Chapter Seven
Talon found himself at Sophia’s house once more, a place he didn’t think he’d ever return to. If anyone was holding it against him that he had punched Jason, they weren’t saying anything about it. They were probably more concerned about Lukas and whether or not he would be all right. Even Talon had to worry about him. He and his cousin didn’t get along, but he certainly didn’t want him dead.
Once Lukas was situated, Talon decided it was time for him to make himself scarce. He didn’t really want to deal with anything Sophia or Jason might have to say to him. While the others were still talking to Lukas, Talon silently made his way towards the front door, eager to get back to Melanie. But he apparently wasn’t silent enough.
“Where are you going?” he heard Jason ask from behind him just before he reached the door.
Slowly, Talon turned around to face him, but found it difficult to meet his eye. “Going back,” he mumbled.
“Going back?” Jason asked, confused. “Going back where?”
“Somewhere else.” Talon didn’t find it necessary to give him all the details, especially if he wasn’t part of the pack anymore. He didn’t have to listen to the beta of other packs.
“Well, don’t leave before talking to Sophia, okay? She’s worried about you.”
“She just wants to yell at me, I’m sure.”
“Talon, I didn’t tell her what happened between us the other night. If that’s what’s got you all on edge, don’t worry about it. Don’t pull that shit on me again, but we’re still friends. I can give you a free punch.”
“Um, thanks?”
“So, since you are still part of the pack, you want to tell me where you’re going?”
“Not really,” Talon said. He knew that no one in the pack would try to stop him from leaving to be with his mate, but he didn’t want to tell everyone about Melanie just yet. Not until he knew she would accept him. No sense having everyone congratulate him and then have to deal with their pity if she decided she didn’t want to be with him. Of course, Talon would do everything he could to make sure that didn’t happen.
“You’re too stubborn,” Jason said with a sigh and a shake of his head. “Just don’t go running off without talking to your sister.”
“Yeah, Talon,” Sophia said, approaching in time to hear the last part of what Jason said. “Stop running away, would you?”
“I got places to be.”
“Mind if we talk first?” Sophia asked.
“Yeah, I guess,” Talon said with a sigh. He really wanted to get back to Melanie, but he knew that despite Sophia phrasing it as a request, it really wasn’t. She’d hold him down if she had to, and Talon decided it wasn’t worth the effort. After the day he had, he was completely exhausted.
Sophia walked into another room, and Talon followed his twin and they sat down at a table. They sat in silence for a few moments, and Talon was thinking about getting up and leaving if Sophia wasn’t going to say anything, but before he could move to do so, his sister kicked him under the table.
“What was that for?” Talon asked, wincing at the pain in his shin.
“For running off all the time,” she answered. “I do worry about you, you know. Especially when you disappear for days at a time and no one has any idea where you are. I’m not going to pry into whatever it is you’re doing, but I don’t want a rift between us too.”
“Too?” Talon asked, not sure what she meant by that.
“You and Lukas already don’t get along. I don’t want us to end up the same way. I’m not planning on breaking your legs, but I still feel like we’re drifting apart.”
Talon was about to ask what breaking his legs had to do with anything when he remembered the conversation they had a while back when Sophia had really been trying to figure out why he and Lukas didn’t like each other. Sophia thought it was because Lukas had broken his legs in a fight just before Lukas left.
“That’s not why I don’t like him,” Talon said.
“Really? Then why?”
“I thought you weren’t going to pry?”
“Not into where it is you disappear to. But when it comes to this, I really think I need to pry. As your sister and your alpha. What happens if Lukas rejoins the pack? I can’t have fights between my pack members. So spill. What’s going on between you two?”
“I… I don’t know,” Talon admitted. He thought he knew why he despised his cousin ever since he turned up at the front door of the house. But now that he tried to say it out loud, he had nothing. All he could think of was that Lukas had done something wrong, but he wasn’t even sure what.
“Well, you think you can get along with him from now on?”
“I don’t know,” he said again. “I guess I can try. But if things don’t work out, maybe it’d be better if I leave. I don’t mind.”
“Talon, where are you going to go? You’re not cut out to be a lone wolf.”
“I have some friends,” he said with a shrug. “Another pack I can join.”
“So that’s where you’ve been running off to, then,” Sophia said. “You’ve found a better pack.”
“Not better,” Talon said quickly. “They’re great, yeah, but I love this pack. But if it comes down to it, I got another pack that I think will take me and I’d be happy there. And I could always visit or something.”
“I don’t want you to feel like you have to leave,” Sophia said. “So, just try to get along with Lukas, okay?”
“Yeah, sure,” he said.
“Good,” she said, standing up. “Well, better let you run off to your better pack.”
“I didn’t say they were better!” Talon called after her as she walked away. He stood up and headed back to the front door where Emma was standing.
“Hey Talon,” Emma said.
“Emma,” he said. “What’s up?”
“Do you think you’ll have any reason to head back up to the mountains where we were earlier?”
“I’m heading back up now,” he said. “Oh, you left your truck. Come on. I’ll take you up there.”
“Are you sure?” Emma asked. “I don’t want you to go out of your way.”
“I have some friends that are up there. I was going to spend a few days with them anyway, so it’s no trouble at all.”
Talon wasn’t looking forward to having to spend two hours with his cousin’s mate. He knew things between the two of them weren’t going well and he thought it could get awkward, but as it turned out, Emma fell asleep. Talon couldn’t blame her; he was tired as well.
Once they made it to her truck, Talon gently woke her up and she headed back down to Denver, while Talon drove another fifteen minutes to get back to the Carters’. He thought he’d find most of the family still awake, but he guessed they hadn’t slept much during the day while their family members were in the hands of the hunters. The house was mostly dark, and Talon decided not to bother them and instead headed to the barn where he hoped to find Melanie.