are consequences.” Her voice grows shaky at the end, and I can see now that she is literally trembling.

“Amber, what do you mean consequences?” I try to keep my tone light, but I can already see the writing on the wall. Her fear is not about me.

“When dad doesn’t get his way, he… he takes it out on my mom. And me. Because we aren’t ever good enough,” she replies in a near-whisper.

It takes every ounce of my self-control to hold in the roar of fury I want to release. I knew he was a shitty human, but I had no idea he was abusive toward his family. The need to protect bubbles under my skin, white-hot rage for the person responsible. I want to shred him to pieces with my bare hands.

Instead, I tamp it down—I can tell Amber has been traumatized enough—and reach out to her as slowly and gently as I’m able, wrapping an arm lightly around her shoulders.

“Amber, I’m sorry. I had no idea that is how he would react. Have you ever told someone before? I can’t imagine my uncle Dom would have let him carry on behaving that way.”

---