Page 31 of Wanted

Her expression hardens when I growl at her. “You’ve already scared the wits out of that girl. She’s locked herself in the bathroom and refuses to come out. Put some clothes on before you try to talk her out.”

It takes a few beats before her words register in my head. I fight to regain control over my wolf instincts. He’s on edge, sniffing for any lingering threats.

Mate!It insists.

“She’s not our fucking mate,” I growl.

“She’s not?” Chelsea asks with wide eyes. “You could’ve fooled me.”

I shake my head, but don’t respond, or let her know that I was talking to my wolf. That would likely spur her on to believe the impossible.

I quickly pull on the blue jeans and black T-shirt Chelsea threw at me before I make my way toward the back of the diner to the bathrooms.

On my way, I stop a few of the other shifters that I’m familiar with, asking if they knew the two wolves that attacked us. They assure me that, no, they’re not known to any pack in this area.

That both relieves me, but also makes me nervous to find out what the hell is going on. I don’t know who sent thesemotherfuckers. What I do know is that I need to get Emery out of here.

They were after her. And they had murder in their eyes.

Once I reach the bathroom door, I twist the doorknob, but it’s locked. The door doesn’t budge. I could easily break it down, but Chelsea’s words of how frightened and freaked out Emery was, come back to me.

I’m certain up until this point, she had no idea wolf shifters even existed. Let alone, had she likely ever even considered that she just might be one of us.

A fact I’m not sure of, but my instincts tell me that she’s not what she may have been led to believe she is her whole life.

I wave Chelsea over.

“Tell her I’m out here,” I order.

Chelsea, not one for taking orders from anyone, bristles.

“Please,” I say, but I suspect it’s the hard undertone in my voice that makes her roll her eyes.

I pound on the door. “Come out.”

Chelsea frowns, but I motion for her to tell me what Emery says, if anything, since when I jostle the door handle again, it’s still locked.

“She says to go away.”

“That’s not going to happen,” I say with a force that I try to keep at bay but am having difficulty. “You need to open the door now.”

“Go away, or she’s calling the police,” Chelsea mouths.

“What the hell is it with you and the police?” I growl.

“I mean it,” Chelsea mouths. “Get away from me right now, or I’m calling.”

“With what phone?” I retort. I saw when she looked at her phone before the wolves attacked. She has no battery left.

“I’m not coming out until you’re gone. You and those…things.”

I flinch as I watch Chelsea repeat word for word what Emery’s saying on the other side.

The overwhelming need to see her face overtakes me. My instincts have me wanting to pound on the door, to see her, to read the words on her lips. I don’t want a fucking interpreter between us.

Right before my fist makes contact with the red wooden door, Chelsea grabs my wrist. Her hold isn’t strong enough to stop me, but it does make me pause as I turn to her.

She shakes her head. “You’re going to scare her more,” she mouths in a way that appears as if she’s whispering.

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