Page 9 of Wolf Forsaken

"You're shaking like a leaf. Let's get you inside and you can yell and hit me some more, okay?" When she didn't respond, I loosened my hold. "The crash was an accident, by the way. My idiot betas took it a little too far."

Her breaths came in gasps, and I spun her around in my arms, pulling her against my chest. She tried shoving me away but then sank against me like all the fight had left her.

"That's a good bunny." I smoothed my hand over her hair several times before scooping her up like she was my bride and opening the door. "Tsk. Why don't you lock the door? Don't you watch Dateline?"

"Stop calling me bunny." She had her face buried against my shoulder, and instead of putting her down on her own two feet, I sat down on her couch, keeping her pulled close.

"We're mates." I buried my fingers in her hair and lowered my nose to it, breathing it in. "You used my shampoo."

She pulled back and gave me a death stare. My nuts instantly pulled closer to my body to protect themselves. She'd rip them off and shove them down my throat if I pissed her off, I was sure of it.

"We need to go get them. Dante needs to be stopped." She'd completely ignored my declaration that she was my mate. Did she not feel the pull toward me? The overwhelming need to just be close?

I was confused why she wanted to stop Dante, and I brushed the hair out of her face. "I went to kick Cole's ass in your name and Dante told me he had Cole handled."

She wiggled out of my arms and stood, staring down at me. "You think Cole hurt me? Cole is my mate! So are Eli and Xander!" She threw her hands in the air before letting them fall with a smack against her jean clad thighs. "And now apparently you."

She rounded the coffee table and paced in front of it. I sat back, propping an ankle on a knee, and watched as her long legs took her from one end of the room to the other. She had a strong stride for just being found half-dead in a river.

"If Cole didn't hurt you, then who did?" I crossed my arms.

"Dante."

"So Cole didn't tie you up and toss you in the river?"

Stopping abruptly, she glared at me. "I see why you and Cole don't get along."

"What's that supposed to mean?" My boot hit the ground, and I leaned forward with my forearms on my knees.

"It means you're an idiot. Dante threw me in the river. He shot Cole, waited for the perfect time, then tranquilized me. I'm going to kill him."

I jumped to my feet, definitely feeling like an idiot. She was making my thoughts unclear. I usually wasn't so dense, but apparently with her I couldn't think logically. It made so much sense now! That son of a bitch. I was going to rip his head off and shove it so far up his ass he would need a plunger to get it out.

A loud knock on the door interrupted my inner tirade, and our eyes met. I was closer and looked out the peephole. "Damn it, it's a cop," I whispered.

"Well, you dragged me screaming into my garage. Sit down on the couch and act casual." She wiped her tears and smoothed her hair.

Fuck. Was she going to have me arrested? It wouldn't be the first time, but being locked up right then was not in the plans. I did as she asked and propped my feet up on the table, crossing my ankles.

She opened the door with a smile on her face. "Officer, what can I do for you?"

His eyes immediately fell on me and his hand settled on top of his holster. "Ma'am we had a few calls about screaming. I noticed the car out front has hit a motorcycle in the driveway. Do you need help?"

Ivy stood a little taller. "Do you arrest cheaters? This fucker was cheating on me with his best friend, so I ran over his bike. I was screaming because I found out about his cheating by testing positive for an STI. Can you believe that bullshit?"

I bit my inner cheek and schooled my expression. She was good, a little too good.

"Ah, well." His hand lifted from his holster to his jaw, and he looked around her at me. "Sir, do you want to press charges for the bike?"

Standing, I ran both my hands through my hair. "No, Officer. We didn't mean to disturb the neighbors. Just a little foreplay before I beg for forgiveness on my knees."

He turned a little red in the face. "All right, you folks, have a nice evening. Maybe look into some couple's counseling. A storm is supposed to roll in tonight. Might want to get this mess out here taken care of before we're buried in snow again." With one final glance into the house, he retreated down the porch steps.

"Thank you, officer." She shut the door and put her forehead against it. "We need to go now."

I chose my words carefully. "If we go now, we go in unprepared, not knowing how many men we're up against. We have to play this smart."

"The longer we wait..."

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