One by one, I say my goodbyes to my pack.
It takes a while since I hug everyone and make sure it's an extra-long one with Jenna, who's still looking as miserable as ever. So miserable that I hesitate about staying because whatever is going on with her and Marshall hasn't improved at all. If anything, it seems to have gotten worse. Marshall's wolf is in his eyes more and more, and Jenna has stopped looking in his direction altogether. And even Dayne is frowning as he studies them.
It's so utterly frustrating to sense the pain drifting from Jenna and Marshall the way I did when I first met Talis, but I can't touch it. I can't heal them, and it makes me feel so… inadequate that I have this ability that chooses when it will kick in.
It won't help me heal my friends-my family-but for whatever reason, it's triggered by a wild shifter boy who smells like a wild wolf, and Jackson Stone.
While I'm hugging Talis, I turn my mouth to her ear. "Maybe I should come back with you. Jenna is-"
Already, I feel Talis shaking her head. Her voice is just as low as mine, so Jenna and Marshall who have climbed into cars-separate ones-don't have a hope of hearing us. "No. You need to stay. I'll speak with her when we get back."
I don't want to agree, but I nod. Since all my attempts at trying to get Jenna to talk over the last few days have led nowhere, maybe Talis should be the one to try next.
Jenna will have to talk if the Luna orders her to, which goes to show how serious this is and how out of character both are behaving because as a submissive, Jenna shouldn't be this unwilling to bend, and Marshall, as the third dominant shouldn't be this quiet.
Hallee leans in to whisper, "If Marshall's upset her, I can teach her how to cheat on Gears of War and she can pretend it's Marshall she's killing instead of-"
"I knew you were a cheat." Nathan suddenly appears and lightly punches Hallee's arm, and she spins around, already snarling.
"Don't punch me."
They descend into a loud argument that has Luka rubbing his forehead. "Ten hours," he murmurs to himself. "I have ten hours of this to look forward to."
After waving at me, he turns and walks away, already looking exhausted at the prospect.
Shaking my head, I turn back to Talis and give her another hug.
"I'll miss you," she says.
"I won't be gone long." I ignore the sharpening of Jackson's gaze on my back that I've felt since we all returned to the rental less than an hour before.
Since everyone was already packed, it didn't take long to bring all the bags downstairs where Jackson was waiting outside, leaning against his truck.
In the back was a large duffel. Seeing it was enough to make my heart thud because that duffel confirmed that once my pack left, Jackson would be moving back in, and it would just be the two of us.
"You want me to courier some of your stuff down for you?" Talis asks as she pulls away.
At the mention of a courier, I can't help but think back to the last time we had something couriered and what the small package contained. But I don't glance down at the missing tip of Talis' finger. She's well and truly moved on from that nightmare, and it's about time I did as well.
"No." I think about all the clothes I brought with me. I have more than I need to last the next few days. "I'm good. I can just do some laundry."
"You sure? Is there anything else you might need?"
I narrow my eyes at her insistence. "It's a couple of days. There's no need."
Her eyes widen, and she looks far too innocent for me to believe she isn't up to something. "But didn't your boss say you had a week?"
She's not wrong.
When I called my boss, the town veterinarian, to tell him I had a family emergency and needed time off, he was super understanding and gave me a week off. He said if I needed more time to call him and he'd okay it. But that's Harvey all over, he's the kindest man in the world and so gentle I've never seen any animal, whether dog, cat, horse or cow, that didn't like him.
"I won't be here for a week," I tell her firmly, still ignoring Jackson at my back.
"Well, I'll send some stuff down. Just in case."
And before I can stop her, Talis grins and gives me another hard hug that's getting harder to do with her increasing belly, before striding to Dayne's truck.
I watch Dayne help her in before he turns to lift his hand in a wave. I feel my eyes burn as I lift mine in return. I barely managed to hold my tears back before, but now I feel like I'm close to losing the battle.
Other than when I've been to visit my parents in Miami, this is the first time I'm saying goodbye to my pack. It's so much harder than I ever thought it would be.
When I went to Miami, that felt different because I knew my parents were waiting for me at the other end. But here, I'll have no one. Well, I'll have Jackson and the shifter in the forest that changed my mind about staying, but otherwise, I'm alone.
It's a new feeling that I don't like.
I fold my arms across my chest as I watch my pack leave, one car or truck at a time, and even after they've disappeared, I still don't move. My tears won't let me.