Page 164 of Unforgivable

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Alpha Jax

I'm trapped in a fucking unending nightmare. Daan and Cloe... there's something wrong between them. An alphason and his luna, on a full moon, no less, should never be able to be so at odds with each other. We are meant to run with the pack, to let our wolves be free tonight.

Instead, Daan is arguing with Cloe about the run. She wants to stay close to home, within the confines of our small acreage that typically only the alpha and beta families use. Her family is here, and Max's family, and she wants us all to stay together, but Daan insists that we run out towards the stretch of woods north of us.

"I haven't been home in months. Months. My wolf needs to run for miles, not in circles like he's on a fucking human racetrack. This isn't Nascar, Cloe."

She sniffles, "I don't want to go far, Daan. We just got back. We're tired from the ride and besides-"

"You're afraid someone will see us," he interrupts her cruelly.

"What if I am?" she asks him, a little hysterically.

"Why don't Cloe and I run here, and you and Dad can run a little farther, Daan?" Jessi attempts to be the voice of reason.

"No!" Cloe lashes out loudly. "I want us to run together! It's a full moon!" she shouts at Jessi, looking visibly upset.

I step forward, wrapping my arm around a shocked Jessi.

"Daan," Cloe turns to my son, "please stay here. With me. Please."

"No, Cloe. I can't. I just fucking can't stay around here."

"But we need to run together," she sobs softly.

"Then fucking run with me, Cloe!" he practically roars in her face. I want to intervene, but something stops me. The feeling in my wolf grows darker.

Cloe crumples in tears. Her father takes a step forward, anger written on his face. "Was that necessary?" he snaps.

"Was it?" Daan turns on him. "Your daughter needs to grow a spine and not give up all the fucking time! So what if we see other wolves? We can't just avoid the pack forever! I can't hide anymore. I need to see the pack."

"That's enough," I growl.

Everyone falls silent.

"We run out to the cliffs, then back. Straight shot. Everyone stays together. Daan's correct about the pack; wolves will be running, and we need to be a part of it."

Slowly, we all walk out to the Clearing. It's where all the great runs of the RustClaw began, up until a few years ago. Jessi and Cloe thought there were too many wolves gathering in our home. It made their wolves uncomfortable as if their dens were being invaded.

Maybe I should reintroduce using the Clearing. It may bridge some of the gaps that have formed in the pack recently.

Cloe is sniffling so hard she's shaking from the force of her body. My fingers twitch with the desire to reach out and shake her. It's not her fault that she's so stressed. It takes her longer to shift, and her she-wolf looks ill and unkempt when she finally does.

I think about all of the reports of Lyri Song, the glimpse I got of her just a couple of nights ago, dancing with Ezra Goers at the Watering Hole. She looked healthy and robust, the perfect she-wolf. Cloe's rival is outpacing her dramatically, and they haven't even reencountered each other yet.

Goddess, this is a disaster. I can only pray that Lyri's mate comes along and steals her away without a battle with the Genom males, but if the looks on their faces when they stared at her is any indication, they won't let little Miss Song go without a fight.

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