Would I truly hurt her if I knew to protect her then?
But she wasn’t even naked, and that’s how crazy I went. I’m not sure what would happen if she was lying in bed, her body exposed, those juicy breasts and her wide hips and her wet pussy, pink and raw and ready to be claimed.
Never as the wolf, that would be wrong.
But the excitement might make me change at the wrong time, suddenly erupt, and then…
No, no.
Finally, Liam turns off into the countryside, taking us into deep woodland. He stops at the side of the road, parking the car off to the side. Liam hops out, pulling large branches over the car to give it some measure of camouflage.
“We’ll have to walk from here,” he says when I pull up.
Ilsa and Ruby stand off to the side next to their suitcases, looking like they’re waiting to be picked up for a holiday, not like they’re running for their lives. It’s dark, their features hazy.
I know it’s wrong, especially after what happened, but I adjust my eyes, let a sliver of the wolf out, to see her better.
Mistake.
Other parts of me flare, threatening to follow the change, and I retreat from all of it. I breathe slowly, closing my eyes, warning myself not to do that again.
Walking over, I distance myself even further, purposefully only looking at her face and into her welcoming eyes and the nervous smile playing on her lips. All is revealed the closer I get.
“How are you doing?” I ask.
Ilsa stands at her side, looking at me with her mouth hanging open. I’m guessing she saw the hole in the house. The power of the wolf laid bare and the true terror we can instill in humans.
They’re weaker, more vulnerable. They have to trust us.
And, understandably, Ilsa’s not sure if she can trust me.
My chest gets tight when I think about that. She’s my woman’s mother. Unless the mother is a bad person – and Ilsa’s clearly not – a man owes that to his woman to make an effort with her family.
Ruby watches me closely, then looks at her mother.
Ruby misses little.
“I’m okay,” she says. “I’m not hurt. Areyouokay?”
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”
She steps forward, glaring up. She’s so sassy I want to kiss her again,wouldkiss her again if we were alone.
Lowering her voice, she says, “Liam said it can kill you, changing that fast.”
I swallow. “It can. But it’s unlikely to happen with me. I’ve changed quickly before when I’ve had to defend myself. It was part of our training. My instincts would save me.”
“Are you trying to convince yourself or me?” she whispers.
I can’t take this closeness anymore without showing her how much she means to me. I reach out and cradle her cheek, clenching my other fist, breathing slowly as I stare into her eyes.
“I’m not leaving you, Ruby. Not now that I know you want this too.”
She reaches up, touching my hand. We separate when Liam approaches.
Ilsa’s staring at me, her expression difficult to read.
“I’m sorry for what happened with Ruby,” I tell her. “I won’t allow it to happen again.”