Unbound

Chapter 4

I wasn't sure how long Jack and I sat clinging to each other on the couch. At some point, he got up and went to the bedroom to pack my belongings. I was grateful for him taking control and getting it done; I was too much in shock to do anything but sit on the couch and stare at the swirling patterns on the rug.

"Ki," he was kneeling in front of me, trying to get into my eyeline. "We need to get you showered and dressed."

I was only vaguely aware of Jack leading me into the bathroom and stripping off my clothes. He lifted me easily into the shower and followed me in, guiding me back to stand under the hot water. His hands were gentle on my skin as he washed my body. I shut my eyes, savoring his touch. I already missed it.

Jack pulled me in to lean against him and worked shampoo through my hair. I pressed my forehead against his chest. I could have stayed that way with him for hours, focused on the feeling of his chest rising and falling and his hands caressing my back.

Too soon, he was helping me to step out of the shower and wrapping me in a towel. He combed through my hair and wove it back into a neat French braid how I'd taught him years ago. Jack led me into the bedroom where he'd laid out clothes. I couldn't look at the two suitcases sitting beside the bed.

As promised, Dmitri's driver delivered a car to our house with a full tank of gas just after sunup. He loaded my suitcases into the trunk and handed Jack the keys. Jack bundled me into the passenger seat and then we were driving away from the house we'd shared for four years, and from the only home I'd known since before I could remember. I'd come to live with Sawtooth Pack when I was just three years old, and now I was being forced to leave everything I knew and loved behind.

The realization was crushing, and when it finally dawned on me I couldn't stop the hot tears streaming down my face. Jack held my hand on the center console, and when I looked across at him, he was crying, too.

Jack and I had met in primary school, when we were both outcasts: me, the majority-human outsider, and him showing none of the early signs that he would change when he came of age. When he turned 18 and his wolf never emerged, we became even closer. We were there for each other through everything, best friends since the moment we'd met. We hadn't been apart for more than a couple days since we moved in together. Now, I wasn't sure whether I'd ever see him again. The thought hurt.

It was a seven hour drive west into Castle territory on winding country roads. By hour four I was cried out, and though I was wracked by the occasional shuddering sob, I had no tears left. I watched out the window as the rugged plains and valleys of our territory gave way to forest, deep emerald green that grew darker and denser with each mile we crossed into Castle land.

Here, the evening sunlight only just filtered through the towering pines. The shadows grew long and I could imagine things hiding in them, reaching out toward the car. I shrank back in my seat and gripped Jack's hand tighter.

The directions we were given had us drive on an auxiliary road around the perimeter of the settlement, and I was glad to be avoiding the center of town and the stares I knew would follow us as we drove. I had hoped they would take us directly to where I'd be staying, but they took us instead to an immense house, all stone and dark wood and glass. In the dusky light, the giant windows framing each level reflected back the forest surrounding the property so seamlessly it almost blended right into the trees.

Jack drove slowly up the long gravel drive and my heart began to pound as our welcoming party came into view. Gabriel stood in the center, flanked by a rather severe looking man and woman. He was somehow even larger than I remembered him, even in this wide open space. He wore a grim expression that was matched identically by the other two.

I swallowed back the bile that was rising in my throat, suddenly acutely aware of my appearance. My clothes were wrinkled from the drive, and my face was streaked and puffy from crying. I tried my best to rub the dried tear tracks from my cheeks.

Jack parked the car and hopped out first, circling around the front in large strides to open my door before I could let myself out. When he leaned in to offer me his hand, he subtly kissed my cheek. I was immediately grateful that he'd insisted on bringing me himself.

As I stepped down from the passenger seat, I thought I noticed Gabriel's shoulders stiffen. A small shift, nearly imperceptible, but it set my teeth on edge.

He and the male hung back, and the woman approached Jack and me.

"You're the healer?" She demanded shortly. I nodded.

"Kiera," I offered. She looked me up and down, a cold and dismissive once-over. I wanted to sink into the damp ground I was standing on. Her features were sharp and her thick hair, streaked with gray, was tied tightly back. She was tall, though I expected this. I'd been told that Castle Pack members were much larger in both their human and wolf forms, and the few members I'd encountered so far certainly didn't dispel the rumor.

"Marie." She said, then turned on her heel. "Come with me."

I scrambled to keep up and Jack picked up the rear. She brought us to a stop in front of Gabriel and the other man, then moved to stand with them again, all three facing me down.

"I run the clinic where you'll be working. This my mate, Ephraim. He is the private healer for the Alpha and the rest of our Pack Council." She gestured to the man, and he gave a curt nod. "And this is Gabriel, our Alpha."

"We've met," I blurted without thinking. He regarded me with a blank stare, the same pale blue eyes that I remembered once again sending my nervous system into a frenzy. I wished I hadn't spoken at all, but I'd dug my grave. "You came into our clinic for stitches last year."

Gabriel stepped forward and I bit my tongue. "You're human," he said, the words dropping from his mouth heavily. An insult.

"Mostly," I responded. I wanted to sound nonchalant, like his glare had no effect on me, but I could feel my cheeks burning. I knew better than to think I could hide anything from a wolf. "This is my partner, Jack."

"Not your mate?" Gabriel's eyebrow twitched.

"Same difference." I said, defensively. He was as good as.

"Is it?" He challenged.

"We're not mated," Jack stepped around me before I could respond and offered his hand to Gabriel to shake. Gabriel's eyes flickered to it briefly and he turned his back to us. I could only very faintly hear a low growl rumble in his chest; his wolf was annoyed.

"Send her to her apartment." He ordered Marie. "I want them off my property." He stalked up to the house and made no effort to close the front door gently behind him. Marie passed me a slip of paper with an address scribbled on it and a set of keys.

"He can drive you over and drop off your things. He can't stay." She nodded toward Jack. "I will come by in the morning to take you to the clinic." Numbly, I took the paper and keys and retreated to the car. It was still warm, but I could hardly feel it for the chill that had settled in my bones.