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Quinn. Add in the fact it s a cross-Pack potential mating, and it s a good thing.
He swallowed hard and rubbed the spot over his heart.  I can t talk about her, Gideon.
His Alpha leveled him a gaze.  You might not have a choice, but we ll move on for the moment.
Tell me what happened after she left.
 Walker reamed me a new one and left.
 Good for him.
 Gideon.
 Keep going.
Quinn sighed.  Like I said, Walker left soon after, and I made dinner for me and Jesse. He hadn t
eaten before he d gone to sleep, so I knew he d need some protein.
 You d just shifted with Gina.
 Gideon, he whispered.
 Go on.
 I woke up Jesse, and we ate. Quinn ran a hand over his face.  I could tell he was a little more
tired than usual, but I thought it was just because I d woken him up from his nap. He d also played
with Walker that morning. I thought he was just tired.
 What happened next?
 We finished eating. Jesse wanted to shift to his wolf because it had been a few days. Normally,
that s not a problem, you know, sometimes we just want to let our wolf roam. I didn t want to go to
the clearing and deal with people, and if Jesse was still tired, I didn t want to make it worse. So
instead, I let Jesse try to shift in the living room. He paused and met Gideon s gaze for a moment
before turning away from the power in that stare.  Tried, Gideon. Tried. He couldn t. He screamed
like someone was trying to kill him, and I thought I d died right with him.
Gideon gripped his shoulder.  You got Walker right away and held your son. You did all you
could do.
 It wasn t enough. God, he wasn t enough.
 It s not your fault, Quinn.
 We re not going there.
 Quinn.
 Fine. It s Helena s fault that Jesse is sick, that he can t shift. I get that. But why did Helena
leave, Gideon? Why wasn t I good enough to keep our bond, huh? Did you ever think of that? She left
us, took half my soul with her. She hated me enough to risk her own life so she could break our mating
bond and then the Pack bonds that held her to the Talons. She left us, Gideon. She left Jesse. So you
sit there and tell me that there wasn t anything I could do to keep her. Tell me I didn t do anything to
push her away.
He swallowed the bile rising in his throat. He hadn t spoken of his fears in the five years Helena
had been gone. He d been so scared to do so, but those thoughts had been on a loop for all those
years.
Something had happened to force Helena to leave him and Jesse. She hadn t just woken up one
day and decided to run away from it all.
He must have done something to lose her love, her faith, her trust.
He just didn t know what.
Maybe he d been too focused on his duties to the Pack. He d always been a wolf that put other
people s needs and wants above his own. He was a dominant wolf, and that meant protecting others
no matter the cost. When he was younger and unmated, he d put his all into finding a way to strengthen
the Pack under the former, crueler Alpha.
When Gideon became Alpha, Quinn had risen in the ranks and pledged his life in order to
protect what the den would one day become.
He didn t change that ideal when Jesse came along. He and Helena had mated before Gideon
became Alpha. She d stood by his side for twenty years, through thick and thin, through pain, war, and
peace.
Then she d left.
He must have done something.
Just one more reason he would never be with Gina.
He closed his eyes and cursed.
Damn. He wouldn t think about her. He couldn t. He d pushed her away for her own good. He
might have lied to himself and her about the whole witch thing, but in reality, it was only for her. He
wasn t a good bet. He wasn t even whole.
If he was honest with himself, he didn t hate her.
He couldn t.
His wolf wouldn t let him.
No, he was scared of her.
Scared of not only the powers he didn t understand, but scared of what she could become to him.
He closed his eyes, aware his Alpha was staring at him as he got lost in his own head. If he
allowed himself to get close to Gina, allowed himself to bond again, what was to say she wouldn t
just leave him like Helena had? He d already been through that once. He wasn t sure he was strong
enough to go through that again.
Plus, with Gina& there was something about her that called to him on a different level than
Helena had, and that scared him more than he wanted to admit.
He d hurt her to make sure she could never hurt him.
He was an asshole and he knew that in order for them to be able to work together again, he d
have to apologize. He just wasn t sure he deserved her forgiveness.
No, he knew he didn t deserve anything along those lines.
He d fucked up with Gina for their own good. That didn t mean it had to feel good.
He sighed then opened his eyes.  I m ready to go back, he said softly.
Gideon studied his face.  I think you are, but first, I need to tell you what will happen next.
Quinn frowned and tilted his head.  What do you mean? What s going on?
His Alpha let out a breath.  Walker isn t sure what will happen next, and he s asked for help. I
gave him my blessing, Quinn.
Quinn stood up on shaky legs.  He called Hannah, didn t he?
Gideon stood slowly so they were almost eye-to-eye.  Yes, he had to. Hannah is a Healer as
well. She might be able to see something Walker can t. Or maybe the two of them together can work
on a different level than they can alone. The fact that she s also a witch adds another layer to her
powers.
Witch.
Something must have shown on his face because Gideon cursed then threw a punch.
The right side of Quinn s face burned, and he blinked but refused to touch the place where
Gideon s fist had connected.
 You re kidding me, right? Gideon yelled.  That s why you threw Gina away? That? I always
knew you had some issues with powers outside of being a wolf, but I never knew you were a bigot.
She s a half witch, you asshole. Half. She s learning her powers at Hannah s side. And even if she
was a full witch, she could have been your mate. That trumps any preconceived notions you have
about something you don t truly understand. I ve never been more disappointed in you. Never.
Quinn lowered his head, his shoulders dropping. His wolf howled, but he didn t make a sound.
He d disappointed his Alpha, himself, and anyone who had relied on him.
He knew that, yet he d thrown away his chance because he was goddamn scared. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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