Page 13 of Brick
“No. And thanks,” she said with a grimace.
Alli laughed and set a mug of coffee in front of Jade, then scooted a container of half and half across the table. “Sorry.”
“I didn’t wake you up tossing and turning, did I?”
“Nope, I had earbuds in all night. I love listening to the rain when I fall asleep.”
“I’m glad I didn’t bother you.”
Alli put a plate in front of Jade with an omelet and home fries, then settled in the chair across the table with the bowl of fruit salad. As she spooned some into a bowl, Jade picked up the coffee and took a sip.
“You okay?”
“I think I need to go to the wolf pack,” Jade said.
“Oh? What’s going on in that wolfy head of yours?”
“My wolf is unsettled. Has been since we got here. And if I ever want to get a good night’s sleep again, I need to go there.”
“Why do you look like you’re making an appointment to get a root canal?”
“Because I’m worried.”
“Adam and Cinder are great, honestly. If I thought they’d be assholes to you, I wouldn’t take you there.”
“It’s not that,” she said. She put the mug down and lifted the fork, giving a gentle poke to the omelet. “It’s just… What happens when I get there? What if they ask me to join the pack? Or what if they say I can’t?”
“Do you want to join the pack?”
“I don’t know if I can. I’m still a member of the Ironwood Pack. I wasn’t exiled, I ran away.”
“To save your life, honey.” She hesitated, then picked up her phone from the table and swiped up, turning it around and setting it in front of Jade. “I got this email from Evelyn about three a.m.”
Jade read the message.
Thank you for helping our friend. I hope she has a good life. Alpha is suspicious that I helped but has no proof. I’m too low ranked for him to care about. Other pack has left town, several arranged matings occurred. I wish I could have helped them too. Tell our friend hello. xx
Jade’s eyes stung. “So you think that means I’m safe? And also that Evelyn is safe too?”
“I’d say so. If she was in trouble with the alpha, she wouldn’t have been able to message me, and if you were in danger, she’d have said something about that too. She’s always a little cryptic in her messages, but she’s one of the most careful people I know. If she was worried, she’d let me know.”
“That’s…really wonderful.”
“So the answer to your worries is that I don’t know what will happen when you meet the alphas of Thorn Hollow. They’re not going to make demands of you, like expect you to just join up with them immediately, and no way would they endanger you by reaching out to your old alpha. It’s just a meeting. Just a how-do-you-do sort of thing.”
Jade exhaled and rolled her neck. “I can do that.”
“Yeah? You can say how do you do?”
Rolling her eyes, she said, “Oh my gosh, yes.” Then she smiled. “Thanks for letting me know about Evelyn’s message. It makes me feel a lot better.” She wasn’t sure she’d ever get to a place where she felt completely safe, but she was a step closer. It would probably just take time.
Maybe she’d be able to really make a life for herself in Northern Ohio, whether she joined up with the pack or not.
“If you decide pack life isn’t for you right now, I’m planning to hang out with Sadie later and you can hang with us. The tigers are very open to visitors. Plus, my friend Angie, who’s a wolf and mated to two vampires, has a place she goes with some other shifters for full moon hunts and I know I could get you an invite.”
“Did you say two vampires? As mates?”
“Yup.”
