“I’ll—” he said.
“I can do it.”
We all looked at Aidan, who stared back at the two of us. He glanced away and said, “If that’s what you want.”
“Of course,” Ophelia said. “Flick, Aidan is going to strip down now, but he won’t come any closer, I promise. You are safe.”
Well, if she meant that as reassuring, she’d failed. My eyes went wide as he tugged his shirt up over his head, revealing a very muscular chest with two wolf tattoos prowling over his shoulders. He watched me as his hand went to his jeans, then when I continued to stare, he turned his back, showing the room his back that was soon joined by two very pale buttocks. Kicking his clothes to one side, he…shivered? The movement was something like that and a vibration, but all I knew was one minute, there was a very naked guy, and the next, there was a massive grey wolf where he had stood.
“No…” I gasped, my mouth hanging open. Tears pricked at my eyes, and I could barely feel my face. “No,” I said much louder, my eyes narrowing as I glanced away from the beast as he whined, wagged his tail, and then trotted over, putting his muzzle on the bed beside me. “No,” I cried, my voice cracking on the words, shattering to a million pieces.
He, we are Tirian, the voice in my head said. We will turn on the full moon and run with our pack.
No! I shouted back, but a pair of green eyes met mine in my mind’s eye, completely implacable.
The line remains unbroken.
7
“I need to go, now,” I said.
I started unsnapping the cords that connected me to the monitor, yanking sticky sensors off when they didn’t come automatically. My gown gaped, but as public nudity was apparently no big thing, I couldn’t afford to focus on that. I clambered out of bed, fighting to get free of the bedclothes, people gasping when I stumbled. Muscles that had been fuelled by a steady diet of adrenalin after Rick beat the shit out of me had had a couple of days to seize up and weaken. The floor rushed up towards me, my second face plant of the week imminent, when a strong pair of hands caught me. They drew me up, put me on my feet, and then withdrew, and I half wished they hadn’t.
This was the point where I should have called for my son, in a clear but firm voice, grabbed him and our stuff, and made a beeline for the car, wherever that was. Instead, I froze, looking around me. Jules and Ophelia looked resigned but unhappy, Aidan wriggled into his jeans, now back in human form, and Peter? He waited. He didn’t move to stop me, to block me, hem me in.
Of course, not. He is your mate.
My…what had they called it, the wolf thing? Tirian, that was it. She sounded almost offended by the idea.
So, what? I can walk out of here, and he’ll let me?
He’ll help you. That’s what mates do.
As if to confirm that, he reached into his pocket and produced a ring of keys. He pulled off a car key and placed it in my hand, closing my fingers around it.
“Big, white, Toyota ute, out the front,” he said.
“Pete—” Aidan said, but the man himself just shook his head, his eyes never leaving mine. He patted my hand and then stepped back.
I just blinked, unable to process any of what had just happened.
We are home. We are safe. The cub is safe.
I rolled the key around in my hand, feeling the pulsing need to run, just not sure where to.
I looked at Peter, saw him watching every single waver, not stepping in but ready to do so if I faltered. Ophelia and Jules now stood on either side of the bed, giving me a clear path out. And Aidan? He waited with his arms crossed over his chest, the muscles tense, as if he was holding himself back from moving forward.
Go to him, your mate, my Tirian insisted.
I could feel her shift inside me, as if she would make the move if I didn’t.
I don’t know him.
How will you?
You can’t force this. You can’t make me start a relationship with someone new days after I left my husband.
This pulled a growl from her.