Chapter 167
Chapter 167
It was her. The woman whose scent had been driving Max crazy for weeks. The day after he’d arrived in the Cry Lake packlands, he’d gone on a run with the pack and caught the faintest trace of her on one of the walking trails in the national forest. He hadn’t been able to track it far–rain had fallen in the time since she’d been on the trail, washing away most of her scent.
But now, completely by accident, he’d found her. She was tall. His wolf liked that. Strong and healthy. A good runner. Her dark hair–almost too dark to qualify as brown, not quite dark enough to be called black–was pulled back from her face in a tidy braid that lay over one shoulder like a mermaid’s tail. Halfway down the braid, her hair shifted from dark sable to a deep, emerald green. She was so pale, he could easily see blue–green veins beneath the skin along her throat, her wrists. She had large dark eyes and a high–bridged, aquiline nose. She looked like an empress from the ancient Mediterranean–Greek, or Roman, or Byzantine, maybe.
Well, she would have looked like an empress if she didn’t currently seem like she wanted to shrink beneath the counter. She stared back at Max, radiating fear. She’d frozen, as rabbits do, trying to be invisible, too scared to fight, too scared to run. But what was she scared of? Him?
A family stood between him and the woman–parents and their pup. The red–headed mother looked between Max and the would–be Empress behind the counter, wide–eyed.
“Oh my god,“she breathed, clutching her coffee. “Is this your ex–husband? ”
The nosy, delighted question shook the other woman out of her freeze response. “What? No. We’ve never met.“She glanced back at him, but didn’t make direct eye contact. “Have we p>
“No,“he answered. His voice came out too deep, too gruff. He cleared his throat. “No, sorry. You’re “he cut himself off, scrubbing a hand over his jaw, unable to tear his gaze away from her. He couldn’t tell a skinlocked stranger that he recognized her scent. “You looked familiar,“he finally said.
“Oh.“The red–haired woman was obviously disappointed by the mundane turn, lips pursed as she glanced between Max and the woman he’d been trying to find. “Well, it was nice talking to you, Jules. See you around p>
Jules. Max tucked her name away like a valuable secret.
“Yep, take care,“Jules said faintly. She was looking at the family, but every fiber of her being was attuned to Max. He could feel it. Trying to put her at ease, he turned away from her and headed towards the drink coolers–the whole reason he’d stopped at this little gas station in the first place. He was thirsty and the name had caught his attention. Wolfe’s. It had seemed too auspicious to pass up. And fuck him if fate hadn’t delivered in spades.
He had his back turned to Jules, with several rows of metal shelving between them, but he knew she was focused on him in the same way he was focused on her. He was only aware that the other people had left because he heard the bell jingle over the door and their scents faded.
When he returned to the counter with a bottle of water, she had schooled her expression into something more neutral, but stress and anxiety still radiated off of her. Her discomfort was upsetting his wolf, upsetting him. The urge to comfort her had to be suppressed. The wolf only understood physical contact, and the man was terrible at putting nice words together. Growing up in a tight–knit, isolated community, he had no practice at it with
strangers.
“Hi, “ he said gently,
There was just the faintest hesitation before she replied, “Hi. How are you?” Her voice was soft, faded almost. Like she didn’t want to be heard.
“ Good, “he replied, keeping his hands in his pockets and his body language subdued. “And you p>
“Not bad.“That sounded like a lie. “Anything else for you p>
J
“ Just this. ”
She nodded and scanned the water. He paid with cash from his pocket. When he handed it to her their fingers brushed and she flinched away, dropping the money.
“ Sorry,“she said, not meeting his gaze as she hurriedly plucked up the dropped coins.
20:59
Caught Naked By My Alpha Neighbor! Now I’m His–No Escape.
Chapter 167
His wolf wanted to crawl on his belly and whine, to prove he wasn’t a threat. But how could the man prove it? “ It’s alright. My fault p>
“ No, it was mine.“She put the money into the till and slid the drawer shut. “Alright. Well, you’re all set. Have a nice day p>
He grabbed the water bottle, then hesitated at the counter, searching for the right words to say.
I’ve been tracking your scent for weeks.
Absolutely not, you fucking psychopath.
You smell like hope.
Somehow worse.
My wolf likes you.
Nope.
“Uh… “He glanced back at her and found her watching him warily. “Thanks,“he said, and pushed out the door. On the way to the truck the Cry Lake pack had loaned him, he resisted the impulse to turn around just to look at her again. He drove back to Cry Lake, ignoring the longing pull of his wolf back towards the woman he’d just terrified.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.