Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33372 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 167(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33372 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 167(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
“I really don’t. I’ve never left Westblood, not even to visit anywhere. I think they’ve been afraid of something happening.” She did air quotes for the last part, as it was something her parents had said to her a lot.
Rose, Gale, Sean, and Ben could leave the pack, visit the town or the mall, or whatever. Not her. She had to stay within the limits of the pack. Karina hadn’t minded. She was human, and when she was next to the pack members, she did feel like the odd one out.
“Well, how about I take you out on a date, outside of the pack’s limits?”
She stopped packing the roses she and Rage had been working on. They’d already done their work at the diner, and done the laundry. She was finishing her day at the florist. School wasn’t in as it was a Saturday, so she didn’t have to read any stories.
“You’d do that?” Karina asked.
“It’s not hard. We can drive or walk. There’s a village about thirty minutes from here. I’ve been told they have amazing coffee and fantastic cinnamon rolls.”
She opened her mouth and closed it. “I … ugh, what about my dad? I know he’d be uncomfortable if I went and did something like that without telling him first.”
“I’ll ask him. Only if you want to go, though, no pressure, Karina.”
Going out of the pack limits, seeing something other than the diner and bakery, not having any of the pack looking at her—it was tempting. “I’d love to, but only if my dad will allow it.”
She didn’t want to upset her father. Even though William was encouraging her time with Rage. He didn’t seem to mind having the other alpha at his home for breakfast or dinner. William was also always encouraging them to spend as much time with each other as possible. At first, she did mind, but Rage helped her feel relaxed.
After each date, Rose was always waiting for her to tell her the details, but Karina had nothing to tell. What could she say? They enjoyed long conversations about their lives. She had come to learn a great deal about Rage.
It was a shock to her that he lived close by and it wasn’t that much of a journey for him, but he didn’t want to spend his time going back and forth. Some of his pack did keep going back to be with their family and some took their place. They hadn’t gotten to the true details of why he was here, or why her father was so concerned, and required him to be here.
For now, she just wanted to get to know him. She had just learned he’d been politely asked to leave by his previous pack. To Karina, this was unheard of. She had never known a pack to turn its back on a member.
Rage was found, though. He wasn’t born into his previous pack, he’d been abandoned in a forest near his old pack and an elderly couple had stumbled upon him. They had known he was a wolf, and rather than leave him or send him out to be adopted, they had taken him in. They’d given him a home, a place to grow. They had guided him. From the very beginning, they had been honest with him that he had been found, and he wasn’t their child. Karina had thought that part a little cruel, but they were just helping Rage know why he might feel differently around the pack. She couldn’t hate them for that. They’d given him a home and a chance, when as a child, that was all he wanted.
Unfortunately, Rage had alpha traits, which meant he did butt heads with the main alpha, and doing so caused him some trouble. He was asked to either submit or find his own place to rule. There was no fighting. Rage decided to leave the pack.
“Did you ever look for your parents?” she asked.
“I did.”
“Did you find them?”
Rage nodded. “Yes, they had been killed in a rogue attack. That was why they had left me.”
Karina frowned. “How did you find that out?”
Rage took a deep breath. “I spoke to a medium.”
“A medium?”
“Someone who can communicate with the other side. I had nothing to go on. No identity. My parents didn’t know where I came from, only where they found me, and twenty years is a long time for places to change, to grow, to develop.”
“So, you went to a medium?” Karina asked. “I thought they were fake.”
“Like packs and wolves?”
“That’s different.”
“How?”
“Because they do exist. I’ve seen it.”
“Ah, so you’re only interested in things you think exist.”
She frowned. “I never thought about it. You’ve spoken to a medium?”
“Yes, and I have contacted my parents. They told me what happened. Their pack got attacked by rogue wolves, and while trying to escape, they were injured. They didn’t know what to do, but knew of a pack that was close, and hoped and prayed I’d be found.”