Chapter 5

Joe leaned back against the thin mattress and closed his eyes. His entire body throbbed in time with his pulse. Three cracked ribs, the doctor had said, and not a shred of pain relief to go with it. Apparently, council doctors were not allowed to administer medication to prisoners unless the investigator in charge approved it. It didn’t surprise Joe in the least that Lucas Watts had decided he didn’t need pain medication after being thrown into a brick wall. The warriors had laid him down as carefully as they could, which he appreciated more than he wanted to admit. Every muscle ached, his body tender and bruised beneath the surface. The only small mercy was the doctor’s recommendation to taper the wolfsbane to a lower dose. Enough, he said, to allow a bit of his wolf’s healing to seep through. The doctor had been quick to add that Joe still would not have access to his wolf. That part didn’t bother him. When was the last time he and Archer had actually spoken? Joe couldn’t remember. Somewhere along the way, he had learned how to ignore the presence that shared his soul and body. He hadn’t known that was possible either, but apparently it was. What had unsettled him more was learning the date. Early October. His memory loss was worse than he realized. The last clear memories he had were from August, when Archer had accidentally crossed into Silver Lakes territory. He’d been shot with wolfsbane then too, forced to shift under fire. Once the warriors were convinced he posed no threat, they escorted him off pack land and left him sitting on the shore of one of the massive lakes the pack was named for. He had stayed there for nearly a full day. Waiting for Archer to return. Waiting for him to take over so Joe could go back to not existing. Joe shifted on the mattress and turned his head toward the camera. He wondered if Abby was still watching or if someone else had taken her place. The thought of her being gone made his chest ache in a way that had nothing to do with broken ribs. He wanted to say her name. Just once. Just to feel it on his tongue. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her in the hospital, lying on the exam table and wishing she would walk through the door. Wishing she would look at him again the way she had downstairs. The cell door opened. For one foolish, impossible moment, Joe’s heart fluttered as he imagined Abby standing there. Instead, Lucas walked in. He leaned his forearms through the bars, a smirk tugging at his mouth as he studied Joe on the mattress. “I spoke to the luna of your former pack.” The taunting note in his voice made Joe’s chest tighten. “You’re lying,” Joe muttered, though doubt flickered in his gut. “Kari,” Lucas continued. “That was her name. The alpha is Evan Greene.” Joe closed his eyes and forced a slow breath through his nose. “That didn’t take long.” “It was simple enough once we found your aunt.” Of course. Everything always came back to her. A woman Joe had never met, yet one who had ruined his life before it ever truly began. He would spend the rest of his short, miserable existence paying for her sins. “You found out about her, then?” Joe opened his eyes to find Lucas watching him closely. “Abby did,” Lucas said. He tilted his head. “She read the reports. All the details.” Joe’s heart stuttered at the sound of her name. She knew. She knew about his family, about where he came from. Did she know what he had done? “Does that bother you?” Lucas asked. “Does what?” “That Abby knows about you. About your family.” Joe swallowed. “Why should it bother me? I don’t know her.” Lucas huffed softly. “You’re both terrible liars.” Joe grimaced and tried to sit up, only to hiss as pain flared through his ribs. “What did Kari say?” “What do you think she said?” Joe studied him for a long moment, reading the man’s expression. “Nothing,” he said finally. “You’d be gloating if she had.” Lucas smiled. “You’re sharp. I’m waiting for her to call back once the alpha is available. Do you think he’ll vouch for you?” Joe scowled. He hated this man. “I bet he will. He f*****g owes me.” The smile vanished from Lucas’s face. His eyebrow arched. “Why do you say that?” “Because it’s true,” Joe snapped. “Your aunt killed his mother,” Lucas said evenly. “I wasn’t even born when that happened,” Joe shot back. “You really think he blames me for that?” Lucas studied him, and for just a second, uncertainty flickered across his face. Joe saw it. Relished it. It felt good to unsettle the man who had shattered his ribs. Then the moment passed. “You said he offered you the beta position,” Lucas said. Joe nodded. “He did.” “Why didn’t you take it?” Kari’s face filled his mind. Standing behind the pack house, sunlight catching in her blond hair, turning it nearly gold. Her blue eyes had been bright with tears, and it had nearly destroyed him. Goddess, he had loved her. More than he had ever admitted. More than he had known was possible. What was the point of staying if he could never have her? “It would never have worked,” Joe said quietly. His voice shook despite his effort to steady it. Lucas frowned. “What wouldn’t have worked?” “There was no place for me there,” Joe said. “I couldn’t stay. Not after what happened.” “What happened?” Joe turned his head toward the camera again, aching for the thought of Abby on the other side of it. “I don’t want to talk about it.” Lucas straightened and stepped back from the bars. “Then I’ll ask your alpha when he calls. Anything you want me to pass along?” Joe closed his eyes. “Remind him he still owes me.” He listened to Lucas’s footsteps fade away, leaving him alone with his pain, his memories, and the image of a woman he had no right to want.