Page 32 of Wolf Claimed
“Hate is a strong word,” he said, regretting that she’d sensed that about him, or worse, that it was true.
“But I’m not wrong, am I?” she asked.
“No.”
As the silence stretched on, she ducked under his arm, putting distance between them.
“I meant it before, Artemis. You’re safer here with me, at least until Tiernan and Maddox return. I’ll leave then if you want.”
“You always sound so sure of yourself, Rafe. I envy that, especially now. I’m overwhelmed and can’t think straight. That drug must still be in my system.”
“Then don’t think. Relax. Let me worry for you.”
“You? You’re part of why I’m so worried.”
“What did the DSA tell you about shifters?” He had to keep her occupied, to keep her mind off the situation until the others returned. He couldn’t chance her fleeing. Not that he couldn’t catch her easily enough, but she was crafty when she wanted to be. And twice now she’d eluded him.
“The briefing we got was rather pitiful. They told us about your abilities. The ones they know about. There isn’t a lot of information out there about shifters. Not from reliable sources, at least. And my dad, well, he spouted off a lot about shifters. Constantly. None of it nice. And I’m betting very little if any of it true.”
Her father didn’t simply hate shifters. He had a personal agenda to annihilate them. But Rafe wasn’t going to mention that. She wasn’t responsible for her father’s actions, and she’d come to the program with an open mind, determined to learn about shifters first-hand.
“What about your mother, Alyssa? Does she hate shifters too?”
Alyssa paled. He had his answer. She had no support of family or a pack like he did. His brave female had gone against both parents to fight for what was right.
“What did your parents do when you entered the DSA program to team up with shifters?”
“My mother’s gone. L-left when I was eleven. And the last time I saw my dad was twelve years ago, when I was seventeen. I don’t talk to him and never plan to again.”
He almost asked why her mother had left, but she was practically shaking from discussing her parents.
“It’s not easy going against one’s parents. A father especially,” he said, trying to place her at ease.
“You and your father don’t get along?” she asked, eager to talk about him instead of talking about her father.
“We do, generally, but he’s the alpha of our pack. He’s more alpha than father. And even though I’m his heir now, trying to pull my weight in the pack, he often overrules my decisions. Defying him has harsh consequences.”
“Like what? He smack your bottom, Rafe?” she said with a wicked grin that went right to his cock. Hell, he shouldn’t be letting her get to him.
“I was temporarily exiled.”
She lost that beautiful smile, and he could see the sadness in her eyes. One-on-one like this here, in private, when she didn’t feel the need to prove herself to a room full of shifters and humans, Artemis let her guard down.
“I’m sorry. That’s not right, ripping you away from your family and home,” she said.
Perhaps she empathized with him because of her lack of relationship with her father. For as tough and unreasonable as his father could be, Rafe couldn’t imagine never going home, never seeking his father’s advice, hating his father as she hated hers.
“Where did you go?” she asked.
“Here. I was sent here as our pack’s representative because my father thought it would teach me a lesson.”
“A lesson in obeying him?”
“That too, I suppose, but I think he’s concerned about my ability to lead a pack. He tasked me with keeping the shifters here under control. The humans don’t realize how volatile it can get with shifters from so many different packs.” He scoffed when he saidhumans,and instantly regretted it. Talking to Artemis was so easy that he often forgot she was human.
Eye wide and her expression cold, Alyssa headed toward the door. “I can’t sit here anymore. I have to move, go for a run. Something.”
“You can’t go out unprotected.”
