Page 17 of Claimed By the Wolf
“No, I’m not,” I deny.
“You are. Did someone tell you about what’s happening this weekend? The twins? Did their cousins tell them?”
“No. What’s happening?” I ask in confusion.
Brax joins me in the kitchen. “The party at Emeric’s ranch.”
Frowning, I glance at him and shake my head, setting the salad fixings on the counter. “I haven’t heard about any party,” I answer honestly.
Then I pause, my eyes narrowing. “I’m not planning on sneaking off to another party,” I add defensively. “Trust me. I learned my lesson.”
“No… I didn’t say that.” My brother fidgets and turns his back away.
“What are you talking about, then?” I press.
“Never mind.”
“Well, you brought it up, Brax, so spill it,” I grumble.
He grimaces. “I don’t know if I’m supposed to tell you or if Nox wants to, but I guess you’re going to find out about it, anyway, because you have to go.”
Opening the pantry, I half-listen as he explains, as I pull out a can of chickpeas. “Emeric is having a party this weekend to introduce everyone.”
“How formal.” If my brother hears the sarcasm, he doesn’t mention it.
“Nox described it as an informal get-together, but it’s really to…” he clears his throat. “…to make your status official.”
The can in my hands falls and lands squarely on my foot. Yelping, I hop around the kitchen, cursing. At least the throbbing in my toe overrides the need for Nox.
Collecting myself, I grit my teeth. “The ceremony is this weekend?” I gasp, reaching down to recover the can I dropped.
“No, no,” he reassures me. “It’s just a party, like a pre-ceremony party.”
I imagine myself being swept off into Emeric’s bedroom in the aftermath of that party as my fated mate stands by, approving it. My stomach twists, and I think I’m going to be sick.
How is this going to work? It’s too much!
“It’s just a party, Brynn.” Brax misinterprets my expression. “But you might want to be prepared to stay over permanently. If that’s the case, I will bring your stuff to your new home, of course.”
“Who says?” I choke. “Emeric?”
Brax shrugs. “I’m just telling you what Nox said.”
No wonder Nox hasn’t tried calling me. He was too busy trying to get rid of me, so he doesn’t have to deal with me at all.
I barely realize when my brother takes the can out of my hands and sits me down at the kitchen table. “Why don’t we just order a pizza?” he suggests.
I agree dully, my head spinning as the new reality piles on me.
I realize that I have been hoping, in some ridiculous way, that our mate bond would override whatever agreement Emeric and Nox had made. In the afterglow of our connection, I’d been caught up in the fantasy that Nox and I would live happily ever after.
But how could we? He already made it clear from the start that we will never work. And inherently, I understand that, too. But these feelings, these thick, sluggish emotions, they won’t ever pass, no matter how far away I get from Nox. They’ll burden me forever.
Nox can pass me on to another mate, but my feelings for him will always remain.
Everything Brax just said is what I agreed to, for the good of the pack.
Eventually, I will go to live with Emeric in Willow Grove territory.
