Caleb’s gaze narrows at me, like he doesn’t want to make the concession but has no choice. “Fine, but don’t let it blow back on the rest of us.”
“It won’t.”
It’s a promise I’m not entirely sure I can keep without causing more damage, but I say it anyway. I need them to trust that I can figure this out, like I always do.
***
When the others decide there’s no use in beating this topic to death, they finally break off, heading out to do their thing, and I’m far too irritated to keep working, so I head back to the house.
I barely step inside before I register that something’s wrong. The air feels off, like something is missing, leaving it empty, and it makes everything in me tense up.
Scanning the main room, I don’t catch any movement or sound, and the hairs on the back of my neck rise.
“Naia?”
I wait to hear her voice in return, but it never comes.
My stomach ties itself into knots as I move through the house fast, checking every room. From the bedrooms to the bathroom, along with the sunroom, there’s nothing. She’s gone.
“Shit,” I mutter lowly to myself as I turn back toward the door.
Outside, I inhale deeply, searching for the usual scents. I pick up on my followers, along with the guys, while they’re still in my territory; then, faint but unmistakable, I catch her scent.
It’s still somewhat fresh, and it paired with that second pulse in my chest tells me exactly where I need to go. She’s heading deeper into the woods.
With no time to think, I don’t hesitate. I bring the shift forward, succumbing to it completely.
My body contorts and reforms in a blur of muscle and instinct as the world narrows down to my sharpened senses. Not wanting for another sign, I take off into the woods.
The bond acts as both fuel and a guide, and those primal instincts take hold with the kind of urgency that makes my heart speed up.
She left. She actually left, and I was too caught up with the others to notice.
My paws hit the forest floor again and again as I track her, using every sense to find her before it’s too late. After covering some ground, her scent is clear, almost like she’s not even trying to hide it. That means she’s moving fast with stupid determination.
The word echoes in my head as I push harder and faster, ignoring the branches as they whip past while I close the distance. The pull in my chest tightens with every step, and my wolf is moments away from going berserk.
Finally, movement ahead grabs my attention, and I lock onto the flash of her.
Naia’s quick, but not fast enough to outrun me…especially not in my current state.
Instead of slowing down, I launch forward, tackling her before she can react.
We hit the ground hard, rolling through dirt and leaves, and a snarl slips from my chest before I can stop it.
Naia fights back immediately with claws, teeth, and a desperate force that comes as no surprise. She pushes against me like I’m her enemy, wriggling to try and slip away before I can stop her from jumping headfirst into something she still doesn’t fully understand.
The defiance irritates me, but for all her fighting, I’m stronger and heavier.
With the right amount of force, I pin her down as my teeth clench inches from her throat, not to hurt, just to stop her. To make her listen for once.
Naia snarls up at me, defiant even now. It takes everything in me not to lose control right there, especially with such a blatant sign of insubordination. Even so, I catch the instinctive gleam in her eyes that feels the pressure. The urge to submit, even if it’s hidden behind her anger for me.
Instead of making things worse, I force the shift back, and without question, she responds the same way.
We give in as our forms drop and skin pulls together again, and a beat later, we’re human again. Breathing hard and dusted with dirt, we’re tangled together in a mess of tension and anger as I stare down at her, expression tense with anger.
“What the hell were you thinking?” I snap, not pulling up yet as I press her wrists against the ground.
