Page 49 of Wolves Always Bite

Iswallowed hard.Ididn’t want to think about that night.AndIreally didn’t want to talk about it.ButJeremydeserved to know whyIwas such an insecure ass.

“It’sokay,Adrian.Youdon’t have to say anything more.”

Ishook my head. “Ithappened a long time ago… over a hundred years have passed since then…”

“Thatdoesn’t mean you don’t still hurt.”

Isucked in a breath.Myeyes burned.ButIsuddenly wanted to share this.IwantedJeremyto know.Icould do this.Ireached across the table and put my hands on his.Thatsmall touch loosened the tightness in my chest, not all the way, but enough thatIcould talk.

“Myfather was a talented carpenter.Hemade amazing things.IwishIstill had something he’d made…Peoplewere willing to pay a lot of money for my father’s furniture.Iremember him coming home one night, excited about a big new commission.”Iclosed my eyes.Thatnight was still so clear in my head. “Myfather whirled my mother around in a circle in our kitchen.Shewas laughing and we were all so happy…”

Jeremyturned his hands, so he cradled mine.Iopened my eyes to find him staring at me with such a soft look of understanding and empathy thatIhad to blink away tears.Hesqueezed my hands, just enough to remind me he was there with me.Thatit’d be okay.

“Unfortunately, the alpha of our pack had always been jealous of my father’s talent and the bastard couldn’t handle my father’s success.Thealpha and his cronies showed up at midnight that same night and dragged my father from his bed demanding that he be punished for making the alpha look bad.Theywere all drunk, but that didn’t make them weak, just more dangerous.”

Jeremyinhaled sharply but didn’t say anything.

“Hedemanded my father’s hand in compensation for the slight.”Ishivered at the memory. “Myfather was the most honorable and hardworking man in the pack and his business contributed a lot to the pack coffers, but… it didn’t matter.Ouralpha was treating him like a thief.Withoutboth his hands, he wouldn’t be able to work.Notin that industry.Notin the way he had been.”Ihuffed out a breath.Moretears were gathering in my eyes, butIdidn’t want to take my hand fromJeremy’sto wipe them away. “Icouldn’t let them do it.Ioffered my hand instead.”

Jeremyblinked away his own tears.

“Iwas barely more than a child, but the alpha agreed.Myfather tried to stop everything, but the alpha ignored him.Myfather had just started training me to take over his business, but it was obvious, even at my age,I’dnever reach his skill level.Ijust wasn’t passionate about it like my father was.Inthe face of the alpha’s ultimatum,Icouldn’t let my father be robbed of the thing that gave him so much joy.”

“Thisis how you lost your fingers.”Jeremycradled my left hand in his, then raised it to his lips and kissed the long-healed stumps where my fingers used to be.

Igulped down a breath and nodded.

“You’vealways been a protector.”

“Idon’t know about that.”

“Whathappened next?Ihave a feeling the story doesn’t end there.”

“Themen who’d come with the alpha held my hand against my mother’s butcher block while the alpha chose one of her kitchen knives.Mymother was sobbing.Myfather struggled against the men who held him back.”Bilesurged up the back of my throat.Iswallowed it down.Itook a couple of calming breaths.Howcould something that’d happened so long ago still make me feel this way. “Thealpha was a bastard.Eventhough he was getting his payment, he decided to toy with me.Heannounced he would take my hand one piece at a time.Hestarted with the smallest finger.Assoon as he’d severed the second finger, my father broke free and went for the alpha’s throat.”

Jeremysqueezed my hand.

“Thealpha’s guards killed my dad, but not before he killed the alpha.”Itook a deep breath and pushed it out slowly. “Oneof the guards told us we had an hour to leave before they came for us too.Hewas my mother’s cousin.Idon’t think he would have warned us if he wasn’t.”

“But… but it was their fault just as much as it was the alpha’s.Theyattacked you and your father.”

“Packs, especially back then, weren’t always just.

“Wepacked up and ran.Myfather had just been paid for a piece and hadn’t given it over to the pack yet.Wewere lucky that the guards didn’t know about it because that money bought us a ticket on a ship and our freedom.Ifthey had, things would have been worse.”

“Aship?Likeacross the ocean?Iwould never have guessed you weren’t from here.Youraccent…Youdon’t have one.”

“Iworked hard to get rid of it,”Isaid. “Whenwe arrived,Idiscovered things weren’t that much better on this side of the world.Thefewer things that made me stand out, the better.Iworked hard to sound the same as everyone else in our pack.”

“Whathappened?”

“Mymother andIjoined a pack, but we were treated more like slaves than packmates.It’slike they sensed how desperate we were, and they exploited it.ShortlyafterIturned eighteen, someone from our old pack found us.Theysaid we’d been accused of the old alpha’s death.Saidthe pack should kill us before we turned on them too.Iwanted to run.We’ddone it before;Iknew we could do it again.Maybefind a better pack this time.”Istared at my hands where they were tangled withJeremy’s.

JeremyandIsat in silence for a moment.IknewIcouldn’t stop yet.

“Mymother killed herself whileIwas packing a bag.Shecouldn’t face being without a pack and going on the run again.Ifound her…Theblood…”Myvoice shook.Icould still see it so clearly.Herclaws from where she’d ripped into her own throat were still sticking out of the ends of her fingers. “Therewas just so much blood.Itwas all around her head.Herhair was soaked in it.”Isucked in a ragged breath.Iwas almost done.Icould do this.Icould tellJeremythe rest. “Andsomething inside me snapped.Mywolf took over andIran.Ididn’t take my human form again untilGagefound me.Idon’t know exactly how longIstayed that way, but it was decades at least.Inever even gave my mother a proper burial.Idon’t even know what they did with her body.”

“Oh,Adrian…”Jeremywhispered as he cupped my cheek.Hisface was twisted in sadness, like whatI’dsaid physically pained him.