“I’ll carry her out, if someone can grab some towels for her.” Allan hoped that carrying her wasn’t a mistake. He wasn’t sure if she was playacting, or she really was being submissive and going along with the program. Or she was still exhausted.
She was so relaxed, he had a hard time lifting her. Everett helped get her off the floor, then Allan carried her to his vehicle.
Everett got the back door for her and the other men laid out the towels in the backseat since she was still so wet. Allan supposed she’d have an easier time stretching out in the backseat if she didn’t want to sit up front and watch out the window.
She stretched out like one sleepy wolf, yawned, sighed, closed her eyes, and went to sleep. At least she appeared to be sleeping. But that could be just a ploy. She could wake at any time, ready to renew the fight between them.
Allan closed the car door.
“That was easy, but it might not be when we arrive at your place.” Everett gave him the collar and leash.
“True. And it’s wilderness out there. She might think it’s safer there than running through this more heavily populated area. But she won’t know how to manage on her own in the woods. Not with all the cougars, wolves in real wolf packs, and bears out there. Thanks for all your help,” he said to the men, then got in his car and led the caravan to his mountainside cabin. He had mentioned the dangers for Debbie’s benefit as much as the men’s, hoping he could dissuade her from attempting to run.
They reached the cabin after about forty minutes and Debbie continued to sleep. At least he didn’t have any neighbors that could see his place. He carried her to the bedroom Rose always used when she came and stayed up there. His mother had even dropped by to leave off all the flowers from the pack members and fellow law-enforcement officials. The pack truly hoped Debbie would adjust without too much trouble. No one was a newly turned wolf, which was good, but it also meant she had no one to talk to about what she was experiencing.
Allan figured that when he could, he’d ask Tessa to talk with Debbie.
Then Allan helped the men carry in Debbie’s things, leaving the bags with her clothes and toiletries on the living room floor. While Everett was putting away her groceries, Allan thanked the other men and they left.
“Good luck,” they said.
“Thanks.” Allan suspected he would need more than that. Then he called Paul with an update.
“Do you want me to send Lori over? Would it help for Debbie to have a woman to talk to?”
“Debbie is sound asleep. I think for now, she’s fine. I’ll call you in the morning or if things get out of hand.”
Allan waved good-bye as Everett quietly left.
“Everett’s headed back to his house. I think we’ll be good for the night.”
“All right,” Paul said. “Don’t hesitate to call if you have any trouble at all.”
“Thanks. Talk to you in the morning.” At least Allan hoped he wouldn’t have to call anyone else tonight. He carried her bags into her bedroom and set them on the floor. Then he watched her sleep for a few minutes. Satisfied she was fine for the time being, he stalked down the hall to the master bedroom. He stripped out of his clothes, tired from all the late nights of worrying about Debbie and ready for a good night’s sleep. Though with her here now, he didn’t think he’d get one for long. He walked into the bathroom to take a shower.
He was lathering up when he sensed he was being watched. Then he saw her sitting on the tile floor, observing him through the lightly fogged-up glass shower doors.
Hell. He sure hoped she didn’t try to take a bite out of him when he left the shower stall. He realized too late he couldn’t even reach his phone to call for assistance. He should have locked his bedroom or bathroom door, but he wasn’t used to doing so, and he’d never even given it a thought.
“We don’t bite people,” he said calmly as he finished washing himself, as if he did this all the time—washed up while a hostile, newly turned wolf watched him through the glass doors. “We don’t kill people or hurt them.” Unless the people were trying to hurt his wolf pack. Even so, if they were human, his kind tried to ensure that law enforcement officials dealt with the crime through legal channels. He didn’t figure he needed to get into that right now with Debbie though.
He finished washing, hoping that delaying the inevitable would give her time to cool down. But now that he was done, he had to leave the shower. Sure, he was plenty alpha, but from her posture, so was she. And a human didn’t stand a chance against an angry wolf, unless he could discuss this rationally with her human side.
He wanted to reason with her, tell her the steps he was going to take, as if he were a police officer trying to talk someone down from doing something criminal. But wouldn’t she know what he was going to say and do anyway? Not a lot of choices here.