Page 38 of Wolf's Reckoning
Final. Like this was a job. Like I was a position to assign. I’d left the hall before I said something that would earn me another lecture that I wouldn’t be able to walk away from.
I needed air.
I needed space.
I needed?—
Wolfe.
There. Across the yard, listening to Lewis as he spoke to the shifter Wolfe came with. The one who stuck to his side like a shadow. The one who looked like he would bench-press Tyler and Dex together and not break a sweat. And then beside him…Wolfe stood there like he owned the territory he hadn’t set foot on in years. Arms crossed. Brows drawn. Listening more than speaking.
Watching.
Me.
He didn’t look away when I caught him. Didn’t blink. Didn’t move. Like he wanted me to know he saw everything.
Why are you here?
The question had been annoying me for days. Because the truth was…I didn’t know. He hadn’t declared himself. Hadn’t really said much at all. Hadn’t tried to sway me or woo me or so much as stepped into my path since that one sharp conversation. He wasn’t here forme, I knew that… But he hadn’t left.
Wolfe wasn’t the kind of wolf who lingered without purpose. And whatever he was waiting for, it wasn’tromance. I wasn’t that stupid; he had no interest in this circus that I was currently hosting.
But was it war?
Vaguely, I was aware that the druid had been talking to me about what to expect tomorrow, and the way Wolfe was watching, I knew he knew that I hadn’t heard a word. I made my excuses to the druid and wished I could walk away before Wolfe could smirk. Before he caught me looking at him again.
Let Dex and Tyler hover. Let the druid whisper their advice. Let the pack speculate. I didn’t care what they thought of me, thought of this. But I cared whathewas thinking.
And that pissed me off more than anything.
Returning to my rooms, I retired for the night but didn’t sleep much at all. I was dreading what the next day would bring. The next morning, the dread was still lingering, but I managed to get dressed without changing my outfit and acted as I normally would. Did my tasks for the day, ate my meals, joined in conversations. It was just another day, or that was the lie I was telling myself.
We were in the pack hall, separate from my pack, as Tyler and Dex sat across from me. I was pushing the potatoes around on my plate.
Today had been agonizingly slow. I just wanted it to end, and retreat to my rooms and just be alone without the scrutiny.
Dex, to the right. Warm smile. Easy confidence. A quiet offer of understanding in a world built on dominance.
Tyler, to the left. Polished arrogance. A son of an alphaof a pack with weight and a jawline that probably got him out of more fights than into them.
They both wanted to lead this pack. Maybe they both even wanted me, or the idea of me, anyway.
But my eyes kept drifting to Wolfe and his companion. They sat across the hall, just far enough to be uninvolved. Just close enough for them to watch, if they wanted.
Wolfe wasn’t speaking. Wasn’t smiling. Wasn’t even pretending to eat. He was justthere. Present. His presence seemed to fill the hall, and I couldn’t think with him here.
Every time I laughed at something Dex said or cut off one of Tyler’s not-so-subtle jabs, I could feel Wolfe’s eyes on me. Judging me and measuring my responses. Like he knew what it cost to keep playing nice.
But there was a look about him, and I kept thinking he wanted me to snap. And I knew I wouldif he kept looking at me like that. So I did the only reasonable thing I could without giving him what he wanted. I stood. “Excuse me.”
Both of my companions were at a loss for what to say, and I felt the druid’s eyes on me as I walked away from the table. I knew the whole hall was watching, and Ididn’t care. I just needed one minute to myself before I continued with this charade.
I didn’t go far—just into the tree line behind the hall where the scent of food faded and the evening swallowed the noise. With my eyes closed, I pressed my forehead against the trunk of a tree, not caring that the rough bark bit into my skin.
I hadn’t heard him follow. It didn’t matter, not when his presence rolled in behind me like a shadow, making me wonder if I had ever lost the sense of him.
“Not hungry?” he asked, and I heard the laughter in his voice. “You should’ve stayed; it was just getting interesting.”
