Page 45 of A Wolf’s Wound

Ryder

“Do you want me to make dinner?” I ask Hannah, who’s sitting on the couch looking thoughtful.

“I don’t know,” she replies. “I’m not that hungry.”

“You still have to eat,” I say, walking into the kitchen. I open the fridge and rummage through the cupboards. “Although it looks like this kitchen hasn’t been used by anyone but us for a while.”

“Do you actually cook?” Hannah asks.

“Sure. Don’t look so surprised!” I say as her eyebrows shoot up. “I’m an adult. Adults cook, right?”

“Adults who live on their own do,” she says. “But adults who live on a family compound? I guess I assumed your mom cooked for all of you guys.”

“Shows what you know,” I say. “My mom’s never been the cook in the family. That’s my dad. And Thomas took over when he was around Cody’s age. He’s surprisingly good at it.”

“Okay, I was making an assumption,” Hannah says with a smile.

“A sexist, uninformed assumption,” I tease her. Hannah throws up her hands.

“Guilty as charged. But I’m still not that hungry.”

“Well, that’s good, because there’s no food in here. If you change your mind later, call over to the main house and someone will bring you and Shadow food.”

“Room service, how fancy.”

“Hey, this is a five-star safe house.” I grin. “Only the best.”

“I appreciate it,” she says as I sit down near her.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” I ask.

Hannah nods. “I am. Or at least I’m getting there. You don’t need to worry.”

“I don’t need to, but I do.”

“Well, stop,” she says, looking at me. “I’m fine.”

I put my hand over hers. It’s too cold, and I lace my fingers in between hers, hoping that helps warm her up. “I want you to be better than just fine. I want you to be safe.”

“I feel safe with you,” Hannah admits. She moves closer to me, and I move closer to her. Then I bend down and kiss her.

She kisses me back eagerly. I lie down and pull her on top of me as we continue to kiss. Soon my hands are under her shirt and her hands are slipping under mine, but I stop and move back.

“We shouldn’t go too fast,” I say.

“I know.” Hannah leans back too. She’s breathing just as heavily as I am.

“I should go.”

“Okay.”

But I don’t want to leave, not when we’re still pressed so close. Not when her face is flushed and her hair tousled. She looks so beautiful.

Hannah grins. “Shouldn’t you be going now?”

“Right,” I say reluctantly as she moves off me. I stand up and Hannah walks me to the door. Before I open it, I lean down and kiss her again. “Is it okay if I come back later?”

“Yes.” Hannah leans against the wall as I open the door. “Be safe, Ryder.”

“You too, Hannah.”

Before I get in my car, I flag down the closest guard. “I’m going into the city for a while,” I tell him. “Make sure this house is guarded at all times.”

He promises me it will be.

I head back to town. I know it’s a long shot, but I want to ask around and see if anyone might know about this guy who approached Hannah earlier.

But after an hour of striking up conversations in restaurants and bars as well as hanging out in the park near the café where he first talked to Hannah, I have to admit defeat. This guy’s appearance is generic enough that, without a name, no one’s sure they know who I’m talking about.

Disappointed but not surprised, I go back to the compound. Gavin wanted to have another meeting tonight, so I find him and my brothers in Gavin’s kitchen, clustered around the table.

“How’s Hannah doing?” Michael asks as I come in.

“She seems okay,” I say, pulling out a chair. “Still a little shaken up.”

“I don’t blame her,” Evan says. “Do you think that guy was going to attack her?”

I nod. “What I don’t get is why he ran away. I mean, I’m glad he did. But it makes me think he’s unpredictable.”

“And that’s not good,” Gavin says. “Especially if he’s the one leaving the notes.”

“Exactly.” I nod. “I thought I was beginning to figure out a pattern, chiefly that Hannah was involved. But if he ran when he got her alone, I’m back at square one.”

“I think we should increase the security force,” Michael says.

“How much more can we go, though?” Thomas asks. “We have almost every member of the pack assigned somewhere in the forest or city.”

“Let’s decrease the numbers in the forest,” Gavin decides. “There haven’t been any more bodies or hurt animals found there. I think the threat in that area has declined enough that we don’t need to make it as high a priority as the city.”

“I agree,” Michael says. “If we do that, we can ensure that every section of the city is being patrolled around the clock.”

Gavin nods. “Okay. Michael, you and I will draw up new teams and schedules tonight to begin implementing tomorrow morning.”

Michael nods. “I think that makes a lot of sense.”

“Yeah, unless the next body shows up in the forest,” Evan says.

Gavin and Michael both glare at him.

“Kidding!” he says, holding up his hands. “I don’t think that’s going to happen. You guys are right, the forest has been clear for days. And it’s super-boring to patrol.”

“Something else we need to discuss is paying more attention to strangers in town,” Gavin says after leveling a stern glare at Evan. “The guy that Hannah saw, no one recognized him. Right?”

“No one I talked to did,” I agree. “Stonehaven’s not that big, which makes me think he’s new around here.”

“Let’s pull some records and make a list of new arrivals to Stonehaven,” Gavin says. “I’m thinking we look at lease records, deeds to new properties, things like that.”

“It won’t be thorough,” Michael warns.

“No, but it will be more than we have right now, which is nothing,” Gavin points out.

“What do you want us to do when we have the names?” Jackson asks.

“Investigate everyone,” Gavin says flatly.

“Everyone?” Evan repeats. “Even if they obviously don’t fit the description?”

“Everyone over age sixteen,” Gavin amends. “This isn’t the work of a child, but I’m not ready to rule out older teenagers.”

“I’ll head up that research, if you want,” Jackson volunteers.

“That sounds great, thanks,” Gavin tells him. “We’ll meet again tomorrow night to divide up names and begin investigating the next morning.”

I nod along with my brothers although the amount of work looming before us seems incredibly overwhelming. I don’t know how much longer I can go before I drop, but it sounds like none of us will be getting rest anytime soon.

After the meeting breaks up, I drive slowly back to the cottage. I roll down all the windows and try to relax as the cool night breeze blows across my face.

Outside the cottage, I pause before I unlock the front door. It’s a clear night and the sky is studded with stars. I think about calling Hannah out to see, but I don’t want to disturb her if she’s managed to fall asleep.

Inside, the cottage is dark. I make my way to the bedroom, and sure enough, she’s fast asleep. I take off my pants and shirt and slide into bed next to her.

The light from the moon illuminates Hannah’s face as I lie on my side, looking at her. I can’t imagine ever feeling more desire for anyone. I know the mating bond is supposed to be the strongest bond, but how could it be stronger than this?

Hannah is the person I’ve been looking for all this time. She’s the woman I was searching for during all those wild nights and blurry mornings.

I just hope I can hold on to her, and everything at play won’t rip us apart.