Page 93 of Vicious Luna

He clenches his jaw as he stares back at me, the muscle in it feathering.

“Listen, dude, I still don’t understand this whole mate bond thing, but I care about your sister,” I say, trying to appeal to his humanity behind the big bad wolf façade. “I’d never let anything bad happen to her.”

“Like you haven’t already?” he scoffs.

I drag a hand through my hair, tugging at the strands. “I fucking know!”

A tense silence settles between us, both of us riled up and locked in a damn staring contest. Then he finally breaks it by asking a question I’m completely unprepared for.

“Do you love her?”

“What?” I choke, blinking back at him.

“It’s a simple question,” Madd growls, still staring me down. “Do you love her, yes or no?”

My heart stutters in my chest, a lump forming in my throat. I’ve never really considered the depth of my feelings for Avery before, but I know without a doubt that I’ve never felt this way. I’d lay my life down for hers in an instant, no questions asked- and if that’s not love, then I don’t know what is.

“Yes,” I rasp.

Madd stares at me for a long moment like he’s digesting my admission, then he finally gives me a tight nod, advancing a step forward. “Right answer,” he mutters, clapping a hand down hard on my shoulder. “You’d better not fuck this up. If you do, I’ll tear your throat out myself.” He flexes his grip on my shoulder threateningly. “Just give me a reason.”

I glare back at him, refusing to back down from his challenge, even as I hear the door to the packhouse swinging open and feel the tug in my chest of my mate’s presence.

“What’s wrong?” Avery asks warily, clearly sensing the tension in the air.

Madd and I turn to look her way almost in unison. “Set a meeting,” he barks. “Cam heard back from his contact, and he’s going to help us come up with a plan.”

She flinches back in shock, brows drawing together. “Whoa, what now? You’re gonna let him help?”

“Just set the damn meeting,” he grumbles, turning on a heel and storming back toward the kitchen.

41

“You really think this’ll work?” I ask hopefully, glancing over at Cam walking beside me as we pass beneath the pale glow of a streetlight.

“It has to,” he replies, carding his fingers through his dark curls for what has to be the thousandth time today. We’ve been up at the squad complex for the entirety of it, strategizing with the other squad leaders as to end this conflict with The Guild once and for all. The only breaks we took were for quick meals in the squad’s dining hall. The sun set hours ago, and we’re finally on our way back to the packhouse to get some much needed rest. I’m mentally drained, ready to fall into bed and sleep till noon tomorrow. Well, noon’s a stretch. But wouldn’t it be nice if I had the luxury?

If all goes well tomorrow, then I’ll have earned a few days of sleeping in and flouting responsibility. We’ll all have. But right now, I still feel the overwhelming weight of anxiety pressing down on me, sitting heavy like an anchor on my chest.

“You’d better not be playing both sides here,” I grumble, half joking while also giving words to one of my deepest fears.No matter how I feel about Cam, it’s a risk to trust him and let him in on our planning. I just hope it’s one that’ll pay off.

Cam whips his head sideways to cut me a disbelieving glare, his brow furrowing and lips twisting in a scowl. “You mean you still don’t trust me?”

His harsh tone immediately puts me on the defensive. “Would you, if you were in my shoes?” I snap, scowling right back at him. “Think about it, Cam. There’s a lot riding on this.”

“You think I don't know that?” he scoffs, shaking his head and turning his gaze to the pavement ahead right as we hit the bottom of the packhouse driveway. “There’s a lot riding on it for me, too. I get why the others may not trust me yet, but I thought you and I were past that.” He slams to a stop, scrubbing a hand down his face and turning to gaze past the packhouse to the woods beyond. “I need some air,” he mutters, swiveling to stomp off around the side of the packhouse toward the forest.

I just stand there for a beat as I watch him walk away, chewing on the inside of my cheek.

In my heart of hearts, Idotrust Cam. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have agreed with including him in our strategy planning. I wouldn’t have moved him into a guest room in the packhouse, and I wouldn’t be sneaking into his bed in the middle of the night. But admitting I trust him also means admitting I forgive him for his past; that I want him in my future... andthat'swhat scares the crap out of me. Because while it’s an impossible situation, I’ve come to care about him. And I don’t want to let him go.

“Wait, you don’t even know where you’re going!” I call, jogging after him.

“Why would you care?” he grumbles as I catch up, falling into step beside him and grabbing for his arm.

“You think I don’t care about you?” I huff, yanking on his arm to halt his advance.

He swivels to face me, and despite the packhouse castingus both in its shadow, my shifter vision allows me to make out every rugged detail of his face through the darkness, his jaw locked tight and expression stormy. “Do you?”

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