Page 37 of Her Big Bad Wolf

But I was too stubborn to jump in my truck and go after her.

Walking back inside, I went straight to the kitchen and baked some chocolate chip cookies, whipped up some banana pudding, and made fresh cinnamon rolls for breakfast the next morning.

All that baking should have settled me enough to sleep, but it didn’t stop me from lying in bed tossing and turning the entire night thinking about her. I hadn’t experienced that sort ofnight since I was a stupid teenager, before my entire world had fallen apart.

At some point I must have fallen asleep, because I awoke suddenly to the rooster’s crow signifying morning already.

In many ways, I felt like I had a massive hangover. I hadn’t slept well and my mind was still reeling over what had happened.

The worst part of it all was that I couldn’t stop thinking about her.

But the more I did think about her, the more curious I became.

The more curious I became, the more agitated my wolf became.

It was very clear that he thought I was a fool for letting her slip away. All he wanted to do was take control and hunt her down.

Instead, I did what I always did, stuck to my routine, and got started on my morning chores trying desperately not to think about her.

I tried so hard in fact that all I did was think about not thinking about her.

It was enough to drive a sane man mad, and no one would accuse me of being sane.

I shouldn’t have been surprised when a car pulled up to my house. My once peaceful existence under the radar seemed long gone lately. It was like Grand Central Station around this place lately.

This time it was Kyle again.

I sighed. “What now?” I asked when he walked over to me.

“Heard you had an incident out here last night.”

“Nothing I can’t handle.”

He eyed me suspiciously.

“I told you I had a squatter out here. It’s not those damn boys.”

“A woman?”

“Exactly.”

But I wasn’t so sure anymore. Some of the things she said just didn’t make sense. Had she actually been staying out there when she clearly had a perfectly good car, and I’d noticed when she stopped by that it was not a cheap one either.

Why wouldn’t she just have been sleeping in it instead of being out in the elements?

Maybe she was feral?

I almost laughed out loud at the thought.

My mate was definitely not feral. The way she stumbled around here when she’d set off my camera system and alerted Westin Pack and the whole goddamn world to her presence meant she wasn’t stealthy either.

“Dammit,” I swore.

“What?” Kyle demanded.

“It’s nothing.”

“Tell me.”