Page 81 of Midnight Moon
If Chase hadn’t masked the scent, it wouldn’t matter if I didn’t say anything, every single shifter in Badlands’ territory would know what just happened between me and Asher.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. Desperate to be free of the awkwardness threatening to suffocate me, I walked to my friends.
This time, Asher didn’t try to stop me.
Ignoring how the knot in my stomach tightened the farther away I moved from the Wilds shifter, I reached my friends and offered them a fake smile.
“Hey guys!”
“Hey,” Stephanie said, eyeing the two males over my shoulder. “Everything okay? You’ve been gone for a while.”
“Yeah, everything is good,” I replied. “I lost track of time chatting with Chase and Asher. I was just about to head back when you guys showed up.”
Hunter grunted. I glanced over and saw him glaring at the Wilds shifters.
I returned my attention to Stephanie. She gave me a doubtful look, but I was thankful when she didn’t press the issue. I knew I wouldn’t get off so easy if her brother weren’t there.
With fake enthusiasm, I made quick work of convincing Stephanie and Hunter that we should return to my cabin for a late-night, celebratory movie. The last thing I wanted was to be near Asher for one minute longer.
I walked away. Asher’s eyes burned into my back, and it took everything I had not to turn around and meet his gaze.
If I did, I feared I would never be able to look away ever again.
Twenty-One
“Dad, please say something.”
It had been two hours since I left Asher by the park, and I’d spent the entire time fighting the irksome desire to go to him.
When I’d returned to my cabin, I followed through on my ruse and watched a movie with Stephanie and Hunter. The moment the ending credits rolled, I claimed fatigue and said goodnight.
Five minutes after the siblings left, I barged into my father’s bedroom and woke him up. Then, I told him everything that had happened since the start of the Alpha Games.
I’d started with Hunter’s injury, telling him how Asher believed a sorcerer had masked the sound of the gunshot. Then, I revealed the net made with silver fibers and told him of the rabid shifter’s appearance.
The only information I omitted from my speech was the alleged mating bond. I still wasn’t convinced it was real—no matter how my disloyal body reacted at the mere thought of the Wilds shifter.
As I spoke, my father’s face betrayed nothing. If it weren’t for his stiff jaw and clenched hands, I would’ve wondered if he’d heard me.
I’d just finished telling him how Asher performed CPR to bring me back to life after the sorcerers’ attack, and my father simply sat on the edge of his bed, staring at a blank spot on the wall, and remained silent.
“Dad?” I moved to stand between him and the wall. “Talk to me…please.”
His lack of reaction alarmed me. Maybe he was in shock.
Still, I would have expectedsomesort of response after hearing his daughter had nearly died.
My father’s throat bobbed. He coughed. “I must speak with Nathan.”
“Why? Does Beta Nathan know something?”
My father met my gaze for the first time since I’d started my story. He ignored my question. “You did the right thing by bringing this to my attention, but you mustn’t speak about this to anyone. Nathan and I will handle it.”
Frustration built. I was so tired of being told to keep quiet.
“How are you going to handle this?” I pressed. “What do you know about sorcerers? Do you know why they are attacking our pack?”
Did my father or Beta Nathan do something to piss off the magical race?
