Page 55 of Wolf Touched

“Remember, nothing too heavy,” Dru called. “It could make her nauseous. And bring some orange juice for her to drink.”

My chest tightened. Having my biological parents doting on me was very unsettling.

Shit. Parents.

I searched my pockets, but I didn’t have my phone. It had probably gotten lost in the fire. Mom and Dad must be worried sick.

What’s wrong?Raffe tensed, scanning the area as if a threat had materialized from thin air.

“Mom and Dad. They’ve got to be worried about me.”

Raffe pursed his lips. “The coven could be monitoring them.”

That didn’t make me feel better. In fact, that made it worse. “I need to call them.”

“Okay.” He leaned to the side, removed his cell from his pocket, then handed it to me. “Use my phone.”

I glanced over to find Dru’s lips pressed into a firm line. He moved toward the back of the room to get rid of the tubing.

Unsure if I could stand on my own to get some privacy with everyone around, I decided to text. When I opened the phone, there were ten missed calls from King Jovian and Queen Tashya. I glanced at Raffe and linked,Are you going to call them back?

No, I have nothing to say to either of them. If Dad had made it clear that we were welcome at home, Aldric wouldn’t have made the mistake of turning us away. Aldric does whatever he believes my dad wants, and Mom will stand up for us but won’t go against my dad.

I wanted to push him to reconsider, but we’d gone through enough for one day. On top of that, he seemed resolved, which meant I’d have to handle that conversation more delicately.

I opened a new message and put both my parents’ numbers in a text.

Hey, it’s Skylar. My phone got fried.Little did they know I meant that literally.This is Raffe’s phone, but I wanted to check in.

Octavia entered with two packs of Ritz peanut butter crackers and two orange juices. She handed the items to Raffe and me just as the phone dinged.

Mom: Where are you? EEU called and told us you ran off with him.

Dad: Come back home now. This has gone too far.

My back stiffened, and my stomach churneduncomfortably. I didn’t like their tone, but I had to remember they didn’t understand my world or what Raffe meant to me. They thought I was throwing my future away and didn’t know that I’d found my path with Raffe.

Me: There are things going on that I can’t explain. Just know I’m fine, and I love you. Talk soon.

Since he wasn’t taking his parents’ calls, I turned the phone on silent and handed it back to him. I hated the way my eyes burned because I never wanted to upset or disappoint my parents, but they were determined to take me away from the one man I never wanted to be without. There was no question who I’d choose if I had to, but I hoped it never got to that point.

“Hey, you did the right thing,” Lucy assured me and bumped my arm.

Unfortunately, I would have toppled over if not for Raffe. Resettling in his lap, I took a pack of crackers and nibbled.

“You all must be hungry too.” I lowered the cracker, not wanting to eat in front of them if they were also hungry.

“We ate while you two were passed out.” Keith patted his stomach. “Venison, and let me tell you, it was delicious.”

I almost wanted to ask if he’d eaten Bambi but swallowed another bite of cracker instead, although meat sounded way more appetizing. “What time is it?” I hadn’t checked on Raffe’s phone.

“Almost eleven.” Fane yawned. “Which means time for bed.”

“We only have four bedrooms, so someone will need to sleep on the couch.” Octavia frowned. “I’m sorry.”

“I’ll take the couch.” Adam gestured to the front doorabout fifteen steps from here and to the stairs where one set led down and the other up. “I can watch all the exits and entrances.”

Dru nodded. “Josie and Lucy can stay in one room, and Fane will stay downstairs with Dave and Keith.”

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