Her eyes bounce between us and I know she’s mulling over my suggestion and weighing the pros and cons. Trust is definitely an issue for her, but I’m a patient man. She’s mine—ours—and I want to make sure we do right by her. A beeping sound has Claudia shooting up off the couch and running to her bedroom.
“Shit!” she darts back out, her face pale. “Umm . . .”
Banging on the front door has me spinning around and my protective instincts flaring to life.
“Claudia, open the door!”
Hannah.
I roll my shoulders, shaking out the tension, and glance over at Claudia. She doesn’t move until Hannah bangs on the door again, snapping her out of paralysis.
“Hey, Hannah,” she greets as she opens the door.
“Don’t ‘Hey Hannah’ me. Move. I’m coming in, and you’re going to tell me everything that’s going on.” Hannah shoves her way into the apartment before Claudia has a chance to move. She freezes when she spots us.
Her eyes widen, and I can only imagine how this looks to her. Hannah knows what we are, but does she know Claudia is a shifter as well?
“Hey, guys,” she smiles, turning to Claudia. “You have three men standing in your living room. Tell me, should I be excited or worried?”
Claudia chews her lower lip and shifts on her feet. “Someone broke into my apartment, so Granger called his friends to come over and help.”
Hannah rushes over, pulling Claudia into a hug. “Oh my god. Are you okay? Do you know who did it? Did you call the police? You cannot stay here tonight. You’re coming with me.” Hannah’s rapid-fire questions drain the remaining color from Claudia’s face.
“Claudia, we’ll go ahead and leave. Please consider our offer and contact me once you’ve decided.”
She moves out of Hannah’s embrace, smoothing a hand down her shirt and through her hair. “Okay, I will.”
“May I please see your phone so I can provide you with my contact info?” Claudia hands me her phone, and I put my number in and return it. “Here you go. It’s nice to see you again, Hannah.”
“You too,” she says, smirking like she has everything already figured out.
“Hannah, it’s a pleasure as always. Scooter, please let us know if we can help.” Ascher winks then walks out.
Granger pulls Claudia into his arms, and she melts willingly into his embrace. Hannah looks like she’s about to faint. “Call if you need us.”
Turning to Hannah, he adds, “Same for you.” Hannah’s mouth falls open but she manages to move her head in understanding.
Sending one last friendly smile to Hannah and Claudia, I follow Granger out of the apartment. My wolf growls at me, unhappy that we’re not staying to protect her. I wish we were too, but Claudia needs to make this decision herself. Patience, I remind him.
Claudia
Hannah gasps and I flinch. “Girl, you’ve got a lot to tell me. Everything. I don’t care how long we have to sit here, you’re going to spill it all.” She squeezes my hand, then drags me over to the couch.
I’m so screwed. If I don’t tell her something, she’ll never leave. I just don’t know where to start. I’ve barely processed the last day myself, so how am I supposed to explain it to her? This is all too much, and I don’t want to deal with it.
I plop down beside Hannah, groaning in frustration.
“Cute place.” She looks around, and I hold back a laugh because I know she’s trying to be nice. “Anywho,” she pats my leg. “I know you’re a very private person, but you gotta give me something. Between Granger’s excuses last night and now finding Granger, Milo, and Ascher in your apartment . . . ugh, my brain hurts. Also, I’m a tad sad they got to see your place before I did.”
I snort. “It’s nothing spectacular, as you can see.”
“Not the point,” she retorts. “If you’re in some sort of trouble, then I want to know so I can help.”
Guilt pounds away in my head and my stomach coils. I hate that Hannah and the guys have become involved in my shit. This is exactly what I didn’t want to happen.
I let out a pained sigh. “If I tell you, you first have to promise me a couple of things.”
She tilts her head. “If I agree to your conditions now, can I retract that later should I feel that—”
“Nope.”
“Fine,” she whines.
“I’ll tell you what I can, but you have to promise not to push the issue if I can’t answer all your questions. Also, and I say this out of love, try not to interrupt me. Please let me get this all out, and then you can tell me what you think.”
She frowns at my rules. “I don’t like this, but I’ll agree to your terms. So, spill.”
My heart kicks into overdrive at the fear and excitement of sharing my story. Blowing out a breath, I gather what courage I can scrounge up. “Let’s start with something simple. I’m a wolf shifter.” I watch for a reaction, but surprisingly, she doesn’t even flinch.
Okay.
“Ten years ago, I left my pack because something went wrong, and I needed to escape. Ever since then, I’ve been on the run—until I moved here two years ago. However, I met an old friend from the pack—ex-friend, I should say—at the party last night. I’m not safe in Utah anymore. I need to leave, but coincidentally, my reserved cash and personal documents were stolen last night. I’m stuck here until I can get more funds together.”
Hannah bounces on her knees and raises a hand. I chuckle and motion for her to say what she clearly can’t hold back.
“I meant to wait, but this is a lot of information. It’s not like I have a notepad to write down all my questions, so I’m afraid I’ll miss something.” I laugh at her ridiculousness. “First, I’m so sorry for the life you’ve had to live all these years. I cannot even begin to imagine what it cost you to leave your home behind, especially since you wolves crave close pack ties. Second, as far as you being a shifter, I already knew, and I don’t care.”
“How . . . how did you figure it out?”
“I’m nosey.” My brow lifts. “One night, a few months ago, you brushed off my offer to hang out. I thought you sounded weird and came over here to make sure you were okay. That’s when I saw you leave your apartment and head around to the back of the building. I followed you into the woods and caught you shifting. It wasn’t a shocking revelation. I assumed you had your reasons to hide what you are. Also, your wolf is beautiful; I’ve been dying to tell you.”
I blink, speechless.
“Whew,” she exclaims, swooning dramatically onto the couch and sweeping her hand across her face. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting to talk to you about this? Like, a bazillion fucking years. I’m so glad that’s off my chest.”
“I love you—you know that, right? But you are a bit crazy.” I chuckle.
“Awesome. You mean awesome, and yeah, I know. Love ya too.” I crack up laughing. This conversation is going better than I expected. “I have more questions. What made you decide to stick around here?”
“After eight years of eluding the pack, I thought I’d settle down and try to experience some normalcy. Plus, I met you, and that was all the convincing I needed to stay.” Truth be told, Hannah is the main reason I stayed in the area. There’s something about her I gravitate to.
“Aww, don’t make me blush,” she giggles, slapping me lightly in the shoulder. “Okay, next question. I understand why you want to leave again, but is that really necessary? Isn’t there something the police or the local pack can do to help you?”
I shake my head. “If only it were that simple. Human police won’t get involved in conflicts like this. Leaving will not only protect me but you as well. I can’t risk anything happening to you because of me.” I stress the final point, hoping she understands the severity of the situation.
“But you can’t keep running for the rest of your life. You’ve built a good life here, and you have me. I don’t want you to go. Whose ass can I kick to make you stay?” She jumps up on
to the balls of her feet, balling her fists like she’s about to throw down.
“Sit down before you hurt yourself.” I grab her wrist and pull her back to the couch. “I want to tell you everything, but again, I can’t put you at risk. All of this sounds crazy even to me, but the threat is real.” Just describing the danger has a rush of panic swirling through my body.
Hannah squeezes my hand, concern etched around her eyes. “Hey, I can tell you’re freaking out. I may not be as strong as you, but I’ve got your back. You know this. Through thick and thin, I’m with you. If you need to leave, then I understand. Do I approve? Of course not. But I get it. Now about this money, do you have anything in the bank you can pull?”
“No, I don’t use banks. I couldn’t afford to gamble with the paper trail.” I choke back the tears I didn’t realize were building up. Crying is starting to become my norm and it needs to stop. The best way to get through this is to keep my shit together.
“So, I’m guessing you’re not coming to stay with me, are you?”
I shake my head. “Your safety is more important to me. Please understand.”
“Well, this leads me to my next series of questions.”
“Of course there’s more.”
She ignores my comment. “Where do the guys fit into all this? They seemed awfully concerned about you, considering you just met them last night. And what’s up with all that ‘call me’ stuff from Milo? Man, he’s hot. Come to think of it, they all are. I’ve always thought Granger looked like he stepped off the cover of a fashion magazine."
I knew these questions were coming, and still, I’m not prepared. My wolf paces around, unsure how to react to Hannah’s appreciation of their physique.
“Your blush is cute. I knew there was more to this story.” She bounces on her knees again, clapping excitedly. “I need the deets now.”
“Umm . . . I’ve met a couple of them before.” I rush through the words and cover my face with my hands.
“What?” she shouts. She grabs my hands and rips them away from my face. Heat radiates from my cheeks. I tug on my shirt collar, praying for fresh air to cool me down.
“Two years ago, I met Granger and Blave at a casino.”
“Who’s Blave? Oh wait, I think I’ve seen him before. He’s the huge guy with the dark, scary eyes, right?”
“Yeah, that’s him, and so far, he’s still the same ass he was two years ago. I didn’t spend much time with him, but our encounter was intense. Anyway, I hit it off with Granger and ended up spending the night with him. After that, I never saw or spoke to him again until last night.”
She gasps, her hands flying to the sides of her face. “Dude, Granger? Holy shit. This is huge . . . wait . . . I bet he’s huge, isn’t he?” She falls over laughing.
There’s no way I’m sharing that information. My body is already on fire like its baking in an oven. Beads of sweat are sliding down my back.
“The look on your face—priceless. Fucking fuzzy nipples, you’re like fifty shades of red right now. He must’ve been really good in bed for you to look like that.”
Can I hide now?
Death by embarrassment is not how I pictured myself kicking the bucket.
“Moving on.” I clear my throat and fan my face. “Milo offered to let me stay at their condo in the city; he said it’s got top-of-the-line security. It’s a nice offer, but not a good idea. They’ve already done enough to help. I’m growing more and more indebted to them, and it makes me uncomfortable. Plus, the more people involved, the more people I have to worry about.”
I run my fingers through my hair, tempted to tug it out. I’m stressed to the max and speeding down a never-ending road of crazy.
Hannah scoffs, throwing her hands in the air. “Am I the only one who doesn’t see a problem here?” I stare at her, perplexed. “Before we get to my point, I have one last question, and don’t try to lie either. I saw it with my own two eyes. They’re obviously interested in you, but how do you feel? I mean, you have to feel something for them, otherwise, you wouldn’t have stayed at their place last night.”
“I . . .” What the fuck do I say? “Umm . . .” Man, I hate how observant she can be. “You see, here is the thing . . .”
Nope.
Still nothing.
“Fucking bitch tits, this is perfect,” Hannah shrieks. “My bestie has not one, but three men she’s pining after. You have a harem of wolfmen—who, might I add, are hell-bent on protecting you. Please tell me what I’m missing here?”
“Harem? I think you have the wrong idea.” Glancing around the room, I’m more determined than ever to find a dark hole to crawl into.
“Oh my god, you’ve totally considered it, haven’t you?”
I sigh. “Look, if I admit that they’re attractive, will you stop?”
Please say yes.
“Not a chance in hell.”
Figures.
“As your best friend, it is my job to guide you and offer advice in these types of situations. Even though yours is a bit unique, the advice still applies.” She scoots closer to me and takes both my hands in hers. “And just so you know, you’ll thank me later.”
The smirk on her face makes me nervous.
“My advice? Take the offer.” She places a finger over my lips to keep me from interrupting. “Listen. You’ve been through a lot in your life; you deserve something good for once. I know that your current predicament seems shitty, but you’ve got three men who are ready and willing to accommodate your every need. Take the offer. Let them care for you so you can stop trying to shoulder this burden by yourself. Let them—us—help you.” She rubs my shoulders. “Plus, it’s about time your pussy gets some action.”
“Hannah!” I gasp.
“What? In the past two years, I’ve seen you with—” she forms her fingers into an O, “zero men. Unless you want to confess that you’re secretly cheering for the other team, you know I’m right. Also, it’s not uncommon for your kind to take more than one mate, is it? There was this chick I knew in college who had a couple of boyfriends. Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is that you don’t have to choose or decide right away. Take advantage of their offer while you figure out how to handle this other problem of yours.”
“But—”
“No buts. In a few days, we’ll get the payout from the party, and then you can decide on your next step. So, call Milo and tell him you’re coming over tonight. Remember, I also have Granger’s number. I’m giving you the opportunity to do this yourself. Otherwise, I’ll do it for you. Tick tock. What’ll it be?”
Claudia
I turn down the TV when I hear raps on the door. Only one person in this place knocks and I think his manners are adorable. Milo’s an enigma, one I find myself itching to unravel. He’s more reserved than Granger and Ascher, but every time he speaks, he commands attention. I want to hang onto his every word and submit to all his demands because somehow, I know the reward will be worth it.
“Come in, Milo.”
After my heart-to-heart with Hannah, I agreed to stay at the guys’ condo until I figure out what to do about Bryce. I’ve been here for a few days, and the guys have been nothing but sweet and accommodating. Somehow, I dropped the idea of having this place to myself, despite a terse discussion the first night on how I don’t need a babysitter highly secure apartment. I finally caved, agreeing to allow someone to stay with me at night, but all of them decided to stay.
If I’m honest with myself, having them here is nice. You’d think after being alone for so long, losing my personal space would bug the shit out of me, but with these guys, I crave the attention. And by ‘these guys,’ I mean Granger, Ascher, and Milo. Asshole Blave has yet to show his face. Fine by me.
The door opens, bringing with it Milo’s comforting scent. The corner of his mouth turns up when he sees me, and I feel my own doing the same. He looks good today—not that he doesn’t any other day—in a light blue fitted shirt that shows off the contours of his muscles.
The color makes his mismatched eyes glow brighter.
He approaches the bed, the overhead light glinting off his lip rings. I pull the blanket up to my chin like a shield from his attractiveness. Lately, it seems my body’s on some sort of sex overdrive. Anytime I’m in the same room as one of them, that’s all it takes to turn me on.
The cravings they stir up are intensifying. Part of me wants to sit them all down and address the elephant in the room, but the other part of me says it’s not worth it—not when I still plan on leaving. It wouldn’t be fair to them or me if we entertained the idea of blurring the friendzone line. I study his lips and watch them move.
Is he saying something?
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Yes. Sorry. What did you say?” Pink tinges my cheeks. I’m really glad no one can read my thoughts.
“I asked if you’re hungry. Blave will be here any minute, and Ascher is almost done with dinner.”
Blave is coming?
My stomach picks that moment to rumble. “I’m down for food anytime.” He laughs at my enthusiasm. Hey, a girls got to eat.
“Come out when you’re ready. Also, Blave is bringing Catherine with him. I thought you should know.”
Catherine?
A strange feeling of anger ripples through me, and the urge to growl shocks me back to reality.
“Is she his girlfriend or something?” I mentally slap myself for the question. I sound like a jealous girlfriend again, when nothing could be further from the truth. So what if Blave has a female he’s seeing? I don’t care.
Liar.
The fleeting whisper has my blood boiling, but I try to keep my composure. It’s not a lie; I truly don’t care, and that’s why I’m getting upset. Not because the beast is bringing a female.
“Something like that,” he shrugs.
“Gotcha. Okay, well, I’ll be out in a few.”
He leaves and I spend the next five minutes brushing my hair and putting on makeup, all the while telling myself this has absolutely nothing to do with another woman showing up here.
The Chase Is On (Pack Everhart Book 1) Page 16