I don’t bother with a response. Evie and Zane get closer. When Evie tries to get close to Tessa, Zane stops her with a hand on her arm and then speaks to Tessa. “Tessa, everything is okay. I’m going to explain to you everything that’s going on. But first, I need you to come away from the wolf.” A growl erupts from my wolf, and he takes a step forward.Slate, stop.I ignore him. If he thinks he’s going to take my mate from me, he’s lost his ever-loving mind. Tessa stands slowly to her feet and then takes a step back. My wolf growls and moves forward in an instant, placing himself between Tessa and Zane. Zane reacts instantly, all but throwing Evie behind him and throwing alpha power at me. My wolf doesn’t even react to it.
“Slate, stand down,” Zane says out loud, but I ignore him. He’s not taking my mate from me. My wolf echoes my sentiment with a fierce growl. “I amtryingto keep things from escalating, Brother,” Zane says. “But if you threaten my mate, Iwilldo what I need to do to keep her safe.” He waits a beat and then turns back to Tessa. “Tessa, I need you to come—”
My wolf leaps forward, growling at Zane. “Slate! Knock it off!” Zane all but roars at me, but I can see he’s starting to shift. He’s keeping it under control, but it won’t be long. Some part of me knows that’s a bad idea, but the other part wants him to shift so we can tear into him.How dare he try to take our mate from us. She is ours. Ours to protect, to make safe, to make sure—
“Slater?” a soft voice says. And then she touches my wolf’s side. The touch is so soft and brief, I would have thought we imagined it. But when my wolf instantly stills, I know we didn’t imagine it. My wolf turns his head to her, and she stares down at me. “Slater?” her voice is so soft, and yet, I can see the bravery in her eyes, the courage in her stance.
“That’s Slater,” Evie says quietly. “I know it’s so much to take in, Tessa; and I’m so sorry it had to happen this way. But things are escalating. Zane is about ready to shift. If he does, it will be bad. Really bad. I need you to help calm Slate,” Evie continues in a very calm voice. “Please, Tess.” Tessa finally turns to face her friend, and my wolf growls at the loss of eye contact.
Why did you have to shift?Zane asks through our mental link.
Surprise runs through me.You don't smell it?
Zane lifts his head, and a growl reverberates through his chest, making both Evie and Tessa startle. “Zane, what is it?” Evie asks. He pushes her behind him and crouches low. I move towards Tessa, ready to jump in front of her if Zane loses control.
Are there more?He demands.
Not that we’ve picked up on.
He nods. My wolf is one of the best trackers in the pack because of his scent tracing. So, when my wolf lets me know that there’s nothing else out here; it’s the truth. The rancid smell of the dead thing is still bothering my wolf’s nose, but so far, we’ve been ignoring it. Zane glances over at me and then back at Evie and Tessa. “Tessa, I need you to listen very carefully to what I’m about to say.” My wolf growls low. I hate that he’s talking to my mate without me beside her, but I realize this has to happen. I need to shift back. “This is going to be a lot to take in, but—”
“Slater is a wolf.” The words from Tessa’s mouth take us all by surprise. “I don’t know how, but I—” she turns to face me with wide eyes. “I watched it happen,” she whispers. “I don’t...I don’t understand. This is all..” She shakes her head. “I have to get back to my job.” She runs a hand through her hair, a sign she’s in distress. I can’t take it anymore. I'm not going to have my mate terrified when I can do something about it.
Do you have pants or shorts or anything?I ask Zane.
Yeah. Give me a minute.
“Evie, I have to grab pants from the truck. I’ll be right back.”
Evie nods and watches him go a minute before turning back to me. She doesn’t say anything, and I wonder if this is her first time seeing me in wolf form. Zane is back seconds later and tosses a pair of black sweatpants at my feet. “Evie and Tessa, turn around,” Zane commands. Evie spins around instantly. Tessa is a little slower to turn. It wouldn’t bother me if she wanted to watch, but I have a feeling my very human mate wouldn’t be used to my nakedness the way I am. So, I wait for her to turn around before I shift and throw on the sweatpants. Part of me is shocked my wolf surrendered control back to me so quickly. Usually, I have to wrestle back control from him. That was the easiest shift I’ve made in a very long time. My guess is because he knows Tessa needs me, the human me. As soon as my pants are on, I walk towards my mate.
“Tessa.”
She turns around, and I don’t give her a chance to be afraid. I step right up to her, wrap my arms around her, and pull her against my chest, letting her feel the solidness of me. She needs to know that I’m strong, that I will fight to protect her every time, and that I will keep her safe. She needs to know that my wolf is a dangerous predator that will stop at nothing to keep his mate safe. I’ll tell her all that, but right now, my mate just needs a hug. She just needs to be held. I run my hand down her spine and feel her shiver in my arms. I don’t think it’s from the cold. I think it’s from fear and worry and shock. Only when her shivers start to ease and the acrid smell of her fear starts to die down, do I pull back just the tiniest bit, just enough to be able to see her face.
“Slater?” she questions softly.
“It’s me.”
She stares up at me. “And the wolf?” she whispers.
“Also me.”
Chapter 26
Tessa
I can’t seem to process anything; my mind seems to have officially gone blank. My comm device goes off at that instant, startling me. “Tessa? You missed your last check in. Everything good on your end? And did you check the South end?” I jerk at his words and grab for it. I look up at Slater, trying to wrap my mind around what to say. “Tessa?”
Slater puts a hand on my shaking one. “Just tell them you got delayed checking out the South end. Everything’s good, and you’re heading to your next check-in now.”
I don’t give myself a chance to overthink it. “I’m good. Nothing to worry about here on the South end. Everything’s good. I’m heading to my next check-in now.” I hold my breath and wait for a reply.
“Okay. Move on quickly and see if you can get back on track.”
I nod in relief. “Will do.” I lower my arm and glance at Slater and then Evie and Zane. I literally have nothing to say right now. “I have to go.”
Slater’s eyes snap to my face, and he nods. I glance over at the hideous black creature. I don’t even know what sort of animal it is; I’ve never seen anything like it before. Evie suddenly shrieks, setting off my nerves again. She’s backing up, horror on her face. “That’s...no...” her words are full of panic.
