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What in the world happened?
It was only when she tried to stand up, gasping as her ankle throbbed, that she remembered everything that happened in the woods.
Kyle, Micha…and Officer McGoven.
While not in this room, he was still in the house. She could sensehimin the same way she felt her own heartbeat playing through her chest.He’s down below, something told her.Waiting.
Her body trembled as she padded into the hallway and down the stairs. The instant she made contact with the first floor, a pair of gray eyes sought her out from the direction of the kitchen.
He stood at the center island, dressed in another pair of sweats…and very little else. In a rare display, his chest was bare, and every scar glimmered like silver in the waning daylight. As he pivoted on his heels, she snuck a glimpse of his naked back, and her breath caught. The man was a maze of flesh and silvery scars. And ink. For the first time, the tattoo on his neck was clearly visible—a simplistic design consisting of four lines, stretching down between his shoulder blades. Their deliberate placement brought to mind more violent imagery—claw marks.
Surprisingly, that wasn’t the most shocking observation to catch Loren’s eye. The fact that he watched her while holding a half-eaten tuna sandwich to his mouth was. In contrast to the man who took on four men to save her, it was a comical scene. Until his eyes met hers, as stern as ever.
“Naomi came by,” he said, before taking a bite. “I had her leave your work. I thought you’d appreciate a reprieve from her for a day at least.”
That explained the slamming car door. Sure enough, glancing out of the window, Loren caught sight of a pink car speeding down the road. It had to be late, if school had already let out—meaning she had slept all day.
“Thanks.”
She stood awkwardly on the bottom step for at least another full minute, before she finally found the courage to enter the kitchen. He finished his sandwich while she approached. Then he stood aside to reveal a second, untouched sandwich on a paper plate.
“Have a seat—” He inclined his head toward an empty stool and placed the food in front of it.
Loren complied and began to eat. As soon as she took a bite, he placed a hand on the counter inches from hers.
“What are you thinking?”
The question threw her off, and she choked on a bite of tuna. He had to get her a cup of water, and she gulped it down, desperate to compile a coherent reply. Whatwasshe thinking? Her eyes trailed over that stern jaw, following the line of it up and across his face.
“You were the wolf.” The words came out stronger than she would have thought. Steady.
But she had caught him off guard. Almost too quickly to track, he raised an eyebrow before his expression smoothed into a blank mask. He watched her for so long, she could sense the darkness thickening outside until it was fully nightfall.
Finally, he nodded. “I was.”
He said it without any emotion, almost as if daring hernotto believe him. And the funny thing was…
She did.
“How?”
How.Not,You’re crazy.
This is insane.
I’m calling the police.
She didn’t run from the room. Even stranger, was that the admission wasn’t surprising in the least. All along, she’d sensed that he was different—from the moment she first stepped foot in this very house, in fact.
“It’s in my blood,” Officer McGoven said after a while, leaning against the opposite counter. “We call it lupine instinct.” The careful phrasing implied something. Something…dark.
“Like a disease?” She didn’t know what made her use that word.A disease that makes you sprout hair and grow fangs?Nervously, she crammed another chunk of sandwich into her mouth.
Officer McGoven didn’t seem to take offense. “More like hereditary,” he said. “An inherited trait. The beast you saw is a part of me, and I am a part of it. Think of us as two halves of the same coin.”
Oh, Loren thought somewhat breathlessly. He must have rehearsed this speech, putting it into terms she’d understand. Though, most people inherited just their eye color from their parents. Apparently,hehad inherited the ability to change into a beast at will.
“It’s not how it sounds,” McGoven added. He crossed his arms and frowned as if trying to come up with the right words. The awkwardness betrayed just how little he was used to holding an actual conversation. “It’sinstinct,” he settled on finally. “I’m not a monster, or a mindless animal. Even in my other form, I am still me.”
