The Runt novel Chapter 6

She's upset! Her she-wolf is distressed and she's clearly been crying! Phoenix whimpers when we see Penelope walk out of the packhouse and come toward us. I doubt she got much sleep last night based on the bags under her eyes, and their redness would indicate she's been crying. Clearly, my introduction impacted her far more than I gave myself credit for – I'm such a dick!

You have a lot of ground to make up for – don't fuck this up! Phoenix snarls angrily at me. Penelope stops in front of me, her face impassive and blank but her eyes full of fury.

"Which car am I riding in?" She doesn't greet me or say good morning, treating me precisely the same way I did her. I open the door to the car we're standing next to and she immediately crawls in without a second look at Alpha Martin, or any of the pack members she's leaving behind. I give him a small nod before climbing into the car behind her, no longer looking forward to the seven hours of travel time ahead of us.

She's already buckled in and sitting with her face turned to the window when I get in. AJ will be driving our car and we have warriors in vehicles ahead of us as well as behind for security. AJ gives me a quick look as if to say, 'what the hell?' before starting the car and following the lead vehicle out of the territory. In minutes we're on the highway and I'm trying to figure out a way to start a conversation with her. Since we've left, she hasn't moved a muscle or turned her gaze once.

"Would you like to learn more about the Midnight Pack?" I ask her, since it is now her home, pack, and extended family. Once she's settled in, she will take her place by my side as Luna and we can have our mating ceremony – I want to give her as long as she needs but I know my old man is going to be on my back as soon as we return home. He is either going to want me to get her pregnant as fast as possible so her ceremony will be quick, in which case I need to win her over sooner rather than later or, he's going to hate her and none of this is going to matter. I'm a strong Alpha but the only way to keep my mate over my father would be for him to be exiled or dead and I don't see either happening anytime soon, so I really hope he likes her.

I try a few more times to talk to her and get nothing out of her beyond what is required for necessary conversation but that's it. She is so emotionally cut off that I feel like she's physically in the car with me but mentally somewhere else, and I don't know what to do about it. I know our first meeting wasn't great but I don't understand the hostility – I don't know how we got to 'here'.

I don't know how to turn things around.