"Thank you, but I was wondering about how official this position is." She peered up at him.
He tilted his head to the side, as if he didn't understand what she was asking for.
"I mean I was hoping to keep this under the table." Again, she stopped short of explaining and waited for his reaction.
Pulling out his own chair, he sat across from her, muscled arms crossing over his chest. It was unnerving the way he just rolled with everything she said or didn't say without demanding more. "I understand what you're asking for and that's fine. If all you want is a place to stay and some money until you can figure out your next move, I'll provide that. But I don't run a sanctuary for rogue wolf shifters. If the threat chasing you endangers my friends, staff, or anyone else in this town, I will deal with them after I escort you out of Winterbourne."
"A wolf shifter?" Samara's heart couldn't beat fast enough to keep up with her panic. "Those are a myth. Why would you think I'm a wolf shifter?"
Honest confusion crossed his handsome face. "Your scent. It doesn't matter how many garbage cans you've raided; no amount of soap can scrub off what you are. My wolf shadow senses yours and we know there's something wrong. I'm trying to keep mine under control, but you are not making it easy."
Samara stood, pushing her chair back. She couldn't stay here. Not one more second. "I will only say this one time. I am not a wolf shifter."
She dashed for the door as if the Riverstone Pack itself chased her.
Chapter
Three
She headed for the tree line. The green leaves beckoned her with the promise of safety, but the promise was a lie. No matter how fast she ran, she could no longer shift and outrun another wolf shifter. Her scent would leave a trail to wherever she aimed. There was no hope.
You had no hope when you ran the first time.
She'd had a few days to conjure a plan before executing it. And it was an execution. Seventeen wolf shifters died because she needed to escape and found the worst way possible to make it happen. That hadn't stopped her because their lives were forfeit when they kidnapped her and thought they could bully her into submission. Regretfully, the core of the pack remained alive, including the alpha, but it was the best she could do, and she would never regret it.
Not for one minute.
"Hold up there!"
Leaves crackled and sticks broke beneath her feet as she increased speed. When she saw Kellen’s shadow crossing hers just as she reached the trees, her self-preservation instincts took over. In a split second she whirled around, right hand wrapped around her knife, her left arm lifted to protect her head and neck, ready to attack.
"Stay away from me." She lunged with the knife to keep him out of reach.
"Okay. I'm backing away." He did exactly as he said he would, hands up showing he had no weapon. "Where will you go?" he asked.
"Not your problem. I'll leave town. You'll never see me again." That was for damn sure.
"How will you get there?" He risked taking a half step forward, but whatever aggression she was expecting wasn't there. Not even a little. His calmness started to wear on her, draining her determination to escape. "You have no money and only the clothes you're wearing."
"I got here didn't I?"
"Yes, you did. I'm curious about how you managed to do that. Why don't you put the knife down so we can talk?"
"Talk to a guy who believes in wolf shifters?"
At that, Kellen lowered his arms and crossed them against his chest again, only the slight flex of his powerful muscles indicating his annoyance. "Let's not insult each other and pretend that wolf shifters don't exist, okay? My friends and I have hunted in these woods almost every night for the past thirty years. The three of us know every trail to avoid, black bear den, and the boundaries of the ranches scattered across this area. You're a single wolf shifter with a knife. I don't care how good you can fight or what your survival skills are. You'll still be dead in a few days."
He was right and she knew it, but she still didn't budge, torn between doing the right thing and dying. It was that simple.
"Maria, come back inside with me." Kellen held out his right hand, palm up, giving her a last chance to trust him again.
She wanted to because deep down she knew she needed this. Waking up in a clean bed and taking a hot shower had felt like heaven this morning.
"If I wanted to hurt you or kill you I would have done it last night."
Reason overpowered her fear and in the end she didn't have much of a choice. She lowered her knife and slipped it into its sheath. "So, the dead bolt is a lie. You can get through the door anytime you want."
He kept his hand stretched out toward her. "Yes, I can get through the door, but not without a lot of noise. You would have plenty of time to grab the knife."
