“And my sister?” I asked. Would I ever be able to tell her the truth? Would she ever be welcome within the pack?
“We’ll get to that in time.” She paused, offering me an apologetic smile. “You didn’t call her.”
“No.” I couldn’t. “I didn’t know what to say.”
Ash nodded at that, then gestured back the way we came.
“That’s probably for the best. It’s better for her to mourn now rather than when she learns you’re a wolf. That way, when you finally cross paths with her, it’ll be easier for her to accept it since you’ll still be alive.”
“You obviously don’t know my sister. If the pack doesn’t kill me, she most definitely will.”
She laughed at that.“When that time comes, you’ll have the pack to turn to for support.”
For all our sakes, I hoped she was right. Even as we headed down the hall toward the front of the house, I couldn’t ignore the hushed murmurings of the other wolves or their fierce eyes directed at my back.
Just get through today. I had no idea how long the distrust from the other wolves would last, but tomorrow had to be better.
It just had to be.
Chapter Six
By the end of my first week, I was still sleeping in the shed and thought about my sister on a daily basis. Was she out there looking for me? Had the authorities given up? Did they even know where to look?
I’d tried confronting Ash about my release, but whenever I did, she shot me down. Something about new wolves not knowing what was best. And here I thought she was on the nicer side. Unfortunately, aside from a bed in my cell and being able to come and go as I pleased so long as I stayed within pack territory, Ash’s kindness from before was completely gone.
She no longer checked on me, often sending Fallen in her place. I could see my being here pained the others, and I had a feeling they weren’t the only ones. As for Fallen, she tolerated me but just barely. When she walked, she did it in such a way that I had to run to keep up.
She didn’t give me any advice, passing down instructions and orders on what to do when entering the house after a hunt instead. Not that I’d actually been on one.
According to her, it was something I had to do in order to find my place within the pack, but since I didn’t have control over my shifts, it seemed as though I’d be stuck here longer than I’d originally thought. This news was as upsetting to me as it was to Fallen. The hunt, whenever it happened, would come at a great cost.
I’d have to make my first kill alone.
All my life, I’ve had to prove myself. I had to convince my parents I was strong enough to go to public school, strong enough to play light sports, and strong enough to date. The dating didn’t last long, but I fought my way through everything else.
Now, after years of living with a crappy heart, I had one that was stronger than ever before.
And yet, I still had to prove myself. Wasn’t my being here enough?
I struggled to stay in my place, keeping my mouth shut as Fallen went over the itinerary for the day, none of it enjoyable.
If they could only understand how worried my sister was, maybe they’d let me go.
“What?” Fallen asked, pausing beside me in wolf form as I looked far beyond the tree line. “Did you see something?”
We were supposed to be scouting the perimeter for threats.
So far, the only things I saw were a handful of birds and a squirrel that had enough balls to walk up to us.
“No,” I finally said, stepping in line beside her when she picked up the pace again.
“I’m as fond of your current condition as you are, but let’s get one thing straight. You’re here because, somehow, you survived. I’m here on Alpha’s orders, but if you give me an inch of doubt, I’ll have your neck in my maw so quick—”
“You want me to behave. I get it.” I released a long breath and hugged my arms around myself for warmth. The cold never bothered her.
“I want you to know your place and respect it,” she corrected me.
“Do I have a choice?” I asked, pausing at the crest of a hill that overlooked a large chunk of the pack’s territory.