“So,” she said after swallowing another bite, “is now a good time to talk about why you came by so early this morning?”
Murphy pursed his lips, leaning back on the bench and crossing his arms in front of his chest. His biceps bulged under his sweater, drawing her attention before she forced her gaze back to his face.
“There’s a lot about that night you were attacked that you don’t know,” Murphy began, his eyes taking on a hard edge that made her food settle like a heavy weight in her stomach. She pushed her plate away, no longer hungry as the memories from that night rushed back. “One member of my bear clan helped Jason and his pack enter my territory. That’s how the wolves got so close to you and Hunny.”
She stared at him for a handful of seconds, taking in the way his hands clenched, a muscle jumping in his cheek as he waited for her to respond. It was the haunted look in his eyes that she couldn’t tear her gaze away from. “Was it someone you were close to, Murphy?”
He gritted his teeth and nodded. “He was my friend before all of this happened. Now he’s on the run with a death sentence hanging over his head.”
Nessa felt a flare of sympathy for Murphy, her own horrors of that night forgotten. It seemed like he’d faced more than his fair share of betrayals from those he’d loved. But where he’d spokenso casually about his ex-girlfriend stabbing him in the back, it was impossible to miss the fury, the hurt, on Murphy’s face now.
She hated seeing him like this; distressed and miserable. Standing from her seat, she walked around the table, dropping onto the edge of Murphy’s bench. Her thigh brushed against his as she turned to face him, running a hand over his crossed arm, wishing she was touching his skin instead of his sweater. “What’s his name?”
“Dante,” Murphy spat. “He’s a tracker—those are shifters with better senses than most. They can locate anyone with just a scent and enough time.”
Evenbettersenses than the average shifter? That was mind-boggling, to say the least.
“His twin brother, Marcus, has been looking for him.” Murphy uncrossed his arms, taking her hand in his and entwining their fingers. When she didn’t pull away from him, his shoulders loosened, some of the anger draining from his features. “We haven’t been able to find Dante since he took off. He’s masking his scent, lying low.”
“Do you know why he helped Jason?” she asked softly. “There has to be a reason why Dante betrayed you and his brother.”
Although, sometimes people were just evil. They didn’t need a reason to hurt someone else. She was living proof that someone could set out to destroy your life simply because they enjoyed inflicting pain.
Murphy growled under his breath, and despite the seriousness of their conversation and her internal thoughts, Nessa couldn’t help but think the sound was adorable.
Who knew she’d like that so much?
“One of Jason’s wolves, a female named Angela …” Murphy sighed loudly. He slid his thumb over Nessa’s inner wrist, right over her pulse, like he was reassuring himself she actually was right there with him.
She softened at the touch, leaning forward until her chin rested on his shoulder, her breasts pressing against his arm.
Hesitantly, she wrapped her free hand around the front of his waist to hold him. She waited for some kind of panic to kick in at their close proximity. But it didn’t, and she held onto him a little more fiercely, basking in the contentment that washed over her like a gentle wave.
Murphy swallowed thickly, staring down at her with an unreadable expression. “What are you doing, Nes?” he murmured.
“Comforting you, I think,” she joked quietly. “Unless I’ve lost my touch over the years.”
A small smile tugged at his lips. “I like it.”
“So you’re saying I’m still amazing at it,” she replied, waggling her brows suggestively.
Murphy choked out a laugh before shaking his head. “I might be saying that.” Sobering, he dropped his hand onto her bare arm, the warmth of his touch spreading through her entire body like an inferno. “Angela is Dante’s true mate. He didn’t tell anyone that he’d found her, or whose pack she belonged to. Jason threatened to rape and kill her if he didn’t agree to Jason’s terms.”
“That’s awful!” Nessa exclaimed, anxiety for this unknown woman rising to the surface.
She’d only encountered Jason once, but that was enough for her to know he was an evil piece of shit. If he had threatened to rape and kill one of his own one pack mates, she couldn’t imagine the kind of treatment Angela had received on a daily basis before that. And then to dangle her life over her mate’s head?
She knew something of daily pain …
“I feel so bad for Dante and Angela,” Nessa stated faintly.
To go through something like that, to betray your family, your friends, all in order to protect your soul mate? What a horrible choice to have to make.
Murphy stiffened, jerking his head toward her as he grated out, “You feel bad for him? He is the reason you almost died, Nessa! He cared more about saving Angela than he did protecting you or Hunny.” His eyes flashed gold. “He almost handed over a pregnant female to a psycho wolf, and you were collateral damage!”
“I know that, but—”
“There is nothing to argue,” Murphy cut in, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he took one heavy breath after another, his anger so palpable she could feel the tension rising in the room. Slowly, the gold in his eyes faded. “What Dante did is unforgivable.”
