Page 59 of Unforgivable

I concentrate on staying on as Thjis guides the horse from the barn. "Good job, boy," Thjis pats Demon one last time before swinging up in front of me.

It's a relief to wrap my arms around my bear's waist.

Thjis chuckles before guiding Demon out of the yard. It's different from Wheat. Smooth, powerful, a little longer stride. I think riding Demon may be more comfortable.

"In the spring, we ride the fence lines, looking for any holes or breaks. There's always a post or two that has fallen. Then, we're ready for the cows to leave the upper pastures."

"And a new bull?

"You mean Rocky?"

"I mean the new bull, Thjis. You guys slaughtered Rocky weeks ago. I'm not an idiot," I huff.

"Oh."

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Penny

I hear the whisper, "Shamed." It zaps me, and I whip my head around, already snarling. Inuit is there before I even see the females who are talking about my sister again. Like, what is their problem?!

I'm glad In stopped me before I stupidly decided to attack them. They're older females, sophomores, three of them. I vaguely recognize one of them as Sofia, my friend Marc's older sister. Marc's there, too, standing a couple of feet away, arms wrapped around his chest. He looks super uncomfortable.

"What's going on?" I ask Inuit in a whisper.

He rolls his eyes. "One of them has a lover. Now she's afraid she'll be Shamed. Especially because the douchebag she slept with has been bragging, so everyone knows."

I don't know. Most wolves don't talk to me anymore. 'Course, no one talks to Inuit, except me, but he always knows everything.

I feel petrified now. "Will she be punished?"

Inuit turns to me, his mouth right next to my ear. When he speaks, it's almost like he's kissing me. "He can't do that to her, Penny. Your sister is the strongest female in the pack, and it almost killed her."

My blood freezes. So embarrassing, but I start crying. I kinda knew that Lyri was hurt, bad, but Inuit says it so bluntly!

"Hey, don't cry," he pulls me into his arms. Now I start sobbing.

"Is Penny, OK?" I hear Marc's voice. He's probably just happy to step away from his sister.

"Send your sister away," Inuit orders, bluntly. "Other females have been sent to their relatives."

Honestly, how does he know this crap?

"Yeah, my mom and dad might. They don't know that Brent decided to brag about it."

"Brent Jensen?" I ask. Now I feel sick.

Inuit glances down at me, "what, Penny?"

Ha. I know something Mr.-Know-it-All doesn't. "He's Dahlia's mate."

Inuit's frown deepens. "Then Sofia could be Shamed. Take her home and tell your parents," he orders.

Marc nods jerkily. I watch as he walks back to his sister and grabs her hand, tugging her away from her friends. She doesn't resist, just walks with him with slumped shoulders and a bowed head.

"It's not fair. Brent is the one who cheats on Dahlia."

"Fair? Was the alphason, Shamed? What's fair, Penny? Males don't get Shamed." Inuit draws me away, shielding my pathetic crying from other wolves.

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