Page 30 of Ruthless Moon

Talia grins and relaxes her stance a little. “Takes a bit of generationally strategic hanky-panky, but here I am. And I’m not the only one.”

“TheMathairswould kill you. They would consider you an abomination. A threat to their existence. Why would Lawrence send you out where you might be discovered?” Meredith seems unfazed by the revelation that a wolf-witch hybrid exists while I’m over here trying not to hyperventilate as I absorb a brand-new take on my reality.

Talia’s gaze drops, unable to meet Meredith’s intense gaze. “Look, I don’t know everything. I’m just the messenger today. I was told to help you and your daughter pack and find a court farther west that will take you in. I have the strengths of being a wolf, but I’m also battle trained and can cast spells. I’m handy to have around in a pinch.”

“Where is he?” Meredith presses again, a slight tinge of desperation in her voice.

Talia shakes her head. “He wants you safe, but I can’t tell you where he is. Our safety and the safety of our court depends on its secrecy. There are too many lives at stake. If you know things, theMathairscan get them out of you.”

A heavy pause lingers in the air. Meredith’s face is a storm of emotions. I’ve never seen her look so uncentered. She gives a terse nod, accepting, though not liking the lack of information.

TheseMathairssound powerful. And who is Lawrence? Why is Meredith so calm?

“I can’t leave right now, Talia. You’ll have to report back that you delivered the message, but that I told youno.” Her fingers wrap around mine and Rachel’s, pulling us along, determined to distance herself from this conversation, and the past that’s come crashing back into her life.

“Meredith, wait, you can’t just do nothing.” Talia’s voice is strained, her footsteps echoing with urgency as she dashes after us. “They’re relentless and they won’t stop until you’re six feet under or bound in chains.”

Meredith’s pace never falters. “You need to go, Talia. It’s not safe for you around me. The wolves in the area, they won’t—”

“Oh, you mean the fucking mafioso-esque Gallagher alpha you’ve inexplicably aligned yourself with? And his unhinged also-alpha brother, both squabbling over territories like petulant children over toys? I’m well aware of the dangerous sandbox you’ve been playing in,” Talia snaps, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “We’ve been keeping an eye on you for the last couple of months. Lawrence sent me reinforcements when I told him what was happening.”

Meredith’s fury explodes. She releases us and in one swift motion grabs Talia by the collar, forcefully pinning her against a rusted bus stop pole. “You think watching me for a few months means you understand me? Lawrence doesn’t know me either. A quarter century has passed. I’m glad he found a place where he’s safe from theMathairs, but lots of people depend on me. Not just my daughter. And I’m not abandoning any of them.”

“He said you’d be stubborn.”

A humorless laugh escapes Meredith’s lips. “In that regard, he remembers me well. Leave, Talia. Go back to your life and leave me to mine. Tell him thank you for the warning, but I’m not leaving my home. Just like he’s not left his for twenty-five years.”

Pain flashes in Talia’s eyes. “He can’t leave. You know what would happen.”

The weight of years of anguish and heartbreak is evident in Meredith’s voice. “I’m painfully aware of the reason I haven’t seen my husband’s face in two and a half decades. Now go.” With a wave of her hand, a powerful gust of wind pins Talia to the pole again, emphasizing her dismissal.

Regaining her composure, Meredith turns back to us. “Come, girls, we need to get some lunch and get back on the road back to Ash Hollow before your bodyguard wets himself in the car where we left him.”

Chapter Ten

Protect Her for Me

LIAM O’CONNOR

Desperation pulses through me, amplifying the chaotic rush of my movements as I jerk clothes from my dresser, chucking item after item into the open duffel bag on my bed. The cabin I call home sits enveloped in an eerie silence that unsettles me. Despite residing on the same land as my family, each of us—my brothers and I—has carved our separate spaces from our mother’s house.

My body shakes. The last moment with Gen replays in my mind with brutal clarity. Our kiss. Our goodbye.

She’s my mate. Mine. Not mine.

Dammit.

My wolf whines in the back of my mind, feeling the sting of separation like a raw wound. The pain of leaving Gen promises to be an excruciating lifelong torment. But I have no other choice. I can’t bear to watch her go through this wedding, even if it is for the greater good. And after she’s married and bonded to Aiden—marked by Aiden—the growing connection between us will be severed and all that will be left is pain instead of hope.

She’s my mate. Mine.Not mine.

Hell. I can’t—

A sharp knock at the door startles me.

With a quick zip, I close the bag and shove it under my bed, in case it’s one of my nosy cousins or my mother, who somehow always has a sixth sense for knowing when we’re home. I can’t face anyone right now, not without the risk of my facade crumbling.

The front door creaks open and I hear heavy footsteps. “Liam?” Aiden’s voice calls out through the silence.

---