My blood runs cold.
Someone not only knows I'm here, someone knows I'msickand left supplies. Why the fuck would they do that?
The impossible thought of Wade finding me and doing this to intimidate me makes my stomach lurch for the split second my feverish mind entertains it. No. Wade wouldneverbe this subtle. If he found me, I'd know it.
I yoink the bag off the table and fumble with my keycard to unlock my room. I don’t breathe, let alone examine the contents of the bag, until I’m safely inside my room and the door is locked behind me.
There’s a box of fever reducers, the seals intact. Hand warmers, a huge pair of wool gloves, those instant ice packs you activate by crushing them. Salted crackers. Even a package of herbal tea with immunity boosters.
Then my hands brush against something unexpectedly soft. Confused, I tug it out of the bag. It's a thick wool blanket in the Ghosts' black and gray team colors. And the masculine scent of whoever brought me the makeshift care package is all over it.
Instinctively, I lift the blanket to my face and take in a deep breath, hoping for a clue.
Foggy mountain forest.
The scent immediately links with the fresh memory of the encounter in the back room by the old loading dock last night. The feeling of being watched, then turning around and seeing that massive masked alpha with burning blue eyes looming in the doorway behind me.
Wraith.
He must have brought this to me.
But…why?
Does he know I’m sick? Has he been following me? Was I too sick to even notice?
Wraith is an alpha. This could either be a genuine act of kindness or a message that he's stalking me and knows exactly where I am. Knowing alphas, it’s the latter, but I didn’t get that vibe from the silent giant.
Somehow, my gut instinct is telling me I'm safe. And after what happened with Wade, I promised myself I'd never ignore my instincts again.
Mustering up the very last dregs of my strength, I haul myself back to my feet and cautiously open the door to peer out into the hall. Listening carefully for any sign I'm not alone, I wait for a few moments, but no one's there.
When I'm sure the coast is clear, I slip out into the hall to grab the cup of soup and dart back into the room as fast as I can. Which isn't fast because I'm so freaking sick, the sudden motion makes my head spin.
Settling back into my nest with the cup in my lap, I take one of the electrolyte bottles out of the bag and a packet of fever reducers. I check to make sure the bottle hasn’t been tamperedwith before taking a few gulps to wash down the pills. The drink is colder than I expected, cold enough to make me shiver. Before I even register what I'm doing, I'm pulling Wraith's wool blanket around my shoulders.
Wraith’s scent is strangely… comforting.
Maybe it wouldn't be dangerous to drink the soup. As I lift it to my lips, the warmth seeping through the cup and into my trembling hands, I hesitate one more time. He could have spiked it. Then again, I’m locked in here, and it took me a long time to find a keycard that works for this door.
I’m also sick as fuck and desperate, and my instincts are still insisting this is safe.
Trying not to let my paranoia get the best of me, I sip the soup slowly through the gap in the lid. The noodles are overcooked—clearly nuked in a microwave—but it soothes my raw throat, the warmth spreading through my chest and heating me up from the inside.
By the time I've finished the soup, a few salted crackers, and the rest of the electrolyte drink, I'm feeling marginally better but too exhausted to function anymore. I snuggle deeper into my makeshift nest, which somehow feels more like a real nest with Wraith’s thick wool blanket wrapped around me.
But it’s impossible to truly get comfortable.
I’ve been discovered. I’m going to have to leave. The problem is, I don’t have enough money for another bus trip. And I can’t live on the streets. Winter is coming.
I’m fucking screwed.
Chapter
Nine
THANE
The first rays of dawn are already peeking through the curtains when my eyes snap open. For a moment, I lay still, listening to the quiet hum of the house around me. It's too early for most of the pack to be up, but I hear the faint sounds of movement downstairs.
