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“Good point,” Jagger concedes, though I know I’m still not out of trouble.
“But then I saw her. Huge…golden coat. Definitely not a natural wolf.” I pause, the memory of that first sighting still vivid. “There was something about her…a sense that we were the same.”
“You knew she was a shifter,” Jagger states flatly. “That would have been clear from the start.”
“I tried to make contact, but she was completely wild. Didn’t respond at all to my calls or presence. Just took off into the woods.”
Jagger frowns. “So why didn’t you radio it in? We could have sent in backup to try to capture her.”
Capture her?
Fuck no!
My teeth grind at the thought, but I school my features. “I know it sounds crazy, but…there was this connection. This pull that I couldn’t explain. I felt compelled to follow her, to figure out what was going on.”
He arches an eyebrow skeptically. “And so you kept tracking her.”
“Yeah.” I scrub a hand over my face. “It took ages before I encountered her as a human. Before that, she seemed stuck in her wolf form.” I don’t mention that happened after she attacked me. I don’t want them to think that she’s dangerous. She’s not.
“Stuck.” Realization dawns on Jagger’s face. “The drugs…”
“Must have been the same thing affecting the others,” I confirm. “Keeping them from being able to shift back fully.”
Jagger lets out a low growl of annoyance. “But that still doesn’t explain why you went off on your own, Chord. You should have called this in immediately.”
I feel the tips of my ears growing hot. “I know, I know. I just…” I huff in exasperation because I can’t quite explain it. “My instincts were in overdrive, Law. I had to protect her, figure out what was going on.”
“Still, we could have helped and—”
“You couldn’t have helped!” I bark, then stop abruptly when I realize how out of line I am. Jagger’s expression has darkened; I’m walking a tightrope. I take a deep breath and start again. “Jagger, things were complicated out there. She was running scared. Every encounter seemed to drive her further away, make her more skittish. And how were we supposed to focus on helping her when the sanctuary posed a much bigger problem?” I run a hand through my hair. “What if she’d been caught in the crossfire if things had gone south?”
“That wasn’t your call to make.” Jagger still doesn’t look impressed. “Though, from what I can tell, you weren’t thinking like a professional anymore. You were…” He exhales, looking exasperated. “You were acting like a wolf following a mate bond. You still have to explain that, Barrett.”
“I wish I could tell you.” I rest my elbows on the desk and lean forward. “It was…like nothing I’d ever felt before. It was like…”
“Something grabbed your heart and ripped it from your chest?” He’s eyeing me.
I grimace. “Yeah. Pretty much.”
“And what does Cedara think about this? I’m guessing she’s accepted the bond, too? From the way she was hanging onto you—”
“She doesn’t know,” I say. “I haven’t discussed it with her.”
Jagger snorts out a laugh. “Oh, buddy.” He shakes his head. “She knows alright. That female was clinging to you like a limpet.”
“That’s just because I helped her when they brought in the hunting parties. She wouldn’t have got out otherwise.”
“Hunting parties?” Jaggers brows beetle.
“After what went down at Whispering Pines, they brought in the authorities. They’re looking for the escaped wolves – they know that they were behind the attack.”
Jagger has stiffened. “Are you shitting me? And you didn’t think to lead in with this? What the fuck is wrong with you, Chord? This bullshit isn’t like you at all!”
Well, shit.
“I’m telling you now?” I try.
“Jesus.” Jagger rubs the spot between his brows. “If only you know how badly I want to rip you a new one right now.” He lets out a breath, clearly seeking patience. “Okay, let’s not waste any more time. Take it from the top. What’s happening out there?”
