Page 82 of To Hunt A Wolf
He finally meets my eyes. “It was,” he admits. “But only because of Thiago’s threats. His blackmail meant I couldn’t afford to give in to temptation. And I knew if I stayed…” He sighs. “Well, I think we’ve already proven we can’t keep our hands to ourselves when we’re in the same space.”
He tries for a smile, but it’s more of a wince.
“Did you find them?” I ask, needing to change the subject. To talk about anything except the tension between us. Even now, in this cave, with the threat of an attack hanging over us all, I can’t think about anything except the sight of Levi’s ripped chest in the firelight.
Thankfully, the rest of him is hidden in shadows, or my self-control would have dried up long before now.
“Your parents,” I add when he doesn’t answer.
He blinks as if breaking through his own distractions. “No,” he says. “I found Grey. And Frankie. And then more and more of them. All of them used to be Black Moon. And all of them wanted their lives back.” He smiles. “Then one day, Tripp showed up, and it was all kind of a smooth slide into pack life after that.”
“Tripp has a way with people,” I say.
“He’s sneaky,” Levi agrees. “In a good way.”
I don’t answer. I want to agree, but then I think of how he kept the truth from me. How they all did. Even my mother.
“Where will you all go?” I ask instead.
“Tripp and I have a few possible locations scouted,” he says.
“You planned for this.”
“We planned for contingencies.” Something about his words trips something in me.
“You knew this might happen.”
“I’d be an idiot not to consider it. And the possibility became more likely when Jadick joined us. So I had Tripp look into a few places. There’s an abandoned shopping mall outside of Wythe. Looks like the city planned to reinvest and revamp but ran out of money, so it’s just sitting. We can go there at least until we figure something else out.”
I don’t respond.
The silence stretches between us with a thousand words left unspoken. I try to accept it. That this night is our last together. That no matter what, in the end, he’ll choose the Jades, and I’ll be left alone to fulfill my promise to Kari. I try to accept that tomorrow we’ll be enemies again.
But just for tonight, I can’t help enjoying that what’s between us now feels something like friendship.
Tonight, we’re on the same side. Just for a little while.
“You could come with us,” he says, and I stare back at him, surprised he’s said the words aloud. We both know my answer won’t be yes.
“I promised Kari,” I say simply.
“You need a plan, Mac. Somewhere safe to figure out what’s next. Wythe is safe—”
“I won’t hide.”
“Is that what you think I’m doing?” His words are sharp now. “These people rely on me. Women, children. They have nowhere else to go.”
“They chose to leave. That’s not on you.”
“Every single person here is a victim of Crigger’s toxic way of life. Since the moment we became a pack underneath a black moon, we’ve been doomed to choose between death or a life of misery. We’ve been enslaved by Crigger’s twisted ideas. These people are risking everything to escape that.”
“You want to talk about choices, Levi? Give me a break. I didn’t even have that. You made my choice for me. And when you left, Kari was there for me. Not you. Not Tripp. Not even my mother. I don’t put my life above hers because, without her, I wouldn’t be here. So, maybe these people risked everything to escape. But for me, there is no escape. The pack doesn’t trap me. My feelings for you do that all on their own. So, fuck escape. I’ll risk everything for loyalty. At least, I still have something to fight for.”
ChapterNineteen
Iregret my words the minute they’re out. I don’t deny they’re true, but the look on Levi’s face as I say them weighs me with guilt. Knowing the truth and speaking it are two different skill sets. He is silent for a long moment; long enough to make me feel like shit. He’s already grieving, and I’ve basically kicked him while he’s down.
Finally, he pushes to his feet. “I better relieve the guys for watch,” he says, turning away before I can respond. “Get some sleep,” he adds.
