Page 24 of Fated to the Wolf Cowboy

My body began to shake all over. This was even worse than my worst nightmare.

“Hey, calm down. It’s okay,” she said.

As she reached to console me, I swatted her hand away and curled up into a tight ball, shaking my head.

“Okay, okay. I’m not going to touch you.”

“Y-you can’t let my Alpha know where I am. You can’t.”

She nodded. “I hear you. I see you. You’re safe here.”

We shared a moment in silence, but I knew she understood. I just wasn’t sure I trusted her not to call and alert my Alpha to my location. I didn’t know this woman and had no reason to trust her.

I nibbled at the breakfast I’d been brought and tried to ignore the awkward silence between us.

“We can talk about it.”

“No.” There was no way in hell I was going to share what was happening back home with a total stranger. It was none of her damn business.

A knock on the door cut through the tension that was quickly filling the room. I could already sense that Lily was not a woman used to being told no.

I expected Sam to walk inside but instead it was large man that I knew instantly must be the Alpha.

“Hey. Sorry I’m late.”

“Brady?” Lily asked.

“Yeah. I just got him settled in a room, too. Two broken ribs has earned him a night in his fur under Sam’s careful observation.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Me, too.” He looked over at me and smiled. “So this must be Tricia.”

“Tricia, this is my mate, Thomas Collier.”

“Alpha,” I said curtly.

This was the man that could single-handedly destroy me.

“I hope they’ve been keeping you comfortable. I heard you had some injuries that needed to be carefully watched. I’m happy to notify your Alpha and let him know you’re safe.”

Panic rose like bile in my throat as my eyes darted to Lily’s.

“No,” she told him.

Thomas looked confused. “I’ll explain later, but we will not be contacting her Alpha.”

He sucked in a sharp breath and let it out slowly.

“You’re positive about this?” he asked his mate.

“I am. And unless you want to sleep on the couch tonight, then you’ll agree to leave it alone. She is our guest from out of town, a friend, nothing more.”

He groaned and dropped a kiss on her forehead.

“When my mate sets her mind to something, not even God himself can change it. And it appears she’s hellbent on protecting you from whatever is going on here. Would you like to talk about?”

“No, sir.”