“Sure,” I replied. “Nobody is slamming my head against a wall or breaking my ribs.”
“They really did that to you?” he asked.
“It doesn’t matter. Like you said, I need to learn how to shift.” I stood. “I’m going to talk to Greta.”
“There might be another way out of this,” he said.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“We could break that bond you have with your mate,” he suggested.
“You mean I could kill him?” I clarified.
“You can’t, he’s your mate. But I could,” he said.
I shook my head. “I can’t ask you to do that for me.”
“Can’t or won’t?” He narrowed his eyes. “Have you forgotten what he did? Or is the bond taking hold?”
“No!” I recoiled, taking a step away from Alec. I had a lingering memory of wishing Tyler dead, but now I couldn’t make myself want that for him. “Is there another way to break the bond?”
“Yes. But you’d have to go back to Wolf Creek.” His eyes were locked on mine. He was deadly serious.
“You know that’s a death sentence for me,” I said.
“Not if we’re smart. You need to get close to him, but not that close,” he said.
“I don’t want to go near him. What if…” I couldn’t finish the thought.
“What if you start to feel things for him?” Alec asked. “That’s going to happen no matter what. The longer you fight the bond, the more it will build. I wager you weren’t keen on keeping him alive when he left you for dead. Now, you’re a simpering mess.”
“I am not a simpering mess,” I said through gritted teeth.
He smirked. “Maybe not yet, but you will be.”
We stood there for a moment as I considered his words. The more time passed, the more I would want Tyler. It didn’t seem possible, but mating bonds were magic we couldn’t fight. The thought of having actual desires for Tyler made me feel nauseous. At least I still had some control.
“What would I have to do to break it?” I asked.
“Well, I could kill him for you,” he offered.
“No,” I said, far too quickly. “What’s the other way?”
“It won’t come cheap,” he said.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“If you want my help, it’s going to cost you,” he said.
“I don’t have anything,” I said. “You know that.”
“Your mother does,” he said.
“What?” How would he know my mother and what could she possibly have that he would want. “My mom has nothing. She lives in a trailer and is probably starving to death since I’m no longer there to bring her groceries.”
“Your family hasn’t always lived in Wolf Creek,” he said.
“When did you become the expert on my family?”