She nodded in the direction of the window. Scorch laughed.
“You’re a mystery to them.”
“I’m not much of a mystery at all. I hope no one thinks I’m someone special.” The guilt clawed at her. Chain believed her seducing Scorch gave her more power over the other man. She wasn’t required to hurt or weaken Scorch. The only thing she needed to do was seduce him.
“I know. You’re different, and they see it.” He kept hold of her hand as they headed toward the tree line.
The snow crunched underneath her feet.
“Do you stay here all the time?” she asked.
“Most of the time I stay here. When I need the warmth I head down to the city. I rarely feel the need to leave. This place is in my gut. It’s part of who I am.” The way he spoke she knew he was passionate about his pack and the place where he lived.
“It’s a beautiful home, and your pack is thriving.”
“I’m lucky. I know not all packs have what I’ve got.”
“No, they don’t.” She thought about Chain and the damage one of his moods could create without even trying.
“Your pack is not a good one?”
“No, it’s not.” She gritted her teeth as she thought about Chain. How could she lure Scorch to his death?
Tell him the truth.
“I’m sorry you don’t have a good pack. Have you ever considered leaving?” Scorch asked.
“Leaving? I didn’t think you could leave a pack once you were in one.” She leaned against a tree looking up at him. Victoria was struck by so much need spiraling within her. He hovered over her, but she didn’t feel afraid of him. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her at all. His touch was always gentle, and his voice never rose in anger. The woman, Lidia, had disappeared that morning a week ago.
“No, Lidia, the woman you met when you first arrived.” She nodded, showing him she knew what he was talking about. “She’s not part of any pack at all. No one has any claim over her loyalty. Her parents live southwards and are part of a pack down there. I’ve had three men leave my pack looking for something else. There is no law that forces you to remain within one pack.”
“What about loyalty?”
“What do you mean?” he asked, reaching out to push some hair off her face.
“Don’t your pack swear loyalty to you and to the pack?”
“Yes, but it doesn’t mean they have to stay around. I’m not a tyrant, and I don’t demand that my pack stick around when they’re unhappy. They can leave whenever they want. Some never leave while others come and go all the time.”
“You seem so open.” She tried to pull away from his touch, but he kept hold of her.
“Does your alpha force you stay with him?”
Victoria couldn’t lie to him. “Yes. None of us are allowed to leave. We have to stay and do as we’re told. There is nothing else out there for us.” Biting her lip she tried to stop the flow of words, but the moment she started talking she couldn’t seem to stop. “He hurts us every chance he gets. We can’t stop him.” She stopped speaking when she was about to tell Scorch her alpha’s name. No one was safe with Chain out there ready to hurt the next woman who rejected him.
“Can you tell me his name? I can make him pay for everything, Tori. I promise you.”
She shook her head. “I can’t do it. I’m so sorry.” Victoria pulled away from him and took off. She heard him following her, but she needed to get away and start life once again. Victoria needed to put Chain behind her.
“Tori, wait.”
Running was what she needed to do to clear her head. She didn’t turn into her wolf form. She ran to escape the problems clawing at her. Victoria didn’t watch where she was going, and then she felt arms wrap around her waist.
Fighting against the hold, she was pressed to the floor, rolled over and her arms held above her head. “I’m never going to hurt you,” he said.
Tears ran down her cheeks as he held her still.
“I’m a horrible person,” she said, whispering the words so only he could hear. They were alone together outside, but she felt like everyone was watching them, waiting for something to happen.
“No, you’re not. Let’s agree to not talk about your pack and your past.”
“You’d do that for me?” she asked, shocked.
“Yes, I would. This is your pack now. This is your new beginning. We don’t have to discuss anything of the past. In fact, you don’t have a pack.” He released her hands, sitting back and giving her enough room to sit up. “I’m Scorch of the Fire Pack. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”