Page 3 of Redeemed Wolf

“What are you doing here?” Shan asked after the silence had dragged on for what felt like an eternity. His gold-flecked eyes were focused on the distance. He didn’t sound angry, more curious.

I sighed. “Look, I know we might’ve gotten off on the wrong foot—”

“When you sold out your Alpha’s weakness to a rival pack,” he said simply, stating a fact.

“To save your life,” I snapped, quick to defend my actions. He raised a brow, his eyes darkening as he turned them on me, and I felt the judgment all the way to my core. It took everything in menot to lower my head. “Okay, fine, I might’ve had selfish reasons, but it all worked out in the end. Some people just need to die.”

He kicked a rock down the road ahead of us. “You might be right about that. There is unspeakable evil in this world, and while my father taught me to be kind and brave and noble, he never taught me how to rehabilitate a monster like Thorn.”

Shan looked at me then—trulysawme—and I witnessed a storm of emotions behind his calm gaze. “I don’t know what the outcome would’ve been if I hadn’t known about Thorn’s injury ahead of time. I imagine he could’ve killed me, taken my pack, my mate, my son, and you know my family is everything to me, so a part will always be grateful.” Shan’s steps slowed, until we were both standing still in the middle of the road. His sigh seemed to join the chorus from the birds in the trees. “But another part of me remembers how for years you sat back and watched as Thorn abused Brody, and you did nothing.”

I gritted my teeth, choking on the words I wanted to spit in his face. That I hadn’t sat back and done nothing, that I’d tried to fight back and set things right—and I’dfailed. I could’ve tried a thousand times, but the truth was that I hadn’t been strong enough to take him on myself. But Shan already knew all that. He knew, and he was baiting me, waiting to see how I would react.

The rage washed over and through me, and Shan’s gaze dipped down to where my fists tightened at my sides. My face heated with what could only be described as shame. It was hard for me to admit my shortcomings. “I don’t know what you want from me. I could apologize,” I said eventually, “but it wouldn’t mean anything. They’re just empty words.”

He shrugged. “Doesn’t mean I don’t want to hear it.”

My chest tightened, squeezing the breath from my lungs. “For what it’s worth, I am sorry,” I said, staring down at my bare feet, curling my toes into the gravel. I couldn’t remember the last timeI’d apologized for anything. Maybe to the ghost of my mother as I lay bleeding out on the forest floor after Thorn had torn me to shreds. “I’m sorry I wasn’t enough…” I’d whispered, my blood and tears soaking into the ground beneath me.

My scars itched, a constant reminder of my failure. As much as I wanted to tip my chin up in defiance, I fought the urge, keeping my eyes down. Shan had earned my deference, and if I were to join their pack, it was something I would have to get used to.

This is not the same, I reminded myself.Bowing to Shan is nothing like kneeling to Thorn.

“I’m going to ask you again… what are you doing here?” Shan’s voice took on a sharper edge, biting into me. “And not just today. I’d assumed once you got what you wanted that we’d never seen you again, but lately, you’ve been finding reasons to hang around.”

“You know why,” I mumbled through gritted teeth.

“I want to hear you say it.”

I sucked in a slow breath, forcing the tension from my limbs. When I finally looked up, I met Shan’s eyes, glowing gold with his wolf’s gaze. “I want to be a part of your pack.”

He stared into me for a long moment, and I did not blink even once. Until the gold seeped away, leaving his eyes a rich brown. “There, was that so hard to admit?” He patted my shoulder then turned and cut through the trees, pressing ferns back with his hand, which fell back into place behind him.

I stared after him, wondering what the hell just happened. Was I supposed to follow him? “Hey, Shan?” I called, but when he showed no sign of having heard me, I padded after him. The softer mossy ground was a relief on my feet, the air cool and damp beneath the canopy. “Shan, what does that mean?”

He came to a stop at the edge of the creek, allowing me to catch up to him. His mouth was set into a firm line. “I don’t trust you, Silas. You’re stubborn and brash, and quite frankly,you’re an asshole. And I don’t know if I willeverbe able to trust you because I’m not sure you’ll be able to let go of being an Alpha.” My stomach clenched at his declaration, but he wasn’t done. “I’m telling you this because I don’t want you to think you’re wasting your time waiting around for that to change. You deserve my honesty.”

It was hard to hear, though I’d expected nothing less. I wasn’t new to mistrust. I nodded once. “I appreciate you being straight with me, but if it’s all the same to you, I’ll keep waiting.”

The corner of his lips twitched. “Fair enough.” He gestured his chin toward the crystal-clear water burbling over the rocks. On the grassy bank was a backpack. “Wash yourself up and help yourself to a change of clothes. Dinner’s in an hour.” Then he turned and headed back toward camp.

I suspect my jaw might’ve been gaping, but I was glad he wasn’t here to witness my shock. An invitation to dinner? That sounded like progress. “I’ll try not to be an asshole,” I called after him, but he had nothing to say in return.

In the bag I found a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, Tristan’s from the scent of them. I couldn’t imagine he’d given them up willingly. There was also a bar of soap. Grabbing it, I stepped off the bank into the flowing water, braced for the chill. The water ran a frothy pink as I washed off the blood, and I paid special attention to taming my red hair. I needed to make a good impression.

Missed a spot, my wolf nudged, bringing my attention to my shoulder where the flecks of blood had camouflaged with my freckles.

I withstood the cold for as long as I could, then stepping onto the bank, I shook as much of the water off as I could before pulling on the clothes. Without a towel, the clothes clung to my wet skin, and I finger-combed my hair back. My feet were still bare, but it was a sight better than before.

The whole process didn’t take longer than 15 minutes, though I was tempted to linger here. “Coward,” I said, closing my eyes in a long blink before I forced myself back to camp.

The aroma of roasting deer was already perfuming the air, and everyone was working together to prepare the meal. Even the kids. Mal was overseeing the table setting at the outdoor eating area. In the warmer months, this was where the pack tended to congregate, and I noticed with pride that there was an extra place setting for me.

Tristan stepped out from the kitchen with a large bowl of salad, and his lip curled with a low growl when he saw me standing here in his clothes. He slammed the bowl down in the center of the table, then turned to leave.

Before I could second-guess myself, I said, “What can I do to help?”

Tristan’s shoulders were tensed, almost like he was waiting for a fight, but he forced himself to look over his shoulder at me. “Come grab the plates.” He was obviously holding back a whole slew of swears, but his eyes flicked to the kids, and he must’ve decided that it would be better to set a good example for the pups.

---