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“W elcome to our home .” Lovel went up the three steps to the porch of the two-story brick house, then swung open the front door with a smile.

Morlie noticed that the Beta’s house sat on the property to the left of Chanin’s home.

Compared to the buildings and storefronts in town, there were a lot of houses in this area.

It reminded Morlie of an old cul-de-sac of sorts.

Except the residents lived further away from each other than a spitting distance, making the homes still part of the wilderness around them.

As Lovel stood like a doorman ushering them all in, Amira entered the house first, with Morlie following behind.

The set-up inside was different. It didn’t have the same open concept as Chanin’s.

As soon as she entered, Morlie saw a set of stairs to the second floor, but to the right was an office behind glass doors.

Amira entered a family room, and Morlie started to do the same when Lovel’s voice stopped her.

“Are you coming in, Faolan?”

Morlie turned and glanced back at the stoic man who had made it as far as the top step but took up a position against the posts holding up the porch's roof. She hadn’t forgotten the half-wolfman shadow that followed them from the meeting grounds.

The man had been silent but present if his intense energy that she could practically feel pulsating against her back said anything.

Morlie knew that Chanin had sent him with them after the incident with Minsi, but she wasn’t sure if it was the best decision from the Alpha.

Even now, the man glanced over his shoulder and past Lovel to her. It wasn’t that a scowl didn’t mar his features, but it was the flash of amber in his eyes that seemed to see too much. Maybe more than Morlie wanted to reveal.

His hard, assessing stare caused shivers along her spine.

Does he dislike me? Want to hurt me?

Morlie flexed her jaw, feeling the soreness still present from the slap. A tingling at one corner of her mouth and a pulling sensation had been there since they left the field.

Faolan’s gaze tracked her slight movement.

His gray wolf ears turned to the front, alert as he watched her briefly, then shifted his gaze to Lovel.

“It’s best I stay out here. Farkas is still on the loose, and I gave Alpha my word to protect her.

” He turned but continued in a grouse tone, “As if I’d guard her any different than I do the pack.

” He focused on the homes and woods around them, ending the conversation.

With her heightened hearing, she picked up on the man’s words, but the emotions laced through them seemed combined with anger, frustration, and rejection. Whatever else the man may be feeling about being ordered to guard her, Faolan was pissed.

She could only hope he didn’t take it out on her. It was one thing to pick up a rock and attempt to hold your own, at least for a minute, against a bully like Minsi, but there wasn’t a bone in her body that believed she could even get a swing in on a fierce man such as the half-wolf before her.

It didn’t escape her view that he and a few others dressed like him with the lime-green bandanas around their necks were different from the other wolves.

Somehow, they could maintain part of their wolf form—ears, tail, and claws—even as they walked and talked like everyone else.

If this man decided to come for her, he’d end her.

With Chanin off handling alpha business, there wouldn’t been anything to stop Faolan from tearing her limb from limb.

Maybe Lovel and Amira’s wolves could hold him off, but Morlie doubted they could handle the fierce warrior.

Lovel smiled. “Well, if you change your mind, come on in. But I’ll bring out something for you to drink and eat.”

Faolan continued his silent vigil.

The other woman glanced at Morlie and shrugged. Lovel entered the house and closed the door behind her. “Males. They all have too much pride.”

“You can say that again.” Morlie exhaled, happy that the man had decided to stay outdoors so she wouldn’t have to contend with his piercing stares as if he expected her to sprout a horn and wings.

“Well, come in. I’m sure Amira is cooking in the kitchen already.” Lovel looped an arm through hers and began tugging her toward the living room.

The tall, medium-golden-skinned woman with long, loose curls and a round face towered over her. Lovel reminded her of Kai by height, even though the woman's shape was lean and toned.

“If you don’t mind. I want to freshen up.” Morlie gestured toward her filthy clothing. “I don’t want to get dirt all over your furniture.”

“Yes.” Lovel palmed her forehead. “Silly me. Of course, you want to get cleaned up. The bathroom at the top of the stairs is closer. When you get up there, the door straight ahead is the bathroom.”

“Okay. Thank you.” Morlie detangled herself from the other woman’s loose hold and headed up.

“When you finish, you can find us in the kitchen. You can get to it through the living room or the game room past the stairs.” Lovel offered her a similar kind smile as she’d given the scary man outside.

Morlie nodded, not feeling like smiling after the events of the day. When Lovel continued into the living room, Morlie kept going as the other woman directed.

At the top of the stairs, she spied three other doors besides the bathroom; the two on the left were closed, but the one to the right stood open.

She spotted a huge bed from where she stood in the hall, big enough for five people to sleep comfortably.

Given that Bleddyn had two mates, Morlie assumed it was the master bed, which wasn’t a stretch since she picked up on all three of their scents coming from that direction.

However, her older sister had raised her better than to snoop around in other people’s private spaces, so she kept her feet moving into the bathroom.

Her heart ached with the thought of Kai.

She felt scared and angry now, and like she had fallen into water way too deep, she wanted to talk to her sister.

Kai would listen and understand. For a moment, Morlie thought about asking Faolan to use the radio hanging at his hip.

Maybe he could get her in touch with the Drahks and then to Kai.

Entering the bathroom, she shoved both those thoughts away.

She couldn’t see herself as willing to go to Faolan for anything.

A part of her was certain Chanin would not have placed the man as her protection if he couldn’t trust Faolan, but she was sure the Alpha of the Omega Pack didn’t think Minsi would attack her either.

So, nope, I'm not going to seek out Faolan .

The reason she didn’t believe it was a good idea to reach out to her sister now was that, yes, Kai would listen, but when Kai heard that someone attacked her and that some scary wolfish man was eyeing her like a fox in the hen house, her big sister would tell her to come back. Or worse, rush here to save her.

A chuckle bubbled up as she thought about Kai bringing Aodh’s big-ass sword and cleaving Minsi’s head from her shoulders.

If Kai could lift it long enough to attack. Morlie shook her head.

However, she didn’t need Kai to save her, as she always did. She needed to save herself by planning and figuring out how to take down Minsi.

She sighed and closed the door behind her.

The bathroom was lovely. It was smaller than the one she had in the Drahk’s territory, but it was homier.

There were light-blue rugs on the floor before the sink and bathtub.

The color patterns on the shower curtain and towels were a mix of light blue, gold, and white.

Morlie wondered which one of the women decorated the space. Chanin’s living room and kitchen were very masculine in décor. She hoped he would allow her to put a little of her touch on things.

At the sink, she turned on both the faucet handles.

Unlike the dragon’s single-fixture plumbing, she stared at the two knobs and prayed that hot water would come from one.

Placing her fingers under the running water, she felt a hint of warmth and sighed with relief.

As she waited, giving the water time to heat a little more, she did what she’d been avoiding doing: looking into the mirror at her face.

It didn’t surprise her to see her short hair was matted and needed a wash and some steady finger-detangling or that a few layers of dirt still covered her face.

There were muddy streaks where tears had sprung out of her eyes from the impact and pain of being hit so damn hard.

However, what shocked her was the sight of her mouth.

She had imagined seeing one if not two, swollen lips and a busted bottom lip.

However, besides the streak of dried blood caked with mud along the side of her chin, there wasn’t a single outward sign of Minsi striking her.

Reaching up, she touched her face and expected there would still be the same level of soreness that she’d felt downstairs, but now only a slight tenderness remained.

How is that possible?

But even as the words filled her mind, she recalled the method by which her hands had healed earlier.

She held her hands out and saw that nothing of her injuries existed on her palms. It didn’t take much for that train of thought to remember the kiss Chanin had given her.

At the time, she had thought of it as passionate and his way of showing claim over her to those gathered, but as she analyzed it now, it had been more than that.

He’d kissed her deep, swept his tongue along hers, and followed a seductive path behind her bottom lip and over the seam of her mouth.

When he'd drawn her bottom lip into his mouth and suckled, she’d winced at the pain but hadn’t pulled away.

After what had happened with Minsi, she’d wanted him near.

Needed his reassuring touch and the possession of a kiss.