Page 91 of Psycho Pack

"Tell us what?" Whiskey demands, all pretense of calm evaporating. He half-rises from his seat, muscles coiled like he's ready to pounce. "What the fuck is going on here?"

The man in white doesn't answer. He just looks at Whiskey for a long, unsettling moment, then turns and glides out of the compartment. The door slides shut behind him with a soft click that echoes like a gunshot in the stunned silence he leaves in his wake.

For a heartbeat, no one moves.

No one speaks.

We're all frozen, trying to process what just happened.

What it means.

Then all hell breaks loose.

"What thefuck?" Whiskey roars, surging to his feet and rounding on Plague. "What aren't you telling us? What kind of shit have you gotten us into?"

Plague doesn't flinch. Doesn't even blink. He just looks up at Whiskey with an infuriatingly calm expression. "I told you," he says, a slight tremor entering his voice that I doubt has anything to do with Whiskey losing his temper. "It's nothing you need to worry about."

"Bullshit!" Whiskey snarls. His fist slams down on the table, sending delicate china rattling. "That cryptic motherfucker just made it pretty damn clear we should be worrying!"

"Whiskey!" Thane barks, rising.

I feel Wraith tense beside me, a low growl building in his chest. But I can't just sit here and watch this unfold. I need answers.

"Plague," I say, keeping my voice as calm as I can manage. "Please. Whatever's going on, we deserve to know. We're a pack. We're supposed to trust each other."

Something flickers in his eyes at that. Pain? Guilt? It's gone so quickly I can't be sure I didn't imagine it. He opens his mouth, then closes it again, seeming to struggle with himself.

"You wouldn't understand," he says finally, his voice so quiet I have to strain to hear it.

"Try us," Thane growls, his massive frame radiating tension as he looms over Plague. "Because right now, all I understand is that you've made some kind of deal without consulting any of us. A deal that's taking us into the heart of a nation that, as far as we know, has a long history of wanting nothing to do with outsiders and executing anyone who approaches them."

Plague's jaw is working again as he lets out a slow breath through his nose, staring out the window again like none of us exist. The silence stretches, growing heavier with each passing second. I can feel the others' patience wearing thin. If he doesn't start talking soon, I'm afraid things might turn violent.

"It was the only way," Plague says at last, his voice barely above a whisper. "The only way to keep us safe. To keephersafe."

My breath catches in my throat.

"What are you talking about?" I ask, my voice shaking despite my best efforts to keep it steady. "What did you do, Plague?"

"Ivy's right. Stop speaking in riddles," Thane snaps, planting his palms on the table in front of Plague. "What. Did. You. Do?"

But Plague ignores Thane. Instead, he looks at me. Really looks at me. "Nothing bad. Not for any of you, anyway." He pauses, the ghost of a smile curving his lips as he steadily meets my gaze. "You can trust me on that, at least, can't you?"

His question hangs in the air. I can feel the others' gazes on me, waiting for my response. The tension in the train car is thick enough to choke on.

Thane growls low in his throat. I can see the muscles in his jaw clenching as he grinds his teeth, clearly fighting the urge to grab Plague by the throat and shake the answers out of him.

I keep watching Plague, searching his face for any sign of deception. His usual defensive walls are slipping as I watch him, revealing a vulnerability I've never seen before. There's something raw and desperate in his gaze. A plea for me to believe him.

"Yes," I say softly, surprising even myself. "I do."

My words seem to echo in the sudden silence that falls over the compartment. I can practically feel the shock radiating from the other alphas. Wraith's arms tighten around me, a questioning rumble building in his chest. But I keep my eyes locked on Plague, watching as relief flickers across his features before he schools his expression back into careful neutrality.

"Ivy, what the fuck?" Whiskey sputters, breaking the tense silence. "He's clearly hiding something. How can you trust?—"

"Because I have to," I cut him off, my voice stronger now. I tear my gaze away from Plague to look at each of the alphas in turn. Each ofmyalphas. "We all have to. We're a pack, remember? If we can't trust each other, what do we have?"

Thane straightens, crossing his arms over his broad chest as he glares down at Plague. "Trust goes both ways," he growls. "If you expect us to follow you blindly into whatever mess you've gotten us into, you need to give ussomething."

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