He raised an eyebrow at the change in subject. “Micha. He was with Kyle when he came for her. He claimed that he wasn’t a part of what happened. I believe him.”
“Well, there are a lot of boys like him around lately,” Sonia continued. “Young. Wild. Strong. Eager to fight. Loyal to Lukka. He’s accepted them from all over. Dozens.”
She said no more, but Bill could fill in the blanks. Despite his resources presumably strained to their breaking point, Lukka was welcoming in rogues with open arms. He’d heard the rumors, even out here, but he’d thought it was a sign of arrogance. A prideful young Alpha eager to show off the abundance in his territory.
Now, thanks to Sonia’s obvious skepticism, another explanation seemed more plausible.
“He’s building an army,” he said. “If anyone speaks out, sale or no sale, he has a team of young pups ready to put them down. Does he even know how dangerous a game he’s playing?”
But that was the point—of course, Lukka knew. He didn’t care. To him, the position of Alpha was all about power and control. For his benefit, no one else’s.
“There have been some good things,” Sonia added bitterly. “There seems to be no end of money with which Lukka can expand his lodgings. To supplement the lack of fresh resources, he’s been importing processed foods from the outside. You’re angry hearing this…” She raised an eyebrow at his expression. “I’m surprised you care.”
“Sonia! Of course, I do!” Bill hissed through clenched teeth. He may have left Black Mountain behind, but that didn’t mean he didn’t give a shit as to what happened to his old home. “And, despite all this shit,youremain loyal to him.”
“I don’t have a choice! I can’t survive out here like you can. You put on a good show, but admit it—being a rogue feels no different to you than being under an Alpha. Pack life has always been a conscious choice for you. Some of us aren’t so lucky. We need an Alpha for guidance. It isn’t our place to question his intentions. Do you know how hard it is for me to even tell you this much?” Sonia’s voice echoed, high pitched and broken. Unshed tears glistened in her eyes.
Bill winced. “Yes, I know. I’m sorry. Come here.” He pulled her into an embrace that lasted barely a second before she pulled back, swiping any tears from her face.
“Don’t worry about me. You told me before that Loren refused to submit to you,” she said. “I wonder if it’s because of your calling? Somehow, she’s tapped into that part of you and it’s shielding her.”
“I don’t know,” Bill admitted.
It was a plausible explanation, but he outright scoffed at it. Loren wasn’t utilizing his own instincts to resist him. That rebellious impulse came from her alone. Despite the “calling” being a rare gift, he had stumbled upon the one meek, brutalized girl who had the same instinct.
He wanted to write off the suspicion at first. Laugh at it, even. But he couldn’t shake a part of him that warned it wasn’t so farfetched. He had sensed her long before he even knew of her lycan side. She intrigued him in a way no other woman had. Not even Emma.
There had to be a reason for that.
Though, maybe the truth was that he was no better than Frank Connors, sensing easy prey and eager to take a bite.
“You’ll learn soon enough,” Sonia said tiredly. “Once you break the bond, she’ll have only her own instincts to rely on. For better or for worse.”
Bill grunted. This time, Sonia wasn’t subtle in her attempts to sow guilt. “I’ve made up my mind, Sonia. It’s the only way.”
“No, it wasn’t. You didn’t have to intervene at all. You made that choice all on your own. I warned you what could happen.”
Bill heard the creak of the floorboards as she shifted closer. Warm fingers gently ghosted the back of his neck before settling over his shoulder.
“And I don’t know why you’re fighting so hard to deny the obvious. You’re attracted to her—”
“No, I’mnot!”Scowling, he pulled away and stalked to the opposite end of the porch. “She’s too young,” he grunted, though he didn’t know if it were to himself or Sonia. “She doesn’t know what she wants. You’re right. I shouldn’t have intervened.”
But the half-assed excuses just made the whole thing that much worse. Shewasyoung and naïve and so damn innocent he sometimes wondered if she were moreBambithan Lycan.
Though, she wasn’t all innocent.He dragged a finger across his lower lip feeling the stinging marks left over from the assault of her teeth. Even Emma had never kissed him like that—butEmmahad been fully in control of her own emotions. Loren wasn’t. The various complications of the bond made his head ache. Still, there was no use dwelling on it now.
“She’s young, maybe naïve, but she’s not stupid,” Sonia pointed out. “She might feel loyal to you because of the bond, yes, but it can’t create love—”
“Don’t go there, Sonia. Please. Besides, it’s too late,” he said, turning to face her. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me so far, but you don’t have to—”
“There’s one thing you haven’t factored in.” Sonia crossed her arms, eyeing the sky. “You act as if going against Lukka would be some desperate last-ditch effort you have to undertake all on your own. You don’t understand that plenty in the pack will rise up in support of you. What of them if you walk away after that, huh? To hell with us?”
“Us?”
He didn’t even need to see the determined gleam in her eye to know that Sonia hadn’t included herself by mistake.
“I never asked you before.” She moved closer, forcing him to meet her probing gaze. “Why you left. I assumed it was because you couldn’t bear being in a place that held so many memories of you and Emma. I thought you’d last a year at most before you came back. I don’t care if that makes me childish,” she added as he cocked an eyebrow in surprise. “I hoped you would come back. Every day, I hoped for that. But now that it’s been several years, I have to wonder if it were always more than grief. So, I’m asking you outright. What drove you away?”