Page 18 of Forbidden Moon
“Isn’t he a Colvin?”
“I suppose he is.” She didn’t really think of him as one of them because he had always seemed different. She wondered if he really was tainted by their blood or could rise above it? Or would he lower himself to their level the more he was around them? “You probably know him better, since he was an enforcer with you.”
Rafe shrugged, a casual movement. “He kept to himself, sticking with his partner and that was all. We all work alone or with a partner. It’s not like a true pack. We’re almost never together.”
“Don’t you miss it?”
A hint of a smile ghosted his lips. “Every day. Now, show me the scene of the attack.”
She pulled off the road. “The easiest way is through here. Best to go on foot the rest of the way.”
He nodded and followed her through the trees to the clearing where enforcers from her pack guarded the scene to ensure no one interfered. One of her close friends, Matthew, was closest, and he stood rigid, as if bracing himself against the pain and grief that they all felt in that area. Instinctively she hugged him and felt him tense for a moment, then hug her back, an exchange of comfort between pack mates.
After a moment, he released her and fixed his gaze on Rafe. “Who is this?”
“Council Enforcer. Checking out the situation.”
“If you could both wait here, please. I’d like to walk through the scene alone, then I’ll shift and do the same. Please ask everyone else to remain separate.”
Maya nodded and let the male proceed alone. She leaned against the tree with Matthew and watched Rafe begin his investigation. Weariness swamped her, and she closed her eyes, resting her head against the rough bark. Her wolf knew she was safe with her pack mates there.
After several minutes, a scent teased her nose and her wolf pushed at her. She opened her eyes and saw Garrett with the other Council Enforcer, Caleb, standing a few feet away. Garrett was studying her with solemn eyes, as if unsure of his welcome. Caleb murmured something, then headed off to join Rafe in his exploration of the scene. Matthew had wandered off sometime during Maya’s rest, leaving her and Garrett alone.
“You look tired.”
“We are under attack. I haven’t had much time to sleep.”
He took a few steps forward until he was at arms-length away. “It wasn’t Saranac. I asked my father and uncle point-blank. They swear they didn’t attack.”
A harsh laugh burst out from her, causing both Council Enforcers to pause and stare at them. After a moment, then resumed their discussion. “Forgive me if I call bullshit on that. You’ve been gone a long time, Garrett. There’s been too much shit that has been going on, instigated by your pack, for me to believe they had nothing to do with this.”
“You don’t believe remnants of the Tri-State pack could have anything to do with this?”
She shook her head. “We have members of their pack here. In fact, one of their pups was taken and his mother was killed. So, no, I don’t believe Tri-State would do this.”
“Maybe they wanted their pup back and felt his mother was keeping him from his father,” Garrett continued in a reasonable tone.
“His father was killed by Saranac in the war. There is no one to claim the pup except us. Don’t try to come up with a political excuse to get your pack out of this shit, Garrett. They’ve been trying to expand their borders at our expense and aren’t above sneaky methods.”
“That’s your story,” he replied.
“Actually, you said it when you were on our lands, saying you were shown a map with that border. Ask the Council to show the real border and compare it to what your uncle showed you. That will prove the land grab.”
She pushed past him, unwilling to continue the conversation, but he stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Are you just going to ignore it? We said we’d talk about it when I got back.”
She didn’t pretend to not understand what he was talking about. “You’re damned right I am. At least for now. A mating between us would be a disaster.”
“I disagree. I think it could go a long way to soothing tensions between our packs.”
She wrenched her arm free and turned to face him, getting very close and lowering her voice so no one would hear. “Maybe our wolves think we are mates, but we have a choice. And I reject that mating. I can’t be a member of Saranac. Never will I join your pack, and you know your family will never let you join Dirigo. So that’s it. We move on. And never speak of this again.”
“Maybe we’re supposed to bridge the gap between our packs. Mating is a gift from the goddess. True mate bonds don’t happen very often. Maybe she wants us to heal the breach between us.”
She gestured to the meadow in the afternoon sunlight, where patches of dried blood still lay. “We cannot bridge a gap this far. Not with a mating. Not with any kind of bond.”
She turned and walked away without a backwards glance.
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