Nate’s POV
“Start talking, Noella,” I repeated with a low growl. “Why the hell were you so cold to us the first time, Noella? Even though you knew that we were clueless about the whole thing.”
Noella’s gaze moved around the small room as if searching for an escape route. She shifted uncomfortably. “Fine,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. “You want to know the truth? I’ll tell you.”
She took a deep breath. “When the hunters attacked, when everything started collapsing… Ace and I, we couldn’t go to the Redwood pack.”
“Couldn’t?” I repeated, frowning. “Why not?”
“Because…” she hesitated. “Because we’re healers.”
“And?” I prompted, urging her to continue.
“And there’s… animosity,” she muttered lowly. “A deep-rooted animosity between our line and the Alphas. It’s… an abomination f
