I stood. “I have to go. Thank you for the shirt and for helping me.”
Alec stood and my breath caught. I knew he was huge, but seeing him standing was alarming. He was probably pushing seven feet. The shifters in my pack were all large, most of the males towered over my five-foot-six inches, but Alec was the tallest male I’d seen. “You’re not going anywhere.”
“Um, yes I am.” I turned and started walking.
A strong hand grabbed my wrist. I stopped, knowing that once again, I was outmatched. There were three of them and one of me. And while they were certain I’d shifted, I had no idea if they were telling the truth. If I had, I wasn’t sure I could do it again. If I’d shifted to save my life, did that mean the curse was broken or was it a random thing? And had I been granted the extra perks of being a wolf or were they still hidden from me?
I’d been the victim of bullies long enough to know that fighting back wasn’t always the best way to survive. I needed a strategy. I turned and looked at the huge male. “Let me go.”
“We have some questions for you before you go anywhere,” he said.
My heart raced as my eyes traveled from his six pack, up to his rock-solid pecs, to his firm jaw covered in stubble, finally resting on his eyes. My eyes widened for a moment when I realized that each of his irises was a different color. One was a deep brown and the other was bright blue. They were beautiful and unlike anything I’d ever seen.
“Where did you come from?” Alec asked.
“Your eyes are stunning,” I blurted out.
Sheila giggled. “I told you they’re pretty.”
Alec growled. “Tell me where you came from.”
“Wolf Creek,” I said. “There, happy?”
“Take her back,” Alec said as he turned away from me.
“Oh, fuck no. I’m never going back there.” I vaguely recalled threatening Tyler and his friends before I was locked in the cave. Someday, I’d like to make good on my threat, but right now wasn’t the time.
I pulled my wrist out of his grip easily. I hesitated for a moment when I realized he didn’t hold me against my will.
“Unless you give us a very good reason, we have to return you,” he said with a growl. “I will not harbor a fugitive. Especially not from Wolf Creek. There are rules in the packs.”
“I’m not a fugitive. And I am never going back. If you want to deliver me to them, you’ll have to kill me and drop off my corpse.” I glared at him and balled my hands into fists. I knew he could take me, but I wasn’t going down without a fight.
“Look at her, Alec. Someone beat the shit out of her,” Malcom said.
“She said she fell,” Alec said.
“You know that’s bullshit,” Sheila said. “Someone hurt you, didn’t they?”
I looked over at her. “I ran because my mate tried to kill me to break the bond.”
“She’s lying,” Alec said. “Don’t let her get in your head.”
“You don’t even know me,” I said.
“I know they reserve those caves for criminals in Wolf Creek. You have to fuck up bad to end up in there,” I said.
“Unless you’re a cursed shifter who can’t shift who happens to form a mating bond with the alpha’s son.” My eyes widened and I covered my hand with my mouth. I hadn’t wanted to share all that with a bunch of strangers. They didn’t need to know my past and I didn’t want to remember it.
“Let her stay,” Sheila said.
“Her mate rejected her, she’s got no place to go,” Malcom said. “She’s definitely an outcast.”
His words stung more than I wanted them to and there was a tiny part of me that seemed to be in mourning for the loss of Tyler. I shook the feeling away. I was not going to miss the male who caused me a lifetime of pain.
Alec growled but I ignored him. He was either going to believe me or not.
“Look, I don’t need your pity, and I sure as hell am not planning to join another pack, but I’m not going back to Wolf Creek, either,” I said.