I crossed my arms. I didn’t want to tell him anything.

“Why was there a werewolf trying to kidnap you?” he asked, when I didn’t answer.

I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

My ribs throbbed.

“Why don’t you tell me something you do know?” He was trying another angle but I kept my lips tightly closed.

Opening up wasn’t something I knew how to do. I had plenty of practice keeping secrets and never talking about my past. To go against that wasn’t something that came easy.

He raked a hand through his hair before his eyes held mine. I wanted to be able to do as he asked but the fear of opening it up and allowing him to see deeper wasn’t something I was ready for. There was a good chance I would never be ready, no matter what declarations he made.

“Then we have nothing to talk about,” he said returned to the desk and picking up the paper he had been busy with before.

I bit my lip, hating how easily he dismissed me.

The door opened and Sebastian entered.

I dropped my arms to my sides. Sebastian was studied me before looking to Maverick.

“Sebastian is going to keep an eye on you.” Maverick lifted his eyes to meet mine.

“Is that really necessary?” I asked, not wanting the company of the guy who made no attempt to hide his dislike for me. Besides I had no idea what I was going to do and I didn’t want someone watching my every move.

“I don’t trust you Victoria and until I do Sebastian will be watching you. You won’t get another chance to run so don’t even think about it.”

I frowned. I didn’t like the fact he was taking control leaving me with none.

My eyes went to Sebastian’s. He remained unreadable. I turned my glare to Maverick.

“Why don’t you lock me up again?” I shot at him. I was a prisoner again, this time without bars.

“There is something coming Victoria. Whether you want to acknowledge it or not. We have to be ready and I can’t do that unless I know what it is.” His words were tight and controlled. This wasn’t Maverick my mate, this was Maverick the alpha. “The more I know, the better chance we have. Don’t you understand that?”

“I don’t know anything,” I yelled. “I told you I have no idea who tried to kidnap me. I don’t know why he was after me.”

“It wasn’t random Victoria. There is a reason why he was after you and we need to figure out why. By keeping silent you are not only endangering yourself, you are endangering all of us, my entire pack.”

His. I wasn’t a part of it. It was a reminder that I was an outsider. No matter what he said, no matter what I meant to him.

“Then let me go. I’ll disappear and no one here needs to be dragged into any of this,” I said, angrily. It had been my original intention and if I hadn’t encountered the bounty hunter I would have been long gone. They all would have been safe.

“I can’t let you go.” His jaw tensed, giving a glimpse of the undercurrent of emotion.

It was a statement that made my heart skip a beat as our eyes locked.

“I won’t stay,” I swore. “I won’t.” There had to be a way and if there was, I would figure it out.

I was endangering all of them.

Maverick looked passed me to Sebastian, who moved to hold my arms from behind. I tried to shrug out of his hold but pain shot through my side. “Awww…” I put a hand to my side.

Sebastian stilled, his hold gentle and in no way restrictive.

“Sebastian is going to take you back to medical.” Maverick’s jaw was tense. He didn’t like to see me in pain, that much was obvious.

“Don’t do this Maverick.” I wanted to argue with him but Sebastian moved me to the door and the fear of pain stopped me from trying struggle.

When I got back to Medical I went back to the room I had been in before but this time Sebastian sat in a chair beside the door. He watched me as I sulked.

“You don’t want me here Sebastian,” I started to say. “Help me get out of here, and you’ll never see me again. I will disappear.”

Even the pain of leaving Maverick was more bearable than the thought of something happening to him.

He shook his head. “I would never betray him. Never.” He left me with no doubt about where his loyalty lay.

There was silence as I studied him angrily, trying to figure out another way to approach him to get my way. I was good at manipulating people, I had to just figure out how to get through to him.

“Bounty hunters are ruthless. He would have killed you without a second thought if there had been a bounty for your life. You’re lucky, he needed to bring you in alive.”

I knew that. I didn’t need him to tell me that. Suspiciously, I watched him, trying to figure out what his angle was.

“You think you have some sort of control of this situation but believe me, you don’t. The quicker you tell us everything, the sooner Maverick can figure a way out of this.”

I crossed my arms, defensively.

“You are putting every living person in this pack in danger because you don’t want to tell us about your past.”

He was right but there was more to it than just that. I could pretend it didn’t happen, I could pretend I was someone else. If they made me reveal my past then it would follow me into the only future I wanted, the one with Maverick.

“No. You and Maverick are the ones who are endangering everyone. Just let me go. That’s all you have to do to keep everyone safe.” It was the better alternative.

My reasoning didn’t come from a need to protect but rather from a need to run. That’s what I did when I encountered things I didn’t how to deal with. This was no different.

“We won’t sacrifice you.”

“That’s a bit dramatic Sebastian. I’ll disappear and I’ll be fine.” I gave a one arm shrug.

He shook his head. “You are naive. You can’t outrun this no matter where you go.”

I bit my lip, not liking the confidence he had in his assessment. I had never encountered a problem I couldn’t outrun.

“We might have stopped one but there are more like him out there. It’s only a matter of time before they find you.”

I shivered. “You’re trying to scare me,” I accused.

“You should be scared. If we hadn’t shown up, you would have been taken and who knows where you would be now.”

He was getting to me, despite knowing he was just trying to frighten me into telling them what they wanted to know.

“Bounty hunters are lawless rogues. They have no code to live by. Do you know what they are capable of?”

I held his gaze, without showing how I fearful I was. I didn’t want to show him that his words were reaching the little girl in me who was still trying to get away from the past that I couldn’t shake free from.

“I’m sure you’re going to tell me,” I replied, steely.

“Think of all the reason humans get sent to prison and that will give you some idea. Except there is no prison to hold them. They are free to roam and do as they want for the highest price.”

I didn’t need him to remind me of the ruthlessness I had been submitted to when the bounty hunter had tried to kidnap me. If Maverick and his pack hadn’t shown up I don’t know where I would be now, or in what condition I would be.

“Death is the only thing that will stop them. But taking one out will only be replace with another. We are playing wack a mole until we can figure out who and why someone wants you so badly.”

I put my hand to my chest. He was successfully scaring me.

“So the sooner you tell us everything you know, the sooner Maverick can figure it out the sooner everyone will be safe, including you.” He paused for a moment. “Maverick won’t give you up. The only way they’ll get to you is over his dead body.”