Page 71 of Healer’s Betrayal

“Garrett,” I say, and he nods. “What about you?” I ask. “Where’s your pack?”

“I’m not in a pack; I’m a rogue wolf. That’s why they’re all so wary of me.”

I sit on the bed and glance over at Noah to make sure we’re not waking him up with our voices. Thankfully, he’s still out. “What’s a rogue wolf?”

Jackson stands a few feet from me. “A wolf that’s not part of a pack for one reason or another.”

“And that’s bad?” I guess because of how they respond to him.

He shrugs. “Wolves in packs think all rogue wolves are bad.”

“But they’re not because you’re not.”

He doesn’t comment on that. “Lots of rogue wolves are bad news and have to be brought down.”

My eyes widen. “Why?”

He runs a hand across the back of his neck. “Wolves that don’t find their mates are at risk of going rogue and eventually losing their humanity. Those rogues are dangerous.”

“So, a wolf that doesn’t find his mate stops being human?”

“They lose their ability to shift back to human and respond just as a wild animal, only worse. They become aggressive and dangerous to other wolves and humans alike and have to be killed.”

I gasp softly. “Is that what they want to do to you?”

“They did when they first met me.”

My mouth drops open. “Why?”

“It’s a long story.”

I stare at him. “I’ve got time.”

“You need sleep,” he argues.

“Not until I hear this story. Please, Jackson, I want to understand why they all treat you a certain way. I don’t like it.” I cross my arms over my chest, and he smirks at me.

“You don’t like it?”

“No, they treat you and Ransom like you’re diseased or something.”

“We’re rogues,” he says, as if that explains everything.

“So, you keep saying,” I say flatly and then wave a hand. “Explain, please.”

“Ransom and I grew up in the same pack,” he finally starts. So many questions flood my mind, but I force myself to stay quiet. I’m afraid if I talk, he won’t. “Ours wasn’t a good pack. Lots of corruption, greed, and cruely. We left when we were old enough to survive outside the pack.”

“How old were you?” I can’t help but ask.

“Fourteen.”

I take that in. “You guys were on your own at fourteen?”

“We were strong wolves, and we were both dominant. Actually, that was another reason we both needed to leave.” At my questioning look, he explains. “We were a threat to the alpha and beta. We were both going to be more dominant than them by the time we grew up, meaning we would be able to challenge them to a fight and take their positions.”

“Take their positions?” I question.

“Kill them and become Alpha and Beta,” he says without batting an eye.