“They caught fire, so I took ’em off so I could find Mason,” Kip explained.
The firemen were shifters, so they knew whyIwas naked. They brought blankets so we could cover ourselves.
Then came the cops, not just from our town, but from two of the nearby ones, and I knew there were going to be a shit ton of questions.
I hope Kip has answers, because this is going to destroy Alpha Donnelly when he finds out Jerome was the one who attacked me.There was no other explanation for him being in the house. I figured it would be better for Donnelly to hear it from me, until I realized my phone was still inside the house, probably a pile of melted plastic by now.
Kip moved closer and wrapped an arm around me. Initially I wanted to pull away, because part of me was still in shock at seeing him as… whatever he was. Except it was more than shock.
I was pissed.
My mind was awash with questions, and all I could do was watch as our hopes and dreams went up in thick, acrid smoke.
Kip leaned over and kissed my hair. “I’m sorry,” he whispered gently.
“For what?” I couldn’t rein in my anger a second longer. “Forlyingto me our whole lives? For living your life as something other than human? What exactly are you sorry for, Kip?”
He had the decency to blush. “Like you, I couldn’t tell my secret. I?—”
“Mason!” My parents made a beeline for us. Mom mapped my face with her hands, looking for injury. Dad hovered, his brow furrowed.
“I’m okay,” I promised. “Kip was in the house, so he’s worse off than I am.”
Kip frowned. “I’m fine. I’m just glad Mase is okay.” His hands shook, however.
Suddenly, I felt like an absolute shit for being mad at him. I’d only told him about me being a wolf after I’d been backed into a corner, and he’d handled it just fine.
I need to give him a chance to tell me his reasons before I act all butthurt.Because the way I was going, I would ruin what we were building.
I scooted closer to him and wrapped an arm around his waist, putting my head on his shoulder. He sighed at the contact and tilted his head to rest atop mine.
Then I remembered I had a painful task to perform.
“Mom, do you still have Alpha Donnelly’s phone number?”
“I think so.” She fumbled for her phone. “Why?”
“Jerome started the fire,” I told her. “I’d rather Alpha hear it from me instead of from a cop.”
“He’sthe one who attacked you?” my father snarled. “I’ll gut him!”
I gave him a beseeching glance. “Dad, leave it alone. The cops have him near the cruiser. They were giving him oxygen last I saw.”
A strident voice rose above the noise of the crowd. Apparently, Jerome was conscious.
“He’s a fucking monster! At least seven feet tall, covered in scales. He had horns and a tail, like some demon.” He sounded unhinged.
I hadn’t seen any tail on Kip, but that sounded hot.
I wassucha monster fucker.
I paid no attention to Jerome as Mom handed me her phone. I was about to call Alpha Donnelly when I realized John should probably be the one to do it, so I called him instead.
“Hey, what’s up?” he asked cheerily.
“John? It’s Mason.”
“Why are you calling from your mom’s phone?”
