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Rummaging around in Lesley’s closet, I found a pair of workout leggings, a T-shirt, and a pair of sneakers.

The shirt was a little big, but everything else fit fine.

While tying the shoes, I decided against borrowing Lesley’s earbuds for music.

I was tempting fate enough by going for a run; no reason to muffle one of my senses, too.

I’d need to hear someone coming at me. Which, I assured myself, wasn’t going to happen.

I locked the apartment and walked to the elevator, slipping the spare key and my phone into the zippered pocket of the leggings. Once downstairs, I looked through the glass doors on a sunny Saturday morning outside. Nice.

With an excited surge of adrenaline, I pushed the doors open and promptly tripped over a pair of outstretched legs on the stoop.

“I got you,” a voice said, grabbing the back of my shirt and keeping me upright.

“What the—?” I turned to find Nate slowly getting to his feet. “Nate?”

He grinned at me. His lip was split, and a bruise shaded his cheekbone beneath his right eye.

“Holy hell, your face,” I gasped.

He chuckled and gave me a wink. “You should see the other guy.”

“I am seeing the other guy ,” I said, staring at him pointedly.

That comment wiped the cocky grin from his face, and I wanted to take it back. He wasn’t the other guy, really. Not anymore.

We stood there awkwardly for a moment, and I realized Rick had not only lied to me but had come milliseconds from shooting Nate in the head. That seemed to require an apology.

“Uh, I’m sorry my ex tried to kill you last night,” I said.

Nate snorted. “You’re not one for subtlety, are you?’

Heat spread across my chest, and I looked down, unable to meet his gaze. “Well, he did try to blow your brains out,” I muttered.

“You saved me, though,” Nate said. “I appreciate that.”

“You’re welcome.” I pointed down at the stoop. “Do you make a habit of hanging around outside front doors? We keep meeting like this.”

Nate made a hmph sound in his throat. “I guess you’re right. Didn’t even cross my mind. I just wanted to be here in case that feral wolf sniffed you out again.”

“Speaking of, how did you find me here?” I asked.

Nate tapped a finger to his temple. “Private detective, remember? After me and Mr. Ricky Boy got done with the fisticuffs, I went looking for you. Tracked your scent to a bar down the road. You’d already gone.

After that, it was pretty simple. Only three likely places you’d go.

One being your apartment. I tried there, but there was no fresh scent.

The other being Rick’s place, and you and I both know after the way last night ended that wasn’t happening.

” He grinned. “The other was the best friend. Lesley. Her address was in the police report of the initial attack. I got here around three in the morning. Your scent was fresh, and I knew I had it right. Been sitting out here all night.”

I gaped at him. “My scent?”

He winced. “Sorry. Yeah. We don’t just turn into wolves; we’ve got enhanced senses even in our human form. Hearing, smell, stuff like that. Increased strength and metabolism, too.”

That was interesting. Was I going to be like a superhero when this was all said and done? Nate didn’t appear tired. Somehow, he looked alert and fresh.

I frowned at the hard concrete steps. “You sat here all night?”

He nodded. “Met your friend Lesley a little while ago. Scared the shit out of her, but I introduced myself and told her not to tell you. I let her know I was here just to watch out for you, not bother you. She knew my name,” he added, giving me another grin. “Have you been talking about me?”

“Maybe,” I said peevishly.

He nodded, looking pleased with himself, and the heat in my chest slid up to my cheeks.

“Anyway,” he said, “I wanted to make sure you were okay. I know everything last night was rough on you. It’s a lot. I guess Rick checked in on you, too, I suppose?”

“Sort of,” I grunted. “He was more angry that I wasn’t responding to his texts. You should see them. A bunch of demands to contact him. It’s like he’s mad at me . He didn’t even ask about my emotional health. All he cares about is that I’m not physically hurt.”

“I was born this way, so I can’t imagine what it’s like to have all this thrown on you at once,” Nate said. “Take your time with it. No one should be pushing you to do anything. That includes making phone calls you don’t want to make.”

A few days ago, if someone had asked me which of these two men would be the sensitive one and which would be the control freak, I’d have had the roles reversed.

But now it looked like Rick was the controlling asshole while Nate was compassionate and sincere.

The revelation made me both excited and uncomfortable.

Rather than delve into those strange feelings, I changed the subject.

“You called the attacker feral,” I said. “What does that mean? Like a dog? He’s one of you, too, right?”

Nate glanced up and down the street, a hint of worry in his eyes. It was still fairly early, and not many people were out and about.

He lowered his voice and said, “Yeah. He’s like us, but he’s an example of what can go wrong.

Becoming feral is one of the two greatest fears shifters have.

It’s more or less when you lose your humanity and become closer to the animal inside than the human part of yourself.

You go mad. Crazy. Some might call it bloodthirsty. ”

He must have seen the spark of fear I felt because he hurried on to explain.

“Becoming feral only happens under very specific circumstances. That’s not going to happen to you. Don’t worry about that, Cameron.”

“Do you know why this feral shifter has latched onto me? It’s like he’s hunting me specifically. Is that something ferals do?”

“No,” he said with a shake of his head. “Not sure why he’s targeting you.

One of our theories is that he has a type, and he’s going for that type.

I’m not buying that. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have attacked you twice in two different locations.

It could be that it’s random, and the second attack was nothing but wrong place, wrong time.

It could be that he’s tracking you for some other reason.

Hell, he could be bonded to you, for all I know, but I don’t know why he’d want to kill you if that was the case. ”

“Wait,” I said, frowning. “What’s bonding? What does that mean?”

Nate leaned on the wall and nodded to a pair of older ladies in windbreakers speed-walking down the sidewalk. When they were out of earshot, he spoke again.

“Let’s go slow. Too much too fast might make your head explode.” He glanced at my outfit. “Going for a run?”

“Yeah,” I said, suddenly conscious of how dumb that was. Talking about this feral guy stalking me had shoved my earlier bravado aside.

“I’ll go with you,” he said. “I can answer all your questions while we jog.”

It was my turn to glance up and down his body. The faded blue jeans and heavy steel-toed boots didn’t look comfortable to run in.

“I don’t think you’ll survive,” I said with a smile.

He pointed across the street at his bike. “I’ve got shoes and some other clothes in the saddlebag. Give me five minutes.”

I smiled at him. “Hurry up. We’re wasting daylight.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, and strolled toward his bike.

The way he walked caught my eye. A confident stride, broad shoulders, strong and powerful. Everything about Nate exuded strength and safety. It didn’t hurt that he looked damn good in his jeans and leather jacket.

For the first time in as long as I could remember, I wondered if money and prestige weren’t the only ways to find security in life.