Page 27 of Stealthy as a Wolf

If I were smart, I would walk out the door. I had a lot of practice vanishing into thin air, but my instincts warned me that if I left, I would never see them again. A pang went through my heart at the thought, the pain so sharp that it robbed me of breath, and my wolf howled mournfully in my head.

I wasn’t sure whether I would even be physically able to walk away from them without a full-blown panic attack. I didn’t understand my connection to them, but I trusted my wolf’s instincts. She was probably the only thing that had kept me alive this long.

Grady cupped the back of my neck possessively, then leaned down and kissed my forehead. My heart did a stupid little jig in my chest, and my wolf let out a series of excited yips as she danced around in my head. Unable to resist the urge to touch him, I patted his chest. Like he was waiting for the acknowledgement, he flashed me a smile, those devastating dimples making me sigh. He stepped aside, picked up the bags, and strode out the door with a proud strut, like he’d just achieved something special.

Before I could think much of it, Matty stepped in front of me, fully dressed, much to my disappointment. As if reading my mind, he winked. “Sorry, woman, but you’re stuck with me. You can run, you can hide, but my mangy cat will always come back to you.”

Then he honest-to-goodness booped me on the nose, picked up one of the bags, and sauntered away, his stride almost as cocky as the alpha’s.

I rubbed the tip of my nose, turning toward the last two, then I made a face at them and picked up the last bag before following the first two.

“Hey, don’t you want to know our answer?” Boone trotted after me. A quick glance showed him practically pouncing from one spot to another as he hurried in my wake.

I raised a brow at him, then shrugged. “Not really. Cats like you are finicky. High-maintenance. I’m sure you’ll get bored soon enough and ditch us when it suits you.”

He frowned and wrinkled his nose like he smelled something bad.

I glanced at Burke, and I swore he almost smiled when he gazed after his brother. Yet when he looked at me, I decided I must have been mistaken, because he was as much of a sourpuss as ever.

Instead of heading toward the van, Grady led us to a massive black SUV. Before I had a chance to put my bag in the back, Matty took it from me with a smile of thanks. When I turned, Boone was right behind, muttering to himself about not being high-maintenance as he shoved his bag in the back.

When the last of the bags were stowed and the hatch closed, Grady headed toward the driver’s seat. As I passed Boone, he stuck his nose in the air and sniffed, clearly pouting. I was torn between being amused and feeling slightly guilty for offending him.

But not guilty enough to encourage him by apologizing.

Matty held the front door open for me with an intimate smile. It was stunning enough that I nearly stopped in my tracks. I’d seen men smile at women like that, like the woman was their whole world, but I’d never had anyone look at me the same way.

I wasn’t sure what emotions I should be feeling. Though I felt a slight thrill, it was overshadowed by an overwhelming sadness.

This is what I’ve been missing my whole life.

What’s been stolen from me.

It wasn’t something that I could ever get back, and I couldn’t help thinking about everything else that was taken from me by people who had no right. I wanted to stop running, stop fighting, and just take one tiny moment in time to simply live for myself.

A rumble vibrated in my chest, almost a whine, my wolf unsure how to fix the sadness that pervaded my very essence. I rubbed my chest, right over my heart, then quickly shoved aside the nonsense.

That wasn’t my life.

I was lucky to even have my freedom. Fur brushed against my mind, my wolf offering me comfort, and I shot Matty a tiny ghost of a smile.

A flash of understanding shimmered in his green eyes.

If anyone would understand what I was feeling, it would be him.

Before I could crawl into the front seat of the truck, Burke spoke from behind me. “It’ll be a tight fit for three men in the back.”

I glanced over at him, then looked at the bench seat, my mind heating at the thought of having all three men scrunched together, and I could feel a blush climbing up my neck at the tantalizing fantasy. I almost told him no. The last thing I wanted was to be squished between two men for the whole trip, but I restrained myself.

It was one thing to be an alpha, but another to be a flat-out bitch.

That they were even accompanying us was a compromise on Burke’s part. I could compromise too. With a heavy sigh, letting him know that it was a concession, I crawled into the back. I wouldn’t want him to get a big head and assume that he could always get his way and order me around whenever he wanted.

What I didn’t expect was for him to plop his ass in the seat next to mine. Before I could scoot over, Boone leapt into the vehicle on the other side with a Cheshire cat grin. Both men looked so smug that I had to bite my lip to keep from rolling my eyes at their antics.

With a huff, I wiggled in my seat, bumping into their shoulders, forcing them to make room for me. Not that they gave me much. I was the meat in the middle of this twin sandwich, and not in the fun way.

Their broad shoulders invaded my space, their thighs pressing against mine. No matter which way I shifted, I couldn’t seem to get away from them. Unused to such close contact with anyone, their nearness made me hyperaware of every inch of my body.

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