Page 16 of Auctioned Wolf Bride

She just glowered at me.

“Think of it this way,” I said. “If you get caught and I manage to get away, we have a whole new problem on our hands, which is that we won’t be able to stop the claim before it’s too late. Not to mention the fact that your sister will literally kill me if she finds out I let you wander off into danger again, and I happen to like living.”

“I’m not going back to Brixton without helping those other girls,” she said.

I gritted my teeth. “What are you going to do?” I snarled. “You can’t even—” I cut myself off, realizing what I was about to say a second before I stopped myself.

Unfortunately, Thea guessed what I’d been about to say. “What? I can’t even shift? So what? That doesn’t mean I can’t help. Despite what you or others might think, just because I’m absent doesn’t mean I’m dead weight.”

“Have you always been this reckless?” I demanded. “Or is this a new thing you’re trying out purely to annoy me?”

I wanted to point out I had never called her dead weight, but this entire conversation felt riddled with landmines, and I didn’t want to make things worse than they already were.

“I’m not going to sit by and let those girls just sit around in cages until they get sold,” Thea said. “Not when I’m right here and can do something about it.”

“I don’t care,” I growled.

She tossed her head, glaring defiantly up at me in a way that should have been infuriating but only excited me in a way I couldn’t fully describe. Something about this gorgeous, curvy woman fighting back stirred my wolf, making him want to investigate more.

“I’m going back in there, whether you like it or not,” she snapped. “The only way you’re going to stop me is if you tie me up and carry me over your shoulder the entire way to Brixton.”

“Don’t give me ideas,” I growled, taking a step forward. We were close enough that I could feel the warmth radiating off her. Her scent filled my nostrils. I thought about what it would be like to grab her, to press her up against a tree, and—

I pushed the image from my head. God, if the claiming bond was going to mess with me this much, we needed to getthis taken care of immediately. It was like all my emotions about Thea were cranked up to eleven, and I couldn’t turn them down no matter what I tried.

“I just want to make sure you’re safe,” I said. “That’s my number-one priority.”

“Great. That means you can help me.”

She spun on her heels and marched back toward the house, head high. Growling, I reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her back toward me.

“Thea, think about this for more than a second,” I said. “You’re likely to get yourself killed the instant you walk back in there.”

If the threat had any sort of impact on her, it didn’t show. She just continued to glare up at me with stubborn defiance. “I’m going. The easiest way for you to make sure I stay safe is for you to come along with me and help.”

I stared her down. Any other woman would have looked away and muttered an apology, or at least reluctantly conceded.

“You have to see the danger in all this, right?” I hissed.

Her eyes met mine. There was no hesitation in them at all. “Of course I do,” she said. “But that isn’t going to stop me from helping.”

The sincerity there took me by surprise, something I wouldn’t have imagined from her. Despite knowing her for months, I had never seen this caring side of her before, willing to risk herself for people she barely knew. And I knew she would go through with it regardless of what I said. The only thing I could do was make sure she stayed safe.

I released her, stepping back as I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. “I thought absents were supposed to be less stubborn,” I grumbled.

“Common misconception.” She grinned up at me, the smile both infuriating and absurdly attractive at the same time. “Now, are you coming or not?”

I let out a frustrated sigh. After I made a mental note to stay away from Astrid for at least a year, I nodded.

Thea swiveled back around and started heading back in the direction we came. I reached out and took her by the shoulder again, making her face me, holding her in place as her scent brushed against my nostrils, distracting me from what I needed to do.

“If we’re doing this, we’re doing it my way,” I said. “I’m the one with special-ops experience.”

“You’re not sidelining me,” she hissed, her eyes narrowing.

“No, but I am taking charge. And you’re going to listen to everything I say. That includes if I order you to run. Are we clear?”

She frowned at me, suspicion flooding her features.

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