Page 41 of 3 Shifters to Break a Curse

Luke and Ezra stood staring at the woods, waiting for Toni to rush back through them. Just as much as I was. But she wasn’t going to come. She was gone. Again, she made her own decision, and I couldn’t wrap my head around it, regardless of what I did.

I even waited for the two of them to make a move or say something. When they didn’t. I did.

“What was the point?” I asked.

None of them moved.

I wondered if they were frozen in place.

After waiting for them to respond, I asked “Why go through all the effort of trying to help and protect her if she was just going to sacrifice herself by going off with the asshole the first chance she got?”

“Who knows, man,” Ezra said, finally.

“Which part?” Luke asked through a sigh.

I stared at him, confused.

“The whole damn thing,” I said. My words echoed into the trees. “Someone needs to help me make sense of it all. Because I certainly can’t wrap my head around it.”

“She said she was keeping her promise,” Ezra said with a shrug. “It wasn’t like we could force her to stay.”

“Fuck that! I don’t buy the whole ‘keeping her promise’ bullshit. There has to be a logical reason for her doing one of the stupidest, hair-brained decisions I’ve ever witnessed in my life,” I snapped. “And I think we can all agree there have been quite a few of those moments in our lives, especially recently.”

“She had her reasons,” Luke said. “Taking it out on Ezra isn’t going to help things either.”

“Are you fucking serious right now?” I asked him. “Not too long ago you were ripping him a new asshole just for sleeping with the girl.”

“I am being serious, Rin. I believe there is more behind her decision.”

“I’m all ears if you have any idea as to what that was exactly, cause I sure as shit can’t figure it out,” I muttered and kicked the dirt. I wanted so badly to run after her and shake the stupidity out of her just so she didn’t do something so fucking ridiculous again.

“I don’t think this is over yet,” he added, turning to face me. His eyes were soft and sad.

“I agree,” Ezra said. “She wouldn’t have made her decision lightly.”

“So, we what?” I asked. “Hang around for the next time she comes banging at our door in the middle of the night, bleeding and bruised? Or should we wait for the news articles to pile up showing her lifeless body?”

“We don’t have much of a choice,” Luke said.

A chilly breeze kicked up, blowing in the direction she had just came from. I breathed in her scent mixed with Jared’s awful scent. I spat out a sour taste that had filled my mouth. If anything, she wasn’t very far. I could catch up to her.

“Screw that,” I said. “I’m not going to stand around and let her play the victim.”

“What do you think you’re going to do?” Luke asked.

I faced him and held out my arms to the side. “I’m going after her.”

I didn’t bother waiting for a response. I turned and headed in the direction Toni took off in. After taking about fifty steps, Luke’s voice stopped me.

“Wait,” he said. “I’m coming with you.”

“Me too,” Ezra said. “It’s likely going to take all three of us to get her back.”

I didn’t wait for them to catch up before continuing on. Footsteps prodded the ground, coming toward me.

Once they caught up, Ezra asked, “Do we have a plan of attack?”

I nodded. “Yeah. We follow that god-awful scent. Take her back. By force, if we have to. Kill the asshole. Any questions?”

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