But Robbie was here, in my kitchen. I just know it in my gut. He was close enough to touch my things, to breathe my air, and to watch me through the window while I paced and cursed myself for being cruel.
I press the call button before I can talk myself out of it.
He answers on the first ring. “Fern?”
“Someone broke into my cottage.” The words tumble out in a rush. “The kitchen window is smashed, and the back door is open, and I think—I think he was inside while I was—”
“I’m on my way. Don’t move. Don’t touch anything. I’ll be there in two minutes.”
The line goes dead.
I stand in the hallway, count my breaths, and try not to think about what would have happened if I’d been in the kitchen when the window broke. If I’d walked in on Robbie instead of finding an empty room and scattered glass.
True to his word, Connor arrives in under two minutes. I hear his footsteps on the porch, and then the front door swings open, and he’s there. His dark hair is disheveled like he ran the whole way, and his blue eyes are wild as they scan my face.
“Are you hurt?”
I shake my head. “No. I was in the living room when I heard the crash. By the time I got to the kitchen, whoever it was had already gone.”
He moves past me without another word and disappears into the kitchen. I hear him opening cabinets and checking the pantry and the small mudroom off the back entrance. A few minutes later, he reappears in the hallway.
“He’s gone. The whole cottage is clear.” He pulls out his phone and quickly types something. “I’m having Dylan and a few others sweep the area. If he’s still nearby, they’ll find him.”
“And if he’s not?”
“Then we’ll track him. His scent is all over your kitchen.”
I wrap my arms around myself and try to stop the trembling that’s taken over my entire body. “I should have left. When my car was fixed, I should have just driven away and never looked back.”
“That wouldn’t have stopped him from following you.”
“Maybe not, but at least I wouldn’t have dragged your pack into my mess.”
Connor steps closer, and I fight the instinct to retreat. “You didn’t drag anyone anywhere. The lottery chose you. The bond chose you. Whatever’s happening with your ex, we’ll deal with it together.”
Together. The word sounds nice in theory, but I’ve heard promises like that before.
“I need you to leave,” I declare, shaking my head.
“Fern—”
“Please. I appreciate you coming over. I do. But I can’t think straight when you’re standing this close to me, and I need to think.”
He holds my eyes for a long moment. Then he nods and steps back.
“Lock up behind me. I’ll have someone watching the cottage all night. If anything else happens, you call me immediately.”
“I will.”
He moves toward the front door, and part of me wants to call him back. To ask him to stay, to let him wrap his arms around me and make me feel safe the way he did earlier.
But I don’t. Because no matter how good it feels to be held by him, I can’t forget what he is. A werewolf. A supernatural creature with strength and instincts I don’t fully understand.
He’s dangerous. Maybe even more dangerous than Robbie.
At least with Robbie, I knew what I was dealing with.
When the door closes, and I’m alone again, I flip the deadbolt and slide the chain into place. Then I check every window in the cottage and make sure they’re all latched tight. The broken one in the kitchen will need to be boarded up, but that can wait until morning. For now, I decide to just pin a sheet over it.
