Page 65 of Wolf Bound

"I'm feeling really weird about this," I murmur to Forr and twirl my hair. "She knows stuff about my mom. Maybe even my dad, too. But she was also part of the people who hurt me despite not actually hurting me. She was part of the cult. How can I trust what she says?"

Forr pulls me into his arms, rubbing my back and resting his cheek on the top of my head. "I know how hard it can be to trust this, because I'm honestly feeling apprehensive about it all as well. Wes made sure it was safe and verified who they are, but they could still lie to you. I think all you can do is take it one step at a time."

"That sounds easier than it actually will be," I grumble and pull away. "I'll hear what she has to say and maybe have Wes check the information out after."

"I was already planning on it," Wes says from the door with a smile. "I'm happy to hear that you trust in my abilities to find out the truth in these important matters though."

I smile back at him, stepping away from Forrester and straightening my jacket.

"Of course I trust you," I assure him. "It all just feels strange."

Wes nods in understanding. "It does to me, too. I do think there's some merit to hearing what they have to say. By the sounds of it, she heavily regrets her part in the cult."

That sentence feels like a weight in my stomach. I saw the people in that cult, and I don't understand how you can do the things they do and still have any heart or morals. They torture, hurt, and kill beings that they don't deem human enough to care about.

Shifters may not be human, but we're still living beings that deserve kindness and empathy. All living creatures deserve love and nurturing. They looked at us, considered us less than them and then treated us no better than insects they wished to destroy.

"Are you ready to go, love?" Wes asks, taking my hand and pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah, let's get this over with. I just need to get through this," I say with a wince. "I don't think I'll feel better until we're done and out of there."

My mind is in a daze with anxiety and fear. Before I know it, I'm climbing into the front seat of Wes's large blue vehicle and buckling myself in. Forrester gets in the back, and we're off. I saw the others early this morning, but they had meetings all day with the different shifter leaders.

There's a lot of prep that goes into banding everyone together for a war that we don't even have all the information on. Adessa hasn't exactly been talking my ear off lately about what the nextsteps are so we're just winging it. That's what Drayton and Alaric said at least.

We have two other mythical shifters to find. Their roles will be a lot more war related than mine from what I've read, which is good because I am not good at war or strategy or any of the stuff they've been talking about the past couple days.

I am a healer, not a fighter. I can see the deepest wounds, down to the very soul of the individual. I’m meant to awaken something or someone, not lead an army.

I’m simply the beginning of all of this and as soon as we find the other two, I’ll be able to slip into the background as a healer once again.

Thank god my mates can handle planning until that time. The goddess knew what she was doing connecting my soul with these five men. They’re warriors through and through and know exactly what to do even with the little information we currently have.

Two hours later, we pull off onto a dirt road that’s easily concealed from the road. I sit up straight, my eyes darting around as we follow the twisting road until we come to an old cabin. It’s not falling apart, but it’s definitely seen better days.

The outside of the cabin has wood chipping in places, yet it’s clean and solid. The forest and brush around the cabin is well maintained and the porch has two chairs that look well weathered from the elements.

A man comes out of the door as we park, he looks a few years older than me, but there’s an exhaustion to his features that make him look older. His dirty blonde hair is buzzed close to his head. His face is clean shaven and his clothes neatly pressed if a little worn in.

The man’s blue eyes meet mine with relief shining clear as day in them. There were many things I thought would happen, butrelief on her son’s face was not something that crossed my mind. Why the relief? And is that hope, I see?

I step out of the vehicle, Forrester and Wes both immediately on my heels. My mates both don’t trust this man when it comes to me, that much is clear. I do my best to push down my own discomfort and allow my magic to come to the surface.

The man is healthy by all accounts. He has some emotional pain, but it feels more like grief than trauma.

“You came,” the man says, putting his hands in his pockets and rocking back on his feet. “I’m Nick Hartfield, I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”

Seeing Nick in person has the name Hartfield finally clicking in my head. “Do you have a sister?”

My question catches my mates off guard, yet Nick is unphased by it. In fact, it looks like he was expecting it.

“I do, and before you ask, yes, she is part of The Croises,” Nick answers flatly, his eyes shifting to the two men now growling beside me. “But we have nothing to do with her. For all she knows, both me and my mother are dead.”

I feel his grief when he answers and my shoulders drop as the tenseness leaves. He hates that she’s there and he mourns for her as if she were dead. I nod my head to his answer and give him a soft smile to let him know I don’t hold that against him.

“May we come in?” I ask, thankful Forr and Wes seem to be letting me lead this. I can feel them bristling behind me, but they’re trusting me and that’s all I can ask of them right now.

“Of course. My mother is waiting for you,” Nick responds then pauses. “I do feel I should warn you that my mother has been through a lot and it may be a bit shocking when you see her.”

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