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CHAPTER ELEVEN 
     
ROWAN
We follow after Ari as I question what he caught the sound of because right now I’m not hearing anything. Maybe I haven’t figured out this whole hearing thing.
That’s when I see a huge bear sitting up in a tree, which is pretty impressive since I didn’t think brown bears could climb trees like that.
“Hey, dickwad,” Ari says, telling me this is the Trenton we’ve been looking for.
Trenton is silent as he stares down at him. Graham says, “Maybe we have the wrong brown bear. Maybe this is just a regular brown bear and, in that sense, much superior to Trenton.”
“Did the monster hopefully tear out your voice box?” Kaiya asks.
“Fuck you,” Trenton growls. “What the hell is that thing? What the absolute fuck?”
“Get down,” Quinn orders. His voice is steady and low, but there’s so much power in it. There’s so much control in it that I can see the shifters around him respond. They dip their heads and drop their tails, even though it’s clear he’s not angry at them.
Trenton unskillfully slides down to the ground where he slumps onto his ass. I see he’s hurt, but that doesn’t seem to quench Quinn’s unbridled anger.
Quinn takes a step toward him, standing tall, even though he’s facing off against a brown bear weighing damn near a thousand pounds. “You defy my orders, you literally lie to me, you put our pack in danger, and for what?”
And while everyone else is giving him full respect, my leopard is pleased. So pleased at the power of him, the way he controls them, and there’s no longer any question why he’s marked as alpha.
Trenton bows his head, eyes averted as he lowers himself to make himself look less tall. “I apologize, alpha.”
“Do it again and you’re done. This will be the end of you as a member of my pack. Now shift back. None of us can carry you back.”
“I can walk,” he says.
“Fine, then let’s move out.”
Quinn takes the lead but keeps a slow pace so Trenton doesn’t get too far behind. I find myself walking beside him, watching him closely.
“What’s up, cat?” Quinn asks, voice playful compared to when he’d spoken to Trenton.
“Nothing.”
“Am I that interesting?” he asks teasingly.
Is he? He’s attractive but he’s not the most attractive man I’ve ever seen. So what is it about him?
He snorts and I suddenly get the impression he’s laughing at me, so I hiss at him involuntarily and slow down until I’m beside Graham. The look Graham gives me tells me he wants nothing to do with me, but I’m stubborn and stay beside him. This seems to annoy Graham even more but only makes me defiant.
When we reach the village, Quinn sends the others off to get Trenton to the doctor. Then Quinn hangs back to call Scott.
“Scott, this is Quinn. One of my pack members was missing this morning so I went into the woods to retrieve him and stumbled upon a group of about six or so men and women who had been killed. Looks like a search team.”
Scott is silent for a moment. “What do you mean? All of my search teams have been accounted for… I just got updates from the ones that were out a few minutes ago. You said six people are dead?”
“Yes. I don’t know the exact coordinates, but if you bring your team out here, I’ll take them there.”
“We’ll be there right away. You never had Rowan call me back,” he says.
“I’ve had more pressing matters.”
Quinn hangs up on him before turning to me and ruffling my ears. “You can stay here. I’ll go alone.”
“I refuse,” I say, not quite sure why I refuse but positive I want no part of sending him out alone. So when Scott pulls up just outside the village with seven vehicles, I’m by Quinn’s side as he greets them.
Scott’s team assembles as Quinn nods. “It’s about two miles out. Ready?”
Scott watches me closely, which makes me anxious for some reason. It’s not like he can tell who I am. “Where’d the snow leopard come from?” he asks.
“The zoo. Now let’s go. We’re wasting time,” Quinn says, and he shifts before Scott can ask him anything else.
It’s slow going with the humans, but when we make it, I can see immediate shock on Scott’s face. “These aren’t my men.”
“Maybe a local group?” Quinn asks after shifting back.
“With this arsenal?” a woman says. “I don’t think we’re the only ones looking for these two.”
Scott spins on her. “What do you mean by that? Do you know of someone else out here?”
“Well… no, but if they’re not with us then—”
“They’re probably sent by the prison. I’m sure that’s what it is, and they just forgot to mention it to us.”
“This is all I have, so I’ll be going,” Quinn says, clearly eager to get back to his pack.
Scott grabs Quinn’s arm before he can turn and flee. “You can’t go. Who will hear if it comes back?” Scott says.
Quinn doesn’t look pleased as he pulls his arm free. “I’m not your guard dog.”
Scott glowers at Quinn before folding his arms over his chest. “If you don’t want to get in trouble for having a snow leopard here without permission, then I think you better stay.”
“Now shifter families aren’t allowed to visit?” Quinn asks. “What else do you want to do to suppress us?”
Scott’s eyes narrow. “And whose family might he be visiting when you have no snow leopards in your village?”
Quinn shows his teeth a little in what would definitely be a fighting gesture as a wolf but Scott is oblivious as he heads off. Grudgingly, Quinn shifts and sits down next to me.
“I think I would enjoy eating him,” Quinn decides.
“Hmm… I bet he’s tough. I bet being an asshole makes your meat a bit chewy.”
Even though Quinn can’t quite smile as a wolf, I can tell he would be. “Want to find out?”
I watch Scott rush around snapping at this person and that. “Kind of. But then they’d be looking for us instead of the actual criminals.”
“Honestly, I think his coworkers would applaud us.”
I fear they might as well.
      
Night two as a leopard.
After we got back to the village, Quinn had a mandatory meeting telling everyone that they were to be in lockdown each night by seven and were only allowed to move in large groups, even during the day. The pack seemed eager to listen and they spent some time working out groups that would leave at certain times to work. After we finished, I followed Quinn to his house, not at all hesitant to go. I tried not to even look at Donna’s cabin as we walked past since my leopard was more than happy to follow him. Once there, he spent a good hour trying to help me shift back, but to no avail.
As soon as Quinn goes back to bed, I find myself anxious again, much like last night. It’s like the moment I’m left alone, my brain goes crazy and I can’t focus on anything but letting my leopard control me. Do all shifters feel like they’re made of two parts? I hate feeling like I’m not myself, feeling like my leopard is trying to control me. I’m in control. No one else. This body is mine and I wish more than anything I could get rid of that second side of me. But those thoughts seem to make everything worse and I find myself questioning them for the first time in years. Is that what I want?
Talon stares at me anxiously, like I’m making him nervous, before he gets up and trots down the hallway. I look to see where he’s disappeared to and find that Quinn had left his door open.
I decide I’ll go in just to get Talon, so I head down the hallway. When I see he’s up on Quinn’s bed, I try to think about how I’ll get him down without the ability to talk to him. I nudge Talon, but he doesn’t respond.
I crawl up onto Quinn’s bed and stare down at Talon before noticing Quinn. I walk over to him and stare down at him some. Maybe I’ll just eat him and my leopard can fuck off. I feel like my leopard is obsessed with him and I don’t know why. He’s just a disgusting shifter. They’re unnatural. They’re…
My mind flashes back to that cold small room. “This isn’t natural. You’re a freak. It’s no wonder your mother left you. She’d never want anything as disgusting as you.”
I pace as I feel my mind dropping down and giving over to my leopard just to hide from it—hide from all of it—and maybe it’ll go away and I won’t have to think of that time again.
OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER TWELVE 
     
QUINN
Once Rowan gets done jumping around on my bed for what has to be an hour while I try to pretend I’m asleep—which is quite hard when you have a leopard hopping around like he’s doing an aerobics class—he finally curls up against me. The moment he’s pressed against me, he starts purring. I have this weird desire to lean into him, but I do my best to ignore him beyond being cramped in a bed with a dog at my feet and a snow leopard heating up my back.
When I wake up, it’s a whole different story because the snow leopard has been replaced by a rather naked and handsome man. He’s spooning me, you know, as a random man you’ve only met last week is known to do when he crawls into your bed a bit uninvited, yet weirdly wanted.
At least he’ll be happy when he realizes he’s back in his human form. He opens his eyes, latches on to mine and immediately smiles before all hell breaks loose. His smile drops as he eyes me suspiciously before glancing down and realizing just how naked he is in my bed.
“Fucking hell!” he cries as he jumps up, trips over the blanket he’s wound up in and nearly falls out of the bed. Instead of plummeting out, he does this neat little maneuver where he slides out on his face, leaving only his bare ass and legs up on the bed.
I have this strange desire to smack his ass but decide that petting Talon who seems excited to find me in my bed is the better move.
“I’m sorry for… climbing in your bed,” Rowan mumbles from somewhere on the floor. “I was looking for Talon and I must have gotten… confused.”
“It’s fine. I can’t complain. You were like a heating pad. A ridiculously hot heating pad.”
“Can I borrow some clothes, please?”
“Sure,” I say as I get out of bed and go over to my dresser. I had put some shorts on last night since I’d guessed he’d grace my bedroom at some point. “I probably have something that’ll fit you.”
I grab some clothes that I had sitting on my dresser and toss them to him. Rowan picks them up, holds them against himself, and sees that they’d actually be a bit baggy on him.
“Whose clothes are these?” he growls. Literally growls.
I smirk as I walk up to him and shove him back against the wall. “Why? Are you going to fight them for me?”
He growls again as he turns his head away. “No. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
Rowan’s eyes flicker back to mine as I realize we’re close enough I can feel his breath on me. My eyes drop to his lips that I want to ravage. I want to claim him. Make him understand that he’s mine.
Fuck.
I turn quickly, pulling myself away from him and the ridiculous thoughts. I rub my neck while questioning what’s wrong with me as well. It’s clear he’s at some divide between him and his shifter side, but what’s my excuse?
“They’re my brother’s clothes,” I add for some reason. Like I don’t want Rowan to have the wrong impression.
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
I wave him off. “Don’t be. We’re both acting a bit ridiculous. Do you want a shower? I’ll get you a towel and washcloth.”
“Yes, please. Thank you.”
“I’ll make breakfast while you shower,” I say before leaving the room to grab the towel and washcloth. I set both on the counter and find myself standing there staring at myself in the mirror. My amber eyes look back at me, questioning what’s wrong with my sanity. My reflection doesn’t seem to know either, which isn’t surprising.
Rowan steps into the doorway and leans against the doorframe before looking in at me. “What’s wrong with me?”
I’ve been asking the same thing about myself. “Nothing. You’re fine. It’ll go away. You just need more time to understand your shifter side.”
“Okay,” he says, but I’m not sure he seems happy with that answer.
I slip past him and where my arm brushes him, heat rises inside me. I can only imagine how much worse it is for him, someone who isn’t used to his shifter side as well as dealing with this… whatever this is.
Pushing all that back, I go into my room and get changed before heading to the kitchen. I need to get out of this house or something. Yes, just getting away and distracting myself will fix this.
When Rowan returns, I set a plate down for him and he grins at me. “Thumbs! Silverware!”
I snort before shaking my head. “I take it you’re quite excited?”
“I never realized how much I could miss them! The only downfall is having to tell Scott I’m alive.”
I grin at him before pointing a fork his way. “You know what? If I were you, I’d pretend to have come down with severe flu. What are you going to be able to do with this case anymore? They need more than just you. I could be severely wrong, but I don’t think you’re qualified for whatever this is. That falls more in line with some type of special law enforcement.”
“It does seem like we have no trouble finding the thing, yet they can’t properly pin him down… although I’m pretty sure that’s just because he wants to find us and murder us.”
“True. Murder is something I’m not too interested in. I mean, have you seen my wolf? I’m too pretty to die,” I joke.
Rowan shakes his head. “Ah, nice to know the good ol’ Grim Reaper only takes the ugly folk.”
“I didn’t say I was attractive. I said my wolf side is. I’ve been told I look like a fluffy mutt, a teddy bear, and one time I was even renamed Cottonfluff.”
“That is a better name for you than Quinn. So much more fitting,” he says with a grin. “I can really see the Cottonfluff side.”
“She was this elderly lady who was half blind. She thought my brother and I were stray dogs and took care of us for like a month before her son came along and was horrified. He chased us off, but Cottonfluff and Poochypoof had enjoyed our month of luxury.”
“Poochy… Poochypoof? She called your brother Poochypoof?” Rowan asks, clearly delighted by this.
I am too. “Yes, so if you’re ever like ‘Man, today would be a good day to have someone threaten to kill me,’ call him Poochypoof. You should have seen the anger when I told Kaiya.”
“So you told the girl he’s in love with? You’re devious.”
“Even you see the way he looks at her?”
Rowan looks at me in disbelief that I’d even ask. “He’s drooling after her. Of course I see it.”
“She’s the only one who doesn’t. I suppose I should actually start my day. I’m going to suggest the idea of getting some guards out at all points. The issue with that is we’ll have to go with limited workers or shut down some businesses, slowing our tourist attractions. Are you going to come with me and growl at some more people?”
“I might. Depends what I’m feeling, you know?” he asks.
I grin at him. “And if I told you I liked it?”
He shakes his head, but I can tell he’s amused.
      
We spend the meeting talking about putting some of our village funds toward surveillance cameras which will solve the possibility of someone getting hurt while doing rounds. I also get harassed by my brother for allowing Rowan to wear his clothes, which I just ignore. I have no idea what Graham has against Rowan, but he’s glaring at him more than anything.
After the meeting finishes, Rowan walks up to me. “I’ve talked to Scott who wants me back to consult with him. Could I bother someone to drive me? I’ll pay them for running me. I’ll try driving next time.”
“I can take you. I need to get some supplies while in town anyway. Are you ready now?” I ask.
“I am.”
Leaving Graham in charge, I head out to my car and drive toward town.
“Does Scott really still need you? I think it’s unsafe for you to go back out into the woods,” I say.
“I’m fine. I won’t go out alone again. I’m not stupid, I promise.”
I glance away from the road to look at him.
Rowan glares at me in response which makes me laugh. “Don’t give me that look. I’m not.”
“Fine, fine. I just think it’s reckless and ridiculous to involve someone who isn’t more specialized in the area. Don’t get me wrong, I think you’re good at what you do, but you don’t have an assault rifle like they did, and they still ended up dead.”
“I won’t go out alone, I promise. I might not even go out again.”
I’m not sure I’m pleased with this, but I give him a nod.
His phone rings and I immediately notice his body language shifts as he looks at who it is. He still picks it up and answers it before I can get a look at the name. “Hello?... Okay… yeah, I can pick it up now. I’ll be in town here in a few minutes. Yeah… okay… bye.”
I glance over at him. “Something wrong?”
He shakes his head, even though his expression clearly gives away that there is. “No, it’s fine. Could you actually drop me off at the post office? I can walk from there.”
“Yeah, sure. It was one of my places to stop anyway since our mail doesn’t come out here.”
He nods slowly, like he’s not really even listening to me, and I find myself feeling anxious that he’s upset. I want to comfort him, but I’m not sure how or what to do.
“You sure you’re okay?” I ask.
“Yeah. There’s nothing wrong at all.” Rowan plasters a fake smile on his face and stares at me. But unlike humans, shifters read body language amazingly well and his body is closed off. Shut down.
When I pull into the parking lot, we walk in together. I gather up the mail and take it out to the car while he waits at the counter. After I’m finished packing it into the back, I wait for him by the door. When he comes out, my eyes drop to the small package in his hand and as he steps down the stairs, a rattling noise reaches my ears. I stare at him as I realize just what it is and find that my wolf is pissed. Anger is filling me, and I don’t even know why. It’s his life. He can do what he wants with it, but that doesn’t make sense. No, the only thing that makes sense in my mind is to tell him how ridiculous this is. To get it away from him.
But as Rowan rounds the corner, out of sight of the main road, I slam him against the brick wall. “Are those your pills your dear fucked-up daddy sent you?” I growl. What the hell am I doing? What the hell am I saying? This is not the way to help him understand being a shifter is a good thing. But I can’t stop. I’m so upset he wants to cut out this part of his life, but what’s it matter to me? Why do I care so much about what this one man wants to do?
His expression darkens. “And what the hell does it matter to you?”
It doesn’t. He’s right. It doesn’t matter to me… but it does. It does so much. “You would cut down who you are, live a fake life just to make some man happy who clearly doesn’t even care about you?”
He grabs my arm and shoves me into the wall before pinning me there, like he thinks he can use his broader body to win this fight. He pushes his arm into my chest as he holds me down.
“It’s not your fucking problem, now is it? I want nothing to do with that abnormal and disgusting side of me.” The bite to his words bothers me.
“Don’t you? Because you seem happier when you’re with me and my pack than when you’re surrounded by people you pretend to be like,” I say, aching to get him to understand.
I feel like I’m going crazy. Why have I angered him? Why would I upset him? My wolven side is displeased that I would fight him, but it doesn’t understand that he thinks I’m disgusting, a freak, while pretending he’s not the same way. It doesn’t understand that I want to reason with him, make him see that this life is better. But I know bullying him into it isn’t helping. All of these emotions wind up inside me, begging to get out.
“You’re just lying to yourself,” I say as he presses into me, holding me against the wall with his body. I can feel his cock through his pants as he leans into me, eyes locked on to mine, and I find myself wanting to feel more of him. No more words come out, but I can’t help the way I tip my head up as if inviting him because I want him. I want this man more than I’ve ever wanted anything and I can’t even understand why.
His mouth crashes against mine so roughly that my lips are slammed into my teeth, but the way he’s pressing into me, his lips moving against me, has me thinking about nothing besides the fact that he’s mine. Mine. This man is all mine.
The kiss is rough as heat swells inside me and my desire to claim him spikes out of control. This is what I wanted all along. This is what I needed and I finally feel at peace as I grab onto him. I push into him, wanting more of him, and suddenly he jerks back, breaking away from me, leaving me with aching lips and a desire I can’t quite understand.
Rowan lifts a hand up, like he’s going to shoo me away. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re doing to me. You’re fucking with my head,” he says as he backs away, eyes wild, lips red. “You’re in my head. You’re doing something to my head! Get out of my head.”
He turns and rushes away from me, leaving me standing there wondering what he’s done to my head. Why am I so pulled into this man? I need nothing more than my pack. They are my responsibility. They are my priority. Not some man who hates what makes him who he is. Who hates what makes me who I am.
“Fuck,” I growl as I kick my tire before getting into my car. Hopefully, I’ll never see him again and I won’t have to worry about all this bullshit.
The thought of never seeing Rowan again bothers me far too much and I can feel my wolven side bristling at the thought.
      
ROWAN
As soon as I’m back to my new motel room, I tear open the package my father sent and pull the pill bottle out. I swear Quinn is doing something to me. He’s playing into what my abnormal side wants. He’s manipulating me…
Is he?
Wasn’t I the one who kissed him? Wasn’t I the one who climbed into his bed last night? Wasn’t it all me?
“Fuck!” I growl.
It’s no wonder why he was short with me. I’ve made comments more than once about him manipulating me and about how wrong shifters are, but that’s what I’ve been taught. That’s what I learned… but it doesn’t mean I have to say it.
A huge part of me wants to run back to him, pin him down and tell him that I’ll do anything he wants as long as he looks at me, and another part of me wants to destroy that part. Rip it apart because I’ve lost my mind. My father warned me this would happen. He warned me that if I let my unnatural side loose just once, it would consume me, it’d ruin me, destroy the person I am.
But then why do I feel more complete than I ever have? I pop open the bottle and shake a pill out. The small white capsule tumbles into my open palm and I stare down at it.
I have a good life. I have opportunities I would never be allowed to have if I were marked as a shifter. But why am I trying to tell myself it’s worth it? It’s worth giving up what I’m meant to be?
My father’s words circulate through my head. “You’re a disgrace. A freak. Unnatural. Only this can make you better. You’d be better off dead if you stay like this.”
Is Quinn unnatural? He doesn’t seem to be. He doesn’t act like he is. He’s kind and caring, but also knows how to control his pack. They all respect him and love him and…
There’s a hammering on the door. “You finally done playing hooky?” Scott yells.
I toss the pill into my mouth and wash it down with water before quickly putting my contacts in. When I’m done, I rush over to the door and pull it open. “What?”
“We’re waiting for you to give a statement about what happened to you in your motel room. I’ve been trying to get in contact with you for days. What the hell have you been doing?”
“Recovering. I don’t remember what happened. Maybe if you guys had a better handle on the situation, I wouldn’t have gone through that.”
Scott’s eyes narrow. “Yeah, well, we’re not being given the truth here, alright? All of this is a fucking mess, and I need all hands on deck to help me find out what’s happening. Did the freak tell you about the bodies they found?”
Irritation fills me at him daring to call Quinn a “freak” and I find myself wanting to correct him, but instead, I say, “He did.”
“Yeah, well, as soon as I called it in, this group of ‘officials’ from the prison came flocking in and told us we didn’t have the clearance to stick around and have an investigation run. No, they packed us up and shipped us off.”
“Who did?”
Scott shrugs as he looks behind himself, like one of them might be watching. “That’s what I’d like to know. I tried fighting it, but my boss told me to let it go and move on. He’s having us ‘take a step back and assess everything’ from the sidelines. Sound fishy to you?”
“You act like any part of this hasn’t been fishy,” I say.
“Right? I think that shifter village knows more than they let on. Awfully suspicious they keep figuring out things before us,” Scott says, eyes narrowing.
“You do realize they’re figuring things out because they have senses that are far greater than ours, right? That they can track, hunt, hear… all that far better than us, yet you treat them like they’re useless, then get mad when they want nothing to do with you?”
Scott seems highly displeased. “Kind of sounds like they’ve been busy at work brainwashing you. Is that what Quinn’s doing to you?”
Unadulterated anger spikes in me as I grab him and slam him against the wall, ready to protect Quinn. How dare this piece of shit continue to say something bad about him? I will make him—
I hesitate. Why am I losing my mind over him?
“I sure hope you’re second-guessing what you’re doing right about now,” Scott says, voice cold.
I let go of him before he says anything else about Quinn that makes me pop his head off. “I have a headache and if you don’t need something from me, I’m going to sleep it off.”
“Get ready by two, we’re having a meeting. And I want to hear what happened the other night.”
“I already told you I don’t remember,” I say as I slam the door.
Talon looks over at me like he’s confused why I’m being such an asshole. “I don’t know, bud,” I say. “I think my brain’s given up.”
I flop down on the bed and he climbs onto it with me. I stroke his fur back while questioning what’s wrong with me. I’m sure everything will be better once these pills kick in. I just have to give them time.
      
QUINN
Graham and Ari are staring at the security cameras that the pack set up when I walk in. “You know you both don’t have to be here, right? Or are you conspiring against me?” I ask as I sit on Ari’s lap.
“Oh my god, you’re crushing my legs!” he whines.
I just ruffle his black-tipped golden hair. “Shh, you like it.”
“I was finishing up my time and Ari was coming in until you broke his legs,” Graham says. “I guess he can’t leave now.”
“He shouldn’t have pencil legs and I wouldn’t have to crush them,” I say. “So? What were you two talking about?”
“How strange you’re acting,” Graham says as he folds his arms over his chest and eyes me like he’s ready for me to fight him on this topic.
I narrow my eyes at him, not ready to get into this. “How strange I’m… acting? I’m acting perfectly normal besides being anxious about keeping our pack safe. You saw what it did.”
“He’s not talking about that,” Ari says as he shoves his finger into my ear.
“Dammit, Ari!” I say, but then again, I probably deserve it after crushing his legs. “Then share with me. What might you be talking about?”
“Rowan,” they both say in unison.
Not again. “He’s not even here!”
“Correct and you’ve been moping since you last saw him two days ago. You’re all ‘Pity me for I am a lone sad wolf who will melt with depression. Boo hoo… I am handsome and the leader of a whole pack who adores me but boo hoo!’” Ari’s not at all cute when he’s being a little asshole.
My eyes narrow at Ari the Traitor. “You’re no longer cute and you’re definitely not funny.”
“I think he’s funny,” Graham says. “Now what the hell is going on between you and Rowan?”
“Nothing! I was just mad that he’s such an idiot is all! I mean, who would give up everything to pretend to be human?”
“A lot of people,” Graham says. “Your pack is amazing, but not many shifters get the opportunities our pack has. So yes, a lot of people would rather pretend to be human.”
I growl at him because he’s annoying with his annoying thoughts and annoying opinions. “Here’s the deal. I don’t remember asking either of you for help.”
“No, but you’re getting it. So what’s going on?” Graham asks.
“Nothing. My head is just weird.”
“Weird as in you can’t stop thinking about him? You want to drop everything to protect him? You’re anxious when he’s upset or gone?” Ari guesses.
And fuck me, does he hit the nail on the head, but it’s more complex than that. It’s different because it’s not so cut and dried. “Nope.”
“I think Rowan’s your mate,” Graham says. “And I hate it so much. Do you think if I just off him you’ll go back to normal?”
I stare at him in disbelief. There’s absolutely no way Rowan is my mate. “He’s not my mate and you will not off him.”
“I honestly imagined Quinn would be destined to be alone for the rest of his life. A wannabe cat lady,” Ari says. “No wonder he’s so drawn to cats. His wittle fluffy mate is a pussy tat.”
“My hands are getting rather cold and I think I know an ocelot that would make some nice mittens,” I say.
Ari doesn’t seem concerned as he beams at me. “He’s so cute when he’s being evil.”
“He’s alright,” Graham says.
“Rowan’s not my mate. I want nothing to do with him. He’s annoying as hell and—” My eyes catch onto the screen where I see movement a moment before the screen flickers to a different video.
“And you want to bone him?” Ari asks.
“Hold on, I think I saw something,” I say as I switch the camera back and lean in. There’s a shift of movement deep into the trees that has me scrambling to my feet, the other two behind me.
I rush out of the town hall and run to where the camera had picked up movement. When I reach the area, I slow down with Graham and Ari by my side. There was something here… there had to be something here. Did they run off?
“Here!” Ari says as he takes a step forward and I see what’s caught his eye.
The woman hiding in the brush jerks back, startled. Before she can run, I see that she’s wearing the same uniform as the people who’d been slaughtered. Did she escape the massacre?
“Hey, it’s okay. We just want to talk.”
She looks up at me with wide eyes before reaching out to me. Her face is bloody and bruised. Her clothes are shredded and torn. She seems wary of me but doesn’t run. I kneel down, hoping to look less threatening as I approach her.
“We’re safe. We’ll call for help for you, okay? Come on out.”
When I reach out to take her hand and help her up, she clings on tightly. If she was with the crew that got slaughtered, she had to have been wandering in the forest for days. She’s lucky she even found a way out with how dense and large it is.
“Ari, can you get her some water?” I ask.
“Yes, of course,” he says as he rushes for the closest house. I lead her away from the trees’ edge before calling Scott.
“Scott, I have a woman here who is wearing the same uniform as the people we found the other day. We’re getting her some water now. She seems to be hurt but not severely.”
“Okay, we’ll be out immediately,” Scott says, and I almost ask if Rowan’s coming. But what’s it matter if Rowan’s coming? I actually hope he’s not coming so I don’t have to deal with him or look at him or even see him ever again. Yes. That’s what I want.
“You better bring Rowan or I’m not dealing with you,” I snap before hanging up.
Fuuuuuuuuck.
“What was that?” Graham asks with an annoyingly knowing look on his face.
“Nothing. I said nothing. Fuck off.” I hurry over to the woman. “What’s your name?”
She just blissfully drinks her water while ignoring me, but if she saw all of her coworkers slaughtered and then was left to run through the woods, it’s no wonder she’s upset.
When Scott’s car pulls in, I find myself eyeing his vehicle to see if Rowan is with him and when he is, I feel weirdly pleased. My wolf wants to prance up to him and mark him all over and tell him if he leaves my sight again, I will kick his ass.
Rowan gets out of the car and immediately locks eyes onto me, even as Scott comes over.
“Where’d you find her?” Scott asks, and I growl at him, annoyed he bothered to interrupt me… staring at Rowan. Man, I need to get my brain checked.
Graham shoves me toward Rowan and pulls Scott over to himself. “We caught a glimpse of her on our security camera.”
“Rowan,” I growl as I step up to him.
“Quinn,” he growls back.
We’re eyeing each other, and I don’t know if I want to fight him or fuck him, but I want to do something to him.
“Are you enjoying your life of lies?” I ask as I press up into Rowan’s space.
“Immensely. Never been happier,” he says as he pushes into my space.
How dare he move into my space? “You should submit to me,” I decide.
Rowan gives me a smirk. “Do I look like I want to submit to such a weak-looking alpha?”
“God, you’re gorgeous and it annoys me,” I snap before turning around and heading toward Scott and the others.
“Wait!” Rowan says as he grabs my wrist while sounding a bit heartbroken that I was walking away.
“What?” I ask.
“I want to… fight some more… or something,” he says then nods quickly. “Yes. That.”
A laugh escapes me before I can stop it and I hurry away before I can drop back into the insanity that’s consuming me. My brain is in a fog and all I hear ricocheting off the empty space is “Rowan, Rowan” like I’m a lovesick teenager.
“You’re going to be okay, ma’am,” Scott says as he checks on her.
“Food?” she asks, which I think is the first word she’s said.
“Of course.”
“I brought some crackers,” Logan says. When he showed up, I’m not sure—probably sometime while I was having a stare-off with Rowan.
She greedily takes the crackers and starts hurriedly eating them as we all hover around her. That’s when another vehicle pulls up. I assume it’s someone with Scott’s tactical tracking team until I realize that they’re definitely not from around here, and I would like more than anything for them to not set foot in my village. It makes me cautious until I see they’re wearing similar uniforms to the woman and are likely part of her team.
She straightens as she sees them and then I see a quirk to her lip a moment before I realize something’s wrong.
“Get her,” a man says as they come out with tranq guns.
She shifts unbelievably fast, tearing her already shredded clothes as she lunges onto the first man. What she is, I can’t tell, but she’s lithe and quick as her claws shred through his chest with ease.
I shift on instinct, ready to keep my pack safe, and she must read that as a threat because she turns on me next. When I stand my ground, she rushes for me, but before she can reach me, Rowan steps in front of me, though in his human form he’s defenseless. I barely manage to bite his shirt and tear him back, narrowly avoiding her claws. When one of the new men shoots her with a tranq, she seems to realize that we’re the lesser of two evils and returns to massacring the men. It takes very little for her to leave them bleeding and the tranq isn’t doing much to keep her down.
“My pack, get back behind me, don’t engage,” I order.
About then, she staggers and drops to the ground and they’re on her instantly. They shove her into a cage and haul it to the back of the transport before I can get a good look at her.
A man comes out of the vehicle and looks at us before turning to Logan. “Are you the alpha?”
“No, I’m just a human,” he says.
I shift. “I am.”
“I see… thank you for helping us find the prisoner,” he says, like he’s not too concerned about the bleeding and dying men he had to step over to get to me. His men are at least attending to them. “We’ll deal with this mess and be on our way. I ask that you keep all of your… people away from the crime scene. If there are any video recordings or pictures of this, there will be… consequences for your village.”
I bristle at the implication. “Understood.”
“Shoo now.”
His order nearly sends me over the edge, but I remain calm. “I will not shoo. This is still my land, but I will assure you that I’ll keep my pack back.”
He stares at me, eyes narrowed with displeasure. “Then be quiet, at least.”
Even though I’m bristling with anger about this man who came onto my land to order us around, I’m quiet as I stand watch while they deal with the wounded. The nearest hospital is about fifty minutes away and there’s nowhere for a helicopter to land but when I offer to have someone drive them there, they brush me off and tell me they’ll deal with it. And then they’re gone, leaving nothing but the smell of blood behind.
Scott turns to me like he wants to say something before looking back at the spot the massacre had happened. Without a word, he turns and heads to his car. “Come along, Rowan.”
Before Rowan can pass, I grab his wrist. “Thank you for trying to protect me, but please don’t put yourself in danger again.”
Rowan watches me for a moment before pulling his arm free. “Yeah.” And with that he’s gone.