Page 44 of Taken by Moonlight

Yet I’d be nearly a hundred miles from my house, and what if something went haywire? I scanned the three of them, seeing the hope in their auras, the guarded anticipation, and thehunger.

They were wolves, the heart of them, and no matter how gentle and considerate, wolves were wild creatures. They ran wild, played wild and matedwild.

“Why do you want me at the ranch? This isn’t about a big picnic you’re inviting me to. It’s something more.” I wasn’t about to commit to anything unless I had moreinformation.

A satisfied smile touched Dante’s mouth. He turned to the others. “I told you she was smart, ourPeyton.”

“Hey, big alpha wolf.” I snapped my fingers in his face, irritated. “I’m right here. Answer myquestion.”

A low growl sounded deep in Dante’s throat. Whoa. If that was his response to my question… alpha or not… it wasn’t good. I didn’t know if I had crossed some invisible line to shifters and challenged hisauthority.

Right now I didn’tcare.

But Dante sprang to his feet, his hands gripping the balcony railing. He peered down and growledfiercer.

The kind of growl a wolf gives before it attacksyou.

“Get her inside,” heordered.

Gabriel and Alex hustled me inside, shut the door. They found the panties and bra left out for me on the chair, and handed me a clean, fresh dress since my uniform was left downstairs. Alex herded me into thebathroom.

“Get dressed and stay there until we tell you to comeout.”

I’d seen this side of Alex only once before – when he fought with that shifter who’d grabbed my ass. My mouthopened.

The door closed in myface.

Oh damn, this wasn’t good. Something, or someone, was out there they didn’t want me tosee.

Or didn’t want that thing to seeme.

Whatever was out there it wasn’tfriendly.

In minutes I had relieved myself, freshened up and dressed. I opened the door, mindless of Alex’swarning.

The room wasempty.

Huh. Maybe they were waiting for me downstairs. Was it possible for shifters to overreact? What if they staged this for dramatic effect, to get me to accompany them back to theirranch?

Dante still hadn’t answered all my questions. Too many unknowns existed for me to risk traveling with them for the wholeweekend.

Not to mention the money I needed to arrange to get to the Brownbrothers.

I’d left my purse and clothing in the dressing room. As I went downstairs, I heard noises from the lounge. Loud, raisedvoices.

Instead of cutting through the lounge, I went through the employee hallway into the kitchen, then grabbed my things from the dressing room. I stuffed the jeans and shirt into my bag, studying the Doc Martens with regret. Oh hell. I’d collect themlater.

In the kitchen, I peered out through the window in the swingingdoor.

Stepped back as Dante, Gabriel, Alex and Guy the bouncer strodeinside.

“I told you to wait upstairs,” Alexscolded.

“Why? What’s going on? Talk to me,Alex.”

Guy glanced at Dante, whonodded.

Guy looked grim. “Earl Brown’s waiting in his truck down the road. Sam texted me that he passed him by on the way back to theirden.”