The acrid stink of her fear burned his nostrils. The raw fury he’d caged earlier roared through his system, and his wolf went predator still. The faint scents of other wolves were too weak to be recent and most likely were left over from the party. No scent that didn’t belong touched his nose, save for the terror crawling over Colby.
Zeroing in on her wide eyes and the sick pallor beneath her honeyed skin tone, he frowned. “What’s wrong?” It came out a snarl, but his wolf roused to a near killing rage and they needed a target.
“I have to go.” Trepidation shivered in every word. Her suitcases were in her hands, and they trembled as she stared at him.
“What’s. Wrong?” Stalking forward, he reached for one of her cases. At his approach, she jerked backward and hit the side of her car. The flinch raked like fire through his gut. Something or someone had upset her—check that—terrified her. When he got his hands on whomever or whatever, he’d kill it. Until then…he embraced calm, quieting his wolf. They needed the subject of the hunt if they wanted to take out the target, and adding to Colby’s fear wouldn’t accomplish anything. “Colby,” he kept his voice low, soothing. Her pupils dilated a fraction from their constricted state. “Let me help you. What happened?”
She licked her lips then shook her head slowly. “I was wrong to try and stay. I know I said a week, but I was wrong. I just need to go. I’m sorry.” Lies. Every single word except the last part.
Closing the distance between them, he tugged the cases from her hands. Where his fingers brushed hers, electricity seemed to singe him. The burn had her jerking away again, only she had nowhere to go and slammed into the side of her car. The bruising force of the hit worried him. Setting the cases aside, he held his hands out to the sides. “Colby…focus on me.”
Her eyes changed—one moment human and the next very much not. Her scent vanished and she struck, slamming her hands against his chest to shove him away. Fight or flight was a powerful instinct in all creatures. Whatever triggered Colby, she ceased all reason and, though the blow carried weight, it was hardly strong enough to make him move. The change in her eyes, the loss of her scent and low keening noise galvanized him.
Wrapping his arms around her, he twisted her so her back hit his chest and he could contain her hands without hurting her. Shackling her wrists, he pressed his mouth to her ear. “Stop,” he ordered her, and relied on the full weight of all he was and possessed. Her struggle ceased. He’d avoided influencing her or using his power—because reasons. Reasons that apparently don’t fucking matter anymore.
Holding her against him, he detected nothing of Colby at all, no sweet vanilla or honeysuckle. Nothing that made Colby, Colby.
The eyes though? Those were wolf eyes. The tingling in his hands spread along his arms and through his chest, everywhere he touched her, he felt it. She sagged, the fight leaving her.
“I have you,” he promised. “I have you and we’ll make this better. Trust me, sweetheart. I’ll fix this.” A silent tear slid down her cheek, and his heart wrenched. “Tell me what happened,” he ordered, stroking the inside of one wrist with his thumb. The mad race of her heart betrayed her continued anxiety.
“You won’t believe me.” She didn’t leave him hanging on that single aggravating whisper. He’d believed her earlier, so why the hell would she think… “I don’t know if I believed me until I saw them do it again.”
“Who did what?” Though his gut clenched.
“Two wolves came out of the woods,” her voice was wooden. “Then they went back in and out came a man and a wolf.”
Fuck.
“Then they went to Gillian’s place. I tried to talk myself out of what I saw because I didn’t really see anything. Maybe it wasn’t a wolf, maybe it was just a big dog. Kind of like the dog at the picnic on Sunday.”
Brett warned the pack not to shift near the house, not while Colby was there.
“But the guy was naked.” Her voice wobbled.
Rubbing his cheek against her hair, he continued to stroke the inside of her wrists. His wolf gave up the predatory rage and writhed against the inside of his skin as eager to soothe her as Brett was. Her pulse slowed from rabbiting speed and then suddenly her sweet fragrance filled his nostrils. Gone was the bitter bite of terror, to be replaced by embarrassment.
“Brett?” Sass with a side helping of disbelief populated her voice.
“Right here, pretty girl. Better?” Keeping his tone gentle, he let her turn when she pulled away. Her amber eyes narrowed on him, then she glanced around the garage and finally back to him.