Wolf Bait (Perry and Jonas)

"Oh, mother moon," the Queen cries out when she comes in without knocking. I look back to see her staring at them eyes. wide with her hand on her pearls. "Your majesty. Maybe try knocking next time. I could have warned you,"

This

i

is my home, she dismisses me. "Are these real?"

"Yes, I fail at hiding my laugh.

weren't at dinner, she comes over to me and starts inspecting the guns without touching them.

I'm weren't

not hungry. It was a long day."

"Yes, I saw it

it on Wolf National, she sighs. "You're quite the troublemaker, Local L**,

"Maybe teach your son to look into people before he buys them I shrug. Tm not apologizing for what he got,"

"Nor should you," she grins. "I admit that at first, it looks bad. But I understand," she sits on one of the chairs at the tea time- table. At least, that's what I think that's for. "Jacob told me some things about you. I hope you don't mind, "As long as you don't, I shrug, "He can tell you whatever he wants. They're his stories to tell," You love him,"

He's like my father. The only one I've ever known,"

She opens her mouth to say something as I set up the last handgun on the middle row. I look them all over and wonder why the f****k I brought all of them. But I oddly feel safer now. Like I have a little bit of control. I go over and sit across from her. "You don't strike me as someone who wants to die, Pernicious,"

This lady knows what I've been through from what Jake has spun into her head. I know how he sees me. I've always known, but it's not the truth. Everyone sees what they want to see. That kid in the diner saw something that didn't exist anymore. I signed that picture because I'm no one to burst his bubble and who knows? He could be the next generation of betas to take the city. To try and make it a better home. Neither of them knows that the s**t that happened with Darren was just the final straw to all the other f****d up s**t I've had to endure. "Do you still have your mother?"

"Yes," "Do you love her! "With all my heart,"

I

"I loved my mother too. When my father died, she had to get a second job. When I was ton, she stopped going to either one. Bills started piling up. She stopped taking care of herself and I started pickpocketing. Selling ***t on the streets to keep the one-bedroom apartment we lived in I got beat a lot. Not by her, but I got beat a lot.

The year leading up to her death, I learned how to hack the ATMs all over the city. I paid off a lot of her debt and I tried to get her some help. I reach into my pocket and show her the yellow parchment paper I've carried around with me since her death "Those were her last words to me. She saw that I could take care of myself and she injected herself with thus serum called M-190.

"It's used on wolves who need tumors removed. It stops the accelerated healing around our major o**ns. Then she took my father's aNôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.

's army knife and cut her as open. I found her like that our bathroom. I had to sit there until the paramedics 18:17 Thu, Oct 1/ 18:17 Chapter 44

came and took her away. That is one of dozens of stories about me and it's nothing compared to what happened to me afterwards.

"Jacob can tell you that I am the strongest person he knows. That maybe a long time ago I was the kindest. To you, I might seem like I have so much to live for. My work. My father. My friends that now include you and your family. There is this weight on me. Weight I've been carrying my entire life and I'm tired, Ally. The bad outweighs all the goodness that I once held on to. I don't want to be strong anymore." "You know, I never believed in fate, she wipes her tears away, "I rejected my mate long before my husband came along. We were friends before we found out, but he lived a certain kind of lifestyle and it scared me. I was part of a pack that was a die-hard traditionalist and ne was." "A city boy?"

"Yes, but upp**s. A different kind of socialite. We went to school together and I could never keep up with him. He was always the center of attention. As most alphas are. And I knew my family wouldn't be able to handle those scandals. I couldn't believe that was my fate. "And then my parents arranged for me to meet the prince. I told him and he thought it was funny, I fell in love with this man who had been raised the same way I had been. We had so much in common. When I finally was able to get pregnant with Jonas, I came across my mate again. He was mated and had three sons. He'd changed so much. Grown. You might know him. His name is Archibald Menekus," founder of QuickHowl," I nod.

The f

"Yes,she smiles. "That's him,"

"Do you regret it?"

"No, because fate brought me more happiness than I could imagine. It brought me, my sons, and my baby, she smiles. "Fate brought you to us for a reason,” "Don't do that," I shake

my

head

"I have to. I have to do this because you have so much to offer, Perry. I am at awe with everything you've accomplished despite all of your limitations," spite, I correct her. Pardon don me?"

"In

I did it in spite of my limitations. I know that. I know people I come across see me as more than what I see myself. I know what I bring to the table. I know that I'm for whatever reason, marked to be ahead of those who do nothing to save themselves. All I've ever done was survive. That's what I'm doing now. I don't know how to live another way. "Your son had to take all my toys out of my room because I can't sleep at night. Every time I close my eyes all I see is death. All I hear is silence. It scares me. Going outside after dark isn't even an option for me. Your surroundings are terrifying to someone like me because there is so much open space. It's a different kind of darkness and it feels like something is out there waiting. That's my head space. All the time."

"If you want to die why not just let it take you?"

I'm not afraid to die, Ally. I'm afraid of living like this for a long long time. I am afraid that I'm never going to be able to trust something love again. I'm afraid of building something only for it to be torn back down again. I'm afraid of you and what you will do to me if I don't give you what you want. I'm afraid of disappointing and embarrassing my father more than already have. I'm afraid of watching him die like I have everyone else I've loved. I'm afraid of myself and what I've become. "That's not a life worth living. Please, don't ask me to change my mind, Alegra. I will ruin your son's life. I will destroy him and he's kind of perfect. He's kind and gentle. He's lost so much but he's still fighting for what he believes in. You should be

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very proud of him. He is everything a King should be. Look out for him. Have his best interests in mind always because he doesn't think about himself when he's out there fighting for you and his people. I'm not one of those things. No matter how badly he wants it and I don't intend to be." "You could be happy here, she chokes out.

"I am happy here. More than I've been in a while. Even with the limitations and the disrespect. You and your family have shown me more kindness than my pack ever did my entire life. It's too late for me. None of it will be enough," Thu, Oct