Page 53 of Grace of a Wolf 1
I lean forward, forcing Andrew to maintain eye contact. "So tell me again why someone like Ellie—someone who was willing to physically harm me in front of witnesses—would suddenly be so concerned with helping me? The human ex-girlfriend of her mate?"
The question hangs in the air between us. Andrew shifts uncomfortably, his gaze dropping to my bandaged wrist. The certainty in his expression wavers.
"Maybe she..." he starts, then falters. His throat works as he swallows. "It's still better than being prisoner to the Lycan King, isn't it? You've seen it. He's crazed for violence. He'll kill you the moment he's done with you."
My stomach twists. Yes, I know. It isn't like I trust him, either. But it doesn't mean I'm going to jump into a fire.
Andrew's eyes suddenly narrow, and he takes an aggressive step forward. The shift in his attitude sends a shiver through my body. "It can't be… Do you actually believe what he said? About you being 'his'?"
The memory of Caine's voice echoes in my head—his furious declaration in front of the entire pack. The way Fenris had materialized beside him, as if summoned by his rage.
"No. Of course not."
But then I think about my strange meal with him and how he bandaged my wrist so tenderly. Heat creeps up my neck.
Andrew's nostrils flare slightly. "If there's something between you and the Lycan King that you're not telling us..."
"There's nothing," I snap. I don't need more rumors. Everyone's confused enough as it is.
"Then why are you hesitating?" Andrew presses. "If there's nothing, why not come with me tonight? Get away from all this?"
I study his face, searching for answers. Does he really think he's helping me? And why is he so damn stubborn about this? Andrew has never liked me.
"You didn't answer my question," I say quietly. "Why would Ellie want to help me?"
He sighs, running a hand through his hair. "Rafe is concerned about you. He feels guilty. Ellie knows that, and she wants him focused on the transition, on becoming the Alpha the pack needs right now. As long as you're around..."
"I'm a distraction," I finish for him.
"You're a complication," he corrects. "And with the Lycans breathing down everyone's necks, complications are dangerous."
"And if I refuse to go?" I ask, though I already know the answer.
Andrew's expression turns grim. "Then we can't protect you from whatever happens next. The Lycan King has claimed you as his, but nobody knows why. What if he's just playing with his food?"
I'm not going to eat you,he'd said, like that was supposed to ease all my fears. The thought of it is laughable now.
My fingers trace the edge of the bandage Caine wrapped around my wrist. His touch had been surprisingly gentle for someone so feared, but he's unstable. Strange. Unreadable.
I can't stay here, but I'm not going to go along with Ellie's plan.
"I'll go, but not to Forest Springs. You need to take me to Sterling City."
Andrew's brow furrows. "Sterling City? Why would you want to go there?"
"Because I'm human, Andrew. That's where I should have been all along."
"The humans abandoned you," Andrew says, his voice hard. "We took you in."
A humorless laugh escapes me. "Really? Because the Lycan King seems to think differently. He practically accused Alpha of kidnapping me from human society."
"Alpha Brax would never—" Andrew's face flushes red. "He wouldn't kidnap a human child."
My hands drag roughly over my face as I groan in frustration. "Look, I don't care what you believe. Sterling City is the only place I'm going, with or without your help."
He shifts his weight, uncertainty flickering across his features. The silence stretches between us until he finally speaks. "Fine. I'll come with you to Sterling City."
What? No. "I don't need you."
