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His gaze flicked over at me and back to Lillian. “Can we talk in private?”
Lillian’s lips curved into a gentle, sympathetic smile. “This is Ruby. She’s my apprentice. Anything you say to me, I’ll relay to her anyway.”
“Fine.” He didn’t look happy about it, but he didn’t fight her, either. “While we were running under the full moon, Mathias caught his leg in a bear trap, and then someone shot him with a tranquilizer.” A muscle tensed in his cheek. “Before he passed out, his wolf bit one of the hunters.”
Lillian gasped. “Did you capture him?”
Zeke shook his head. “We saved Mathias, but the hunters escaped. We did catch their scent this time, though. They’re human.”
“If he was bitten during the full moon, one of them won’t be human for much longer.” Lillian tapped her index finger on her chin. “We have to find him before the next full moon. We can’t have a young, rogue werewolf feeding in Salem.”
My eyes widened. “How can we help?”
“This is pack business.” His gaze cut over to me. “We’ll handle it.” He looked at Lillian. “I only came here because Mathias is asking for you.”
Lillian nodded. “Let me collect my healing herbs and crystals. I’ll be right back.”
Before I could offer to help her, she was gone, leaving me alone with…a werewolf. My last experience with a wolf involved him hunting me like prey inside a club in Boston. Ditching him had proven almost impossible, and it had scared me more than I would ever admit out loud. I pulled in a deep breath, willing my pulse to slow.
He looked over at me. “Are you all right?”
He could probably hear my heart galloping, but I did my best to cover. “I’m fine. Just…worried about Lillian going out in this storm.”
For the first time since he walked through the door, his lips curved ever so slightly at the corners. “You’re a terrible liar.”
CHAPTER 2
Zeke
Lillian’s apprentice putup a good front, but aside from her racing pulse, the smell of her fear stung my nostrils, making the wolf in my soul edgy. Intense emotions carried undeniable scents, and fear had a pungent sulfur odor that was coming off her in waves.
Was she…afraid of me?
I studied her profile as she waited for Lillian to come back. I’d never seen this woman before. I would’ve remembered her. She had long chocolate-brown hair and brown eyes with flecks of gold that shone like tiger’s eye crystals. She also had a small mole on her cheek. All tiny details I wouldn’t have forgotten.
Maybe I’d done something a human might consider threatening when I’d come in. I retraced my steps and couldn’t remember anything that might’ve been overtly hostile. I cleared my throat. “Am I your first werewolf?”
She coughed as she turned to meet my eyes. “Excuse me?”
“Have you ever met a werewolf before? Is that why you’re…worked up?”
“I already told you, I’m fine.” She straightened her teal sweater, which pulled it tighter across her breasts. She lifted her eyes, and I hoped I’d popped my gaze back up from her chest before she noticed. Her chin tilted up a little. “And you’re not the first werewolf I’ve ever met.”
Now I was intrigued. And maybe a little…jealous.
Lillian returned just in time. “All right, I’m ready.” She headed for the door, but when I started to follow, she shook her head. “I can ride with Ruby. Then you won’t have to bring me all the way back.”
“I should probably stay here and run the store,” Ruby replied.
I nodded and looked at Lillian. “I don’t mind bringing you back.”
She glanced at her apprentice. “We can leave a note on the door that there was an emergency.”
The color drained from Ruby’s cheeks.
I ground my teeth. This wasn’t my problem. But that didn’t stop me from trying to help her anyway. I didn’t know her, but it was obvious she was afraid to walk into the Alpha’s house and be surrounded by werewolves. “You don’t need to close the store. Mathias asked me to find you. He probably wouldn’t be happy about having someone else with you anyway.”
Ruby met my eyes for a split second before focusing on Lillian again. “He’s right. You know how werewolves get.”
