Page 19 of Fallout

I run my fingers through my hair. “So what’s the deal with this supernatural? Why is he on pack land?”

Blaine shrugs. “I don’t know. To know why, they need to catch him. It’s against the law for another supernatural to invade pack land without permission, so whatever he wants, it can’t be good.”

“I didn’t know that was the law. Maybe he doesn’t know either,” I suggest.

He gives me a look, raising an eyebrow and pursing his lips. “Henley, supernaturals know the law. You would know them too if you had grown up knowing what you were.” He snorts. “And I still don’t know how you ever thought you were human.”

I roll my eyes.

I’ve heard this before. Many times, in fact. And maybe he’s right, but how could I have possibly known? I didn’t realize there were other people who were different, like me. As I’ve learned, supernaturals hate large cities. It’s a sensory overload for us. I have no idea how my dad dealt with it as long as he did. It must’ve been overwhelming with his shifter hearing.

A couple of minutes later, the front door to my house bursts open. I jump a little at the abrupt noise, my heart racing. When I see Parker walk in, I let out a breath of relief. But when I see Mr. Thorne walk in behind him, I tense again.

Why did Parker bring his dad?

I shoot a look at Blaine, who doesn’t seem the least bit shocked by the presence of his alpha.

Parker comes straight toward me, his jaw tense. His eyes seem to flash between their natural color of blue and the gold color of his wolf. He sits down beside me and grabs ahold of my hand—only then does he seem to calm down.

Mr. Thorne shuts the front door and casually walks over, taking a seat on the loveseat catty corner to us.

“Parker tells me that you have seen this supernatural that is invading pack land,” Mr. Thorne says, his gaze solely on me.

“Uh, yeah.” I look from him to Parker, but Parker’s eyes are still glowing gold. I turn back to his dad. “I didn’t know that it was a big deal. I ran into him on the path between your house and mine last weekend.”

“Him. So, it’s a male.” Mr. Thorne nods. “What did he look like?”

I shrug. “Tall, I guess. I could tell he was supernatural. His eyes were brown, but even in the shade of trees, I could see them glowing. I knew he wasn’t a wolf shifter, but I didn’t know what kind of supernatural he was. I asked him and he seemed surprised that I didn’t know.”

Parker tenses. “You talked to him?”

“Barely.” I look at him, my stomach tightening when I see that his eyes are an even darker color of amber now. “Before he could even tell me what he was, Will came. He seemingly disappeared into thin air. Will walked me home after that. Nothing else happened.”

“Why didn’t you mention this before?” Parker’s dad asks.

I tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. “Uh, because I didn’t realize it was a big deal.”

“You didn’t know we were looking for a supernatural on pack land?” Mr. Thorne looks from me to Parker, his eyebrows raising.

“I didn’t want to scare her.” Parker runs his free hand through his hair. His blue eyes turn to me. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Like I said, I didn’t realize it was a big deal. Besides, when was I supposed to tell you?” I try to keep the bitterness out of my voice, though I’m sure it’s very apparent. “I’ve barely even seen you since we found out we’re mates. I only see you between classes and on our drives to school. To be honest, I didn’t want to waste what little time we had talking about something I didn’t realize was a big deal.”

Parker’s lips turn down.

“It’s not your fault, Henley,” Mr. Thorne insists. “Parker should have told you about the supernatural.”

“Blaine told me—that’s when I told him about the incident.” I look away from Parker, not wanting to see the sad expression on his face.

“I told you not to tell her,” Parker growls at Blaine.

Blaine rubs a hand at the back of his neck. “She needed to know. She’s been moping around all week. Even her dad seemed surprised to find me here instead of you.”

Parker flinches.

I put my hand on his arm. “It’s okay. I know you have alpha duties.”

“Alpha duties shouldn’t come before your mate,” Blaine says.