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“He must have thought I was going to hurt her because he shifted,” Godrick continues.
“And put you flat on your ass so he could take Joy,” Keela points out, clutching her side. “And now he won’t shift back or let us take her.”
I can’t help myself. I start laughing too. It doesn’t help that Godrick is sulking like a teenager.
“What’s going on here?” Caine asks as he walks in to find us all laughing.
I point toward the direction of Thomas and Joy. I can see the shock coursing through him the moment he sees the massive beast and the giggling toddler riding him like he’s a bloody pony.
“I can’t get him to shift back,” Godrick says, with a pout I wouldn’t have believed if I didn’t see it with my own eyes. “I thought you could compel him.”
“I could try,” Caine replies. “But he’s an Alpha as well, the power is pouring off him so it might not work.”
Chapter Four
Emmaleigh
I hear a commotion before a door somewhere in the house slams shut, the echo reverberating through the entire structure. I am slowly making my way downstairs to thank Peyton for her hospitality when she comes around the corner to find me standing there.
“Emmaleigh.” Her smile is bright and welcoming. “I’m glad to see you out and about. Did you want to shift and go for a run?”
She is talking a mile a minute and already I know she is nervous and trying to hide something. She doesn’t hide her emotions or anxiety well, an open book for anyone to read.
“Actually, I just wanted to thank you for everything you and your pack have done for me and Rose.”
“And Thomas.”
“Thomas?” I ask in shock. “Is Thomas here?”
“Yes, he was brought in with you and Rose,” she replies with a frown.
A sigh of relief leaves me. “They said he was dead,” I say softly. “I’m glad he’s not.”
Knowing that the boy I mourned is alive makes me happier than I have been in years. When I was told he had died, a little part of me died too. My heart shattered into a million little pieces. He had become somewhat of a little brother to me and I was devastated by the lies they told me.
“How well do you know Thomas?” Peyton asks, leading me into the large kitchen.
I smile, remembering the knob-kneed boy they led into my cell that first day after I was taken from my home. “I’ve known him for five years. They were hoping he would mate with me but I think Thomas was nothing more than a child. After a while he saw me as an older sister and their plan never came to fruition.”
“So you two get along?” she asks cautiously.
“I may have been held prisoner for five years but I can tell something is going on. Why don’t you just tell me what the problem is?”
She stares at me, studying me. I know she is trying to see if I am fragile, perhaps broken before giving me the news.
“It seems Thomas shifted and no one can get him to shift back,” she says.
For the first time in years, I laugh. Out loud. It’s a strange and freeing feeling. Joy. Hope. Happiness. They all seem foreign to me right now, having lived so long without them. But I’m glad to know I’m still able to experience these emotions.
“Are there a bunch of men in the vicinity?” I ask, at which Peyton nods. “Then he won’t shift back. If you want I can help.” I make the offer because I know it will just go so much faster if I do this myself.
“That would be great,” she says sending off a text. “We can walk over to where he’s staying.”
Once outside the house, I take in as much as I can while we walk. There are men and women, working and smiling. Children running around laughing. So many things I never thought I would experience again. The fresh air in my lungs and the sun shining on my face has a smile spreading across my face. People wave as we walk by, smiling at us, and I can’t help but return the gesture.
Perhaps this could be the turn my life needed to take.
****
