Moonlight's Ambassador (Aileen Travers Book 3)(96)

"Is that it? That's why you're acting like a three-year-old? Because I never fulfilled my contract?"

She shrugged one shoulder and gave me a look that said, “if the shoe fits”.

I growled. "You look at me, and tell me you're not a danger to others. Then maybe we'll talk."

She looked away.

"You damn near killed me, not just once, but twice. Brax and his wolves managed to put off their transformation for over two hours on the full moon. How long did you last?" It did not feel good confronting her with these truths. "Caroline, you're barely keeping it together. Listen to them. Let them help you. They're not your enemies."

"Like the vampires aren't yours?" She met my eyes with a stubborn gaze of her own.

I turned my head slightly, knowing that Liam was just upstairs out of sight, no doubt listening to everything that was being said. I'd been surprised when I'd arrived to find him and Eric having drinks at the bar with the wolves watching them for any sign of aggression.

I sighed, feeling like a hypocrite. How was I to help her when I'd bucked the system at every stage, unwilling to consign my life to another's control ever again? I rubbed my forehead as we sat in silence.

"Unless you're here to get me out, you might as well go. We have nothing to talk about." She looked away from me, trying to shut me out.

“Why are you so angry with me?” I asked. “Really?”

She had been from the get go. Beyond reason.

“You know why,” she said, some of her wolf making itself known in her voice.

“Do I? Enlighten me.”

She was silent for a long time. I began to give up. If she didn’t want to talk, there wasn’t much I could do. I started to turn away.

“You left,” she said, suddenly standing by the bars. “You left me behind, and you never even thought twice.”

I inhaled a sharp breath, feeling stung by the accusation. “I joined the military. I didn’t exactly leave you behind, and you told me not to come back anyways.”

“It certainly felt like you left me behind. You didn’t even tell me before you did it. You just showed up with the papers and said you had to report to basic in two days. I told you everything.” Her voice was tight with emotion. “You knew about my mom, my family issues. I shared every dark secret with you. Yet, you shared so very little.”

Her words felt like little shards of ice. I had never thought she cared, let alone would notice my absence. She never asked me about my life. I was always the tag along. She was always the brains. The brain doesn’t ask what the arms and legs want, it just expects them to comply.

“You were so driven. You knew exactly where you were going and how you were going to get there,” I told her. “I felt lost and thought joining would help me find my way.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that?” she asked.

I lifted one shoulder. “I didn’t want you to think less of me.”

“Well, I did anyway.” She folded her arms and looked away.

That was the truth.

“Then, you came back, but you didn’t. Not really. You had this secret—one you kept for years.” She met my eyes with angry ones of her own. “How would you feel if our situations were reversed, and I had frozen you out while keeping this massive secret that could change everything?”

Furious. Hurt. Everything in between.

“I did it to protect you,” I said.

“Look how that ended.” She looked sad as she stared back at me.

There weren’t words to defend myself with. She was right, but so was I.

We were quiet for a long moment. I didn’t know how to fix what was broken, or even if I should. Still, I wanted our friendship back.

"I didn’t mean you harm,” I told her. “Is there any way you can forgive me?”

Her face crumpled. “We’re friends—even when we hate each other.”

My laugh was a little watery.

“What if I made you a deal?" I asked, clearing my throat and bringing us back to the matter at hand. "I'll be more open to establishing a relationship with the vampires if you learn what you need to know from the wolves."

Her head snapped back to me, her eyes surprised. My mouth was turned down as I stared back at her with a grumpy frown. Yeah, I'd said it. It was a major concession, something I wasn't really known for.

"It's still not fair," she said, looking like she was considering it. "My life is entirely controlled by them."

"I'm not joining a clan," I said in a flat voice.

She lifted her chin. "You have to receive training from them like I do the wolves."

I took a deep breath and blew it out with a disgusted sigh. "Fine."

"Every day."

"No. Once a week."

"Twice a week." Her expression let me know she meant it, that that was as far as she'd compromise.

"Fine." Her lips twitched, and then stilled at my next words. "You have to stay part of the pack, and you can't run again."

"Aileen, they want me to quit my job." Her expression was slightly shamed as her eyes fell from mine. "You know what that means to me."

I did know. Sondra had informed me before bringing me down here. They didn't think she was stable enough to be around humans, especially ones on the brink of adulthood with all the hormonal behavior that brought. Caroline defined herself by her work. She'd come so far in life that giving up her goals would feel like a major blow.