Page 34 of Planet Wolf

“The only way that we get through this is to push through. Among the younger Wolves, you’ll have no problems.” Jadon sat across from me. “And if any were to give you any shit, I’d challenge and kill them. I’m the strongest Wolf of our generation. I formed my own pack. I’m ready to take on my father and the others if they don’t relent. This will be okay. Better than okay.”

I kissed his cheek. “It may not be that simple. Nothing ever is. We couldn’t have just brought you to Earth and made them accept you. Announced you were there. You’d have been arrested. We had to run away. That isn’t going to be different where you’re from.”

“It will. Our society is fundamentally different in that way. The leaders on our planet actually lead. You can trust me.”

He was wrong, I was sure of it. I’d committed to their plan, to going with them, and if it didn’t work, then we’d have to figure out what to do next. “There are planets where the shifters who’ve had to leave with their humans have gone.”

Carl shook his head. “That doesn’t make it better. It’s only a bandage, a personal triumph. It fixes nothing. I won’t lose you, and I will run if that has to happen. We all will. Esther, we can do this. You’re smart to question and worry. You can trust us.”

“I do.” It must be part of the mating. “As long as you promise me you’re not being naive.”

Jadon’s thoughts reached me then, like butterfly wings stroking my brain. He’d never been naïve. He was born fighting.

I took his hand. “Okay.”

His grin was huge. “I told you that I could do it, too.”

They talked plans for a long time. Alliances. People I didn’t know and names I was unfamiliar with. Eventually, I started to doze off. I never asked them my real question. They said mates didn’t do well when one died, and I was probably going to do that. What would happen to them? I never asked it, not even as Alfie swept me up in his arms to hold me close against him and bring me into the bedroom.

He thought he could fix me. I closed my eyes and let him tuck me into bed. Three shadows fell over me as I drifted off with the sway of the ship beneath me.

* * *

I woke up in pain.I didn’t let myself open my eyes right away, breathing through it. I knew the scenario; I’d lived it a lot. The light was going to be too bright, everything would hurt—as it already did—and that would be just one more pain to assault me.

A hand touched my forehead. “You’re in terrible pain.”

Okay, that was a reason to lift my lids. Alfie was there. I forced myself to regard him, past the blur of my vision and the pain that came with it. “Sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?” He kissed my face. “I’m the one who should apologize. What happened here?”

I wished I had answers. “Sometimes it comes about. I don’t know how else to explain it. There’s no good explanation. I just hurt.”

He smoothed my hair. “Okay. We’re going to give you all your meds, see if you can stomach some food. Carl is going to hurry up the fucking engines so I can get home and get back to a place where I might actually be able to help you. Meanwhile, I’m going to get you something for the pain. You liked the plant leaf. It made you a little loopy, but you felt better. There are things that are related to that plant that I can give you.”

I groaned and closed my eyes. “I’m sure Carl is flying as fast as he can.”

“No, he’s not. He just sped up the engines because I yelled at him. We’d all like as much alone time as we can have, but you need care, and that isn’t going to happen on this ship the way I would like, unfortunately.” He sighed.

“You just want to make me ridiculous like I was in that cave.”

He laughed. “It was one of my favorite memories ever. I loved hearing you hum to yourself. This probably won’t do that to you. It’s filtered a bit. Less la-la and more, oh, no pain.”

Carl leaned in the doorway. “If you take it that way. Don’t listen to him, Esther. We can have fun with your painkillers. Alfie can do better. She can still have the high. Why not give it to her?”

“Shouldn’t you be driving?” Alfie walked toward Carl and past him. “You fly, Enforcer, and let me heal her.”

Carl watched him walk away and then rolled his eyes like he was mocking him. “The good Healer forgets that there is more to life than just being cautious. Our Alpha is flying. I flew all night. We sped up the engines. You’re in pain.” He pulled two lozenges out of his pocket and handed me one. “Suck on it. Or bite it quickly. Depends on how quickly you want to feel what it does.”

He stuck one in his mouth and then gently lay down next to me. I stared at it. Carl would never give me something that would hurt me. Granted, Alfie didn’t want me to do it, but I’d sort of liked how it felt to be high that day. If I had to be in pain, couldn’t I also be happy? I put it in my mouth and sucked on it.

Carl grinned at me. “Good. We’ll float a little bit together for a while.”

“Oh great.” Alfie came back in. “Now I see that you’re susceptible to his charms, I’ll have to be more careful. That won’t hurt you, but you’re going to end up singing or doing something else on that. I get to be the drag now, the one who gives you all the rest of your meds and feeds you.” He came around and sat on the other side of me. “I’d love to get high.”

Carl shrugged. “So get high. Our fearless leader is flying. She’ll take her meds. She’s going to feel better soon with the candy. Take a break.”

I leaned against Alfie’s arm. “You could never be a drag. You’re my Alfie.”