Page 55 of Savage
They must have been laughing at me when I left. How did I look Audrey in the eye?
Then there was the whole shifter thing. Holy fuck, I’d never seen that coming. What the hell was that about? Was it just the guys around the ranch… holy shit.Wolf. Ranch.
It was right there all along.
I was so confused. My stomach ached from throwing up twice. I felt like my heart was breaking in two, and my brain was frazzled. I didn’t know what to even think. I couldn’t bear to talk or listen to anyone right now, either.
Boyd pulled up in front of their cute little cabin, extra adorable in the snow, glowing indoor lights making it all quaint and cozy. He hopped out, came around and escorted me inside.
It reminded me of the times Clint carried me about.Fuck.
Audrey rushed to my side when she saw my teary face. She wore black leggings, a hoodie sweatshirt and fleece socks. She was about six weeks further along than me, and her pregnancy couldn’t be hidden any longer. Her glasses were perched on her nose, and she looked at me with her usual frown when she was concerned.
“Becky?” She set her hand on my shoulder. “What happened? What’s going on?”
“Turns out Clint’s been a council enforcer,” Boyd said. “A wolf showed up for revenge—the one who killed Becky’s ex.”
Audrey gasped, and her fingers squeezed.
Boyd sighed before he went on. “He showed up at Clint’s family cabin. Kicked the door in and, from what I understand, planned to kill Becky as payback.”
“Oh my God.” Audrey lifted her hand to her mouth as she studied me.
“She saw her mate shift for the first time. Shift and kill.”
Audrey blinked. “Wait, hold up. What’s a shifter council enforcer?”
She looked to me, as if theshift and killpart was totally normal. Her question confirmed Audrey knew about shifters but not everything.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I broke in, my vision swimming. Really. “I considered you my friend. I mean, girls tell each other important shit. I sure would’ve liked a heads-up that the man who got me pregnant wasn’t a man at all. That my life is now out of a weird horror film.”
“I’m sorry,” Audrey said, regret etching the lines in her face. Tears filled her eyes, and she blinked them away. “I couldn’t tell you about shifters in general. It’s the rule. Even if I could, I thought it was Clint’s job to tell you what he is. You two were so new, he was probably waiting for the right moment.” She took my hand and tugged me to an overstuffed armchair. “Here, sit down. I’ll answer all the questions I can, and Boyd will, too. Or he can leave if you just want girl talk.”
She pulled a blanket from the couch and draped it around me.
I sniffed, looked up at the two of them as they loomed over me. Boyd really did look concerned. Not once since he’d come into Clint’s cabin did he have his usual swagger about him.
“He can stay. We still don’t know what the whatever-council-enforcer thing is.”
Boyd sat on the couch facing me although watching as if I might freak out again. Or throw up.
“Are you feeling okay? The baby? No cramping or anything?” Audrey asked, eyeing me now like a doctor.
I shook my head.
“Do you need a snack?”
“She threw up twice,” Boyd told her, and I glared.
“Lemon tea?” she asked.
That did sound kind of good. “Sure.”
Audrey stepped into the kitchen, and I heard her fill the electric kettle and flick it on.
She came back and sat down beside Boyd, leaning against him. He settled his arm around her shoulder, so her head was tucked into him.
“The Shifter Council is sort of the regulating organization for shifters. Like the Supreme Court. Issues go before them, and they make rulings which enforcers carry out. Their identities—the enforcers—are kept secret because they’re essentially executioners. They put down shifters who’ve gone rogue. Usually it’s over killing a human. Sometimes it’s because they’ve gone feral—like in the case of moon madness. But an enforcer’s job would be to track and kill.”
