It wasn’t easy for him to unlock the motel door, but once inside, he placed her on the bed and switched on a dim wall lamp. Her beer-stained clothes needed to go, but he didn’t dare remove them while she was in this fragile condition. Tak wanted nothing more than to give this woman a hot bath and allay her fears.
She rolled over and faced the bathroom, her arms tucked against her chest. When he circled the bed and knelt beside her, she averted her eyes. Her submissive body language broke his heart. He couldn’t imagine the loneliness and hardships these young Shifters experienced without a pack. Living independently wasn’t a tradition his tribe practiced, so they never had to worry about fighting battles alone. This custom of moving away from the pack didn’t seem natural, but he could see how it would remind them not to take family for granted.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked softly.
The frown line between her eyebrows slowly diminished as he brushed the pad of his thumb over it. Her eyelids dropped like anchors, and Hope fell asleep within seconds. This wolf needed rest.
He crossed the room to the table where he’d set down her purse. Maybe he could find Lakota’s private number on her phone. Tak was certain he’d come back if he knew about the dangers unfolding in his absence. Hope needed guidance from someone she trusted.
When he opened her purse, a folded envelope caught his attention. He should have left it alone and minded his own business, but suddenly her business had plopped all over his life.
Tak removed the letter and unfolded the paper. The moment he read the sinister words, his wolf tore through his skin and emerged.
Chapter 14
Iwrinkled my nose when fur tickled against it.A familiar smell enveloped me, and I hovered between dreams and wakefulness. Was I on a date with Dutch? Images flashed through my mind of Tak approaching our table. I had gotten up to speak privately to him, and then…
My eyes snapped open at the terrifying image of a grizzly.
The memory frightened me more than the wolf I currently embraced. His ebony coat had familiar grey patches—Tak’s wolf. I recognized his scent. Wolves didn’t smell like dogs, nor did they even smell like wild wolves. They carried the same scent as their human counterpart, only stronger.
Tak was large and took up half the bed. Belly up, he snoozed, a deep rumble sounding in his chest with every inhale.
Is he snoring?
I gingerly lifted my arm away from his body and drew back, his pointy fangs precariously close to my face.
I’d always been terrified of wolves who were strangers to me. Yet despite my trepidation, something compelled me to stroke the beast’s head. Maybe it was my wolf wanting to thank him for having saved my life, but my impulsive need to touch him shocked me.
When he suddenly sneezed, I froze solid. Tak’s dark eyes found mine, and before I could leap off the bed, he licked my arm and then sprang to his feet.
I’d never seen a wolf so big—so formidable. Tak’s aura made me want to wrap myself inside it.
The moment he jumped off the bed, he shifted so gracefully—so seamlessly—that it was impossible not to admire.
It was equally hard not to admire his firm, round backside. It drew my attention to the curve in his back that led up to his broad shoulders.
Tak grabbed a pair of pants and put them on, never once making eye contact. “You were asleep a long time,” he said. His long hair was unbound. I imagined it normally carried a wave when unbraided, but after a shift, the body usually goes back to its original state.
I rubbed my eyes and sat up. “What happened?”
Tak strode to a travel bag in the corner and pulled out a bottle of water. “Here,” he said, offering it to me.
I cracked open the lid and guzzled down half the liquid. Once I quenched my thirst, I screwed the cap back on and looked around the motel room. “Where’s Wheeler? Is he hurt?”
“Wheeler’s fine.” Tak chuckled quietly, as if hiding an inside joke from me. “He stopped by earlier and made the manager open the door. My wolf wouldn’t let him in, but he understood that you’re under my protection. After a few cuss words, he finally left. Wheeler cares about you. Was he one of your former packmates?”
“No, but he’s practically family.” I set the bottle on the table, sat up, and put my feet on the floor.
Tak sat down next to me, his imposing height undiminished. “You want to talk about what happened back there?”
Talk about the most embarrassing moment of my life? Not a chance.
“You have nothing to be ashamed of,” he continued. “That grizzly had no business shifting in front of a woman after a deserved slap in the face. You had the right to stand your ground, but he had no right to threaten you. Unstable men like that need to be taken into the woods and shot.”
Tak’s nonjudgmental understanding took me by surprise, and when my lip quivered, I stood up. “I shouldn’t be here. I need to go home.”
“You’ve been asleep for hours. Unless you want to walk home in the dark, we wait until morning. You need to rest.”
