“All clear?” I ask.
“So far, yes,” Felix responds. “Still have our guards out there in case.”
“We need to figure out how they managed to sneak onto our land,” Jaxon says with ferocity behind his words. “It could have been far worse.”
We’re close to human towns, and we’ve always tried to keep ourselves protected from outsiders. It’s impossible to stop their curiosity, but when it comes to our livelihoods, we’ll do anything to keep our packs safe.
When we head inside to the kitchen, my gaze automatically gravitates to Evan’s baby blue eyes. There is blood all over his face, splattered into his blond hair along with dirt and leaves. A nasty bruise is already forming beneath his eye, and I bite the inside of my cheek at the sight of it. His fair skin is paler than usual and it makes my stomach churn.
I don’t know why it’s affecting me so much, but seeing him in pain doesn’t fill me with joy. Of course it wouldn’t. I’m not a monster like my father. No one wants to see their mate hurt, even if I barely know him. I still have immense guilt for crashing into him the first time we met, but I couldn’t let him get away.
My hip leans into the counter as I fold my arms over my chest. He’s in one piece, and that calms my wolf down, even if hewants nothing more than to comfort him. But I can’t do that. We can’t be anything more.
Otherwise, I’ll pay the ultimate price.
My skin still tingles with the memory of his touch, fingers through my fur, and his face in the back of my neck—the soft whimper of his breath and the warmth of his body.
I narrow my eyes as they grow heavy, and I try to push the thoughts away.
You need to stay away from him,I shout in my mind.
I’ve put distance between us for a reason, and I can’t fall at the first hurdle.
“Thank you, Evan.” Zara steps forward as she approaches him, and he manages to drag his eyes away from me. “Without you, only the Goddess knows what could have happened. But you should have gone to get help.”
Evan frowns, shaking his head. “I wasn’t going to leave you there.”
Zara’s eyes soften. “You put yourself in danger.”
“You needed help,” he whispers.
“How are you doing?” she asks.
He shrugs. “I’ll survive.”
“I owe you,’ Felix says with a serious tone. “You saved the love of my life. Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me.” He shakes his head. “Anyone would have done it.”
Jaxon moves closer before wrapping his arm around his shoulder. “I’ve never underestimated your courage, Evan.”
Evan’s eyes light up despite one of them being bloodshot.
My pulse increases, and even though Jaxon’s my friend, it takes everything I have not to push him away from Evan in that moment. It fills me with a strange sensation after seeing him get hurt, the need to protect and take care of what's?—
No. He’s not mine. He can never be mine.
“A true and trustworthy pack member will risk his life for another, especially for someone who isn’t even in our pack.” Jaxon’s expression shows gratitude.
Evan glances from Jaxon to Felix to Zara before landing his eyes on me. Ava gently touches his shoulder, and he glances away as Jaxon approaches my side.
“Let’s go talk upstairs,” he says as I follow.
As soon as we’re inside his office, I lean against the wall as Jaxon takes a seat.
“What’s up with the little pup?” I ask without thinking.
Jaxon is silent for a second. “I presume you mean Evan?”
