Page 11 of Stealthy as a Wolf

If I dropped him off at the hospital, the first thing they’d notice would be the scars encircling his throat. I doubted they would even give him more than the bare minimum of treatment before they called the prison.

I just couldn’t do it.

Sure, maybe he was a criminal, but he deserved better than the barbaric treatment they gave people in the so-called justice system.

If I turned him over, he would die.

That left me only one alternative—the alpha who promised me his help.

I hoped to hell that he meant what he said, because I had nowhere else to go.

Chapter Four

MAGGIE

Isat in the van, the steering wheel clenched in my hands as I stared at the cute little rustic cabin resting on the lakeshore. A giant moon hung in the sky—a glaring reminder that the full moon was bearing down on us.

The van windows were rolled down, the scent of pine needles and rum so thick that it permeated every breath I took. It soothed my wolf, and she yipped in excitement at being so close to another pack animal.

My wolf didn’t seem to understand that pack meant danger.

Something about Grady drew me, which only made me more uneasy. I pushed out my senses farther and farther, until the overload of information threatened to give me a migraine, and yet I couldn’t detect a trap.

That didn’t mean I trusted the man.

He was an alpha, after all.

My skin crawled at the thought of being near another alpha for any length of time.

Trapped.

No, I would drop off the cat, dump this whole mess on the wolf, then go and make good my escape.

That decided, I reached for the door, ignoring the irrational pang of disappointment at the thought of saying goodbye to both men.

Then I crushed that foolishness.

Before I could step out of the vehicle, a hand latched onto my arm. I nearly jolted out of my skin at the contact and whirled, clutching my chest when my heart threatened to punch through my ribs. When I saw it was only the cat, I flopped back against the seat. “Dammit, you scared the crap out of me.”

“Don’t leave,” he rasped, his green, pain filled eyes pleading. When I gave a pointed look at his bloodstained hand on my arm, he slowly released me. “My name is Matty, and I’m afraid that if you leave, they’ll hunt you down and kill you. If we want to survive, all of us need to stick together.”

“What do you mean?” A cold chill swept over me, and goose bumps raced over my skin. “Who is ‘all of us’?”

He grimaced, then glanced toward the back of the van.

Even shrouded in darkness, I spotted the shapes of two men. They were beaten and bloodied and knocked out cold. Not taking my eyes off them, I blindly fumbled for the latch on my door. “No way. I’m outta here.”

I was nearly dumped on my ass when the door opened suddenly, and I twisted to land on my feet.

“I’m sorry, but it’s too late for that.” Matty grimaced, cupping the wound in his side when he leaned toward me. “Even if you run, they will come after you. Your scent was all over the crime scene. The only way we’ll be safe is if we stick together.”

“Well, fuck me!” I dragged my hands over the snarled mess of my hair, pulled out the ponytail, and shook out the tangled strands. “I guess what they say is true—no good deed goes unpunished.”

I didn’t even try to hide my bitterness.

Then another thought occurred to me, and I cringed when I shot a glance at the cabin. Because if whoever was after us could track me, I just led them directly to the alpha.

Fuck.

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