Page 42 of Secrets and S'mores
His dark eyes study me and I feel like a bug under a microscope. “You’ll still talk with them about it before you do anything?”
“Yeah. I promise.”
His head bobs. “Okay, well, we still have to talk with Jasper and Hazel about today.”
“I understand.”
As we approach the training building, I keep waiting for Onyx to drop my hand. But he doesn’t. My heart beat speeds up until my blood pounds in my ears. Memories of being zip-tied by these wolves and dragged away like a prisoner replays in my head until I’m squeezing Onyx’s fingers so tight he stops walking.
“Hey, it’s going to be fine. We can just explain, and I’ll do all the talking if you need.” Using our joined hands, he pulls me against him.
His citrus scent soaks in my lungs, calming and centering me.
“No, I need to own my shit.”
He kisses my knuckles and we resume our walk.
Jasper meets us in the thinning trees on the edge of the pack’s compound. He looks calmer, but his shoulders still tense at the sight of me. Dread weighs me down until each step feels like I’m knee deep in mud.
“This is interesting,” he says, crossing his arms. His gaze is cold as he looks at Onyx and then our joined hands. Onyx squares his shoulders and faces my brother.
“We need to talk to you about what just happened.”
“Meet me at my cabin in five minutes,” he says before turning away and striding back toward the building. I watch his receding form, my dread turning to cold fear.
“I don’t know where that is,” I tell Onyx.
A hint of a smile softens his expression. “It’s close. I’ve got you, don’t worry.”
I shouldn't need him, but I cling to his arm anyway. Jasper’s threat that Slate would kill me seems all too likely. Hazel might want to dispose of me herself. It’s only their code of ethics that keeps me from turning and running. They’d restrain me and return me to my pack, which is roughly the outcome part of me hopes for.
Marigold opens the door of the small log-style cabin. She’s wearing a floral sundress with her strawberry blonde hair piled on top of her head. Her cabin smells like sugar and tropical plants. Golden oak lines the interior with warm plaids and accents of sunny yellow. A collection of houseplants grow across the large window in the living space.
“Hey, Goldie. There was an incident during training and Jasper asked us to come here to discuss it privately,” Onyx explains.
“Oh, is everything okay?” she asks me. I have no idea how to answer. No. It’s a wreck, just like it’s been since the minute I arrived here. She must read my expression, because Marigold pulls me away from Onyx and wraps her arms around my shoulders in a tight hug.
Tears threaten again and I take measured breaths to keep them away. When she releases me, she looks me in the eyes and says, “It’s going to be fine. You are family.”
I have to look away. She leads me to the sofa and I settle beside Onyx while she gathers refreshments in her little kitchen.
By the time Jasper, Slate, and Hazel arrive, Marigold has set out a plate of cinnamon cookies. Jasper sits in the arm chair beside the sofa, and she perches on the arm. Hazel and Slate stand, and my hold on Onyx’s hand tightens.
Slate’s gaze narrows on our joined hands, and his frown deepens.
“Jasper told me what happened,” Slate finally says. I note he says Jasper and not Hazel. She fidgets in her seat as he says it. “What is your side of the story?”
Swallowing, I take a deep breath. “I was really upset because I could tell something was wrong with my mother and my pack, and no one was telling me anything.”
Onyx runs his thumb over my knuckles, encouraging me.
“I went to find Jasper, and Hazel asked to spar. I don’t know what happened. I got hurt and just snapped.”
Despite my confession, Slate’s expression doesn’t change.
Hazel sighs. “I wasn’t injured. Honestly, I could have pushed her away sooner but her arm was dislocated and I didn’t want to hurt her worse.”
Slate’s grasps the back of the armchair as he frowns at her. “Jasper said she was out of control and choking you. Even when you tried to end the fight, she wouldn’t stop. I’m scared of what would have happened if you hadn’t gotten the drop on her.”
