Soul Bound

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

Four days since the incident with Judge. And there's been no sign of the Order or the Transmutes and we can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

I'm lucky that things ended the way they did. That Judge didn't decide to take his anger out on anyone else before us. I let my mouth get ahead of me, but I told the truth. And I still believe that we can't join either side. But I can't put my pack at risk either.

All three amigos have been staying with me. Day and night. Dunn and Hicks camp out in sleeping bags in my living room, taking up half the space in my house, while hard-headed River insists on sleeping in the banyans. And between trying to keep Dunn from punching River in the face, keeping River from ripping anyone else's head off, and avoiding Hicks' worried frowns, I've been kept pretty busy.

For once my house is empty and I'm sitting in the middle of my living room floor in a rare moment of solitude. Dunn and Hicks have gone off somewhere, and I never really know where River goes. My focus is on weaving palm fronds into another doll for T.K.; anything to keep my mind off of the things I can't explain.

When River bursts through my back door, I jump. He stares at me from the doorway for a moment, breathing heavily. My eyes widen as he plops down across from me, cross-legged, our knees touching. I notice the already white scar from where I bit him with my shark. Guilt twinges in my gut.

"Have you talked to Finn?" he asks, chest still heaving, eyes twitching right to left as he looks from one of my eyes to the other.

I can't help but inhale his scent. My lids close and I shake my head. I've been to the Bank at least five times to try and talk to Finn, but Blythe always has some excuse about why I can't see him.

"Have you talked to Wolf?"

My response is a sigh. I still haven't shifted into her since the night Judge attacked. Not for lack of trying, she just refuses. I can feel her guilt, there's plenty of it to go around, but I can't find any sympathy for her. She deserves it. We shouldn't keep secrets from each other. I can't keep secrets from her and it ticks me off that apparently she can. And the fact that Finn is clearly involved makes it even worse.

The ones I've known my entire life have isolated me, and even though Dunn, Hicks, and River are with me every day and night now, I've never felt so alone.

Everything feels like a dream. Like this new reality full of lies and dark pasts and hidden motives is made up and at any moment I'll wake up and things will go back to the way they were. Ignorance really is bliss. Then again, ignorance isn't known for keeping anyone alive.

My eyes pop open when I feel a pair of hands on either side of my face. I'm growling. Well, not me, it's Wolf, really. But River's closeness has put me on edge as well.

"Sorry," I say.

"I need to speak with Wolf." River holds my head a bit more firmly so Wolf can't make me look away.

I'm not sure if he realizes it, but his thumb rubs along my cheekbone. "Y-yeah, okay. Have at her," I say, willing my body temperature not to rise.

"It's been long enough. I left to give you the chance to explain things to Falon. You clearly haven't," he says, brows creasing together, "You have to sort this out." River doesn't bat an eye as Wolf's growl gets louder and deeper. "This secret is going to destroy your bond with Falon. From the inside out."

Wolf growls louder. The vibrations of it make me cough. River brings my face a bit closer.

"Don't give me that. You've got to decide whether or not this secret is worth it."