“Then what?” I prompted when he stopped speaking. I was breathless.
“Well, I caught him.”
Why did Boone look so miserable?
“He.. um, had a knife, and he stabbed me.”
I squeezed his hand. “What?”
He shrugged. “It was a surface wound. But my wolf went berserk. You know, I was living in a big city. My wolf didn’t get out to run enough. I told you about the full moon runs, but sometimes we need to run to let off steam. It makes us feel a hell of a lot better, but it’s pretty much impossible to do in New York. I’d been living among humans thinking I was perfectly safe, but when I caught the guy, I lost control. It was the same as when I fought with my dad, only this guy wasn’t a wolf.”
I stared at Boone with big eyes, almost afraid to hear what was next. “Did you kill him?” I managed to ask.
Boone scrubbed a hand across his beard. “Almost. I could’ve. So easily. I was beating him up. Sara was screaming my name, trying to get me to stop.” He shook his head. “Then–fuck, I could’ve hurt her–”
I waited, but Boone stopped telling the story. He looked straight ahead with an unfocused gaze, like he was reliving the moment.
“What happened?” I whispered.
He dropped his gaze to the floor then to me. Regret washed over his expression. “She forced herself between us.” He shook his head. “That had been so fucking dangerous. But I guess my protective instincts took over the destructive ones, and I finally got control. He ended up in the hospital with all kinds of things broken.”
I swallowed hard. “Were you arrested?”
He shook his head. “No. It was deemed self defense. Everyone celebrated it like I was some kind of fucking hero. Can you believe that? My boss loved it, but it didn’t matter. I knew I was done in New York City.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, it was wrong. What happened. Me, losing control like that. I realized I was a danger to the humans around me. I hadn’t spontaneously shifted, but I still had let my wolf lead. I’d shown my superhuman strength. Plus, I had this stab wound that healed within days, and I had to pretend it hadn’t. It was a clusterfuck, and I realized I needed to stay away from civilization.”
“Does Sara know you’re a shifter?”
He shook his head. “No. Like I said, I didn’t shift. She just thought I was just crazy strong. And maybe just a little plain crazy.”
“So you moved back here because of that?” Meaning up here on the mountain, isolated.
He nodded. “I almost beat another person to death.”
He thought he was a danger to people. After what he did to his father and then to this other jerky guy.
“Oh, Boone.” I took his hand. “You’re not a danger to civilization. You knew when to pull back. When Sara got between you and her stalker, you stopped. You’re a protector.”
I realized then that Boone couldn’t be any more opposite from Marty than I ever imagined. Boone had come on strong right from the first moment we met. He showed his power then and constantly after. Breaking the bed. Carrying me through the forest. Holding himself back over and over to make sure I was okay, that I could trust him.
Marty had been sweet and kind to start with. Charming. Wooed me with smiles and gifts and really good lies. Then, his true personality came out. Dark. Egotistical. Mean.
Boone had always shown me his true colors. Even when it was hard to admit things about himself. He never hid them. Not once did they waver, and he was amazing.
Marty hid them, and he was awful.
I was falling for Boone and started to love that I was his mate. He might have hurt that asshole in New York, but I knew I was safe with him.
He shook his head. “No. I can’t control myself and my strength. I go wild. Feral. I’m dangerous.”
I hopped to my feet, so I stood in front of him then climbed in his lap. His hands went to my hips as I set mine on his shoulders.
I waited until his dark eyes met mine. I saw hurt there. Guilt. Fear. Worry. He was afraid of hurting me which meant I was the only one who could relieve him of all those feelings. To let go and leave them behind. If I was starting new, then he could, too. “You did the right thing. You protected Sara when she needed it. You stood up to your dad when he was bullying you.”
“I beat a man.”
