Page 29 of The Wolf

Meg raises a skeptical brow. “You know, in the real world that’s calledgrooming.” She pans her eyes over to me. “Same goes for you, Red.”

“Where’s all this bitterness comin’ from?” Clara crosses her arms on her chest, and that’s the closest to anger I have ever seen her this far.

“I just hate men.” She shrugs, though it’s clear there’s much more to her feminine rage. “Well,allmale species, apparently.”

“To be fair, in both cases, there was no other way,” I chime in. “I told you about my grandma and ex-boyfriend, didn’t I?”

Meg nods slowly, but I can see she disapproves.

Clara then jumps in again. “I learned later that my daddy wasn’t just a pastor, but also someone who hunted supernatural creatures. Of course, he’d never told me that. But over the years, he killed many vampires, shifters, witches… He’d even taken the lives of young men and women—innocent people like you and Julia—just for suspectin’ they carry the wolf gene or mingle with magic. I think, deep down, Daddy knew a werewolf was my mate, and that he’d come for me eventually. Maybe that’s why he kept me so sheltered and pressured me to marry Samuel, who was a hunter as well. But once Edwin claimed me, I was no longer a daughter to him… and nothin’ would stop him from killin’ me, too.” She chokes up, her eyes glossy. “You must understand that those are the kind of people hunters are—self-righteous and ruthless.”

Meg shivers, likely because of the chill running down her spine.

“In the beginnin’, I thought the same way you do now. It felt impossible at the time. The hardest part was the fear—the fear that I could never learn to love this new world, or the beast who’d claimed me. That I could never be happy. How could I ever forgive him after he kidnapped me? In a literal sense he did, but he also saved me from the miserable life of a hunter’s wife. It took me a while to understand it.” Clara’s fingers tighten on Meg’s shoulder, and she leans in. “Here’s the thing: love has a funny way of growin’ where you least expect it. Edwin turned out to be the love of my life, and I’ve never regretted a moment since.”

Meg’s lips part, and something fragile flickers in her eyes as she seems to wrestle with her thoughts. “And you’re happy now?”

“More than happy.” Clara smiles, radiant and sure. “He’s exactly right for me. And we have the most wonderful children who will always be protected by every creature of the night I now proudly call my family. And so willyou.”

“I’m just not used to leaning on others.” Meg starts to fidget with her fingers. “I take care of my own shit.”

“You’re not alone, hun. We’re all a little broken, a little afraid. But we don’t give up on our own.”

Meg dismisses her words, not convinced. “I’ll be alright. I’m a big girl. I know how to look after myself.”

“I’m new around here too.” I grab her attention. “But this world is already starting to feel like my own. And it’s true, we’re family now. Believe me, I’ve seen how fiercely they fought for me.”

Meg sighs. “But you two have your…” her words trail off as she searches for the right word, though we can tell how strongly she feels about it. “Mates. It’s different for me. I don’t believe in this crap.”

“You don’t have a mateyet,” Clara corrects, then winks. “You never know what’s comin’ tomorrow. You may not have had a choice in bein’ part of this world, but youdohave a choice in how you live in it, how you make ityours.”

“No, I mean…” She shakes her head reluctantly. “I just don’t do relationships anymore. One night stands? Absolutely. Dating? Not for me.”

“Why?” I ask curiously.

“Oh, it’s a long story.” Meg drops her gaze to the ground, her armor put up. “I was actually married before.”

I notice how distant she suddenly becomes, and I reassure her, “You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to, but we’re here if you do.”

Agitated, she runs a hand through her lush, wavy, mahogany-hued hair. “Big guy, charming smile. The kind of man you think will make you feel safe.” She lets out a humorless laugh. “I quickly noticed he had a temper and jealousy issues. But I thought he was just protective, you know? And hey, it was fun. Thrilling, even. You think it’s all fun and games until it’s too late. There were moments when he made me feel special. So, of course, I ignored all red flags and we married super fast… only to find out I needed protecting from him.”

Meg pauses, once again curling into a fetal position, holding back emotions. Clara and I wait patiently, but the air around us is thick as we both already know what’s coming.

“Henry theHercules,” she scoffs, her voice full of resentment. “That was his underground fighting name. People loved him in those dirty back-alley rings, where he was some kind of hero. Well, too bad he was also a wife-beater.” Her voice gets even more raspy as it grows rougher, her eyes darken. “All those muscles and all that rage, and it came home with him. At first, it was little things like slamming doors or yelling when he didn’t get his way. Then it got worse. Real ugly.The first timehe put his fucking hands on me, I swore I’d never let it happen again. The second time, I fought back. And the third time… I knew it was time to get the hell out, even if leaving meant a war.”

A heavy silence falls over us, the room feels colder, and I feel my heart clench. “I’m so sorry,” I tell her, my voice barely carrying the weight of my sorrow for her. Now, her constantly being on edge makes perfect sense.

“It’s fine.” She brushes it off, still acting tough. But there’s a sharpness in her tone, as if the wound is still too fresh to let anyone feel pity for her. “I’m here, right? I’m fine,” she repeats as if trying to convince herself. “It took me over two years to work up the courage to leave. Two fucking years of excuses. Of hoping he’d change. Of telling myself it’s somehow my fault. The divorce was ugly. He wanted to ruin me, punish me for taking away his favorite thing to control. But thank fuck it was just me he hurt.” She laughs, a short, bitter burst that sounds more like pain than anything else. “The steroids messed him up pretty badly and that piece of shit wasn’t able to impregnate me. I was lucky. I can’t even imagine bringing a child into such a nightmare.” Meg finishes, her chest rising and falling with each shallow breath, her fingers twitching slightly as if she’s holding back more than just words.

The room is heavy with the weight of her confession, and I can almost hear the echoes of her pain in the stillness that follows.

My throat tightens, but I manage to whisper, “You’re one hell of a woman.” I stand from my chair, slowly closing the distance between us.

Clara puts her arm around Meg, her gaze fierce with support. “You’re free of him now,” she says softly, but there’s an unspoken steel beneath her words. “None of that past can touch you here. And no one here will ever let you feel that kind of fear again.”

Meg’s shoulders slump, the tension subsiding just a little. She finally looks up, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

“It’s hard to trust,” she admits, her voice small and vulnerable. “Hard to really feel safe.”

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