Chapter 32

Marcus glanced at Rollins, then back at me. “There are ancient texts, hidden in the old pack archives at my place. The answers you need might be in there.”

Relief washed over me at the mention of answers, but a nagging doubt gnawed at the back of my mind. Why was Marcus helping me? Why hadn't he mentioned our past? The memory of his rejection was still fresh, and yet here he was, offering his assistance without a hint of acknowledgment.

I glanced at Rollins, whose expression was a mask of determination. He trusted Marcus, or at least he was willing to, for my sake. But I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to this than what Marcus was letting on.

“Why are you helping me?” I blurted out, unable to keep the question from escaping.

Marcus’s eyes flickered with something I couldn’t quite place guilt, perhaps, or something deeper. “Because it’s the right thing to do,” he said, his voice steady, but it felt rehearsed, like he had already prepared this answer.

I didn’t believ