Page 58 of Outside the Pack

“Oh.” I straightened in surprise. Butterflies filled my stomach at seeing him again so unexpectedly, but I tried to calm them down. He was probably still mad at me for the way I’d snapped at him earlier.

“Violet’s already gone to bed,” I said carefully. “Do you want me to see if she’s awake?”

“No. I came to speak to you.”

“Oh,” I said again, feeling dumb. “I…do you want to sit down at the table?”

He nodded, silently taking a seat. I sat across from him, my hands in my lap.

“Sorry that the table’s wet,” I said. “I just wiped it down.”

“That’s fine.”

I pressed my lips together and wiped my hands over my jeans. Why isn’t he saying anything? I squirmed, desperately looking anywhere but directly at his handsome, stoic face. The seconds dripped by in silence, and I was too frazzled to take it anymore.

“Do you want something to drink?” I asked, popping out of my seat. “I can get you some tea or coffee or—or water?”

“No, I don’t need anything,” he said. “Please, sit.”

I sat and tried to pretend the awkward silence wasn’t so awkward.

“Tell me about your pack,” he said finally. “And about Redwolf.”

I looked up at him then, my eyes slightly narrowed. Though I hated what the Kings had done to the Wargs, I couldn’t help but think of my mom and the pups. Would Night hurt someone innocent just to get back at the Kings for the loss of one of his wolves?

I don’t know what Night saw on my face, but he quickly held up his hands. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt anyone you care about,” he said, “I just want information. I’m planning to face Troy soon, and I want to learn everything I can to prepare.”

I relaxed a bit. “Why would you come to me?”

“Because I know you hate Troy about as much as I do, and you grew up with him, so you would have the best intel.”

“Aren’t you worried that I’ll lie to you?”

“Yes,” he said. “I know you don’t trust me. I can see you lying to protect your mother even after I’ve told you that I won’t hurt her. But,” he sighed, “I’m running out of options.”

I paused, considering his words. His logic made sense, but he was wrong about one thing. Though he was technically still my captor, I didn’t distrust him nearly as much as I had when I first arrived on the Wargs’ compound. If anything, I was wary of him, but I didn’t feel like I needed to watch my back whenever I was nearby.

“Okay, I’ll tell you about them. Where should I start?”

“Redwolf first.”

I nodded. “Troy has always been awful, even when he was a kid. He bullied me severely, but he bullied anyone who got in his way. He knew that because he was the Alpha’s son, he didn’t need to answer to anyone, so he exerted his influence wherever he could.” I played with my hands, losing myself in those memories. “His need for violence goes deep, and he’s hotheaded too. He can’t stand to be the butt of anyone’s joke, even as a tease.”

“What about his inner circle?”

“He’s got about two dozen men around him most of the time. They’re all just as bad-tempered and mean as he is, but most of them are idiots. They all treat the women of the pack terribly and live for nothing but food, sex, and whatever high they can find around the territory.” I paused, considering what I’d seen of the pack and the things I’d overheard. “I don’t think most of the Kings really like Troy’s posse, but it’s much easier to go along with them than it is to face their wrath.”

Night cursed under his breath. “How did you survive in an environment like that?”

“My mother is the only reason I’m alive today,” I said. “I think you know that she saved me as a baby. But more than that, she maintained some clout in the pack because she manned the gardens. Alpha Gregor knew that if he banished me or killed me, he would lose out on my mom’s skills. Troy was forced to play along while his father was alive, but now…well, you saw what he did to me the moment he had the chance.”

Night listened, and I read sadness in his eyes when I talked about what I’d been through. I glanced away, my cheeks warming. I hadn’t expected this level of intimacy.

“Do you want to see Troy taken down?”

I didn’t have to think about it. “Yes. Without a doubt. I would have killed him myself if I had an opening.”

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly. It wasn’t quite a smile, but it wasn’t a frown either. “I believe you.”

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