Page 101 of Wicked Witch of the Wolf

“You said we’re together and that you don’t give a damn who knows it, remember? Yet the moment things got hard, you went straight for the exit. You left me.” I couldn’t seem to catch my breath. My body didn’t know if I was angry, afraid, or so happy to see him I could die.

“No, I didn’t. Betty, wearetogether. Nothing about the way this went down has been planned. In fact, I had a plan in place, and it all went to shit when Floyd and the coven moved against me. I didn’t have time to do anything except survive.”

Another body blow. “You had a plan and didn’t tell me?”

“Plan might be a strong word. I told you some of what was going on that day in your garden room. What I knew at the time, anyway.” His gaze flicked to the people in the living room. “Do you want to talk about this in private?”

“What’s there to talk about?”

“Us.”

“There is no us.”

The color dropped out of his face. It wasn’t as if there’d been much there, either. He’d spent a lot of time working the night shift lately and lost what little tan he’d once had. “Don’t say that.”

“What do we have together? When you needed help, you hid from me. You didn’t trust that I was strong enough to protect you—hell, you didn’t have enough respect to send me a message telling me you werealive.”

“I was protectingyou.” His eyes flashed gold, a sure sign he was feeling emotional, which was a nicer way of saying it was a sure sign I was pissing him off.

Good.

“I don’t need protection,” I said.

“And I do?”

“Obviously, yes.” I swept my hands over the air in front of him, a gesture meant to encompass his entire body. “Look at you. You can barely stand.”

“And look at you. Unhurt and safe.” He inhaled a worrying breath that caved in his belly and lowered his voice. “Floyd isn’t going to come at me directly. He’s going to hurt the people I care about.”

“That was always going to happen. He hated me even before you came along,” I said, in the same low, whispery tone he’d used. “But this isn’t about him. It’s about you.”

He clenched his jaw and looked away.

“You promised to come for me, and I promised to come for you. Always. But the moment that promise was put to the test, you backed down.”

“I didn’t back down, damn it!”

“That’s exactly what you did.” I was furious and hurt, and I needed not to talk to him right now lest I say something regretful.

I turned away and went further into the living room. Everyone looked uncomfortable, except Jenny, who nodded at me in what I took to be a show of solidarity.

“How did this go down, Felicia?” I asked. “How did you end up with him?”

“Hard to say. Must’ve been my sweet good nature and merciful bedside manner,” the rat shifter replied drily.

“Or it was your way of getting revenge on Alpha Floyd,” Jenny drawled.

Her smile was wide and immediate. “Or that.”

“And Alpha Lydia doesn’t have a clue, right?”

Felicia’s smile faltered.

“That’s our fault,” Calvin said, indicating himself and Jenny. “We brought him here and begged her not to tell. Felicia’s the only person we know who hates Floyd more than you do, Betty. Also, she’s Jenny’s second cousin, and she trusted her to keep our secret, so?—”

“Last week you were singing Floyd’s praises, Felicia. How didthey find out how much you hate him?” I asked through gritted teeth.

“I didn’t break our deal, if that’s what you mean.” Felicia sniffed. “Anyway, you’d have known if I did.”

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