27

Nothing smelled of other shifters or supernaturals.
Animals rustled around the woods, making my restlessness ease some. In this form, I could breathe, but the paranoia was still too damn close for comfort. I’d been packless for only a little over two days, and it was already beginning to take its toll.
I’d heard stories about how some wolves could go months before getting to this point, so why was I so different? The answer rang in my head-because I was an alpha with no pack to lead. It probably would have helped if I’d stayed under the moon longer last night, but with Griffin there, it hadn’t been possible.
A rabbit jumped out from behind a tree, landing in my path, and my wolf grew excited. She wanted to be the predator and let our natural instincts take over. To lose our mind in the moment.
I chased the rabbit, the animal hopping off, running for its life. I didn’t plan on eating it, just enjoyed the chase as nature intended.
The little sucker hopped faster than I expected, and my legs burned from the exercise. The paranoia receded as I lost myself in the task.
Minutes later, wings flapped, breaking my concentration. I skidded to a stop as I tried to figure out where the noise was coming from. I was used to worrying about creatures on the ground, not in the sky.
The thunder of large wings grew louder, and a familiar rose scent hit my nose. I looked up in time to see Rosemary descend between two trees, beautiful dark-feathered wings stretched out behind her back.
I wasn’t used to looking out for angels, seeing as I’d never met one before her. I had to get out of here. I spun and took off in the direction of my clothes. I should’ve paid more attention to staying hidden, but I’d been trying to get myself under control before being stuck in the coffee shop for hours.
Hoping to lose her, I ran back toward the road. But suddenly, something was standing right in my path. I skidded to a halt, weighing my options.
“Well, isn’t this quite interesting,” Rosemary said as she crossed her arms. “I thought I smelled a strange wolf below.” No.
No one could know who I was.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
I
f I could have beaten myself up for my carelessness, I would have. I knew not to shift, but I’d been losing my damn mind and had needed an outlet. By letting my wolf take control, I hadn’t stayed
focused on my surroundings as I should have. I was having fun chasing down a flipping rabbit.
Rosemary’s charcoal wings spread out, causing her hair to blow around her face. She was somehow even more breathtaking in this form, and I was almost thankful I was in animal form, or I’d have been gawking.
This was the first time I’d seen an angel with wings, and now her rose scent made sense. But I had no clue how her gray sweater wasn’t torn to threads.
Thankfully, I couldn’t speak to her in wolf form, so it wasn’t like I’d be able to answer any of the questions that had to be churning in her mind. I could only hope that she didn’t know who I was. Granted, whether Rosemary knew it was me or not, the news of a silver wolf being seen running around near town would cause a lot of excitement and would inevitably get back to the people hunting me.
“What is a silver wolf doing here? I thought they were extinct.” She arched an eyebrow as she examined my body. “You need to shift back into human form before someone else sees you.”‘
Out of every possible scenario, I did not see that one coming. I figured she’d be eager to expose my existence.
“That means you better move your ass now.” She waved a hand for added emphasis. “More people run in this section of the woods, so the longer you stay like this, the more likely others will see you.”
She was right. These woods were near downtown and close to campus. My dad had been lecturing me about not thinking like a leader, and this proved he was right. Making dumb mistakes like this solidified that I needed him here with me. Not dead. I wasn’t anywhere near ready to lead or even survive on my own without a pack.
Hysteria inched closer to the surface, and I took a deep breath, attempting to keep the negative emotions at bay. I couldn’t afford to do another stupid thing.
Not wanting to get close to Rosemary, I nodded and took off, giving her a wide berth. I’d never been around angels before, but I had a feeling they would have an excellent sense of smell like most supernaturals, so the farther I stayed away, the less likely she’d figure out who I was.
Not altering my plan, I rushed back in the direction of my clothes. However, this time, I kept my eyes and ears peeled for sounds coming from any angle. Luckily, all I heard were the animals that naturally lived in the woods.
As I got closer to the edge of the woods near downtown, I slowed to a trot. When I reached my clothes, I scanned the area one more time before shifting back to my human form and getting dressed. I ran a hand through my hair, making sure there weren’t any branches or grass stuck in it. I yanked my black top down over my jeans and forced my legs to propel me forward.
I needed to get out of here before Rosemary found me again. I didn’t need to help her connect the dots.
This time, instead of almost getting hit, I checked both ways before crossing the street. If that car hadn’t been able to stop earlier, I could’ve died.
What scared me was that dying didn’t sound horrible.
If Zoe could hear what I was thinking now, she’d smack the hell out of me. But depression was a bitch, and I was at her mercy.
I got back to the diner as Killian exited. His eyes immediately found mine, and he hurried to me.
“I’ve been worried sick,” he said when he caught up to me. “You freaked out on me.”
That pretty much nailed my actions dead on. “Yeah, I’m sorry. The past few days kind of caught up to me, including not being part of a pack any longer. Being a rogue is beginning to take its toll.”
“Shit.” He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. “I hadn’t even thought about you being rogue. Maybe you can join my pack. Not that I want to be your alpha, but it’s a good pack, and you have fighting skills.”
“My problems aren’t your responsibility.” He’d already done so much by giving me a place to stay, finding me a job, getting me a fake ID, and being a friend when I didn’t have anyone. He was taking all of this on like my problems were his too. “And, thank you. Let me think on that.” The answer was no, but I didn’t want to hurt his feelings.
“No, they aren’t,” he agreed and shrugged. “But I’m invested, and there’s no getting rid of me. After all, you’re my old hag.”
A laugh slipped out, surprising me. I glanced around and lowered my voice so no one but Killian could hear me. “Old hag? Wow. No wonder you had to con me into playing this role.”
“Con.” He gasped and placed a hand on his chest. “That’s hurtful.”
“But calling me an old hag isn’t?” I pushed his arm while smiling. “You turd.”
“You keep calling me names, but look what I got for you.” He pulled an ID out of his pocket and held it out of my reach. “Now tell me how much you love me, or you won’t be getting this.”
Enjoying the lighthearted moment, I sprang into action and elbowed him in the stomach, causing him to lean forward while trying to block me. I spun out, grabbing the ID as I moved. I looked at the picture, which was the one Killian had taken that first night on his phone, and read the name.
Dove Davis.