Page 51

Nadia

“But it makes sense!” I say, sitting straight, my wide eyes pleading for him to listen. “There could be kids in the caves! And even if your military swept the caves looking for them, the kids wouldn’t talk to them! They’d be afraid of them! But they might talk to me – I’m harmless!”

“You’re also vulnerable ,” Cole growls. “It’s out of the question, Nadia!”

I sigh, slumping and glaring at him. “I think that they’re there, Cole. I just feel that it’s right – and I think it’s worth checking!”

“The caves have been checked ! There’s no one left behind!”

“No one hides like a little girl,” I murmur, looking off into the night, thinking about all the little boys who might be up on the cliffs right now, completely undetectable to everyone but Rose, apparently. The boys, at least, are safe. “Those girls need help.”

“It’s a good thought,” Cole murmurs, moving closer to me.

I scoot away, unhappy with him for shooting my idea down.

“Nadia, it’s just…not practical. And I really don’t think they’re there – it’s not worth your time to head into the mountains like that.

You have work to do here – this is your job. Not recon.”

I sigh, glancing over at the mostly empty nursing tent, thinking that he’s wrong. There’s not much for me to do here anymore until we get new patients.

And I just…I don’t know.

Something in my gut is telling me that I’m right.

“Come on, let’s go to bed,” Cole murmurs, standing and holding out a hand for me. “We’ll talk about it again in the morning.”

I take his hand and let him help me up, thinking that that might be too long. If there are little girls out there, they might not make it through the night. Not unless I do something about it.

My mouth sets in a grim line as I walk with Cole to the nursing tent, a plan forming in my mind.

Cole

I scrub a hand down my face as I come out of the bathroom area carrying my small bathing kit.

The tent is quiet, mostly everyone asleep or working towards it.

My mind moves over the thousand new things we learned today, everything I’ve got to do tomorrow.

And as always, unsurprisingly, my thoughts turns back to Nadia.

Because I saw that expression she had on her face – that stubborn, determined one that usually means she’s going to do whatever the hell she wants without concern for what I think is okay.

Which is frustrating, but also…

God, why does that work for me? Why does Nadia getting all stubborn make me want to pin her down and –

I very nearly stop in my tracks as I see the blonde figure standing by the front of the nurse’s tent, her back to the entrance, arms crossed across her chest in a way that emphasizes her rather fantastic figure.

A growl rumbles in my chest as Rose quirks an eyebrow at me and then turns, walking out of the tent, her order to follow implicit.

My wolf snarls as I sigh, hesitating for a moment, wondering if I should just ignore her and go to fucking bed.

I glance over at our crowded corner of the tent, two of the three girls all curled up under their blankets, Tommy sitting up for a bit reading something with a small booklight, Nadia sitting up doing…

something. I can’t tell what it is from this distance and in darkness.

But I sigh and move for the door, knowing that if I don’t address this, Rose will just make a scene.

And Rose is better at nothing than making a scene.

I step out of the tent, my face already set in grim lines as my eyes meet Rose’s.

“A human, Cole?” she snaps, ready to fight.

I exhale slowly, mental fingers already curling in my wolf’s fur, holding him back as he lets out a vicious snarl. “Let’s step away, Rose.”

“Oh, gladly ,” she snaps, storming off towards the fire pit. I follow her, glad that she’s being reasonable and not just shouting at me within earshot of everyone. It’s not something that’s beyond her.

When we reach the pit, she spins, glaring up at me, livid. “What the hell are you thinking?”

I just sigh, shaking my head at her.

“Fucking around with a human while your mate is out there, Cole Kincaid? You should be ashamed of yourself!”

My eyebrows rise as I realize what Rose has put together.

Obviously, she saw Nadia in my clothing this afternoon, smelled my scent on her – all over her, really.

But her understanding of wolf culture has just blinded her to the possibility that Nadia is my mate – not just some human girl I’m messing around with on the side.

Which is understandable, I guess. As far as I know, no wolf has ever had a fated mate bond with a human before.

“So, what?” I ask, narrowing my eyes at Rose. “Suddenly you’re all protective of my mate’s honor?” I don’t miss the irony in that.

“It’s disgusting , Cole,” Rose snaps, shaking her head at me like she’s disappointed. “I mean, I could maybe understand it if you wanted to have a human fling before you met your fated mate – but the graceless disrespect –“

“Watch it,” I snap, taking a step towards her, shaking my head. “There is nothing –“

“There is!” she cries, nearly shouts. “It’s an insult to she-wolves everywhere that you’d slum it with –“

“I said enough!” I snarl, slicing a hand through the hair between us. “You have no right to talk about this, Rose, even if you did understand –“

“I intend to be your second-chance chosen mate and Queen , Cole,” Rose snaps, closing the distance between us and glaring up hatefully into my face. “As soon as you reject that fated mate, whoever she is. And I will not have the stink of human women on you when we –“

“Back off, Rose,” I snarl down at her, my fangs going to points despite my best efforts to keep my cool. “That is not happening, and this conversation is done. You will leave in the morning and I’ll face whatever my father has to say about it -”

“Oh, I am already packed, Cole!” she shouts. I snarl and turn away, glad to hear it and finished with this conversation. “I’m not going to stand by and watch as you –“

“Good!” I call back, still livid, rage pulsing through my muscles and making them shake. “Bye, Rose! Have a good life!”

“An insult!” she screams after me. “Disgusting!”

I ignore her, stalking away, heading back to the sleeping tent, just so…

sickened with Rose in turn. I mean, her prejudices against humans are nothing new to me, if I’m being honest. But I always corrected or ignored her little comments, assuming it was just some Oseanian prejudice she couldn’t help.

But shame runs through me as I realize that I was in denial.

I just overlooked and dismissed what is clearly a very real, living, disgusting anti-human sentiment in her because I didn’t want to admit that it was real.

Which is weak of me, and unfair, and an insult to all of my people who are human –

I stop before the dormitory tent entrance, ducking my head into my hands, gritting my teeth against the shame. Not that I deserve any respite from it. I knew how she felt, and I tolerated Rose anyway - for years.

God, how sick.

“Are you okay?”

I jump, dropping my hand from my face, looking down into Nadia’s dark eyes. She looks up at me from the tent entrance, concerned. I was too distracted to listen for footsteps, but did she hear any of that? It shouldn’t have been possible – the firepit is too far.

“Seriously,” Nadia says, stepping out of the tent and frowning up at me. “Are you all right, Cole?” she glances behind me. “Were you…fighting?”

“Rose was just letting me know that she’s leaving,” I growl, working hard to tuck my anger away, forcing my fangs back.

“Oh,” Nadia says, tucking her hands behind her back, clearly holding back some little comment that she desperately wants to say.

I narrow my eyes at her. Because Nadia, holding back? That’s…weird.

“Why are you being nice?” I snap. Then I step back and look her up and down, my eyes flashing wide when I realize that she’s fully dressed. And all in black. “Nadia!”

“What?” She shouts, already defensive.

“Why are you –“ I gesture at her warm clothing, her sneakers . “God damn it, Nadia!”

“Don’t you shout at me, Cole Kincaid,” she says, stepping forward to glare up at me. “I’ve got shit to do.”

I groan, ducking my face into my hands, cursing women – all women – thinking of my nice soft bed, which I was very much looking forward to curling up in.

“Listen, you don’t have to come with me,” Nadia says. I drop my hands when I hear her moving, my hand lashing out to wrap around her elbow and pull her back.

“Nadia, I said no .”

“You also said I was in charge,” she snaps, glaring up at me. “Everything on my terms, right?”

“This is not safe –“

“If it’s not safe for me, then it’s definitely not safe for little girls who are alone out there,” she growls, glaring hard into my eyes. “And it will be a lot safer for all of us if you come along to help! But either way, I’m going!”

“ Why are you insisting on this?” I snap. But when she just glares up into my face, I groan, pulling her closer to me, shaking my head, my wolf howling at me to stay by her side and not let her go into danger.

“Cole, I can’t ,” Nadia says, softening a little and shaking her head at me, pressing a hand to her heart. “I can’t sleep – I can’t stop thinking about them – I just know they’re out there, okay?”

She stares up at me, so openly earnest that I couldn’t possibly even begin to think that she’s lying. Something about this has Nadia absolutely convinced, and she’s not going to rest until she does what she wants.

I groan, pressing my eyes shut, clenching my jaw.

“Cole,” she begs, frustrated, tugging at my hand.

But I just tighten my grip. “Would you please just let me think?”

Nadia stills, giving me the space for a moment as I run through the potential for disaster in my head. It takes a few moments, but then I sigh, dropping her arm.

“Well?” Nadia says. I open my eyes to see her looking up at me – stubborn, proud, determined.

And fucking…gorgeous.

“When we’re out there, Nadia,” I growl, “ I’m in charge. If say it’s too dangerous, then you listen to me.”

“Well, are you going to say it’s too dangerous the second we get out there and make me turn back?”

Slowly I shake my head, promising.

“Fine,” she says, shaking her hair back.

“All right,” I growl, turning towards the mess tent.

“Where are you going ?”

“If there are kids out there, Nadia, they will be hungry. We need food.”

Eager, happy footsteps race after me.

And even if I’m frustrated and anxious, joy starts to replace the anger Rose engendered in me as I look down at Nadia by my side.