Page 34 of Witch's Wolf

“There’s something else you should know,” he says, his voice lower, barely above a whisper.

A chill skates down my spine. Whatever he’s about to say, it’s bad. The certainty cuts through the haze of pain and drugs. My wolf whimpers, not wanting to know but needing to.

“What?”

“Erica. She, uh…” Raul hesitates, shifting his weight. He scrubs a hand over his jaw, eyes flicking to the door. “She’s been crying since we got here.”

Pain spikes throughout my body. I grit my way through it, trying to focus while fighting this urge to try and get up again.

“Crying?” That doesn’t sound like her. Erica isn’t the type to fall apart. She’s strong, too strong I’d say most of the time.

“I asked her why. She wouldn’t say. Just that she wanted to talk toyouabout it.”

It’s bad. Something more. Something else.

Unease crawls up my spine as my thoughts spin, latching onto unknowns.

“Send her in,” I say, voice steady in sharp contrast to my spinning thoughts.

Crying? Over me?

Sure, we’remaybedating which we haven’t really discussed, but it’s new. Fresh. She’s notin lovewith me. At least, I don’t think she is. Maybe Raul’s exaggerating. He has a habit of making things bigger than they are. Probably saw a little moisture in her eyes and decided to make a whole thing out of it.

The second she steps into the room, I realize he wasn’t exaggerating. If anything, he underplayed it. Her eyes are swollen, red-rimmed, and glassy. Even from across the room, I see the tear tracks glistening on her cheeks. She has her arms wound tight across her chest, forming a fragile barrier between us.

“Hi, Sam.”

Her voice is wrong. Too quiet. Too raw. A warning bell clangs in my head, echoed by the pain.

“I wouldn’t call this alright,” I smirk, nodding toward my busted leg. “But where’s the blonde who kissed me in the middle of the street in Shandaken? Come here and give me a kiss.”

She frowns, fresh tears dropping, and shakes her head.

“I’m… sorry. I’d rather stay here.”

Something about the way she says it, soft and wobbly, makes the air feel too thin. Then she drops the bomb.

“Sam, I think we should stop seeing each other.”

The words don’t compute. I blink at her, sure I misheard.

“What?”

She doesn’t move. Doesn’t flinch. Just stands there, arms locked, breathing shallow.

“Why?” My voice is rough, uneven. “Did I do something wrong?”

She shakes her head once.

“No.” A pause. A breath. Then, barely above a whisper. “It’s just that… the more I think about us, the more I realize that I’m going to hurt you.”

A cold, sinking feeling spreads through my chest. She’s already hurting me. And I don’t even know why.

Humans. Never trust a human. They leave you when the shit hits the fan and for no damn reason.

“How?” I ask, mouth full of cotton.

“Does it matter?” her voice wobbles. “I’m so sorry, Sam. I was stupid to pursue this in the first place. I should have stayed away from you.”

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