Chapter 43 043

Chapter 43 043
Chapter 43

Thalia's POV

I didn't go straight home.

Instead, I found myself walking to Ruth's inn. The windows glowed warm in the darkness. I could see people inside through the glass—locals having drinks, talking, laughing.

Normal lives. Uncomplicated lives.

I pushed open the door.

Ruth looked up from behind the bar. She took one look at my face and set down the glass she was cleaning.

"Back room," she said. "Now."

I followed her past the bar into a small private room she used for storage and bookkeeping. She closed the door behind us.

"What happened?" she asked.

I told her everything. About the guard following me. About meeting Cyrus at the church. About Varian knowing where I was.

Ruth's expression grew darker with each word.

"Damn it," she said when I finished. "I was hoping we'd have more time."

"Time for what?"

"To make you invisible enough that it wouldn't matter," Ruth said. She ran a hand through her hair, frustrated. "But if Varian's already making claims about you still being bound to his pack..."

"Cyrus says he can protect me if I join Clearwater Pack," I said.

"Of course he does," Ruth muttered. "And he's probably right. But that doesn't mean it's your only option."

"What other options do I have?"

Ruth was quiet for a moment, thinking. "You could run. Go further west, find another neutral town. Keep moving until Varian loses interest."

"He won't lose interest," I said. "Cyrus said—"

"Cyrus has his own agenda," Ruth interrupted. "Don't forget that. Everything he tells you serves his purposes somehow."

"But he's not wrong about Varian," I said quietly.

Ruth sighed. "No. Probably not." She pulled out a chair and sat down heavily. "How long did Cyrus give you to decide?"

"He didn't say exactly. But he made it sound like Varian's wolves could be here within a week."

"Could be," Ruth repeated. "Or could be longer. Or might not come at all. Cyrus is pushing you to decide quickly because that benefits him."

I sat down across from her. "So what do I do?"

"What do you want to do?" Ruth asked.

I almost laughed. "I want to go back three months and make different choices."

"Can't do that," Ruth said gently. "Only get to move forward. So—moving forward, what do you want?"

I thought about it. Really thought about it.

"I want to stay here," I said finally. "In Greystone. I like my job. I like my cottage. I like..." I gestured vaguely. "This. All of this. For the first time since I left Varian's pack, I feel like I'm building something."

"Then stay," Ruth said simply.

"And when Varian's wolves come?"

"We deal with it," Ruth said. "Together. As a community."

"You can't fight pack wolves," I said. "You said so yourself."

"Maybe not in a direct fight," Ruth admitted. "But there are other ways to handle things. Ways that don't involve you giving up your freedom to another Alpha."

"Like what?"

Ruth leaned back in her chair. "Give me a day or two. Let me talk to some people. There might be options you haven't considered yet."

"What kind of options?"

"The kind I need to confirm before I get your hopes up," Ruth said. She stood up. "In the meantime, you go home. Lock your doors. Don't go anywhere alone after dark. And don't make any decisions without talking to me first."

"Ruth—"

"Trust me," she said. "Please. Just for a couple days."

I looked at her tired face and saw genuine concern there. Maybe even affection.

"Okay," I said. "A couple days."

"Good," Ruth said. She walked me to the door. "And Thalia? Whatever happens, you're not alone in this. Remember that."

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

The walk back to the cottage felt longer than usual. Every shadow seemed deeper. Every sound made me tense.

When I finally got inside and locked the door, I leaned against it and let out a long breath.

The cottage felt different now. Less like a home and more like a temporary shelter. Something I'd have to leave behind when everything fell apart.

I hated that feeling.

I made tea I didn't drink and sat at the small table staring at nothing.

Cyrus's card sat in front of me. I'd set it down without thinking, and now I couldn't stop looking at it.

All I had to do was send word. He'd handle everything else. I'd be protected. Safe.

Owned.

Because that's what pack membership really meant, wasn't it? Belonging to something larger than yourself. Following rules you didn't make. Submitting to an Alpha's authority.

I'd done that before. It hadn't ended well.

But the alternative was facing Varian's wolves alone. Or running again. Always running, never settling, never having anything that was truly mine.

I put my head down on the table and closed my eyes.

I must have fallen asleep there because when I opened my eyes again, weak sunlight was coming through the window. My neck was stiff and my back ached from the awkward position.

I stood up slowly, stretching. The card was still on the table where I'd left it.

I picked it up and walked to the fireplace. I could burn it. Make the decision that way—by eliminating the option entirely.

My hand hovered over the cold ashes.

Then I pulled back and tucked the card into my pocket instead.

Not yet. Ruth had asked for a couple days. I could give her that much.

I got ready for work mechanically. Washed my face, braided my hair, put on clean clothes. When I looked in the mirror, I looked hollow. Like something had been carved out of me overnight.

Miller noticed immediately when I arrived at the store.

"Rough night?" he asked.

"Something like that," I said.

He didn't push, but he kept glancing at me throughout the morning. Around midday, he sent me to the back room to do inventory even though we'd just done it two days ago.

I think he was trying to give me space. I appreciated it.

I was counting jars of preserves when Margaret came in. She didn't have the baby with her today.

"Thalia," she said softly. "Ruth came by this morning. She told me what's happening."

I set down the jar I was holding. "She shouldn't have—"

"Yes, she should have," Margaret interrupted. "We're trying to help you. But we can't do that if we don't know what's going on."

"There's nothing you can do," I said.

"Maybe not," Margaret agreed. "But maybe there is. Ruth's talking to some people. People who might be able to help."

"What people?"

"I don't know exactly," Margaret admitted. "But Ruth knows everyone in three counties. If there's a way to handle this that doesn't involve you joining another pack, she'll find it."

I wanted to believe her. I wanted to believe that Ruth could somehow fix this impossible situation.

But I'd learned that hoping for the impossible only made the inevitable hurt more.

"Thanks," I said anyway. "For caring."

Margaret squeezed my shoulder. "Of course we care. You're one of us now."

After she left, I stood in the back room surrounded by jars and boxes and supplies, and let myself feel it—the fear, the uncertainty, the crushing weight of decisions I didn't want to make.

Then I took a deep breath, wiped my eyes, and went back to work.

Because that's all I could do.

Keep moving forward, one step at a time, until something forced me to stop.