I turned back to face Claire. All the time I had spent looking for her outside the boundaries on my territory and she had been under my nose the whole time.
"She needed a place to stay until things settled down."
"But how is it possible that she would be the human that got injured-" I stopped when the pieces of the puzzle began to fit together. "She has been taking wolfsbane, hasn't she?"
She hesitated for a moment before nodding. It would keep her werewolf scent hidden in a place where familiarity would have made it hard to hide.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked, hearing the waver in my voice. It felt like another form of betrayal. I considered Claire as close as family and what she was telling me was she had helped hide Crystal from me.
"It's not my secret to tell," she answered cryptically.
There was no way I was going to let that slide. I had a right, as Crystal's mate, to know why she was running away from me and her pack.
"Tell me," I instructed with the power of the alpha, knowing that as a member of my pack she wouldn't be able to lie to me. She would have to tell me the truth whether she liked it or not.
"I can't."
It wasn't possible. Surprise and betrayal washed over me when I tried to mind-link to her and wasn't able to.
"Why?" I asked angrily. She had left my pack; I couldn't force the truth out of her. It was simple to leave a pack, just a thought was enough to separate the bond.
She looked down to fix her eyes on her hands. Maybe it was because she couldn't handle the look of hurt and betrayal in my eyes.
"If her secret gets out, she is as good as dead," she said softly. "I knew you would ask me and I had to make sure I couldn't be forced to reveal it to you."
"So you left the pack to ensure her secret didn't get out?"
I was flabbergasted, but she lifted her eyes to mine and nodded.
Crystal
Flynn had organized me some food. In a bathroom, he showed me where to find some soap and a clean towel.
Despite my fear, I ate after he left to ensure I kept my strength up. That night I didn't sleep well and by six I was wide awake. It was still dark.
I had a bath, careful that I didn't wet my injured arm, which was still bandaged. After getting dressed I searched inside my bag for the wolfsbane. I tried to calculate how long it would last. Maybe a couple of days. I reached for a syringe and pulled the necessary dose before injecting it into my leg. The pain was brief. I concealed the empty syringe in a pocket inside my backpack. After putting it back into the closet, I began to pace the length of the room to figure out what my next move was.
There had to be a way out of here before they discovered what I really was. I bit my nail. I still had wolfsbane but the more pressing matter was my arm.
I undid the bandages. It was still red but by the end of the day there would be no residue of the attack by the rogue. The wolfsbane had slowed the healing but not enough to convince anyone I was an innocent human.
If Flynn insisted I see the doctor before I could make my escape, I was screwed.
Even though the sun hadn't risen yet, there was activity beyond my door. I couldn't stay here but the fear of what I would encounter beyond the small room made me hesitate, feeling the rising panic that no matter what I did the outcome would be the same. My death.
Stop it, I chastised myself, needing to get a grip on the fear. Pushing the negative feelings away, I tried to look at my situation without the emotions that were tempting me to make a run for it and not to consider the consequences.
I could just play it cool and see if I could leave. It was almost daylight. Besides, even if there were still rogues around, Flynn could get me 'home' without anything happening to me.
But that brought up a new set of problems. I didn't have a 'home.' A feeling of disheartenment swamped me and I sat down on the bed. Rubbing my hands over my face, I reminded myself I couldn't give up.
Subconsciously I rubbed the back of my neck.
I could try to escape without anyone seeing but that raised other problems. First, I didn't know if that was even possible. If Flynn and Travis were anything to go by, it would be impossible to slip out without anyone detecting me. And if by some miracle I did, they would discover I was gone and come looking for me. To them I was an innocent who needed protection.
Chewing on my lip, I tried to think of another scenario. The only plausible way to escape would be for Flynn to let me leave, thinking I was going home. I had to hope there were no reasons for me to be kept here.
For another hour, I went over possible questions Flynn would ask so I would have the answers. I didn't want to get caught if I stumbled over an answer. Flynn was far too perceptive.
