“What about you?” I demanded. “How will any of this be worth it if you end up dead?”
“I can’t lose you,” he said. “When my pack was slaughtered, I wasn’t there to help. I am not going to sit by and do nothing to prevent the death of someone I care about.”
“We’re risking too much. They could come after your camp, your home,” I said.
He shook his head. “I’m not alpha. They are not connected to my actions in any way. It’s shifter law. I’m not responsible for them and they are not responsible for me. They’re all instructed to turn me in to save themselves. And they would. We’re feral, Lola. Not pack.”
“You’re wrong. You don’t use the title, but they’re your pack. I promise you, not a single one of them would turn you over.”
“I hope you’re wrong about that,” he said.
“I hope the witches don’t catch us,” I said.
“I can’t change anything I’ve done. But I can make it so you’ll be safe. You don’t deserve the life you had. It’s time to change that,” he said.
“I could say the same thing about you.” How could he risk so much to help someone he barely knew? “What if I don’t do it? What if I don’t agree to the spell?”
“Listen, I’ve told you everything. It’s already in motion. The damage is done. If you don’t follow through and break the claim, it’ll have been for nothing.” He was so close to me now that we were nearly touching. “Once we break this, we’ll have options. And you’ll get your life back.”
Part of me wanted to reach for him. I wanted comfort, support. But I was confused. Nobody had ever cared for me and he’d risked everything to help me. “No more lies. No more masking the truth.”
“Promise,” he said.
I took a deep breath and started walking. “We better find our friends.”