Page 2 of Wolf Claimed
“I sensed your presence. Somehow I knew you’d come looking for me. Though in all honesty, I sort of thought Rafe and Tiernan would be with you.”
“Rafe went south. Tiernan’s waiting for you back at the training center in case you show up.”
Here, he had the perfect opportunity to tell her the scout was sleep instead of looking for her, a chance to make him look bad in her eyes, and he couldn’t do it. Fucking Rafe was right. The four of them were becoming pack, and Maddox never betrayed pack, even to serve his own needs.
“We were worried when you didn’t show up at the dining hall. You misled me, angel. Why?”
“I didn’t mislead you. I went back to the dorm.”
“To the stairwell, not your room. I checked. It was nothing more than a ruse to get rid of me.”
She wore her leather jacket, a white t-shirt, and dark pants. Blonde hair had been pulled up in a high ponytail, and the faint smell of gun degreaser reached his nose. She was armed. Relief swept through Maddox. Whatever was going on here, she was fine.
“Are you leaving without saying goodbye, angel?”
“I could ask you the same,” she said as she reversed direction and backed down the rocks. “My situation, hell my life, is complicated.”
“I grew up with complicated. Lived it, breathed it, all but slept with it. Whatever your issues are, they can’t be bad enough to make you give up. You’re not a quitter. And sneaking away. . . That’s not you.”
When she reached the bottom, she placed her hands on her hips and took a deep breath, as if trying to clear her mind and figure out her next step. He liked the pose, made her look badass on the outside. But he loved how she melted when he was alone with her. Aside from her skills as an agent, her smarts, and a drive to prove herself to everyone—merits that had kept her at the top of the training class—she was as feminine as a female could be. Right now, the way she had her hands on her hips called attention to her curves. He wanted to lay his large hands on her hips and pull her into him, but this wasn’t the time. And she wasn’t his. Could never be his. He had to keep reminding himself of that.
“I lost my temper,” she said, hazel eyes quickly darting over his naked body before meeting his eyes without an ounce of hesitation. He loved that she didn’t fear him. Any of them really, at least not the shifters on their team. He suspected she feared the shifters on the other teams, though she would never admit it.
“With Tiernan? He hasn’t exactly been honest with you.”
“Not Tiernan. Someone from the DSA.”
“And running away is the answer.”
“I wasn’t running. Not exactly. Damn, I don’t know what I was doing, or thinking.”
“You’re tired, angel. You need sleep.”
“I crossed a line, Maddox,” she said out of nowhere, her face revealing true worry. That made his wolf growl, but Maddox locked him down fast. He didn’t want her to misinterpret a growl as a condemnation of her actions. He didn’t care what fucking line she crossed, he just wanted to make sure she was safe. And safe in this environment meant being with him, Rafe, or Tiernan, not moving out here alone and vulnerable to the other shifters in the program, several of whom had already attacked her.
“Now you’re talking my language,” he said, throwing her a smile to put her at ease. “Don’t you know lines are meant to be crossed? That’s how progress is made.”
“That’s very philosophical coming from you.”
“You mean coming from a white wolf.”
“No, I mean coming from you. You’re not much of a talker, Maddox.”
“Tell me what you need, Alyssa. Do you want me to beat up whoever’s giving you trouble? If it’s Kingsley or someone on his team, I don’t need to know the details. Fuck that, I don’t need to know the details, no matter who it is. Just give me the name. It’s been a while since I had a good fight. I’m getting soft here. Human training is pathetic compared to training in my pack.”
She laughed, a sound that eased his wolf and him. “You’re right. I’m running like a scared child. I need to go back and face the music. I worked too hard to become an agent to let some asshole try to destroy me. Running will just give credence to his claims.”
His wolf growled. Someonehadbeen bothering her. “Give me his name,” Maddox demanded, trying to keep his voice from sounding too harsh with her.
She approached him, that sparkle of determination in her eyes. “You can’t fight my battles for me, Maddox.” She pushed back the hair that fell into his eyes. That brief contact made his wolf purr. His wolf, the beast that enjoyed ripping males apart for little more than a wayward look.
“I certainly can. At no charge, too,” he said. She was easy to flirt with, and yet he wished he could do more with her. “Though I wouldn’t turn down a kiss.”
She held out her hand to him. “Just knowing you’re there for backup is all I need.” The smile she threw him made him want to bash someone’s brains in that much more for even attempting to hurt her. Damn, he wanted her in every way, but for now, he had to temper his wolf and his need to take her, claim her as his. Because she wasn’t his. She was Tiernan’s, even if she hadn’t admitted it to herself yet.
* * *
TIERNAN
