Page 147 of Mate
It’s so depressing, Amanda told us in the car.Every time I bring them clothes and food and books and tell them that they don’t need to ask for permission to walk around nature, they look at me like I must be drinking mercury. Can you believe it?
A cult lying to its members to control them, Koen mumbled, driving with his elbow hanging out of the window.Unheard of.
Honestly, fuck Irene and Constantine and the Favored. Fuck them all. “The Northwest is kind,” I say, “but what they are doing is the bare minimum. You deserve respect, and more. You should have had it your whole life.”
I can see the cogs in her head turning as she tries to grasp the concept of basic decency. “I know . . . I know we’re Humans. But would it be possible . . . Could we maybe stay here for a while? I think that if we did, the others would see it, too, that maybe there can be a life for us, even outside of the Favored.”
“You can stay for as long as you like,” Koen replies before I can turn to him.
“Thank you.” Her smile wobbles. “Maybe you and I could be friends, E— Serena. I enjoyed the afternoon we spent together.”
“I did, too,” I say, instead ofWe could be friends if I stayed, but I won’t. I can’t. You’ll be fine, though. And so will Koen. And so will I.
Good liar, and all that.
“Maybe I could help you,” she adds, tentative. “I could show you where some of our hideouts are. We could go together— ”
“No,” Koen and I say in unison, forcefully. We share a glance, and he continues. “How old are you?”
“Sixteen.”
“Son of a bitch.” He briefly hangs his head. Massages the bridge of his nose. “You’re way too young to be caught in this. We don’t know if they are guarding their hideouts, or whether they will treat you as a threat. You’ve been through enough. Your involvement in this bullshit ends now.”
Nele blushes, looking scandalized.
Koen cocks his head. “Did you really just offer to escort me into a life- or- death situation, only to balk at the word ‘bullshit’?”
The flush deepens. “The thing is, after what happened last week, there are . . . a little less than fifty Favored left. About half of them are Weres. And . . . my older sister, she’s currently with them.”
My stomach sinks.
Koen sighs. “Could you write me a list of the members?”
“I already have. It’s in my room.” She averts her eyes. “What will you do to them?”
“Provided that the Weres don’t resist, we’ll capture them alive and put them through a tribunal. Humans are not our concern.”
“Will you . . .”
His face softens. “We’ll do our best not to harm anyone. Humans are easy to subdue. However, if my pack is in danger, wewilldefend ourselves.”
Nele exhales slowly. The silence stretches until she says, “I just want it to be over, you know? A normal life, for me and my family.” She lets go of my hand and wraps her arms around herself. “I don’t know where Irene is right now. But the prophet’s birthday is in two days, and it’s our most important day of worship. Irene might call it off this year, but she never has. In fact, I think that she might . . .” At once, she smells intensely guilty.
“None of this is your fault,” Koen reminds her.
She nods. “Ever since Serena’s interview, there has been a lot of anger toward the Northwest. More than usual. Many Favored saw that as proof that they’d been right all along, and people have been thinking about the Harrowing.” She swallows. “In the past few months, they’ve been accumulating weapons. Firearms. Some bigger ones, too. And . . .”
“And?”
“And . . . they’ve been teaching us how to use them.”
CHAPTER 36
She would make for the perfect Alpha’s mate.
ICAN’T BE THE ONLY ONE EXPERIENCING A STRONG SENSE OFdéjà vu,” Saul says, but no one laughs.
I wouldn’t describe the Northwest seconds as the jolliest of bunches, but they usually tease each other, dish out jabs, and exchange inside jokes that go way over my head. Tonight, however, the atmosphere in Koen’s cabin is very gothic manor, mid-nineteenth century. The huddle leaders are on their way. Most of the pack leadership is in attendance, and all agree with Koen’s decision to go after the cult before Irene can strike.
