I stood there in the agonizing heat, trying to think through the onslaught of questions forming. Shya watched me expectantly.
“Kill him.” Falon spoke up from where he stood near the open attached kitchen. “It’s not worth the risk of keeping him around. He’s just one werewolf.”
The way his tone changed on that last bit rubbed me the wrong way. I had a feeling there was a hidden jibe there.
“It isn’t your call to make,” I snapped, my words ending on a growl. I glared hard at Falon who leaned back against the kitchen island, casual and unaffected.
“No, Alexa. It’s yours.” Shya swept an arm toward the wolf on the floor with a grand, dramatic gesture. “Claim him as your wolf or leave him to us.”
Trepidation filled me. I didn’t want anyone’s life in my hands. Not like this. I gazed down at the wolf, my wolf, and I felt a territorial obligation to him. “What’s your name?”
“Coby Haines.”
“Well, Coby Haines, this is your lucky day. I’m not going to decide your fate. You are. Are you ready to die now? To escape the wolf in the only way possible? Or, do you want me to claim you as pack? You’ll be mine to protect, and in return you’ll keep a low profile.”
A snort of derision came from Falon. I ignored him. Shya was quiet, but I could feel the weight of his watchful gaze upon me, judging my choice.
Coby cast a careful glance at Falon, then Shya before settling his gaze on me. “I’m not ready to die. I just want help.”
“You’ll get it.” The way I saw it, I owed Coby. For the past few months, he’d been out there, changed because of me, and I hadn’t even known. What he did was thoughtless, but he deserved a chance.
“Come on. Let’s go.” Taking Coby’s hand, I pulled him to his feet and steered him toward the door. “I assume I can leave now, Shya. Unless there’s anything else.”
Shya’s amused smile never wavered. “Have a nice night, Alexa.”
The eerie sensations floating around inside Shya’s house spilled over outside. The entire property felt cursed, like it writhed with something black and bottomless. The house was outside of town, down a dirt road east of the city. I assumed Shya had several reasons to live in a secluded area. Everything about the place, including Shya himself, set off my personal warning bells. I was hasty to get away.
Coby hesitated near my car. He looked back at the house for a moment as if torn before grasping the passenger door handle. If I were him, I would second-guess getting into a car with the person who turned me, too.
“Are you going to get in?” I dropped into the driver’s seat and started the car. I was in a hurry to leave. “It’ll be a long walk back to town.” Well, it would be on human legs.
I opened the windows and the sunroof, drinking in the night air. It was delectably cool in comparison to the insane heat inside.
“I have nowhere to go. Not anymore.” Coby got into the car but continued to glance nervously out the window.
“Well, you’re not staying here. I’ll drive, you talk.”
I snuck a look at him. He had to be in his late twenties or early thirties, dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt. With light, ash brown hair and a five o’clock shadow, he was ruggedly attractive. He turned hazel eyes on me that were all wolf.
His wolf looked out at me, and I knew how close he was to losing it. He was still so new, but I wasn’t worried. Wolves were my comfort zone, even those who could barely hold it together. I held his gaze, enforcing my dominance without moving a muscle. I saw it in him when he accepted the unspoken hierarchy. His wolf backed down, and Coby visibly relaxed in his seat.
“Look,” I began, giving the Charger a little more gas than necessary in my haste to peal out of Shya’s long driveway. “I wish there was something I could say. I know an apology isn’t going to cut it.”
“Save it. I don’t want an apology. I just want help. No offense, but I really don’t want to end up like you, attacking people on the street.”
That stung but he spoke the truth. When I’d been newly turned and in his place, I hadn’t wanted to end up like me either.
“Fair enough.”
An awkward silence descended. My fingers were tight on the steering wheel. I was at a loss for words. I imagined a part of him wanted to tear my head off for what I’d done to him, but he seemed mostly resigned to accept it.
“I know how hard this is in the beginning. Everyone smells like prey, and the simple act of the sun setting sets the wolf loose sometimes. It gets easier. Really.”
The silence was making me uncomfortable. If he wasn’t going to talk then I was.
“There’s a pack in a small town outside the city, in Stony Plain. We run together every full moon. Many of us live normal lives, keep normal jobs. But, we have each other’s backs. You’re more than welcome to join us.”
“Normal jobs?” His tone was skeptical. “I thought I was going to kill my co-workers. I couldn’t stand to be around them. That smell. So strong and …”