Fury exploded in Murphy’s mind as he read between the lines perfectly. He’d been right. Nessa was fleeing a piece of shit human who’d abused her trust. Her heart. Her body. Murphy shut his eyes tightly as a red haze filled his vision, ignoring the primal roar his bear unleashed inwardly, its own rage only feeding Murphy’s own. He was surprised his claws didn’t burst from his fingers.
“Are you alright?” Nessa’s fingers locked around his wrists, and her touch was like a balm, soothing the storm building within him. Sucking in a short breath, he opened his eyes, staring down at her intently. He was still cupping her heart-shaped face, his thumbs idly caressing just under her eyes. Her lashes were wet and spiky from her tears, but at least she’d stopped crying.
“You’re letting me touch you now, Nes,” he said softly.
Her fingers tightened on his wrists. “I-I am.”
“Do you like it?” The question came out of nowhere, but for some reason, he was desperate to know.
She held his gaze for a long moment before she answered. “I do.”
Those words echoed in his head as he reluctantly helped her into her car, causing the concrete wall he kept around his heart to tremble.
Nessa closed her car door, starting the engine. A second later, she rolled down her window. “Look, I can’t pretend to know anything about mating sickness, but any time you feel the need to see me, act on it. Okay? I don’t care what time it is or what I’ve got going on. If being near me makes you feel better, we should do that.”
“I don’t want to impose—”
“Impose?” Nessa rolled her eyes dramatically. “You coulddie, Murphy. And since I’ve now decided that we’re going to be best friends thenthatwould be the real imposition.”
His brows snapped down in irritation, even as his heart picked up a quick, excited rhythm. “I don’t need a best friend, Nessa.”
She waved away his comment before pressing a button on her car door. The window began to roll up. “That’s what everyone in need of a best friend says. Luckily for you, I’ll ignore what you just said.”
“I don’t want a—” Her window rolled all the way up, cutting him off. Nessa pointed to her ears and shook her head, but he knew damned well she’d heard him. Raising his voice, he yelled, “I don’t want a best friend!”
She furrowed her brow in mock confusion, mouthing ‘I can’t hear you’ through the glass. Then she waved, put the car in reverse, and backed out of his driveway.
He hated watching her leave.
Chapter 7
The early morning sun peeked through the clouds as Murphy knocked on his younger brother’s door. When the male didn’t answer within a few seconds, he pounded his fist on the thick wood, unleashing some of his pent-up frustration.
His bear had kept him up all night long, urging him to hunt down Nessa, to find her, and keep her close. It had been all Murphy could do to remain in bed, to ignore the incessant need coursing through him.
Although Nessa had given him permission to visit whenever his instincts demanded he do so, he doubted she meant it was alright for him to show up at her house at two o’clock in the morning, especially when she had only just left earlier that night. So he’d waited until the sun had come up, and as soon as he finished his current task, he planned on locating his human.
It’s only to stave off the worst of the mating sickness, he assured himself.That’s all.
Murphy heard Tank stomping through the cabin, grumbling loudly as his footsteps drew closer. Still, he continued pounding on the door. If his brother wanted to be an irritating little shit in his life then the least he could do was reciprocate.
Tank ripped the door open, the tall male filling the doorway, clad in nothing but a pair of sweatpants. His breathing was heavy, his beard and short hair shooting out in different directions as he glared at Murphy.
Murphy smirked. “Sorry, did I wake you?”
“Fuck you,” Tank snarled, running a hand down his tired face. “You’re lucky Hunny sleeps like she’s in a coma now that she’s in her second trimester or I’d gut you for waking her.” He stepped out onto the porch, and Murphy took a few steps back as he shut the door behind him. “What are you doing here, Murph? You haven’t come by in a while.”
Murphy ignored the slight dig, moving toward one of two patio chairs that hadn’t been there the last time he’d visited. He took a seat, his bear prowling anxiously in his mind. His counterpart refused to understand why they were here and not in his own SUV, driving toward Nessa. But Murphy knew he needed to talk to his brother first. Tank had taken far too many liberties over the last few weeks, and it was time to put that to an end.
Propping his arms on his knees and clasping his hands together, Murphy narrowed his eyes at his brother. “You need to stop meddling in my affairs.”
Tank crossed his arms over his chest, still standing. “You’ll need to be more specific.”
Murphy shot up from his seat, unable to keep still as his bear’s agitation grew. “That’s my point exactly. Telling our parents you think I have mating sickness is unacceptable, especially when you didn’t even discuss your concerns with me first.”
Frankly, it hurt his feelings to know his health was the topic of a discussion when he hadn’t even known himself what ailed him. His entire family had seemed content to keep it from him, to monitor him without his knowledge, and the thought of them whispering behind his back just made him feel worse.
“I tried to talk to you about my suspicions,” Tank argued, wincing as his voice cracked. Immediately, Murphy’s chest constricted, guilt from long ago resurfacing. His brother had nearly lost his life the day Sachi had betrayed Murphy. Tank had killed her brother while searching for information on Murphy’s disappearance, but Murphy’s rescue had come at a price.
