Page 61 of Shadow City: Silver Wolf

"I couldn't stay away any longer. Hell, Mom told me if I didn’t stop frowning and snapping, she would personally put me in Shadow City’s jail. I could barely pay attention to the council meetings because all I wanted to do was come back here to her." Griffin sighed. "I wasn't going to act on it. I wanted to see her for a few minutes to subdue whatever this urge was inside me. But then the whole Luna thing happened, and I found this note that our little runaway left you." He pulled the piece of paper back out of his pocket.

I inhaled and held my breath, guessing how Killian would react.

"Note?" Killian asked and took it from him. His eyes scanned it, and I saw when realization sank in. "Thiswas how you were telling me goodbye?"

"We've gone through this." I didn't want to talk about it again. "I couldn't say it to your face because I wouldn't have been able to leave. But I had to make sure you knew I left of my own free will—and how much your friendship means to me."

"Don't make her feel bad," Griffin said as he touched my arm. "She thought she was doing the right thing."

Killian's jaw tightened, and he folded my letter up and put it into his back pocket. "Can I talk to you alone for a minute?" He pointed at Griffin.

"Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of Dove." Griffin tightened his hold on me. "She and I are a package deal.”

"No, it's fine." Griffin was already acting like we were together, and though I loved the sound of it, I had to make sure Killian was okay with it. After all, he'd been there for me first. "I'll go outside and get some fresh air."

"Stay close, please, and make sure the guards are in sight," Griffin said. He kissed my cheek and released my hand. "There've been enough attempts on your life to last a lifetime."

That was a very true statement. "I don't plan on venturing far." Not wanting to affect their conversation, I slipped out the back door and made my way around to the side of the house near the living room. They still had no idea how strong my hearing was, and I couldn’t help but want to listen to what they had to say.

"Do you realize how important she is to me?" Killian asked. "If you ever hurt her—"

"I couldn’t. It’s not possible." Griffin sounded so sincere. "The connection is real. I swear it is."

Hope blossomed in my stomach. The scary truth was that I was at the mercy of our connection. I had no clue how powerfully the bond would impact us, but the more time I spent with him, the harder it was to leave his side. Each kiss and touch made thetugso much stronger.

"Oh, I believe that you think that." Killian sighed. "That's the only reason why your ass hasn’t been beaten to a bloody pulp."

A smile slipped into place, and I made my way toward the wood’s edge, not wanting to hear any more. They were coming to an agreement, and Killian hadn't wanted me to listen.

I focused on the sounds of the animals in the forest and glanced at the sun. It was midday when the sun was at its highest point in the sky and the moon farthest away, which meant I was at my weakest for the next few hours. At some point, I wanted to be able to shift and run free.

Acracksounded about a mile away and I jerked to a halt. Was that a gunshot? I scanned the area, realizing that the guards weren’t in position. I’d been so caught up with Killian and Griffin that I hadn’t been paying attention.

The noise took me back to the day when my pack had been murdered. I scanned the area, looking for one of the guards to alert, but I couldn't find one.

That was odd. They were supposed to be surrounding the house.

Another shot echoed, this one closer, followed by a low grunt.

Somebody was in trouble. I started to run in the direction of the shot, but I stopped. I couldn't leave Killian and Griffin and run off on my own. They'd be pissed, and rightfully so.

I rushed to the back door and threw it open. "Someone is in trouble, and the guards have disappeared." I stuck my head in to find them running toward the kitchen. Good, they were moving. "Call for backup. I'm going to go see what I can do."

"No," Griffin said absolutely. "You're staying here. It could be a trap."

Oh,hellno. "I may be attracted to you, but that doesn't mean I’ll hand over my decision-making to you. Iamgoing out there. It's up to you whether you come along for the ride."

A scream pierced the air, urging me back outside.

"Dove!" Griffin yelled as his footsteps pounded behind me. "Stop. We need to wait for backup."

"They can find us by following the noise." I spun around to face him. "We'll do recon first. We need to see what we're up against."

Killian stepped out of the house. "More of my guards are on their way."

“So are Shadow City guards,” Griffin said.

"Great, let's go." I took off again and heard Griffin grumble something, though I couldn't make out the words.

---