Page 18 of Wulf's Pack
We all take our seats around the table. Skylar and I sit across from the humans, with Parker and Oliver flanking us. Nora is at the head of the table, while Gorgeous is holding up the back wall. The humans are all staring at Skylar. She shies away from their scrutiny, scooting her chair right against mine and leaning into me. She clings to my arm. I rest my hand on hers and pat it reassuringly. “We could have given our statements out there like the rest of the witnesses,” I say, staring down Johnson and Ralston.
Ralston looks chagrined, but Johnson lifts her chin stubbornly. She’s much more aggressive than Ralston. She stares back at me so directly my wolf takes it as a challenge. I let out a warning growl, and she looks away. She’s ballsy, but not stupid. She smooths out her blazer, then gives Skylar an insincere smile. “We figured you would both prefer discretion.”
I clench my jaw. She doesn’t want a witness statement; she wants to interrogate Skylar. “Why do you even need our statements? You were there. You saw what happened. Skylar did nothing wrong.”
Agent Johnson purses her lips. “Don’t be coy, Mr. Winters. We know there was some supernatural magic at play. We need to know what happened.”
My temper flares. I’m not usually so quick to anger, but these people are staring at my mate, and they look a little too interested in her. For someone who was panicked out of his mind at the thought of a mate an hour ago, my protective instincts have certainly kicked into overdrive. “Why?” My one word comes out as a growl.
Johnson blinks at me. “I beg your pardon?”
“Why do you need to know?”
She bristles in her seat, and Ralston shifts uncomfortably. “It’s our job to know,” Johnson says.
I give her a flat look. “She calmed him down. He shifted back. She saved his life. That’s what happened.”
“Yes, but how?” Ralston asks. He looks at Skylar. “How could you do it when Gorgeous, or even Nora, couldn’t calm him? Was it some kind of magic? What are you?” He takes note of the way Skylar is clinging to me. “Are you a shifter? A wolf, like him?”
Skylar looks up at me, a question in her eyes. I lower my lips to her forehead. The kiss makes her stiffen, but I need the contact. My wolf is on the verge of taking over. “It’s all right. You can tell them.”
Skylar turns to the agents. “Yes. I’m a wolf shifter. Wulf is my mate.”
My wolf preens at hearing her claim us. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like it too. I wait out the agents’ shock and then add, “The connection is new, and my wolf is on edge, so watch yourselves.”
Ralston snaps to attention. “Is that a threat?”
It takes everything in me not to snarl at the man. I know my wolf is shining through my eyes when I lean forward in my seat, pressing my hands on the table. “It’s a warning. My wolf is protective, and he really doesn’t like you interrogating our mate.”
Ralston sighs. “No one is interrogating?—”
Johnson cuts him off, glaring at Skylar. “How did you do it?”
This time, I do snarl. I slam to my feet, pounding my hands on the table so hard it rattles the door. “That’s none of your business!”
“Wulf,” Parker murmurs. He places his hand on my arm. “Careful. Stay calm, brother. Your mate is upset.”
That snaps me from my rage. I look down to see Skylar cowering in her seat. I sit back down and wrap my arm around her shoulders. “I’m sorry. This mate thing is intense. I’ll keep better control of my temper. I promise. I would never hurt you. You know that, right?”
She bobs her head. “I know.”
I suck in a lungful of air and let it out slowly. “I’m sorry I scared you.”
“It’s okay,” she whispers. She glances at the agents across the table, then looks back at me, unsure. “Why not just tell them? Is it bad?”
There’s an innocence in her eyes that makes me wonder how much she knows about what she is or even about the underworld in general. I don’t know how long her bastard alpha held her prisoner or how isolated and ignorant he kept her. But I can’t stand the thought of her thinking she did something wrong. I cup her cheeks in my hands. “No. You didn’t do anything wrong. You’re very special. I just don’t trust them not to want to use you.”
Johnson scowls at me, and Ralston scoffs.
“The secret’s already out there,” Gorgeous says, stepping away from the wall and walking around the room to stand behind Nora at the head of the table. “Right now, shifters around the country are watching that footage. You can’t hide her, and you don’t have a pack behind you. It wouldn’t hurt to have the humans backing you up.”
I grind my teeth. He’s right. There’s not an alpha out there that won’t recognize Skylar’s ability for what it is. They’ll comefor her—whether to try to lure her away or take her by force, they’ll come. I don’t have a pack. My clan is strong, and they will protect her, but there are only ten of us. I study the agents long and hard before looking at Nora. “You trust them?”
She gives me an understanding smile. “They haven’t tried to abscond with me yet.”
I get what she’s saying. Nora is one-of-a-kind and more powerful than most underworlders. And on top of that, her gifts are very useful to humans. They’ve been salivating at the thought of having her skills at their disposal. If they didn’t need her here so badly in her current position, they’d steal her away and use her for their own purposes. “Only because they can’t control you,” I grumble. “You can eat their souls if they try anything. Skylar is vulnerable by nature. She can’t protect herself.”
“But she has us,” Nora says. “We won’t let anything happen to her.” She nods toward the humans. “Give them a chance.”
