Unclaimed

Chapter Eleven

I sat next to Grady in his bed, rubbing his face to keep his attention on me. I thought maybe I should have been mad at him for threatening my mom, but I wasn't. I felt gutted that she hadn't told me the truth, that she had let me live in shame for so long. Grady was my Alpha, just trying to protect me.

Grady's hand rubbed my back, trying to coax me to lean on his chest, but I was afraid if his orange eyes left mine he was going to lose it.

"So, in the second grade, this girl put a jelly bean up her nose," I continued. I had been telling him funny stories I could remember that didn't involve any of the names he'd heard in my mom's confession. "I still don't know how they got it out, but she became one of my best friends. Her name was Le-"

His hand brushed a loose hair behind my ear, stopping me in my tracks. "I don't think I've ever told you how beautiful you are," he mumbled.

I gasped, slightly shocked. "Thank you." My heart pounded against my ribs.

His face loomed closer, just out of reach of my lips. "So, about Peter..."

"Peter?" I leaned back. I'd thought he was going to kiss me again and there he was mentioning the other guy who had kissed me.

"You don't have to tell him what Lily did for you."

"You think I should lie?"

"No, I think it's none of anyone's business. I think no one should ask, so you shouldn't be worried about an answer. At this point you're no longer actually marked, it's just a scar. So you don't have to tell anyone anything."

I didn't have an answer, so I stayed silent. I watched the orange drain from his eyes, and he smiled at me. He stood from the bed, saying, "Let's go for that walk now."

Our walk was mostly silent. When we arrived, flowers, lit candles, and paper notes were left behind the hole I'd dug to expose only the skeleton that remained. Hiking up my dress above my knees, I knelt beside the shallow grave of the boy who loved me so much he tried to claim me, despite his Alpha father's orders.

"Where did these come from?" I asked, pointing to what had been left.

"Your new pack mates," Grady said, settling beside me with crossed legs. "They all wanted to pay their respects, too. Mark asked this morning if it was okay if they had a little vigil for him."

"But they never knew him," I whispered back.

His face twisted up in sadness as he smoothed the hair at the back of my head. "They don't need to. Your hurt shook everyone here."

"They don't know me either," I whispered.

"They do. You're a fellow wolf who just had her heart broken. Last night they were all with you while you suffered one of the greatest pains known to our kind. They may not know your favorite color, but they know your soul."

I looked down as I tried to recall Luke's face again. "I'm so sorry," I mumbled. "I wish I had known how you really felt about me. I don't know what would have happened, but it would have been better than this." I closed my eyes and brushed my fingers across the dirt.

Had he thought he would bite me and we would run away together? Did he think once he marked me his dad would accept me? Was it possible he knew we both would be at risk of being killed but took the chance anyway? "I wish I could talk to him," I said out loud without meaning to.

Grady scooted closer and rubbed his hand up and down my back. "What would you say?

"I just want to know what he was thinking. Did he know he was risking both of our lives trying to claim me? Did he think we could get away? We never had a conversation that was more than friendly. He never even asked me if it was okay."