Chapter 244

That Saturday, Noah and I loaded up the U-Haul trailer and his car with all of our earthly possessions, Jeffrey lending a hand so that we wouldn’t have to hire movers. I had given the Honda Civic to Terri, insistent that we didn’t need two cars in such a small area as the Crescent Moon Pack territory. She had tried to convince me to take it anyway, but it had too many Andrew-related memories for me to bear.

My throat clenched when she drove the car away, but I convinced myself that it was for the best. This entire venture was for the best.

We finished just as the sun reached its noonday peak. After a quick lunch, we were ready to hit the road. I only had one thing left to do.

Even though I knew that, with Andrew and me breaking up, that there would come a time when Jeffrey would no longer be my bodyguard, I had not given any thought to the day when we would finally part. Now that that day had finally come, I could hardly get myself to believe that it was true. I had become so attached to Jeffrey, like the brother I had never had or known that I had wanted.

My heart ached at the idea of leaving yet another part of my life with Andrew behind, but I knew that it had to be done. I couldn’t rely on Andrew for everything—especially my safety—when I would no longer be in contact with him. That didn’t make it any easier to rip myself away from someone who had become not just my protector but also my close friend and confidante.

The three of us stood awkwardly near Noah’s car. The sun beat down on us, as though to emphasize the slow passage of time as we waited for someone to make the next move. Not a single noise—animal or manmade—reached our ears, adding to the stillness and uneasiness of the scene.

Noah fidgeted with the car keys in his pocket, and Jeffrey stared at me, waiting for me to say the first “goodbye”. I knew that I should say something, but something didn’t feel right about this moment. Noah cleared his throat, and I flinched at the abrupt sound.

“Noah,” I said, turning my head toward him, “could you give us a moment?”

Noah’s eyes shifted from me to Jeffrey and back again. After a few seconds, he nodded.

“Sure. I’ll go start the car.”

As he backed away, his eyes did not leave us until the last possible moment. Then he climbed into the car and started the engine.

I returned my attention to Jeffrey.

“So, I guess this is it,” I said quietly.

Jeffrey nodded.

“Yes, it is.”

I was surprised to find myself choking on tears when I spoke.

“Will we ever see each other again?”

Jeffrey shrugged.

“We might, we might not. I can’t see the future.”

I giggled at his remark and wiped a tear away with my knuckles.

“Any last advice for a…former charge?” I asked.

“No.” He paused. “But I might have some for a friend.”

I smiled slightly. It was good to know that he considered us friends, too.

“Well then, what’s that?”

Jeffrey’s usually neutral expression went completely solemn.

“Attackers,” he began, “never underestimate them. If at all possible, go for the groin, the eyes, and/or the throat. Remember to listen to your wolf, for she will know when it’s time for you to transform fully.”

I had to suppress the urge to roll my eyes. I knew all of this already from training sessions with him and Andrew, but it was still nice that Jeffrey wanted to ensure that I remembered it if he wasn’t going to be around.

“Use whatever you can as a weapon—your keys, your purse, your shoes, anything. Get creative. You don’t always need to resort to your wolf form in order to fight off attackers.”

I nodded along, even though I had heard this all before. Having this knowledge and using it in the moment were two very different things. I knew that from experience.

“Do you want me to go over any of the basic escape methods with you before…you know?”

My eyes glazed over with tears. It struck me that Jeffrey was too emotional to verbally admit that we were going our separate ways, even if he was too proud to show those emotions in front of me.

I glanced over my shoulder at Noah in the car. He appeared to be looking at his watch, impatiently waiting for us to wrap up our farewell. I couldn’t imagine how he would react if he saw Jeffrey feigning an attack on me.

“We better not,” I said as I faced Jeffrey again. “It might not look right out of context.”

Jeffrey’s eyes shot over to the car, then he nodded.

“Understood.”

“Is there anything else that you wanted to tell me?”

“Yes, there is.”

Jeffrey stepped up to me and grabbed me by the shoulders. He stared me straight in the eye, as though trying to ensure that he had my full attention when he spoke again.

“I want you to know that it’s never too late to grab for your true happiness, wherever that might lead you.”

I nodded, unable to look away.

“I understand,” I replied.

I knew exactly what he meant. I wasn’t going to tell him that I had already closed that door, locked it, and thrown the key in the ocean.

“May I hug you?” he asked, taking me aback.

“Yes,” I said, opening my arms for him, “of course.”

He moved his arms to my back and stepped forward into my arms. We squeezed each other tightly, and I buried my face in his broad chest. My tears mixed with the wool fibers of his suit.

We stood, entwined, for several minutes before the honking of the car horn startled me into pushing away from Jeffrey. I glared back at Noah, who tapped at his watch.

I sighed.

“I guess we better get going,” I said.

“I should as well,” Jeffrey replied. “Remember what I said.”

“I will.”

As Jeffrey walked to his car, I went to Noah’s and slipped inside. I watched through the windshield as Jeffrey entered his car and pulled away.

My heart sank.

What was I going to do? I couldn’t protect myself without him and the Special Guard. I pretended to be confident in my self-defense skills, but I knew that I would not be able to get myself to do what I did to Chevalier to someone else.

Now, with Bob in a position of power, I was more vulnerable than ever before. Maybe moving away from the pack would help, but I wasn’t sure how far Bob’s influence stretched now that he was on the Werewolf Council.

My hand curled into a fist over my leg. The muscles in my arms tensed to the point that they almost cramped. Noah must have noticed because he reached over and grabbed my hand gently.

“Are you okay?” he asked in a concerned, loving tone.

I forced a smile upon my face.

“Yeah,” I replied. I tried to will my hands to stop shaking. “Everything’s just fine.”