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“You’re a shifter,” she blurted out and I stilled, my shirt half on, but she didn’t seem to mind, her gaze lingering on my chest.
“What? No werewolf nonsense?” I retorted, unable to hide my surprise at how accurately she’d guessed.
“Werewolves are so last year.”
Laughter burst from me at her deadpan expression and she looked at me.
“So, are we discussing this now?”
She sighed deeply, looking dejected as she answered, “Yes.”
“Don’t sound so enthusiastic, Jess. People might take you for a wolf lover,” I told her, keeping my face expressionless and it took her a second to realize I was joking.
“That was so bad, it was almost funny,” she grumbled and I smirked. “I had a reason for coming here and I’m not so ill prepared as you think,” she informed me tartly, clearly taking objection to my implication that she needed looking after.
“Yeah, you brought a gun,” I said idly. “Anna warned me in case I said something to piss you off.”
She exhaled, looking crestfallen by my lack of concern that she had a gun. I wasn’t exactly unhappy that she’d taken my advice, just more concerned that she might have to use it. She frowned and I attempted to salvage the situation.
“You know how to use it?”
“Yes,” she answered, unenthusiastically.
“Good, I’m glad you have it.”
My praise, faint as it was, had her standing a little straighter. She’d taken a foolish risk coming here, but at the same time I knew she’d tried to come as prepared as possible.
“The Hanley who tried to drag me away – ”
“Justin.”
“Yeah, him. He said some things to me.” I glanced at her in concern, since there was no telling what kind of threats the Hanley might have made. “About you or more the Pack.”
“What do you mean?”
We were walking along a path that meandered past the houses and occasionally a curtain flashed as we walked past.
“Are they watching us?” she asked, trying to be discreet as she eyed the houses.
I snorted and waved pointedly at one of the twitching curtains.
“Of course. You’re an oddity and they’re curious.”
“An oddity?” She questioned, then waved her hand dismissively and said, “Never mind, a question for a later date. I’m more worried about what Justin said.”
“I’m listening,” I replied, his gaze focused on her. She had my complete attention and I could see it had her flustered.
“He was gleeful, it was almost like he was high. He said, ‘They think they’re special, but they’ll find out soon enough.’” She paused then rushed through the next words, “After I’ve fucked you, they won’t want you back.” I let out a low growl, and the fine hairs on her arms stood up. She hurried to finish before I lost it. “Then he said, ‘Not that there will be anyone left to save you.’”
We stood there silently for a minute, my face carefully blank to keep from frightening her further. Her words were worrying. It implied the Hanleys were planning a direct assault, one we weren’t prepared for.
“He said that?” I verified. “No one left to save you?”
She nodded in confirmation, her eyes lost in memory, causing her to shiver. Recognizing her fear, I rubbed my hands over her arms, trying to soothe her.
“We expected retaliation, but this….”
“Sounds premeditated?” She whispered, and my jaw worked as I nodded.
“I need to go talk to the pack elders,” I finally said, reluctantly letting her go. “Would you like to meet them?” I questioned hesitantly. The question was innocent enough, but I was cautious. Outsiders were rarely welcomed into the community and never openly invited to meet our Elders. But Jess wasn’t an outsider. Thanks to Caleb’s lie, the Alpha believed she’d attempted to save his son. I wanted her to belong.
She took a deep breath and answered, “Yes.”
Admiration flickered through me at her bravery as I placed my hand on her back to steer her toward the Pack House. She let out a hiss, arching away from my hand and I stopped with a frown. She gave me a halfhearted smile. “You were right about feeling the pain the next day.”
Understanding dawned and I grimaced in sympathy. “No one’s licking your back,” I warned her she let out a choked laugh.
“I wasn’t planning on letting anyone,” she sassed back and I gave her an approving glance.
“I do have pain reliever though,” I offered.
“You probably should have started with that,” she advised, patting my arm.
“Noted,” I answered dryly, coming to a stop in front of one of the larger buildings. I glanced over my shoulder and saw a few people outside, casting glances our way. They stayed close to the houses, but there was no doubt they were staring at Jess.
“You’re definitely going to have to explain why I’m so damn interesting,” she murmured and I grinned faintly, knowing there was no way I would ever be able to explain so she’d understand. “And are we supposed to knock?”
