Page 51 of Dead Wolf Rising (Bad Moon Academy 3)

“I left her. Do you know how long she cried after I did that?”

Of course I don’t, he knows that. It doesn’t stop him from waiting for me to respond before continuing.

“No,” I say. “How would I know? You never told me.” The words come out bitter and they leave the taste of betrayal on my tongue.

“I’m sorry,” he says again. “I should have told you everything, but I knew you wouldn’t let me come back to check on her if I did.”

“How many times did you come back?” I ask, leaning away from him. Do I even know the guy in front of me?

“A few,” he admits, glancing away from me. “I won’t apologize for that. The first night I met her, she was so sad it hurt me to watch her. It was like watching a dying person try to crawl away from a fiery crash.”

“What changed? Why did you do it?” I have to know. Maybe knowing will make me less angry.

“The first time I came back, she was screaming at thin air, or so I thought. When she started mumbling about ghosts and her mother being an asshole for haunting her, I knew she might be able to help Brayden.”

“More secrets,” I say with a tsk. “How many are there?”

“Too many.” Rubbing the back of his neck, he slides his gaze to mine. “What really did it though was when I saw her running. That sadness I’d seen the first night was coiled around her. Almost like a black aura. She was eighteen then, and I couldn’t stand to watch her feel so alone.”

“She wasn’t alone, she had her aunt.”

He scoffs. “Yeah, but sometimes family isn’t enough.”

Why do I get the feeling he’s talking about Brayden?

“She needed something to fight for.”

“And you thought forcing her into an academy where her death was certain was thatthing?” I shove him on the step, and he sways to the side, not bothering to fight back.

“I shouldn’t have done it, okay!” he whisper shouts at me. “You think I haven’t regretted that decision?”

“You don’t seem very sorry. Did you even apologize to her?” I glower at him, and he has the good sense to look reprimanded.

“No.” At least the asshole looks embarrassed to admit he’s a dick.

“You don’t have to apologize.” Raven pushes through the screen door, swinging her gaze between us. “Everyone but Lou can hear you two out here arguing.”

“Then you heard his entire story. The least he can do is say—”

“No.” She cuts me off with a firm look. “I’ve already forgiven him. Draco wasn’t responsible for everything Jinx did. He was trying to find a way out, for both of us.”

My eyes almost bug out of my head, and I stand, hopping off the steps. “He found a way in for you, not out. He’s the reason you went through all of that.”

How can she be so nonchalant about this?

She follows me down the porch, marching across the grass and poking my chest. “I’m not angry at him. Don’t project your frustration on me. If you’re mad at him, you’re mad at him, but don’t try to make me get angry at him too.”

The retort I had been preparing catches in my mouth, and I stare at her, unsure of what to say to that. Her palm presses into my chest, and I lean into the touch, surprised by how soothing the physical contact is.

“Are you really mad at him for changing me, or are you mad at him for breaking your trust?”

“Both,” I say truthfully.

Locust buzz in the trees and fireflies float around us and one bumps into her arm, but she doesn’t let the bugs deter her from this conversation.

She lifts a shoulder. “Well then, you can let go of the first part, because I’m over it. Yeah, I could stay mad at him, but to be completely honest, I love my wolf, and I wouldn’t give her up for the world.”

Draco lingers on the porch, watching the interaction with bated breath. I stare at him, and process everything she’s said. How can I hold a grudge for her when she doesn’t hold one for herself? Which means now I have to either forgive him for breaking our pact or stay irritated. I hate seeing Raven annoyed at me, and I don’t like being frustrated.

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