It’s like a commune.
But not a peaceful, live-off-the-land kind of place. Although... “Do you hunt for food in the woods?”
He laughs, like my words caught him off guard, and it’s so unexpected my breath catches. His whole face softens in that moment, blue eyes crinkling at the corners, and I can’t look away.
I thought he was hot before, but that was always from a distance. This warm, open, lighter version is captivating. And dangerous.
“What exactly do you think lives in the forest?”
“Er...” It takes a moment for my brain to engage, and that’s all the time he needs to remember what I am and why I’m here. I can see the moment his walls lock back into place.
And it’s a fucking timely reminder that whatever just happened, and despite what my cock might think, Lynx Harper isn’t someone I can trust.
Ever.
I need to remember that.
“Rabbits?” I finally manage, but it’s weak and out of place in the sudden chill that’s settled between us again. All I get is a huff before he turns and starts walking.
I’ve accepted that he’s not going to answer, but as we reach the door at the end of the hallway, he glances back over his shoulder.
“Yes, we hunt.” He flashes his teeth at me. “More for the chase than the eating part.”
Wish I’d never asked.
I try hard to tamp down the images threatening to fill my head.
I’ve seen their shifted form—well, I’ve seen Birch and some of his pack. The idea of being hunted through the forest...? I do my best not to shudder.
The room he leads me into looks out over the side of the house, but it’s the table in the middle of it that captures my attention. It’s a huge wooden thing with a wolf’s head carved into the middle and the club’s name written underneath it in elaborate script. I trace a finger over the carving, pulse kicking up as Lynx closes the door behind us.
The silence is immediate, heavy in a way that feels unnatural, even to my human senses.
“It’s soundproofed,” Lynx supplies, leaning against the door, watching me.
Not for the first time, I wonder just how heightened his senses must be to pick up on my discomfort. I know I didn’t say anything out loud, and I’m pretty sure I didn’t outwardly react to him shutting us in here. So how did he know?
Maybe I’m better off not thinking about it.
Or the fact that no one outside of this room can hear us now.
“Keep a lot of secrets, do you?” I follow the outline of the wolf with my fingers, putting more of the table in between me and Lynx, which amuses him greatly if his smirk is any indication.
He shrugs a shoulder. “Not all club business is pack business.”
Oh.
That surprises me. Both that he differentiates between the two things, and that he shares it with me. Well, if he’s feeling chatty... “You talk about them like they’re separate entities.”
“They are.” He hesitates, and I hold my breath. Once again, any fear I should be feeling takes a back seat to the curiosity welling up inside me. Iwantto know.
About him.
His club.
His pack.
His eyes lock with mine, and something deep inside me unfurls, lazy and warm. I rub my chest, and his gaze snaps to my hand before he frowns and looks away again. “Not all my pack want to be involved with...”
