Page 55 of Starting a New Life

A small voice in my head told me to trust Levi. He wasn’t afraid in the slightest. Even after I’d told him that our kind was held as slaves by shifters, he hadn’t doubted his mate for a single second.

And the way he was looking at him, all smiles and excitement… I wanted to believe that it really wasn’t a big deal. That this pack was different.

But if I was wrong…

“Look,” my mate said, raising his hands as if surrendering to me. “I have nothing in my hands. If you want to, I can empty my pockets. I just want to talk. The pups you helped save last night… they told me some concerning things I need to verify.” His voice was strained, bleeding anger and emotion. Not directed at me, though. The emotions making his aura all swirly were not because of me. Something else had made him upset.

I eyed the mug of coffee on the desk next to me, and I grabbed it, needing something to hold on to if I was really doing this.

And I was, wasn’t I?

I couldn’t keep hiding behind Levi, no matter how much I wanted to.

And I wasn’t helpless.

I’d escaped a whole pack of wolves and my former coven. I could do it again if I needed to.

“Okay,” I said, but my voice went up at the end, making it sound more like a question than an answer. I nodded to make sure he knew I was agreeing to talk to him.

“You can do it,” Levi said as he got up. “Trust me, it’s gonna be fine.”

I wanted to. I really did. So I took a deep breath to centre myself while Rhett and Levi left.

The door falling closed was like a gunshot, echoing off the walls as the tension ramped up.

Gray was standing on the other side of the room with his massive arms crossed in front of his chest, just watching me, his brow furrowed, aura swirling, wolf howling.

I lifted the cup of coffee to my lips and took a sip, but it was too cold now. I pulled a face and sent out a thrill of magic, heating up the liquid until steam started rising, and the aroma of burnt coffee and sweet vanilla permeated the air.

The Alpha barked out a laugh. “That’s a neat trick. I’d say you have to show me because my coffee gets cold all the time, but that’s probably not how it works.”

I was about to laugh, my lips twitching, but then remembered the way I’d seen a mage chained to the Alpha’s desk. Forced to sit next to him, be at his beck and call at all times, and the laughter died on my tongue.

The Alpha seemed to realize something had shifted in me, maybe because of my scent? Ahh fuck. I hadn’t been hiding it, had I?

I chastised myself, but forced myself not to draw another shield. That was a trick they didn’t need to know about. If I needed to flee, it’d be better if they didn’t know I could hide my scent.

“Anyway,” the Alpha said roughly, his throat working as he swallowed. “I wanted to thank you for your help. I realize I didn’t do that yesterday. It became quite obvious I didn’t know what was at stake for you when you rushed to help those pups. So… thank you. I also need to apologize.”

I raised my brows at him, my mind still whirling from what he’d already said. He’d thanked me. And now he wanted to apologize? This had to be a trick.

“I should never have ordered you to be thrown into a cell,” he said, his Adam’s apple bobbing, voice hitching, guilt and pain written all over his face. “I’m sorry for that. I let my temper get the best of me. I was already on the edge. But that’s not your fault. So, I’m sorry. If I could turn back time, I swear, I’d act differently. The way I treated you… it’s not how we treat people here.”

“Thank you,” I whispered, my heart hammering in my throat, that tiny voice in my head telling me to walk over and give him a hug. But I stayed where I was because there were things I needed to say. Needed to come clean about. “I’m sorry too.”

He raised his brows, cocking his head.

“For what?”

“Sneaking into your territory. Not announcing my presence.”

“Yeah,” he said, a muscle in his neck tightening. “After what those pups told me, I’m starting to understand why.”

I blinked. “What did those… pups… tell you?”

Gray sighed. “They were surprised when I told them you were staying here, and somehow that single statement of mine led to them telling me that shifters kept mages as…” He swallowed, body tensing, anger rising. “Property.” He spat the word out, disdain tainting the word. “They made it seem like it’s a common occurrence.”

“Because it is,” I whispered, meeting his eyes for maybe the first time ever. His irises were dark, almost black and ablaze, a fire burning in them. Last time, I’d thought his rage was directed at me, and maybe it had been, but this time… I could almost let myself be convinced he was angry for me, not at me. Almost.