Page 40 of Alpha Wolf's Arranged Bride
“Try getting fucking abandoned!” she hisses, trying to keep her voice down. “Trust me, that’s way worse!”
“Okay!” I say, catching myself at the last second so I don’t yell. “I get it, and I’ll talk, alright? You deserve some kind of explanation.”
Scarlett stops in surprise, her eyes wide. I can tell she didn’t expect me to give in on this.
But I want to encourage her to talk to me, too. I deserve to know who Jarrod’s father is, and if another man has a claim on her heart.
“I was concealing my identity when I lived at Eccles because I couldn’t have anyone know where I’d come from.”
“So Rose Hollow was spying on us?”
“No,” I answer, trying to mince my words so I don’t completely give up Wolf’s Shadow. “My pack didn’t know. This was something else. I went to find out more about the strangepowers that are alluded to in the old stories. Rose Hollow itself has some legends, but these stories about Eccles are known outside of this area as well.”
“What?” Scarlett mutters, her eyes widening even more as her arms fall slack by her sides. “What stories?”
“Something about ancient powers,” I say, wondering how much I should tell her. “That the elders, and alpha, are able to harness some kind of energy, and it’s made other packs fear them. No one has ever been able to find out any details about it.”
“Did you?” she asks, taking a few quick strides towards me. “What did you hear?”
“Nothing,” I reply. “I was there for a year and never found any information.”
Scarlet lowers her head, pinching her lip. She mutters something to herself.
“What was that?”
“Nothing!” she says too quickly. “These ancient powers—does anyone know how they work? Is it spirits, magic items, what?”
“I don’t even know that much.”
“But you know it has to do with the elders?” she says, giving me a steady look.
I nod in affirmation. “Do you know anything?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “No. Nothing.”
“Scarlett—”
“I’m not talking about it, okay! I don’t have to tell you anything.”
“Actually, I think you do,” I say, challenging her. “Something is going on over there.”
“What?” she asks, her voice thin and scared. “What do you mean?”
“I was told there are lots of wolves working just outside of town. Clearing a field, maybe, or excavating.”
“Looking for what?” she asks frantically. “How many wolves are out there? Was my uncle involved? What about the other elders? Did he have a woman with him?”
“I can’t answer any of that,” I reply carefully. “But it sounds like you know something about this.”
Scarlett shakes her head desperately. “Rex, just leave this alone, okay? You don’t need to know what’s going on there—so long as they stay where they are, and we keep Jarrod safe here. Do you understand?”
“Sure,” I answer, not understanding at all.
She’s acting like she’s protecting someone back at her old pack—and she still won’t tell me who Jarrod’s father is.
Chapter 13 - Scarlett
Rex’s words chill me to the bone. I suspected all along that my uncle had an ulterior motive, and his threat towards Jarrod wasn’t empty in the slightest.
