Page 7 of Wolf Bonded (Rejected Moons 2)

“I think we probably could,” I say. “Tell you the truth, I don’t think Wilder would try to stop us leaving. I think you’re right about that. He might try to intercept us and argue the point if he saw us, but I don’t think he’d do anything to restrain us physically.”

“If you’re wrong?”

“Then we’d fight.”

Nate nods in satisfaction. “That’s what I say too.”

“But I don’t really want to fight these people,” I tell him.

“Why the hell not?”

“I mean, for one thing, we would lose,” I say. “Just look at the circumstances, Nate. We’re in the middle of their coven. You’re a good fighter, and Emlyn and I are pretty good too, but we would be hopelessly outnumbered if it came to a fight right now.”

He scowls.

“You think fighting is the solution to everything,” I say. “You said you wanted to come here. Now you’re feeling a little jumpy—which I predicted, by the way—and you want to fight your way out? That’s crazy.”

“Go ahead then,” he challenges me. “What’s your solution to this one?”

“We wait,” I say.

“Wait?”

“You’re right. They brought us here for a reason. There’s something about hybrids that interests them.”

“And you’re just down to wait around and find out what that is? What if they want to vivisect hybrids and learn about shifter physiology?”

“You’re beingincrediblydramatic.”

“Iknowyou don’t like it here, Milo. It’s written all over your face.”

“Of course I don’t like it here.” It feels almost heartless that he would say such a thing, that he would force me to discuss it aloud. “Moon Casters killed my mother.My fatherkilled my mother. He used her for sex, and then when she had the audacity to love his son, he killed her for it.”

Nate, to his credit, actually shuts up for a minute.

Then he says, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to drag it all up.”

“I know that.”

“But I can’t understand how you—ofallpeople—can tolerate this place. Don’t you want to get out of here?”

“I do,” I say.

“But?”

“I don’t know. It’s not what I would have thought it would be. It feels different from the coven I used to belong to.”

“You’re saying, what, these aregoodMoon Casters?”

“No, of course not. I just think there might be something to what Emlyn was saying about trying to learn more about what they’re like. Maybe if we understand them better—”

“We can kill them more effectively?”

“I don’t know. Maybe.” Nate is not the guy to go to with nuanced arguments. I’m not going to try to make him understand that rather than thinking about how to kill Moon Casters effectively, I’m thinking about the three of us liveourlives effectively.

Instead, I say, “I thought you didn’t really care about killing Moon Casters. I thought one of the reasons you left your pack was that they were too hyper fixated on the rivalry between shifters and Moon Casters.”

“And I thoughtyouwanted to hunt them all down.” He doesn’t mention my mother again, but it’s in the air between us, unspoken—the reason for my desire for vengeance.

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