Page 32 of The Sacred Wolf

“What?” Without hesitation, I took it and popped up beside him, then bent for my water bottle and towel. “Pizza?”

“Jayla.”

I scowled. “Evan, no. Not this again already. You said—”

His shoulders slumped dramatically. “I know what I said, and I meant it in the moment, but then you went on this whole big adventure without me, and I get it. It’s fine. I’m not ready for a street fight, but..." He straightened up and met my eyes with big brother authority. “I’m not okay with this, Elyse. I won’t make you reach out to her, but you have to let me. For her sake, and mine. What if something had happened to you yesterday? You really think Sebastian would keep me? You really think I’d want to stay? So, where would I go if not to Jayla?”

I slung my towel over my head so I wouldn’t have to look at him. “You had other friends…”

“Not like her.” He peeled back the towel. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but we had a whole life outside of you, Elyse. We shared a home. Which she is either going to have to abandon or fill with new roommates, and it isn’t fair to make her grieve Charlie and me when I’m right here, alive and well.”

I flinched as memories flooded my mind, ratcheting up my heart rate to the level it had been at when I saw the final look of confusion on Charlie’s face as she lay atop me, protecting me…The terror on Jayla’s face as Sebastian threw her onto the subway platform, leaving her alone, believing Evan dead and me some kind of monster..

All that after Jayla had only recently confessed that she’d seen—or thought she had seen—a shifter attacking a human when she was younger. My stomach twisted. I had been so certain she didn’t know what she’d really seen, but now I wasn’t certain of anything. Damian certainly wasn’t the first bad apple to fall from Chann and Marrak’s twisted family tree.

“I won’t stop you,” I said. “But I won’t go with you. She doesn’t want to see me like she wants to see you. She knows I lived. She knows I’m out here… avoiding her… It’s too late for us, Evan. But you’re right. You need to take care of each other.”

“You’re wrong.” Evan took my face in his hands. “I’m guessing she wants to see you most of all. Everyone knows you were her favorite. And if you think I’m not going to talk about you, assure her that you’re still the… the female she knew and loved…”

I attempted a laugh at his awkward use of female rather than woman. He really was trying. He was trying so damn hard every single day, and I was… well, I was hiding. Hiding from my friend because I was afraid she would blame me. But so what if she did? It was my fault, what happened to Charlie. And whether I was going to be the Bronx Alpha or the future Manhattan Alpha’s mother, I would need to be strong enough to sit with others in their pain as my three human friends had once sat with a total stranger having a total meltdown over a stupid mechanical shark.

“Okay.” I closed my eyes. “I’ll go. But we need a plan that won’t put her in danger, and it’s lurking around every single corner, so...”

The corners of Evan’s lips twisted upward. “What do you have in mind, boss?”

I ran through my knowledge of the Manhattan pack’s holdings. A public place would have been my first choice before the attack in Washington Square Park. Now no place seemed safe for shifters or humans. And the Last Century Cinema… that was over. I couldn’t go there without Charlie, and I knew without needing to be told that Evan and Jayla felt exactly the same.

“I guess we could invite her to the theater Sebastian, um… bought.”

“You mean the theater he bought for you?” Evan teased. “Or another one?”

Chapter Sixteen

“Ruby,” I called, as I stepped out of the shower and wrapped myself in a cloud-soft towel, a kindness that my now loofah-lashed skin deserved. I knew it wasn’t fair to take my nerves out on my pores, but at least I’d be dewy for a few days.

“Yes, Your Grace.” She hurried in from my closet with several silk tops swinging from hangers. “Now which of these lovely blouses would you like to wear for your visit with your friend?”

I glared, hands on my hips. “Ruby, please.”

“I’m sorry. Elyse.” She shook her head, flame ponytail swishing. “I’ve almost got in the habit while we’re alone, I promise.”

“It’s alright.” I sighed, deciding that Ruby was as unfair a target as my skin. “That one, please.” I pointed to a royal blue boatneck blouse that felt serious enough for the occasion without being so somber as to make our reunion feel like Charlie’s funeral.

“Excellent choice,” she beamed. “The color will make your gorgeous blue eyes pop, and the shape is perfect with these leather-look jeans and low booties.”

“Whatever you say—” I stopped before I jokingly called her boss and ruined her whole day. Although I often wondered if that wasn’t part of the whole helpmaid charade. Surely she didn’t actually love being a servant this much. Surely she had complaints. Surely she went home and told her family how awful it was taking care of someone who couldn’t even dress herself.

I bit back a smile. In spite of my distaste for the whole institution of helpmaids and rank-based servitude, I had to admit that Ruby’s unwavering emotional support—and flawless fashion guidance—was a welcome change from my total isolation in the Bronx. Some of the tension in my gut dissipated, watching her flutter about the living area while I changed, gathering all of her hair and makeup accouterments. At least, I could be certain she was doing what she loved, even if she’d been assigned to it. And she was absolutely brilliant at it. Without her, I’d probably have mange.

“…for a proper night out.” She burbled after plopping me down in front of the mirror. Her long fingers expertly twisted my hair up and into a soft chignon. “I’ve got the drivers and security arranged. They’ll be in the background so that you, Evan, and your friend may enjoy yourselves, but they will make sure to keep you safe.”

I nodded, trying to concentrate on her prattle, but beyond the reassurances for our safety, I caught nothing else as my mind circled back to how Jayla would react to me. Memories of the acrid cloud of human terror filling the subway car made my stomach clench. I’d ripped off a woman’s arm right in front of her and spit it out. I’d let that woman slowly bleed to death. Granted, I had been battling enough vigilantes, but it did bother me now and then, how much I still didn’t regret it.

My phone buzzed on the vanity, and I reached for it as Ruby pulled a delicate three-strand choker around my neck. It was the long-awaited call from Evan, letting me know if the event I was proactively getting dressed for was actually on or not. I snatched it up and flicked the answer button before I could throw up.

“All systems ago,” Evan’s voice cracked. “She’s going to meet us.”

My eyes scrunched shut of their own accord. “Both of us?”

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