Page 44 of Wolf Roulette
I glanced down over the valley and my stomach swooped at the drop. “You’re not human. Why would your culture be the same as ours? I’ve never seen any male Luther disrespect a female Luther. The pack seems to acknowledge that there are different kinds of strength, and that one isn’t better than the other.”
Sascha hummed. “I guess so.”
“Where are we going?”
“Not telling.”
I groaned.
He grinned. “You’re not good with surprises.”
“That’s because they’re mostly bad.”
“In your experience?”
I released my belt and scooted into the middle seat, buckling up again. There, I rested my head on his shoulder, feeling the immediate warmth of our connection that made talking so much easier. “People used to kick down the doors for money. Mum went through a phase of borrowing from loan sharks. They weren’t nice.”
Sascha tensed. “How old were you?”
“From nine. It stopped at twelve when I convinced Mum to go to rehab.” We’d sold her car and some furniture to afford it. “I’d sometimes come home to find Mum gone. She’d return days later after emptying the bank accounts.”
His pine scent ignited with anger.
“It was all worth it when she was my mother,” I admitted.
“She’s your mother if you decide she’s your mother.” Sascha turned down a tiny dirt road that led away from the plummeting cliffs.
I sighed. “If she could laugh with me sometimes after Murphy’s death, why couldn’t she tell me the truth?”
“People who hurt that much sometimes want to hurt themselves more.”
“I think that’s why she gambled.”
“Then it’s not unreasonable to think she might have made herself feel worse in other ways. Like not treating you in a way you deserved. Or maybe she believed lying was the best way to protect you.”
He pulled over on the side of the small road.
I looked at him. “Guess I’ll never know.”
Herc’s death was shit, and I still held regret over my part in the events of that night, but I’d dealt with his passing for the most part.
“Is this why you won’t play music anymore?” He took my hand again.
My voice was hoarse. “Yes.”
“One day, you’ll play again, and I look forward to that moment. Besides your voice, there’s no sound more beautiful than your music.” He whispered a kiss on my lips. “I’m not sure how I get anything done when you’re around.”
I frowned. “Hey, Sascha?”
“Mmm?” He kissed up my neck.
I lost my train of thought. He rested his forehead against my chest sometime after.
“I’m here to show her our territory,” Sascha muttered.
My shoulders shook. “Who are you trying to convince?”
He groaned. “Myself. What were you saying?”