Page 62 of Wolf Blood

If I ignored him, he was just going to be even pissier when I inevitably answered or he caught up to me.

So I pulled out of the gas station, took a long swig of my coffee as I readjusted to the highway, and hit the button to answer his third call.

"Hey," I said, like absolutely nothing out of the ordinary was going on.

"Where are you?"

I heard something on his end of the line that sounded suspiciously like a door slamming and an engine starting.

Maverick must've told him what I was doing.

Asshole.

"Handling a problem," I said.

"It's not your problem to handle."

"My mom was behind all of the murders. Riley's not even old enough to drink alcohol. Nolan's going to leave your pack before he takes Oren to this other pack. I'm the only one whocanhandle it."

"Pull over."

"I'm not pulling over."

"Pull the fuck over," he growled.

"No."

"It's not safe for you to be driving, let alone going to a full rural pack by yourself. Do you knowanythingabout the Wilder Pack?

"No. I don't need to know anything other than that they have the guy you and Maverick need, and I'm the only person who can get him for you."

"Fuck that."

"I just need to convince them I'm sane long enough to get them to send Zach to Maverick. Bloom needs the investment company, and we all know I've been living for her sake." My eyes burned just a little. "I can't keep sitting in that tower anddevolving. I'm useless, and I'm deadly, and the nightmares are... I can't handle them. I need to do this. I need to help."

"Pull over." Rhone's voice was so low, it sent goosebumps over my arms. "If you want to go to the Wilders, fine. We'll go. But I'm driving, and you are going to follow every order I give you, because you aremine."

"I'm not yours if you aren't mine too. That's not how life works."

"Pull over."

"I have no reason to trust that you won't just take me back to the tower, Rhone."

There was a long pause.

It was tense, somehow.

He finally said, "My sister was mated to the last Wilder Alpha when she died. He should've protected her, and didn't. The current Alpha killed him for it before I had the chance. I took out one of his enemies in exchange. We're..."

"Friends?"

"No. Not even a little. We're unbalanced. He thinks he owes me for not warning me about his Alpha. If I tell him you're mine, he probably won't let his pack hurt you."

"Then why didn't you take me there when you found out they wanted a turned vampire?"

"Because I don't want to risk your life over a probably, Harper." He gritted the words out. "The investment company just went down. I haven't had time to process that. Maybe I would've taken you myself when I did. Mav only sent you to force me into the decision."

"He didn'tsendme."