Great. Perfect timing. The one moment I need to be sharp and focused, and my body decides to stage a rebellion.
I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and sit back on my heels. My head is spinning. My stomach cramps again, threatening a second round.
Just what I need. To be sick on top of everything else.
Chapter 20 - Connor
I’m already shifting before she finishes saying his name.
The phone clatters to the ground as my body transforms, bones reshaping and fur sprouting across my skin. My wolf explodes into motion the instant the change completes, and my paws tear up the earth as I race through the streets of Silvercreek. Five minutes. I told her five minutes. In this form, I can make it in two.
Nic.I push the thought through the pack bond with everything I have.Fern’s ex broke into her cottage. He’s trying to get through her bedroom door.
The Alpha’s response comes back immediately, alert despite the hour.Dylan and Thomas are closest. I’m sending them now.
Tell them to follow the scent trail when they arrive. I want this bastard found tonight.
Done. Go get your mate.
I push harder, and my lungs burn as I sprint through back alleys and across yards. The cottage comes into view, peaceful from the outside, and I shift back to human form as I hit the porch steps. I don’t slow down for even a second.
I don’t even bother checking if the front door is locked. One solid kick, and the frame splinters inward.
The living room is empty. The kitchen, too. I sweep through the ground floor with my senses on high alert as I search for any trace of the intruder. His scent is everywhere, thick and sour with aggression, but the rooms are clear.
“Fern!” I call up the stairs. “It’s me. It’s Connor.”
A moment of silence. Then the sound of a deadbolt sliding back, and her bedroom door creaks open.
She appears at the top of the stairs, pale and shaking, still in her pajamas. Her eyes go wide as they travel down my body, and I remember belatedly that I’m completely naked.
“He’s gone.” I climb the stairs and stop a few feet from her. “I checked every room. He must have heard me coming and ran.”
“Are you sure?” Her voice wavers, though I notice she’s trying very hard to keep her gaze on my face.
“I’m sure. His scent leads out the back. Dylan and Thomas are on their way to track him.”
Fern sags against the doorframe, and I close the distance between us and pull her into my arms. She stiffens for just a second, probably realizing that I’m not wearing a stitch of clothing, but then she buries her face against my chest and lets me hold her while the trembling slowly subsides.
“You came,” she whispers against my skin.
“Of course I came.” I press my lips to the top of her head. “I told you I would.”
We stand like that for a long moment. Eventually, I ease back and tip her chin up so I can see her face.
“You okay?”
“I think so. A little shaken up.” She manages a weak smile, then glances down and quickly back up again. “You’re, um. You’re very naked right now.”
“Shifted on my way here. Faster than running on two legs.” I shrug and add, “Are you hurt?”
“No. I hit him with a lamp.”
“You what?”
“When he came at me. I grabbed the lamp off the end table and swung it at his head. Got him pretty good, too. He was still staggering when I made it up the stairs.”
A laugh escapes me. “That’s my girl.”
