Page 42 of Soul Bound

“White Fang?” Elias’s dark brows pull together.

“He’s White Fang, and Ransom is Cujo.” I shrug, I feel like the nicknames are fairly self-explanatory.

Elias looks at me blankly. “Cujo was a dog.”

“Yes, and he attacked people. Ransom tried to attack me when I first met him.”

A heavy arm wraps around my shoulders and I don’t even have to turn my head to know who it is. An involuntary smile grows on my face as he pulls me to his side. “Were you talking about how we met? I thought we agreed that was water under the bridge, babe. I said I was sorry.” Ransom bats his eyes at me.

“Babe?” I jerk my head up to look at him and find a giant, cocky smirk on his face.

“Yeah, I was testing it out. What do you think?”

I shake my head. “No. Not happening, Cujo.” I keep my voice stern even though I’m only pretending to be mad.

From the corner of my eye, I see Ranger push off the wall and stalk out of the room. I swear I hear a faint growling noise coming from him too as he leaves. I look at Margot and Elias to see if they heard anything, and by the confused look on their faces, I think it’s safe to say I wasn’t imagining it.

“What was that about?” I whisper to Ransom, even though I’m in a roomful of wolf shifters and they can heareverything.

I see humor flickering in Ransom’s eyes, but he only shrugs. “No clue.”

I try to look around Ransom’s large frame to see what direction Ranger disappeared in, but he’s already gone.

“Winslow, let me introduce you to Pru’s aunt and Noah.” Margot takes my hand and pulls me from her son’s hold. Ransom pretends to pout that I’m leaving him, and I pinch the underside of his arm as I move away. He jumps and snaps his teeth at me, he hates when I do that, which means I try to do it at least once a day.

Margot leads me over to the lumberjack man and the woman sitting at the counter. Their attention turns to me as we approach, I don’t sense any hostility or leeriness, so I relax.

“Winslow, this is my aunt Addison and her mate Noah,” Pruitt says before Margot has a chance to do the honors. Margot pats me on the arm before returning to stand by her mate.

I give them each a small wave. “Hi.”

For the first time, I see the woman’s face from the front, before I’ve only been able to see her profile. And I feel my stomach sink as I take in her appearance.

I don’t have to have a special gift to sense when someone is dying to know the woman who sits in front of me is closing in on the end of her life. Her skin is pale and looks almost see-through, I can see the veins that reside under her skin clear as day. Her cheeks are hollow and her face gaunt. The light that once shone in her hazel eyes is fading.

I put a genuine smile on my face and shake the hand she has offered me. Her hand is freezing and I now understand the thick sweater she wears. “It’s so good to meet you. Pruitt was so excited to learn Esme had a niece.”

I shake her hand. “Yes, learning Esme is my aunt was a bit of a shock. I’m not sure If I’ve even fully come to grips with it. It’s weird meeting a blood relative, I’ve noticed so many similarities between us over the past couple weeks. I never really clicked with my adopted parents.” That’s putting it mildly, but whatever. I don’t need to burden this woman with my mommy and daddy issues.

“I’m not Pruitt’s aunt by blood, but I was very close to her mother—basically her sister. So, I’d like to think I’m related to her.” Addison looks fondly at Pruitt.

“I don’t put much stock in the wholeyou can’t pick your familymentality. I’m a firm believer you can pick your family, that you can choose who you want to surround yourself with. You have to build the family you deserve, and that’s what you guys did.”

I know all about how Addison raised Pruitt as her own after Pru’s parents were killed. Addison had to sacrifice her whole life to keep Pruitt safe, but from what I heard, she wouldn’t take a second of it back. They only had each other for over a decade and they’re thick as thieves.

“That’s right.” Pruitt reaches out and takes Addison’s hand. “You and me against the world.”

“You and me against the world,” Addison repeats, a big smile on her face.

“Winslow, Pru and Ryker were telling us about your gifts. Seeing spirits must have been a terrifying ability to develop,” Lumberjack Noah speaks up.

I turn my attention to the redheaded bearded man. “I wouldn’t say it was a pleasant experience for an eleven-year-old,” I say lightly. “But it doesn’t scare me anymore, if anything if there are multiple ghosts around, it just gets overwhelming. I try to help them the best I can, but there’s only so much I can do sometimes.”

While living in New York, I helped as many ghosts as I could. I would help them with their unfinished business or help them get closure so they could move on. I don’t know where they move on to, I’ve never really believed in heaven, but I like to think they go to a better place. I was even hired by some families who were convinced their deceased loved ones were still around; they were usually right. I’d go into their homes and talk to the spirit and help them find peace. It was actually very rewarding work. And it paid well.

“I can imagine how that can be overwhelming,” Noah says sympathetically. “Pru also told us about your other gift—how you brought the raven back from the dead.”

I keep the smile on my face, even though it’s feeling forced now. I understand they are all family and they tell each other things, but I hate knowing my secrets are being spread among them like wildfire. I know it’s the fear of someone reacting badly that keeps me from opening up about my gifts to people—once bitten, twice shy—but keeping my secrets has kept me safe for the past five years. And now all these people know, which undoubtedly means their other pack members know.

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