Page 14 of Wolf Targeted
“Archer,” Jara mumbles.
My mask slips momentarily. I can’t fucking do this.
I have to get out of this cabin before I do something stupid like stay with her and put the entire pack at risk.
Pain like claws tearing out my heart threatens to take me to my knees as my wolf whines in my head.
He doesn’t like leaving her he bleeding and in pain, but if I don’t go to this interview with Bill, I could lose everything and our pack could be exposed.
“Patrick, stay with her. I have an important meeting in the city.” I turn to leave, but Jara grabs my hand.
My shoulders stiffen, and I glance back into her green eyes that plead with me to stay. But I can’t.
I turn away before I break down and stay with her just so she won’t look at me with those disappointed eyes.
“You’re leaving?” Jara asks.
“I have a meeting with Bill. I’ll be back later.” I wrench my hand from hers and storm to the door.
Every step away from my mate is harder than the last. My feet are weighed down with lead, but I trudge on.
I can’t let her get to me. No matter how much I want to turn back and stay with her—to tell her how sorry I am for being distant these last months—I can’t.
She knew what was important to me when she mated me. Strength above all else. It’s not my fault that she hoped for more between us.
That’s a cop-out and I fucking know it, but sometimes it’s easier to deal with the hurt in her eyes when I shift the blame off myself.
I’m a bastard and I have never pretended otherwise.
“Alpha.” Patrick jogs over to me.
“I thought I told you to stay with Jara.” I spin on the enforcer.
What the fuck is he doing disobeying a direct order? Has everyone in this pack gone insane?
“Are you sure you should leave? Can’t you postpone?” Patrick crosses his arms over his chest.
He and many of the pack members care deeply for their alpha female, even to the point that they question me. It’s fucking annoying. I can’t sit in that room with her and hold her hand while telling her it’s all going to be okay.
Not when being there could very well destroy everything we’ve built here.
No. I need go.
“The government is already on our case. I can’t give them any more reasons to come after the pack.” I race back to the pack house and over to my truck.
The pack has to come first. I didn’t put them first when I threatened war with Grayson, and I didn’t think about how many of my pack might die.
All that mattered was getting Jara back whether she wanted to come back or not. I can’t show that kind of weakness again.
I slam the door to my truck and my wolf howls. He wants to go back to his mate, but we can’t. I turn the key in the ignition and speed away.
He snarls at me and thrashes in my chest the farther we get from the healer’s cabin.
We have to go to themeeting with the government. You need to calm the fuck down. They can’t know what we are.
The damn wolf continues snarling in my head. I tighten my hold on the steering wheel until my knuckles turn white.
A peaceful drive to the city where I can clear my head before I’m interrogated is no longer possible with my wolf this angry at me.
