Page 58 of An Unexpected Claim

Samantha laughed. “I think his overprotective instincts might have more to do with Rowan’s tendency to run headfirst into dangerous situations. That chick is a badass and a warrior, but she’s also a little crazy.”

Emerald laughed and tapped her chest over her heart. “That’s why I love her.”

Samantha snorted this time. “Don’t pretend you aren’t just as crazy.”

“I prefer the term quirky, if you must label me.”

I couldn’t help the smile that grew on my face. These two were funny. Their lighthearted banter was such a change from the mood in Nathan’s house. Suddenly, the claustrophobia of being cloistered in this house, in this town, made my panther and I desperate to run. I wasn’t stupid enough to take off and put myself in danger when Nathan could help me track the asshole after me, but if I did what he demanded, I would lose my ever-loving mind.

“Let’s get out of here,” I jumped in eagerly.

“Dope,” Emerald replied with a nod.

Samantha and I started to undress and Emerald snickered as she bent to tie the shoelace of her beat-up old sneaker. “Good thing I don’t have a hangup about nudity or living here would be much more awkward.”

I laughed as I shifted. Samantha had reason to gloat. Emerald was the shit and she helped to push away some of the stress that had been slowly crushing me.

“Race ya!” she yelled and took off.

My panther chuffed, her version of a laugh, and I felt her take the challenge right before she jumped off the back deck. Everything became a blur as she flew through the trees, blowing past the other two without even nearing our top speed. Although they kept up to a certain extent and my panther was very impressed. She’d already bonded with Samantha’s wolf, but her respect notched up and she accepted Emerald as a friend.

After thirty minutes, my girl slowed to their speed and we all ran together.

We didn’t stray far from Nathan’s house, but apparently it was too far for Nathan. Not ten minutes later, a massive, silver wolf stepped out of the trees, directly in our path. Fury radiated from him and his silver eyes were almost black, their icy stare sending a shiver through my panther.

All three of us came to an abrupt halt. Emerald and Samantha crowded next to me, showing their support, but despite not being a member of Nathan’s pack, I felt the heaviness of the alpha vibes he directed at the red wolf beside me. I didn’t blame Samantha’s wolf for yielding to his power, even if he hadn’t been her alpha. She slouched down and leaned her head to the side, baring her neck in a sign of submission.

He growled and jerked his head to the left. Samantha’s wolf bowed her head, threw me an apologetic glance, then trotted off in the direction Nathan’s wolf had directed.

Emerald placed her hand on my head and my panther swung her head around to meet concerned, emerald orbs. “Should I stay?” Her willingness to stand with me against Nathan—for someone she’d just met—overwhelmed me. I hated being ruled by emotion. It was one of the reasons I kept people at arm’s length. But I should have seen it right away. Emerald had the ability to bust through walls without even trying. We’d bonded and I knew I’d never shake her from my life. Surprisingly, I found that I didn’t want to.

The silver wolf growled aggressively, staring at Emerald with a dark, warning gaze. I knew he wouldn’t physically hurt Emerald on purpose, but I didn’t want her getting in the middle of things and risking accidental injury. And I didn’t want to make things even more tense with the person who could have her tossed out on her ass. This was my fight. My panther didn’t know the words Emerald spoke, but their meaning was still clear, and she agreed with my assessment. Except her attitude toward Nathan definitely didn’t mesh with mine.

She shook her head and nudged Emerald’s shoulder in a gesture of thanks and affection.Emerald looked between Nathan and me a few more times, then muttered, “Get word to me if you need me to break your ass out of jail.” Then she ran off, leaving me alone with a huge, very angry wolf, who looked like he might kill me.

He rumbled with a low growl and turned to head back to the house, expecting me to follow. However, my small taste of freedom had made me a little salty when he cut it short, and I wasn’t about to let him have his way all the time. It took some convincing for my panther though, because she just wanted to be with the big, powerful wolf that made her all hot and bothered. His display only made her even more attracted to him.

I glanced to my right and spotted a big-ass tree that would be way out of reach for a wolf but was easily scaled by a jungle cat. My panther fought me, but I somehow convinced her that the wolf would see it as…foreplay of a sort, I guess.

Finally, she leapt onto the tree and gracefully made her way up to a cluster of thick branches that made a perfect spot for her to curl up on. Nathan’s wolf seemed to sense something was off almost immediately—probably because I was up high enough to make my scent much lighter.

The wolf glanced around, then his head slowly lifted, following the trunk of the tree up to the branches. I was feeling a little smug over the fact that I was a badass jaguar who could run faster and climb trees. But when he spotted us, I suddenly wondered if I’d just made the stupidest choice of my life.

He wasreallyfucking angry.

Even my panther shrank back from the waves of rage coming off of him.

It looks like we live here now.

To my surprise, he shifted into human form.

A human Nathan, staring at me with an icy glare and shaking with rage, wasn’t much better.

His whole countenance changed, becoming soft and affectionate. “Hey, pretty girl,” he crooned, shocking the fuck out of me.

My panther perked up and scooted a little further out on the branches to get a clearer view of the ground.

“You’re amazing,” he praised with a voice dripping in pride. “Can I talk to Peyton, sweetheart?”

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