Chapter 9

The journey was a long one, but I was blissfully unaware of it for the most part. I only had to sit for a few minutes staring at the scenery, but I was unable to keep my eyes open for long.

The toil of the night before had gotten to me, my body weary from the tears I had shed and the weight on me.

Or maybe it was my own way of avoiding the fact that I had left my family behind and escaped to an unknown place.

I had refused to think of their betrayal, my mind glossing over the fact that the words we exchanged the day before were the last memory I had of them. Instead, I chose to focus on my mate.

Thinking of him, my nose twitched as the scent of beef jerky filled the air, tangled with his musk, and, never one to decline food either, I slowly opened my eyes.

“Hello,” Micah’s voice washed over me, the deep timbre like a soothing balm easing my weary heart. A contented sigh left my lips, the sides of my mouth tugging in a small smile.

This was truly my new reality.

I was with someone who loved and cherished me. Someone who would be my waking hours and treat me with all the respect I deserved, and that was enough for me.

“Micah,” I tested his name in my mouth again, obsessed that it was all mine.

“How are you doing?” His lips slightly pulled in a smile, catching onto what I was doing.

“Well,” I shrugged, staring briefly at the moving scenery. “I just woke up from sleep, so I would say refreshed.”

“Hmm.” He hummed, nodding his head, and he pushed the pack of mouthwatering beef jerky I had been perceiving.

“Eat, you must be hungry, and the journey is still long.”

I blinked, looking up to meet his kind gaze, and my lips widened even more. “Thank you.” I took the package from his hands, tore off a piece, and threw it into my mouth. The salty beef flavor filled my mouth, each chew releasing even more of that umami taste that made me bite back a moan.

Micah glanced at me, amusement flickering in his eyes, then held out a bottle of water. “Here.” I accepted it with thanks, unscrewed the cap, and took a large gulp.

The silence lingered between us, punctuated only by the sound of the vehicle and my eating, and I packed it away when I was through.

“I am nervous.” I finally admitted it after a long pause.

I was no stranger to being ignored, having lived my life as a second-class citizen in my own home, but the thought of living like that for the remainder of my life was even more terrifying.

“Why?” He rested a hand on my thigh, the sudden heat distracting me, and I swallowed, trying to ignore the fiery heat that came just from the contact.

“I don’t know.” I shrugged, the memories of my life in my former pack flooding my head. “I am afraid they wouldn’t like me.”

“Now why would you think that?” Micah asked, angling himself so he was facing me. Even in the large van, he seems to take up all the space, his presence filling the entirety of the car.

“I am me.” I whispered, quite aware of my knack for getting into trouble. I couldn’t explain more of my fears without talking about my ruined reputation, one secret I was going to keep forever, so a change of subject would do. “Anyways, tell me about your pack. What are they like? And your family, how many siblings do you have?”

Micah’s eyebrow pulled up, his eyes boring into me, but I held his gaze, refusing to look away. If I was going to live with him forever, I should be able to meet his gaze. I wasn’t sure what he saw, but he merely shrugged, deciding not to push further.

“The pack is wonderful, though I might be biased as it is mine and it is all I have ever known.” I nodded, shifting towards him to hear more. “And I only have one sister and my mother, but they are the sweetest.”

Laughter bubbled in my throat, threatening to spill out. I was well aware of how my sisters and mother had treated me, but these were Micah’s, and they could just be an exception.

“Hmm,” I nodded. “Is there anything I need to know to help me get closer with the pack?”

Micah paused for a moment, tilting his head as he gave it a thought. "There is not much to say, as you would get to know everything in time, but we have been rumored to be conservative and closed off from others."

“Conservative?” My voice trailed to a shrill ring as the words of Rebecca rang in my brain. “How conservative?”

She had mentioned they were virgin-obsessed, and I had heard a rumor somewhere that they still believed in laying white cloths under during the joining.

I was the farthest thing from a virgin; I didn’t even bleed the first time, and there was no way I could manufacture what was needed to please them.

Micah’s gaze lingered on me, his face unreadable and his silence stretching too long to calm my troubled mind.

“Nothing you cannot handle.” He finally said, adjusting himself to face forward, and if that wasn’t a sign that I should be wary, then I don’t know what would be.

Cold sweat broke out on my forehead, my pulse drumming so loudly in my ears. The words were on the tip of my tongue, ready to ask and waiting for his answer to ease my fears, but his eyes had glazed over, his thoughts disconnected from our conversation, and I shifted in my seat.

It would be fine after all; it had to be.

I closed my eyes once again, not for the pleasures of sleep but to pray, wishing every rumor I had heard about the Grimhowl pack was nothing but a rumor.

Sleep couldn’t quell the storm in my heart, no matter how I tried, so I just stared outside, watching what could be my last sense of peace slipping away.

After what felt like days, he tapped me and suddenly whispered the dreaded words.

“We are here.”