I take a slow step back. The bully is watching me with a strange look in his eyes that suggests suspicion more than scorn.
I have to get out of here!
Without thinking, I turn and bolt into the woods.
Chapter 15 - Rhys
I’m deep in conversation with Owen and some of the women from his pack when I start to get a weird feeling. I look around for the disturbance, expecting to see a fight.
All my instincts are telling me I’m under attack.
I take a step back, noticing the girls crowding closer to Owen to fill the gap. I shake my head and smile as I turn away.
It’s his birthday. He deserves to have a good time. At least he knows he’s in high demand.
I’ve taken two steps back when I see Rachel jogging towards me.
“Rhys!” she says, pushing through the crowd. “It’s Sadie.”
“What?” I almost yell, adrenaline flooding my veins.
“It’s okay—I think. There’s a guy from another pack hassling her. I think it’s—”
I don’t stay to hear the end of her sentence; I just turn my nose up and follow Sadie’s scent. In a pack full of wolves, her human scent is easy to pick out and track, and it leads me to the side of the courtyard where the bar is set out.
Where is this fucker that messed with my wife?
There are plenty of people around, but since I can’t just randomly accuse anyone, I decide to find Sadie first. To my dismay, the scent leads me out into the field, then towards the woods.
She must be mad as hell, or scared out of her mind, to come all the way out here!
The sounds of the party fade behind me, and I sigh with resignation as I realize I’ll be leaving the car behind. Sadie’sscent is rich and hot ahead of me, telling me that her heart rate is high and she’s moving at a swift pace. I can’t smell fear or detect any predators, so I can be fairly certain she’s running from an uncomfortable situation, not danger.
Pulling off my clothes, I shift into my wolf and break into a run, my nose to the ground to follow her steps.
I am eternally grateful that the ability to shift is with me when I really need it—but how long will this last?
It doesn’t take long to catch up to her, and I see her striding along, her head held high and her arms moving at the same pace as her quick, decisive steps.
When I increase my speed to catch up to her, she whirls around to face me, and for a moment, it looks like the dirt and leaves on the ground rise up in a little tornado around her feet.
What the fuck was that?
“Back off,” Sadie says. “I’m warning you.”
“It’s okay,” I say, shifting back and holding out my arms to her. “It’s just me.”
“Oh, Rhys,” she says, her eyes wide and almost frightened.
She looks more shocked than scared… and somehow guilty?
“What are you doing out here?” I ask.
Sadie looks puzzled for a second, then shakes her head. “I wasn’t having a good time. I just want to go home.”
“You couldn’t have told me? It’s dangerous to be out here by yourself.”
Sadie gives me a strange look, her face almost blank as her dark eyes widen. “I’m fine,” she says softly, and there’s a certainty behind it that leaves a trace of anxiety down my spine.
