Page 7

I paused as her scent suddenly grew stronger, almost intoxicating me, and I grabbed the railing above me, swinging myself over it before I realized my intention. I landed in a crouch, glad there was no one around to see what I’d done, as I straightened, my attention locked on the door in front of me.

My wolf whined, knowing she was behind the door and I stepped toward it, resting my hands on the cheap particle board. One hard shove and the door would be gone, I knew. I lowered my head gently against the frame, hearing water running. My fingers twitched, wanting to open the door, to explore her space, to stalk her….

“Dom,” Caleb hissed, breaking the spell that had fallen over me. I forced myself back, away from the door, and the girl who had no idea the danger she was in, and leapt over the edge. “Crap,” Caleb gasped as I landed in front of him. “What were you doing?”

“Looking around,” I said dismissively. “Find anything?”

He shook his head, his gaze straying upwards and I moved, blocking his view. “No,” he replied, dipping his head. “The Hanleys haven’t been sniffing around.”

“Not yet,” I replied, my gaze sweeping the parking lot. “It’s only a matter of time.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Caleb answered. “We’ll need to keep patrols out here.”

“I’ll take the first one,” I replied quickly. “You can go home.”

“But don’t you have…” his words faltered as I stared at him unblinkingly. “Okay,” he said instead, his head bobbing. “I’ll let the others know.”

Once he was out of sight, I stripped down, stashing my clothes in a bush before shifting. My wolf’s black fur blended into the shadows seamlessly, as my eyes reflected what little light there was in the forest. I kept to the woods even as my wolf wanted to go closer, to see Jess, but there was no way I could explain the presence of an enormous wolf on her doorstep, and the last thing I wanted her to do was call the sheriff.

I padded in a circle until the underbrush formed a small patch for me to curl into, and settled down to keep watch, my spot at a perfect angle to see her room.

Chapter Three

“Are you comfortable with getting to know her?” I asked again, glancing at the rearview mirror in time to see Anna duck her head. “Someone else can –”

“I’m fine,” she interrupted, lifting her head to meet my eyes. “I want to.”

“Good,” Caleb interjected, sending Anna a lopsided grin. “Otherwise, it’d be me and I wouldn’t live long enough,” he joked and I tightened my hands on the steering wheel. Anna’s cheeks flushed at Caleb’s comment and I shot him a warning glare. He lifted his hands. “Too soon, I get it.”

“I’m glad you could ride with us today, Anna,” I said, trying to temper my voice. She’d seemed surprised at my invitation and I’d been startled to realize that no one in the Pack had ever joined us.

She nodded, clearing her throat when her voice caught. “It’s an honor.”

I forced a smile, my gaze going back to the road, not liking her response. Caleb nudged me. “It’s not your fault,” he told me over our link.

“Then whose fault is it?” I challenged and he didn’t respond. We were the future leaders of the Pack and if they all looked at us like Anna did, then I wasn’t overly impressed by our leadership.

I parked the Jeep in the teacher’s lot, stopping Anna when she jumped down from the backseat. “Thank you for doing this. We appreciate it,” I told her, the words sounding awkward and forced to me, but she just nodded, her expression intent.

She adjusted her backpack, then flashed me an impish grin. “I assume you’ll be listening in?” She tapped her forehead, and without giving me time to answer she darted toward the front steps right as a familiar Range Rover pulled up.

I strolled around the side of the Jeep, the oversize tires hiding even my tall frame from view. My eyes drifted closed as I linked my mind to Anna’s, seeing Jess as she did.

“Hi.”

Jess paused, her expression puzzled as she glanced around and saw me, Anna, I corrected. It was disconcerting to see her from this perspective, and I almost pulled back from the conversation, but curiosity kept me engaged.

“I’m Anna.”

“Jess,” she replied automatically, her eyes guarded as she recognized me, her.

“I know. I wanted to talk to you yesterday but you were in a rush to meet the guy picking you up,” Anna continued, and pride at Anna’s gumption filled me as Jess’ face lit with surprise. “That was your boyfriend?”

“My dad,” she answered, almost automatically as she eyed Anna.

“Oh, nice. Did you just move here?” Anna persisted and I nodded approvingly, as her slim body followed Jess up the steps.