Another wolf ahead of her snarled and she cried out, stumbling and falling to the ground. A blur of white sailed over her head, and landed behind her. Olivia turned to look, wondering if she was about to be torn apart by two wolves instead of one. But the white wolf wasn’t attacking her. It was defending her. She moved further away, wondering if she should stay or run. The white wolf bit down on the other wolf’s neck, and she heard a crunch as the reddish wolf yelped. The white wolf moved back, his tail brushing against her legs. The other wolf stared at them, hatred burning in its gaze, before it turned and ran off in the opposite direction.
The white one turned toward her, then shifted. Her eyes went wide as Jaxon knelt beside her, and her cheeks flushed a little when she realized he was naked.
“Jaxon?”
“I came to visit since I knew you were alone. But the cabin door was wide open and you weren’t inside. I followed your scent, and I’m glad I did. Who the hell was that?” he asked.
“Gwen’s lover,” Olivia said as she pushed herself to her feet. She swayed, and Jaxon quickly lifted her into his arms and began walking back in the direction she assumed led to the cabin.
She tried really hard not to think about the fact her best friend was completely naked, and carrying her through the woods. She hoped Torren didn’t see them and flip out.
“Where are your clothes?” she asked.
“Shredded. I didn’t have time to strip out of them before I shifted. I heard you scream and didn’t stop to undress.”
“Can I just say it’s a little awkward that you’re carrying me while you’re naked?”
Jaxon laughed. “Yeah well, welcome to life with a wolf shifter pack. Nudity is kind of the norm. We’re not exactly shy about our bodies, and we all strip down every full moon and run together.”
“Um, as a non-shifting human, I’m not required to get naked and go running in the moonlight, am I?”
“No.” He smiled. “We’re not naked for very long before we shift into our wolf form. Since you’d have to be naked the entire time, I think Torren would say a huge no to you running naked with the pack.”
“Thank you. For coming after me,” Olivia said.
“I didn’t think you’d leave the door open without a reason, and when I noticed your trail led off into the woods, I thought I’d better find you. Torren is going to lose his shit when he finds out you were attacked.”
“And I thought he hovered before,” she muttered.
“I bet he’s stuck to your ass like glue after this. Wouldn’t blame him. It’s obvious you can’t be left alone.”
“I’m not a child.”
Jaxon paused and looked down at her. “No, but you’re human, and at a disadvantage when it comes to facing off against our kind. You were defenseless today, Olivia. If I hadn’t found you when I did, you’d be lying out there with your throat ripped out. Do you get that? Why the hell did you go into the woods anyway?”
“There was a knock at the door and when I opened it, a wolf was standing at the foot of the steps. I thought it was someone from the pack and maybe Torren was hurt.”
“He’d masked his scent somehow. All I smelled at the cabin was you.”
Olivia chewed on her lower lip. “He said that Gwen used to hide his scent with herbs after they would meet in the woods. Maybe he used the same thing she did.”
Jaxon just stared at her a moment before he started walking again. “You need to tell Torren everything, and I mean every little detail, of what happened out there today. I don’t know who that guy was, or why he wanted you, but it was obvious he wouldn’t have hesitated to kill you and your unborn child.”
“Does everyone know Torren knocked me up?” she asked.
“We can smell it on you.”
Olivia frowned, her brow furrowing. “Then everyone would have known that Gwen was pregnant, right?”
Jaxon nearly dropped her as he came to a sudden stop. “What? Gwen was pregnant?”
“You didn’t know?”
He shook his head. “I’m not sure if Torren knew or not. How could she have hidden that from everyone? And why would she?”
“It wasn’t Torren’s baby,” Olivia said softly. “It belonged to the wolf who attacked me.”
“What the hell did that bitch bring to our door when she mated Torren?” Jaxon muttered and started walking again.
