Page 26 of Wolf's Reckoning
Especially not him.
So I did what every well-trained alpha’s daughter did when the world dropped out from under her feet. I nodded once in acknowledgment and turned my back on him. I didn’t speak. I didn’t snarl. I walked out of the hall with every inch of dignity I could carry on legs that shook with the shock of seeing him again.
The silence behind me was deafening until I heard the soft, “Rowen, stop.”
I closed my eyes as I heard him speak again, but I didn’t stop, I didn’t answer, I headed to my rooms. Let him choke on it. Let him stew in whatever regret, or duty, orguiltthat brought him slinking back to the Hollow. He’d lost the right to say my name when he left me. There were no second chances, not here.
I didn’t let my mask fall until my door snicked shut behind me, and I slumped against it like I’d just raced for days and never stopped. I staggered to my chair and sank down, my palms flat on the armrests, and let myselffeelthe emotion.
Not all of it. Not the worst of it. Not the depth of it. Just enough to burn the edges off.
Wolfe.
I couldn’t believe he was here. After all these years. All the silence. After the rejection and the rebuilding. Aftereverything. Wolfedaredto show upnowand look at me like I was stillhis.
That wasn’t even the worst part. The worst part was mytraitorous wolfwantedit. The part of me that lived beneath my skin, that instinctive, primal pulse, had perked up the second we’d recognized his scent in the air. My wolf was eager, tail raised, heart ready to leap.
No. Just…no.
I would not be ruled by biology. I would not be ruled by a man.Especiallynot him.
I rolled the tension out of my neck, my breathing still ragged, my skin still humming like I was ready to shift. I wasn’t angry because he was here. I was angry because I wanted to run to him. And I wanted to knowwhy.
Whynow? Did the Council know? Hadtheysenthim here? Why did he look at me with those damn eyes that looked like they still remembered every piece of me he left behind?
Fuck.
My head lifted as I heard faint footsteps approach my door. He wouldn’t. As they got closer, I realized it wasn’t Wolfe. I opened the door just as Adair raised her hand to knock.
“Not one word,” I said tightly. “I’m not in the mood.”
“Rowen,” Adair murmured as she came into my room. “I see you’ve seen who’s here.”
I closed the door firmly and turned to see Adair watching me quietly with a look that said she already knew everything.
“Hard to miss him,” I muttered.
She smiled. “I noticed.” She tilted her head as she sat on my couch. “I also noticed you didn’t kill him. Should I be impressed?”
I sniffed dismissively. “It’s almost dinner time, bad form to commit murder right before supper.”
Adair grinned. “You okay?”
I didn’t answer right away, but it wasn’t a question I wouldn’t be asked multiple times. “No. But I will be.” I picked at the leather braided bracelet I wore. “It’s Wolfe, he won’t stay here long.”
She nodded. She didn’t offer any sage words of wisdom; she wasn’t one for flowery, empty words. Instead, she just settled into the couch, offering me her friendship with her silent support. And somehow, that made me feel steadier.
We sat in silence for a while, long enough for the world to become solid beneath my feet once more and my heartbeat to return to its regular, steady beat.
The pack hall was carved into stone, not built. My father had always said that foundations that couldn’t be moved couldn’t be broken. I used to think it was wise. Now it just felt like a prison. Strong walls, strong roots, but a prison nonetheless.
Silently, I got to my feet, knowing I had to show my face at supper. Tongues would already be wagging. Adair said nothing as I began to change my clothes.
The measured knock at my door caused my fingers to hesitate as I started to button my shirt, but I finished dressing before I opened it.
The druid stepped inside as if they belonged there, which, in their mind, they probably did. Their robes brushed against the wooden floor, and their hands remained folded in front of them, as always.
“You left the hall abruptly.”
