Page 33 of Secret Wolf Baby

Both our heads whipped around. My stomach lurched and my pulse quickened when I saw Jackson strolling toward us. His eyes blazed with fury as he kept his attention on Hank.

The pressure on my hand vanished, and the other shifter took several steps back. His face paled as he watched Jackson get closer and closer.

“Hey, man, we were just talking,” Hank said light-heartedly. “That’s all.”

“You sure?” Jackson growled. “Because it didn’t look much like talking.” Not taking his eyes off the other shifter, Jackson pushed his way between the two of us to stand in front of me. He turned to glance back at me. “This guy bothering you?” he asked. When I nodded, he added, “You want him to leave?”

“Yeah,” I said.

Jackson gave a short nod, then turned all his attention back to Hank, who looked small in comparison to Jackson’s looming presence, as if he had shrunk down several inches in the span of a few seconds.

“You heard my mate,” Jackson snarled. “She told you to back off. So, back off.”

The man’s brow furrowed as he looked behind Jackson to look at me, then looked back at Jackson. “Your mate?” he repeated.

“Yes,” Jackson snarled.

He scowled. “She didn’t say anything about having a mate.”

“She shouldn’t have had to,” Jackson growled. “Because when someone tells you to leave them alone, you should listen.”

“Would have made things a lot simpler,” the shifter grumbled. “Women don’t know what they want.”

Jackson growled. Before I could blink, his hand lashed out, grabbing the other shifter by the collar and slamming him against the brick wall of the alley. He pinned him there, stepping close until he was inches from the other man’s face. His eyes flashed wolf, his teeth lengthening to fangs.

“Apologize to her. Now,” he demanded.

“Sorry,” the shifter stammered. I could see the rage and embarrassment in his eyes, but his fear seemed to override any of those emotions.

Jackson gave a curt nod of satisfaction and released his grip. The shifter’s feet thumped to the ground, his collar rumpled.

“Get out of here,” Jackson ordered. “Before I change my mind.”

The man’s face contorted in disgust and hatred, but he scurried away. I should have felt relief, but something about the glower the man shot in my direction as he darted toward the mouth of the alley made me feel like this wasn’t quite over. My stomach churned.

The instant the man had rounded the corner, Jackson turned to look at me again. “Are you all right?” he asked, his voice gentle. His eyes looked me up and down, taking in everything about my appearance as if trying to catalog any new injuries or anything off about me.

“I’m fine,” I muttered, staring after the guy. “He’s just a creep.” The emotions running through me were a mix of adrenaline wearing off from the encounter, unease, appreciation that Jackson had helped me, and annoyance that he had stepped in.

Jackson’s shoulders sagged in relief as he assured himself there was nothing wrong with me, but I could still see the anger brimming in his features. “Doesn’t make it any better,” Jackson said. He glanced back at the mouth of the alley, still scowling. “I’m sure you had to deal with that pretty regularly at your old pack, though.”

Honestly? No. Most people tended to ignore me. But I didn’t think that was necessary to mention. Instead, I asked, “What are you doing? I thought you were at work.”

“I was, but there’s this novel idea called lunch. I was just heading back to the office, and I smelled your scent. So I followed it.”

Despite myself, I blushed. He’d noticed my scent and come to find me. It was sweet.

I pushed the thought away. I wasn’t going down that road. I wouldn’t let myself fall into that trap a second time.

“Well, thanks,” I murmured. “I should probably get going.”

I took several steps away, heading back to the main street. I had only gone a few feet when a hand rested on my shoulder, holding me in place. I turned to look back up at Jackson, raising one eyebrow in question.

“What are you up to?”

I shrugged. “Just running some errands.”

“Have you eaten yet?”

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