Page 15 of Wolf Bonded (Rejected Moons 2)

“I mean, fair enough, but—”

“Those words just seem more normal to you because you grew up hearing them,” she says. “If you’d grown up in a coven, you wouldn’t think there was anything weird about the title High Sorcerer.”

“Okay, okay,” I say. “So there’s a High Sorcerer, and you’re going to meet her.”

“Youwerelistening.”

“You mean, because I know it’s a woman?” I shrug, but secretly I’m proud of myself for having remembered that detail. It’s clearly important to Emlyn that I did.

“I want you to come meet her with me,” Emlyn says.

I wasn’t expecting that. “Why me? Why not Milo? He’s the one who’s actually a hybrid. Isn’t he the one whoshouldgo?”

“Maybe,” Emlyn says. “But you know he won’t. He’s barely tolerating being here at all. And I can’t blame him, considering his past. I’m not going to try to push him like that. He can come if he wants, but I won’t try to talk him into it.”

“But you are going to try to talk me into it.”

“I want someone with me,” she says.

“Are you afraid?” I wouldn’t blame her if she was. I don’t exactly love the idea of her going to meet with these people on her own.

“No,” she says. “I don’t think they’ll hurt me. But I want to learn as much as I possibly can. What if I forget to ask the right questions once I’m in the moment? I’ve been waiting for this for such a long time, Nate, and you’ve been with me through a lot of that. You know what my questions are. You can help me remember if I get overwhelmed.”

I nod. She’s right. I can do that.

“And besides,” she adds, “it would be better to have someone who I know is on my side. I’m not afraid. But Iwouldfeel safer.”

“I’d like that better too.” I hate the idea of her walking into the lion’s den alone. “All right. I’ll go with you.”

9

WILDER

Reginesendsmetoget Emlyn first thing in the morning. “If we’re doing this,” she says, “let’s do it. I don’t want to wait around all day.”

So it is that I find myself outside of Emlyn’s curtain-door shortly after sunrise. I raise my hand to knock on the wall—

The curtain is pulled aside.

It’s the other hybrid. The man who always looks as if someone has just spit in his soup.

“I want a fucking word with you,” he growls.

I’m not about to put up with this. I haven’t done anything to this guy. “I’m here to see Emlyn.”

“I’m aware that you’re here to see Emlyn,” he says. “But you’re going to talk to me first because I know what people like you do to people like her. I should never have brought her here.”

“What do you mean?” I ask. I was pissed off at him, but now I’m just confused. “People like her? I’ve never even met a hybrid before I came across the two of you. What is it you think I’m going to do?”

“I’m not talking about hybrids,” he says.

“Then what are you talking about?”

“Damn it, youknowwhat I’m talking about. Shifters. People likeus.”

“Oh,” I say. “That.”

“Yes,that.”

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