Page 41 of Wolf's Vow

I hit accept. “Hello?”

“Princess.”

Chapter 11

Wolfe

I heardsilence and then fumbling and then her voice. “I didn’t remember to hold it up to my ear,” she admitted sheepishly.

I smiled at the admission, my wolf almost purring in contentment at hearing my mate. “So Thalia gave you her phone?”

“Yes.” She sounded worried. “But she asked you not to tell Cody. Well, she said I had to delete messages about sex so Cody didn’t get suspicious.”

I frowned and then, knowing Thalia well, I knew exactly where her mind had gone. “Nothing you sent me will upset Cody,” I assured Rowen. “And…this is your first time with a cell phone?” I sat back on the couch, getting comfortable.

“Yes.” I heard her move and wondered if she was also getting comfy. “Another thing for you to mock me for.”

I gave a slight huff in response. “While technology may lead to the downfall of the human race, it is beneficial to have a few of its perks.” I hesitated. “I don’t think not knowing how to use a phone is a bad thing.”

“You think I’ve betrayed you.” Her voice was a low whisper, and I heard the echo of pain within it.

I didn’t know what to say, so I told the truth. “At this point, I’m only confident of a handful of shifters who haven’t.”

“Am I one of them?”

“Should you be?” I countered, my eyes on the door as I said things to my mate I hadn’t said to her in person.

“No.” It sounded like she was moving again, and I imagined her sitting up straight, the tiny line on her brow furrowed with frustration.

“You’ve not made the transition easy,” I told her.

“Because it hasn’tbeeneasy,” she countered a little louder. “The pack has been in upheaval and needs time to settle. But the attacks aren’t allowing that to happen. Just because I’m supporting how my packfeelsdoes not mean I am trying to kill them.Oryou.”

“Sherry is a traitor.”

I heard the absolute stillness on the other side of the phone and wondered if I had been rash or should have kept that to myself until I could see her reaction.

“And I spent the day with her before you sent me away.” Rowen’s voice was dull and hollow. Resigned. “Is that what sealed my fate to be sent here?”

“No. I found out after you were gone.” She was quiet again, and I didn’t push, not sure how to.

“My pack is my life, Wolfe,” Rowen finally spoke. “And whether we wanted it or not, you are my mate, selected for me by the Goddess herself. To hurt you is to hurt myself.”

I nodded, although she couldn’t see me. “You never suspected her?” I asked softly.

“No. That day I spent with her, I thought she blamedme,” Rowen said bitterly. “What did she do when you confronted her?”

“She’d already gone. Not long after you had.”

“Oh.” Rowen’s laugh was bitter. “She might as well have painted a target on my back; no wonder your betas here hate me.”

I frowned. “They told you that they hate you?”

“No,” she corrected me. “But it wasn’t easy when I got here. It’s gotten better.”

“Nothing worth winning is ever easy,” I reminded her.

“My dad used to say that all the time,” Rowen murmured, emotion choking her voice.