Yeah, your buddy is on thin ice. I don’t care if he is an Alpha.
And stupidly hot.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” Orsen offered, his jaw muscles visibly tense.
I narrowed my eyes at him, reassured by the little blade pressing against my palm.
“My cell is over there.” He nodded at the dresser next to me.
The space between him and the phone made a wave of relief wash over me. There was no need to get close to him. I was quick enough for a human, and I had no problem defending myself, but I was no dummy, either. He was bigger and stronger than me; there was no denying that fact.
I scooped up the phone, unlocking it without a passcode as Orsen said, “Most of the names you mentioned have numbers saved in there.”
I flicked through the contact list, recognizing a few people until I came across Luca’s. After pressing the phone icon, I put the call on speaker and held it up, so the other two could hear. This was going to be a group conversation.
Hopefully, one that would go in my favor.
Luca picked up on the second ring. “Orsen! How’s it going, did?—"
“Luca? It’s Rowan Doe here,” I interrupted.
“Ro? What are you doing onOrsen’sphone?”A noticeable pause filled the air before Luca continued, his tone so much lower now, obviously worried. “Are he and his clan okay?”
Should have thought of that. A healer calling from his phone is… well, it’s too late now.
“They’re fine, maybe a little feral.” I shot a glance at Orsen, taking the tiniest bit of joy in using the word in front of him. “Me, on the other hand, I honestly don’t know.”
I resisted the urge to break down. I didn’t have time for that, though. “I’m here to heal a child, and frankly, they’ve been behaving like animals. I needed someone to know I was here in case yourbuddytries something again.”
“Wait…” I could almost feel the temperature drop, the seriousness in Luca’s tone bleeding through the phone. “Rowan, are you doubting your safety? I can have my second come and get youimmediately.”
That, right there, was why I’d called Luca. He was a softie, sure, but when it came down to it, when someone’s safety was on the line, he could be downright lethal.
It also didn’t hurt that I’d helped his grandmother with her arthritis pain, so he adored me.
“No can do, Luca. We need her here,” Nix finally said, glancing from the phone to his clanmate. “Orsen acted out of turn. We’redealingwith it, but we need Rowan to heal the sick boy, Rory. I wanted her to call you to assure her she was safe with us.”
Nix shifted his eyes to me as he spoke, something insistent and almost… desperate in his stare. I knew they were concerned about Rory, but this felt different. I couldn’t put my finger on why, nor could I understand why his being upset concerned me in the slightest. I was supposed to be pissed at both of them. I still was, dammit.
“Nix.” Luca’s tone warned, having recognized his old friend’s voice. “You fucking vow to me that Rowan will be safeandunharmed, or I will personally collect her tonight.”
Luca was a puppy dog, usually, but he could stand his ground when the situation called for it. He controlled one of the strongest hordes in the area. While his might have been smaller than this one initially,they were rising up the ranks, especially since this horde had been dwindling for several years now.
Looking right at me, Nix put his hand over his chest. “She’s safe, I assure you. She’s not going anywhere.”
I started to bristle at his words, but Luca cut in.
“Hate to point out the obvious here, but then why the fuck is she calling me?”
Nix bit back a retort, ducking his chin as he exhaled hard. “It’s alongstory. We were taken by surprise, but…”
His eyes came to me again, holding them with such intensity that my fingers trembled.
“… I give my vow that I will not harm this woman in any way, that she will be safe under my protection, and you have my full permission to declare war on my horde if I go against my word.”
There was a pause again. When I finally pulled my attention off Nix, it unfortunately settled on Orsen, and the expression on his face made my pulse flutter. He hadn’t said the words, but everything was right there in his eyes as he nodded at me.
“Have you got your phone, Ro?” Luca asked.
