“Hi,” I say as confidently as possible. “What can I do for you?”
“Owen said he’d be back by six,” one of the women says. “He was going to tell us what the council planned to do about the… situation.”
“Situation?” I repeat, forcing the word past a lump in my throat.
“You,” one of the men says, pushing his way to the front. “The situation is you.”
“Calm down, Riley,” an older woman says. “None of this is her fault.”
“Oh, really?” another woman sneers. “The ‘magic’ or whatever was supposed to cure us, but since Owen took her as his mate, people are still dropping like flies.”
I swallow hard. “I have been trying as hard as I can—”
“Really,” Riley cuts me off. “Looks like you’re enjoying the alpha’s wealth and doing sweet fuck-all,human.”
He spits out the last word like a curse. Fire rises in me, but it’s quickly followed by fear.
There are so many of them. And I’m alone…
Bickering breaks out through the crowd, and the most frightening thing is, no one is actually on my side. There are pack members completely opposed to me being here, and the others are implying I don’t have the wits to even be involved in the conversation.
“Look,” I almost yell, trying to cut through their voices. “I’m sorry that I—”
“Sorry that you exist?” one of the older men snaps. “Owen has disgraced us with this action. Bringing a mangy dog like you into our midst. If you would just—”
“Just what?”
Owen’s voice blasts through the crowd, practically ringing through my bones. Some of the pack even cover their ears, and everyone steps back as Owen strides across the lawn and puts himself between them and me.
“Is there a problem?” he asks, his voice cracking like a whip. I can only see his back, but he’s standing tall, muscles tense, poised to fight at the slightest provocation.
I’ve never seen him look so… sexy.
“Alpha,” Riley says. “It’s good you’re here. Now we can talk about—”
Owen fixes his gaze on Riley, and the two stare each other down. Riley quickly lowers his head, hiding his gaze and shuffling away.
“I won’t have this,” Owen says, his clear, calm voice resonating through the crowd. “I know you came to hear updatesfrom the council, and I will give them to you, but you can’t just linger on my front lawn like stray dogs. And you absolutely cannot insult my mate, under any circumstances.”
Oh, my, fucking, God.
Owen turns to sweep his gaze across the crowd, his gleaming green eyes glowing in the dying light of the setting sun. With the rush of adrenaline flooding through him, his shoulders look even wider, and as he slowly clenches his fists, his biceps bulge under the thin t-shirt.
I slowly take a step back, but that just gives me a great view of his tapered legs and toned ass framed by his tight jeans.
Owen is still talking, and some of the pack members are still grumbling, but it looks like the situation has been diffused. I want to feel relieved about it, but now I’m full of panic for a whole new reason.
I can’t just go inside with him feeling like this! Something will happen, I know it!
The fear that floods through me then is so powerful and complete that it overcomes every other sensation in my body. The idea of being alone with Owen at that moment is more terrifying than facing off against the pack.
Owen is dismissing the last few troublemakers, and I take several steps back. Panic rises in my guts, and before he can turn around and speak to me, I bolt into the house, through the hallway, straight into my room. I slam the door and press my back against it, panting with fear and other emotions I’d rather not admit to.
This has to stop. I have to get out of here… but how?
Chapter 9 - Owen
After the pack clears off, I’m anxious to see how Trina is. When I get inside and realize she’s locked herself in her room, the first thing I want to do is bang on it and demand she open up.
