Page 123 of Hawke

I felt his pride swell inside him.“Sunshine, that’s amazing. Wolves don’t talk to us until weeks after they shift. That’s an amazing feat!”

I bit my lip, fumbling with the buttons until the bathroom door flew open. The abruptness startled me, and I fell backward, landing on the toilet. The momentum made me fall on the other side of the porcelain throne until I hit the decorative table’s corner.

I whimpered, hitting my head. Blood trickled down my temple.

A roar outside the cabin shook the bottles of glass that decorated the shelves lining the bathroom. Chad’s sneer turned to curiosity, and he stomped to the window. He pulled back the curtain and smirked.

“I’ve been waiting to see this dog of yours. Get up.” He motioned for me to stand.

Chad knew better than to touch me, and I took my sweet time standing up. When I finally stood, Shane was at the doorway. His eyes narrowed at Chad but then flickered to me when he saw blood trickling down my cheek.

“Did you touch her?” Shane hissed.

Chad shook his head, bowing his head. “No, sir, you know she’s skittish. She’s always like this.”

Chad waved his hand in my direction and, not wanting him to know how I felt, I rolled my eyes discreetly behind him. Sure, he’d never touched me, but I’d seen what the human wrecking ball could do. I’d seen him sit on some guy for no reason and suffocate him to death.

I wasn’t about to test him.

Shane let out a scoff and gripped my upper arm, taking me out of the bathroom in a hurry. He screamed out orders for Chad to get outside and take care of whatever was causing the commotion.

I guessed he didn’t get the memo that most likely the men who went frolicking in the forest were dead. Because my mate was a freaking badass.

Good luck to you, Chad, I bet your innards are going to be dog food in a minute.

Shane directed me to the kitchen table, and I felt the worn texture of the wood under my fingers as I settled in. He had a plate of fruit and cheese on the table. It was the rich people’s cheese. Not the cheddar and Swiss that we had at the bar. This was stinky cheese.

I snubbed my nose at it. I didn’t even wantthischeese. What I wanted was a burger.

“Here, Delilah. Why don’t you eat something?” Shane asked, pulling out his silk handkerchief.

Shane dabbed the spot on my temple, wiping away the blood. He dabbed it once more, then stared at it. “Well, at least it’s healed, I guess. That’s the only good thing about this predicament right now.” He inhaled the blood on the cloth, his eyes closing as he did so.

“Mmm, you smell good.”

I leaned away, crossing my arms.

“Now, please eat and let me prepare for our transportation. I won’t have you walking everywhere anymore like some peasant.” He shoved the cloth into his pocket, like it was painful for him to do.

Shane walked to the window, his phone going to his ear, and pulled back the curtain to watch the carnage like he was watching television. He didn’t even flinch as he gazed outside. He shook his head, put his hand in his pocket, and fumbled with the keys.

My gaze went back to the fruit and cheese, and I immediately snubbed my nose at the food again.

Bram chuckled in the corner, his finger doing a funny little wave. His head was lulling to the side, as if he could barely hold it up.

“Bram, are you okay?” I whispered, glancing back at Shane.

He was oblivious to the both of us.

Bram pointed to the small icebox that stood in the tiny kitchen.

Did he want something?

I hunched over and crawled silently to the icebox. When I opened it, I found a piece of steak inside.

I hung my head, shaking it.

This. Old. Man.

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