Page 13 of Betrayed Wolf Mate

“I can probably find them on my own,” I said.

He shrugged. “I wanted to catch up. And this way, I can show you more of the town and the people instead of you wandering aimlessly.”

I thought about it. He had a point, even if I didn’t want to admit it.

“Let me finish the pizza first,” I said.

“You mean the slice?”

“No.” I reached forward and grabbed another two slices. “I mean the whole pizza.”

***

Brixton was nothing like my old town. There was something charming about it. It wasn’t antiquated, but it felt like an old town.

Sam led me through the streets, pointing at the various brick buildings and telling me what was inside. We walked past a couple of clothing shops, along with a cute bakery that was producing mouth-watering scents of cake and fresh bread. In the center of town was a large square with a fountain, and I stopped to admire it briefly.

“What do you think?” Sam asked. He seemed strangely nervous, as if he wasn’t sure what I was going to say or was worried I wouldn’t like it. I didn’t see why it mattered allthat much, considering I wouldn’t be here for very long. Still, I couldn’t deny that the small town’s quaint charm was oddly appealing.

“It’s nice,” I said, nodding as I looked around. It was the truth, even a little bit of an understatement. “I can see why you retired here.” I turned to look back at him. “Why did you retire, exactly?”

When I’d known Sam all those years ago, he had been all about serving others and spec-ops. He’d felt he had a duty to everyone, always putting himself second. It sounded noble, but in reality, it caused more than a few complications. Sometimes, I wondered if the reason he’d left all those years ago was because he was too invested in his job and the military. Discovering that he had retired so early was more than a little surprising.

He sighed, rubbing his chin as he considered the question. “It was just time, I guess,” he said. “A lot of us agreed to leave at the same time. Black ops do a lot of good, and I’m glad I was able to help people, but it takes a toll on you as well. It’s a lot of responsibility, and you can only handle something like that for so long.”

I nodded. It made sense. And though I wanted to resent him for choosing spec-ops over me, it was hard not to admire his dedication.

“But that’s all behind me now,” he said. “Well, sort of. I still help people when they need it.”

I wouldn’t have expected any less of him. He looked up at me, giving me an uncertain smile, and I wondered if he was thinking along the same lines as me. About just what he had sacrificed to be part of the Silver Wolves.

Part of me wanted to ask if he regretted it, or if the Silver Wolves had been the reason he’d left me all those years ago. Butthe words stuck in my throat. I didn’t want to know the actual answer.

Before I could muster the courage to ask the question, his gaze slid past me, and he smiled.

“Here are some people you might like to meet,” he said. He waved, and I turned to see a group of women. One of them was Evelyn—I’d recognize that red hair anywhere. The others, I’d never seen before, but they clearly knew Sam.

Evelyn said something to the rest of the girls, and they came over to us.

“Hey, there,” Evelyn said to me, beaming. “Are you settling in okay?”

“As well as can be, I guess,” I said.

“Evelyn told us a bit about what happened,” a woman with strawberry-blond hair said to me. “Not everything, of course—she’s good at keeping things under wraps. But she said you were probably going to stay here until it was all sorted out.”

“Stella, this is Georgia, Andi, and Jenn,” Sam said, pointing at each woman in turn. Georgia was the strawberry blond, Andi was dark-haired and curvy, and Jenn was blonde, her face angular. “You already know Evelyn.”

I gave an awkward but friendly wave, unsure of what else to do in the situation or what to say. I hadn’t exactly had many friends in my old pack. Seeing this group of mostly unfamiliar women all smiling happily at me made my skin prickle almost uncomfortably.

A young girl peeked her head around from behind Georgia, her hair the same dark color as Jameson’s. Her eyes lit up when she saw Sam.

“Uncle Sam!” She raced to Sam at lightning speed, colliding with his legs. “It’s been ages.”

“Hey, Elle.” Sam said, smiling fondly as he hugged the girl back. “Good to see you, too. I’ve been busy.”

Elle pouted, but it seemed she couldn’t stay mad at Sam for too long. “When are you going to take me hunting again?” she demanded.

“When he’s got the time,” Georgia said patiently. She glanced over at me with a smile. “Elle has a sweet spot for Sam,” she explained.

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