Page 81 of Tainted Romance

“He can’t know, Allie. You have to understand it is highly important they never find out.”

“Why? Why does it matter if he knows my family is screwed up?” I didn’t see Zane as the judging type.

“If they know, Allie, they won’t have anything to do with us. The Movement is a deadly subject, one connection could have us thrown out.”

I hadn’t forgiven her, but I was glad she was honest with me. “I can’t keep this from Zane, Mom. I don’t have great control over my mind like you must.”

She had kept it a secret this long. I didn’t know how she had done it, but she had because the pack knew nothing.

“It’s not control, darling. It’s a lock.”

“What, like the bracelet?”

“Sort of. We can lock a memory, stopping others from reading it or finding it. I’ll teach you how to do it.”

“What if Zane already knows? I haven’t been wearing the bracelet all day.”

“Have you been around him?”

“No, not yet.”

“Then there is a chance that he hasn’t reached into your thoughts yet.” She hoped.

“I’m meeting with him tonight. I need to get my things from the pack house. I want to come home.” I wasn’t going back there by myself. This ‘break’ she needed was over.

She nodded her head. “Well, it’s not like you can discover anything else now, is it? Come on, I’ll teach you how to block the thought.”

Looks like more quality time with mom. Wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

Chapter Thirty-four

"So, you're just leaving?"

"No, I'm going home." I crossed my arms stubbornly in front of Zane. There was a clear difference between just leaving and heading back home.

"Leaving is leaving," he grunted.

Had I got a lecture about running away from him?

Yes.

Had I got a lecture about not telling him how I got the bracelet off?

Yes.

Had I got a lecture on why he couldn't reach into my thoughts?

Yes.

And now, of course, I was getting a lecture for leaving the pack house.

"It's a pack house, Zane, not my home. You knew me being here was temporary." Surely, he didn't think I would be permanently living here, did he?

"So that's it then. You leave, and you're done with me?" Zane's tone had a defensive edge to it. "Why won't you tell me what is going on, Allie?"

"Because nothing IS going on. I made up with mom, and now I'm moving back home. It's no big deal. I don't see why you are making it one."

"And where does that leave us? Are we friends? Do we speak at school? What? I can't go from seeing you every day to not seeing you at all! Don't you get that, Allie?"

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