Page 33 of Claiming Xan
But of course, she didn’t.
Instead, she yipped and ran over to me, sticking her stubby muzzle into my business and sniffing me all over. I didn’t know what to do, so I just clamped my jaws shut and pinned my ears and let her inspect me. A pup couldn’t do much damage, right?
That’s when I heard an almost frantic shout from the distance. “Charlotte?!”
The pup whipped around, threw her head back, and let out a wobbly howl. Minutes later, a red-headed man and a large wolf came running over. Alpha and Omega. They both stopped the minute they saw me.
I bared my fangs and growled, instinct gripping me. I was hurt and weak. Easy pickings.
“Charlie, come here, baby,” the Omega crooned, kneeling down with his arms outstretched. The pup looked at me once more, then ran over to her daddy. He hugged her close, then looked up at his mate. The Alpha jerked his muzzle in the direction they came from, then walked closer to me.
I sank to my belly on the ground, my ears flat against my skull as I snarled a little louder. A warning. No doubt, the Alpha could smell the blood. He wasn’t intimidated by me, though—and why would he be? I was a fucking mess.
Panic gripped my chest as the wolf shifted to a broad-shouldered, dark-haired man. His golden eyes landed on me before he knelt down near me. “Are you River DuPree?”
His words threw me for a loop. I blinked up at him, confused. How would he know my name? Unless the Alpha bitch had people searching for me, combing the woods to find me…
“Can you shift?” he asked, offering a hand. “My name is Huxley Reed. I’m here to help, if you’ll let me.”
20
XAN
It’d beentwo weeks since Mom ran River out of the pack. Two weeks since I packed my stuff and walked out of my childhood home. Two weeks that I’d been sleeping on the uncomfy air mattress in Shay and Donovan’s craft room.
Two weeks of feeling like my life had completely blown up in my face. I wiped tears from my face and curled up on my side, hugging my pillow to my chest. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes… Wasn’t that how the saying went?
My only contact with my family had been a few days after I’d moved out. Kace had texted me, demanding to know where I was and if I was okay. I told him I was fine.
Mom is worried, Xan,he’d said, and it’d made me laugh in such a bitter way.She didn’t even have her 4thof July party.
I don’t care,I’d replied.Let her worry. She deserves it.She deserved more than that, but I guess her youngest son cutting her out of his life was a start.Fuck her.
As the days dragged on, my soul felt heavier and heavier. Still, I plastered on a smile for work and went in every day, banking money so I could afford an apartment, so that I wasn’tleeching off my friends. Shay and Donovan were expecting. They had plenty on their plate. They didn’t need me to worry about, too.
Unfortunately, I got stuck working with TJ tonight. He’d given me the cold shoulder for a long time, after seeing me and River at the mall awhile back, but it seemed that his spirits were renewed.
“What’s up, buttercup?” he asked, trying for smooth. “You seem down lately. That boyfriend of yours break your heart?”
“It’s none of your business,” I replied, my tone coming out sharper than I’d intended, giving my true feelings away.
TJ’s brows bounced up, and he leaned back on the balls of his feet. “So it’s true. You are having relationship problems. Lemme guess—he’s a cheater. Guys like him always seem to be a little sleazy.”
My head snapped up, a growl on my lips. “TJ—” But he didn’t let me finish. Instead, he grabbed a hold of the front of my shirt and dragged me close enough that our lips were mere inches apart. I could taste the orange zest of Tic Tacs on his breath. My hands came up to his shoulders as I went to shove him back, but he leaned in real close.
“You know what would get your mind off your problems?” he murmured, his voice husky as he all but pinned me up against the front counter. God forbid there would be any customers in the store who might be able to help me, but it was closing time and everyone had meandered out. “Sex.”
I pushed at him. “Right. Like I’d have sex with you,” I snapped. “Let me go, TJ. Sex is the last thing on my mind.”
“Why won’t you just give me a chance?” he pressed, his brows furrowing. “I could be a better Alpha than him. Is it because I’m not a shifter? Are you racist, Xan?”
“What?” I sputtered, stunned. “No! It’s not that at all, it’s—” I gasped as his lips crushed to mine, and all I could think aboutwas River bursting through the door and yanking the sleazebag of a human off of me and carrying me to safety.
But River was long gone…
“Stop!” I shoved him, hard, and then slapped him across the face. He jerked back, hissing at me.“Thisis why I don’t want to date you, you asshole! You have no manners! God! Get away from me or I’m going to scream.”
“Xan—” He reached out.
