Into Their Woods (The Eerie, #1)(37)

“What’s a den?”

He licks his lips like he’s searching for the right words. “It’s…your family. The family you choose, not your family by blood.”

I silently absorb his answer while I mentally fit together the bits of strange conversation I’ve heard up to this point like they’re pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. “They said your name. And they said Gannon bit me.”

Ellery gives a terse nod.

Holy shit.

“You’re in their den?”

Another nod. The gesture hits me with the force of a headbutt to the chest, and I take a deep, gasping breath. The tips of my fingers are tingling. My bones feel hollow.

The sheriff is part of the den that hunted me. That bit me. That—per my conversation with the not-so-crazies this morning—claimed me.

“There are four of you?”

He nods.

“Four guys?” I confirm, because I just can’t seem to wrap my head around this.

“Four male shifters, yeah.”

“But—” I blink.

What the fuck is this place?

“So…no monogamy. All four of you claimed me?”

Ellery’s expression confirms my theory.

“How…”

I shake my head and stop asking the question as I hold up a hand to prevent an answer. I am officially done. This revelation is the final straw, and now I’m broken. I can feel myself growing pale, the blood receding from my cheeks even though my heart starts to pound.

“Look, we don’t need to talk or worry about any of that now. We just need to get you taken care of. Let’s get you a room, get you comfortable and fed; we can worry about the rest later.”

We? I question, but I swallow it down.

“I have no money.”

“You’re pack now,” he responds, as if that reply explains everything.

The sheriff strides toward the front desk, and I follow him in a daze. I see but don’t really take in the bright yellow walls or modern chairs and couches set out for visiting. I don’t glance over at the attached bar and restaurant even though my stomach gurgles longingly. Staring into space, I don’t pay any attention as a flurry of activity and a fair amount of fawning occurs. My mind races as we ride up the elevator to a suite, but I don’t know what to think about any of it. Not the inn or the thoughts and questions whirring around in my mind like a cyclone.

When the elevator dings and we step out into an upscale hallway lined with ornate oil paintings of landscapes, I finally feel as if I slide from astral-projection mode back into my body.

I’m a shifter.

Four fucking guys think I’m their mate.

And everyone else here thinks this shit is goddamned normal?

The manic laughter I released before almost hits me again, but I choke it down. Not yet. Not yet. I can melt down in just a minute.

Chewing on my cheek, I debate if I can handle one more question that’s gnawing at me. I need a break. I need space, but I also can’t continue to ignore pieces of today that I’m starting to put together.

Fuck it.

“Can you explain what went down last night?” I ask Ellery, turning to him as he strides down the hall to one of the four doors located on this floor. “I know you and your dad said that some eeries need a propellant, but the whole red robe and being chased through the forest thing…how does all of that fit? Why was I literally thrown to the wolves?”

Ellery slows a little, the subtle change in his pace is the only indication that my question rattles him. He scans the key card and pushes the door open for me. I tentatively step inside without glancing around, but Ellery doesn’t follow. He stays outside in the hall, like he knows I need this space to be mine and not his.

It’s surprisingly thoughtful.

“Last night was our annual Hunt. It’s when lone females and males ready to bond are hunted by eligible dens in search of a mate. It’s supposed to be a consensual thing, or at least it has been until now.”

His head drops a little, like the weight of what’s happened is heavy on his shoulders too.

“The red cloak is an old tradition. It signals your interest in a match. You run because your wolf demands that a den proves their worth, their skill, their…”—he clears his throat and avoids eye contact—“stamina. The dens hunt for their match, biting their mates if they find them. The mark starts a mate claim and acts as a propellant for any dormant wolves that need it.”

I loose a deep breath as I try to remove my own emotions from the situation and see things from his perspective for just a second. “So, whoever threw me into the Hunt not only fucked things up for me, but also for you and your…den too?” I ask, because his den clearly bit the wrong girl.

Ellery hands me the key card and sighs, running his hands through his dirty blond hair. “This won’t make sense to you right now, because you’ve barely peeked into our world…but my instincts tell me you’re ours. My den’s claimed you, and we stand by that claim.”

“And if I don’t want to be claimed by you and your den?” I challenge, my tone fragile and raw. “If I don’t want to belong to anyone else, if I only want to belong to me?”

Ellery offers me a sad smile and steps back from the entryway. “Then you’ll only belong to you.”