46. Marred

~ JESSE ~

Rake and I were both quiet for a time after that. I thought I understood what he meant, but I was still trying to wrap my head around Cazz somehow being afraid. I’d never seen that in him, and I wondered if Rake was trying to soothe me.

It came back to me then, the way I’d seen it right at the beginning—that every person here was a wolf, and belonged to Cazz. That there was truly no one I could trust to be loyal to me over him.

But at least Rake wasn’t compelled by him. I could trust that… couldn’t I?

I didn’t know.

At some point I got up from that rock and walked out to stand looking down the meadow at the trees and the sky, just to breathe the fresh air and stand in the light and… bask. Because I knew pretty soon we’d be back in the darkness of the tunnels, and my stomach quavered at the idea.

Eventually, Rake walked slowly up behind me.

“Jesse, we need to get back—” He put a hand on my shoulder, to turn me, intending to be gentle. But his fingers closed right over the pla