Page 53 of Rugged

My wolf growled at the sight of a man’s name there. Fuck, the full moon had me possessive as hell.

“It’s my old boss.” She looked at me as if I could advise her on something. As if she were torn.

“What does he want?”

“I think he wants me back.” She swallowed and swiped right to answer. At the same time, a knock sounded on the bunkhouse door.

Shit.He wants her back?

I opened it and found Rob.

I’d known this was coming. Had been waiting for it, and the longer the day went without hearing from him, the more I’d started to dread it.

“Got time to talk?” Rob’s thumbs were tucked intothe front pockets of his jeans, and while he seemed all casual, he wasn’t. Plus, his question wasn’t a question at all.

He wanted to talk, and the time was now.

I glanced behind me, saw Lyssa on the phone.

“Sure,” I said. “Lemme grab a shirt.”

I was only in my jeans after our shower. Hadn’t even buttoned them.

Once dressed, I stepped out and pulled the door shut behind me.

We walked for a few minutes toward the barn, away from any chance of Lyssa overhearing.

“I’m sorry about last night, Alpha. I know I was out of control.” I stopped in the middle of the clearing. Rob stopped, too, and turned.

“You sure as hell were. You could’ve killed that guy with your first punch.”

“I know.”

“You’re lucky you didn’t snap his neck.” There was alpha command in his voice which hit me square in the chest, practically immobilizing my body. It was so much worse than a shout.

I scrubbed my hand over my face, shame flooding through me. Fuck. What if Rob decided I was a liability to the pack? What if I got kicked out of the Wolf Ranch pack, like I did back home?

A sense of dread crept over me like icy tendrils. “I know, Alpha. I’m sorry.”

Miraculously, Rob relented. Maybe he saw the panic in my expression because he dropped a hand on my shoulder, and his tone changed. “It’s all right, kid. The moon was nearly full, and he was touching your unmarked mate. Your wolf got protective.”

Thank fuck. He wasn’t kicking me out.

“It could’ve happened to any of us.”

I hung my head, relief pouring through me. “Fuck. Thank you for sayin’ that. I only want to be an asset to this pack. I–”

“You are.” He squeezed my shoulder and released it. “How are things going with Lyssa–other than last night’s brawl?”

“Great. She didn’t run after last night. As crazy as it sounds, I think it actually brought us closer.”

“Good. Then mark her.”

I shook my head. “Not yet. She’s not ready. It hasn’t even been two days,” I reminded.

He nodded, considering. “I heard back from our hacker in Arizona. Lyssa checks out. Got the report on my desk. Age, background, photo all match. There’s nothing there.”

I knew she was the real deal, but I was still relieved. Maybe because it would get Rob to get his head out ofhis ass about her being a possible threat. I wasn’t saying that out loud though.

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