Page 88 of Ravaged Wolf
They hate you. They blame you.
All of these tears—you caused this. No one can keep a female in heat from her mate if she wants him. The door wasn’t locked, was it, Izzy? No one was standing in your way.
He’s going to blame you, too, when he really gets to know you.
The voice drops lower—
Look at them. They love him so much. They missed him so badly.
You can only imagine what that must be like, surrounded by people who love you like that. And you know why, right?
You just don’t inspire that kind of love. You lived in your bedroom for years. Who missed you? Who cared enough to get you to leave?
Your mate didn’t even try to get you back. You had to go to him.
I can’t stand here anymore. I march over to the storage compartment and muscle the door up.
The Floyds are only here for a week. Trevor made arrangements for Bevan to run them back to Moon Lake in the Old Den van on his way to drop Rosie off at Quarry Pack. She meets with Una every couple months for an “alpha female summit,” alternating hosts. Rosie says they do it to swap goodies, gossip, and give their mates the opportunity to miss them so they don’t get too comfortable.
There are two suitcases and an assortment of duffel bags and backpacks. I start with unloading the bags, walkingthem over to the grassy side of the road so they don’t sit in the dirt.
I’ve only dealt with two bags when Trevor appears beside me, lifts a duffel off my shoulder, and slings it over his own. “You don’t have to do that,” he says. “Come meet the family.”
The Floyds have rearranged themselves to face me in a loose semi-circle. Their expressions are polite. Masked. Except for his mother. She averts her gaze as she dabs her cheeks dry. Her jaw is set. I guess she doesn’t appreciate me distracting Trevor and interrupting the reunion.
I feel oversized and stupid as Trevor walks me back over to them. “This is Izzy,” he says, even though of course they all know who I am.
“Hi.” I try my best to smile, and I give a little wave. I should say something else.Welcome to Old Den. We’re so happy you’re here. I’m sorry for everything that happened.I’m sorry for the choices I made that caused you to lose your son.
How do I navigate this? I took the first step, and now I’m standing over a chasm like that cartoon coyote.
“Say what you feel, and we’ll deal with it” doesn’t work when you’re confronting his entire family, and they’re staring at you with brutally blank expressions.
Trevor wraps an arm around my waist and tugs me against his side. “Okay, so from left to right, that’s Garan, Aled, Tarian, and Llew.” Each of them nods or raises a hand in turn. “You know Dad. And this is Mom.”
“Macsen and Arlais,” his father says. He’s not correcting Trevor. He’s just telling me their names. I shouldn’t feel like it’s a rejection. Still, my stomach twists.
“Pleased to meet you,” I say, falling back on the manners my mother taught me. She impressed upon me from the time that I was old enough to be allowed in company thatpoliteness means keeping your mouth shut unless someone asks you a question, so that’s what I do.
No one asks me any questions.
Trevor and his brothers grab the luggage, and Trevor falls in step with his mother, leading the group around the barricade toward camp. We decided earlier that it would be easier to walk instead of securing bikes for everyone, and it was a good decision.
Even though I feel awkward and superfluous, I still bask in the pure joy flowing through the bond as Trevor and his family banter all the way back.
“I’m surprised you still wear it short.” Tarian musses Trevor’s hair.
“Yeah, aren’t you a scavenger now?” Llew asks.
“Where’s your tail? I thought the whole thing about being a scavenger is you get to let your wolf hang out.” Aled tries to snag the back of Trevor’s jeans.
Trevor smacks his hand away. “Quit trying to look at my ass.”
“Why? Are you ashamed of it? I’d be ashamed of it.” Tarian fakes a sympathetic expression.
“Trevor doesn’t want you to know that heiswearing his tail,” Llew suggests. “It’s just so small, it gets lost between his butt cheeks.”
“I’m so sorry you have an embarrassingly short, stumpy tail,” Aled says mournfully. “I’m sure no one’s judging.”
