Olivia kept quiet the rest of the way back to the cabin. When they got there, the door still stood open, and Torren wasn’t home. Jaxon carried her up the front steps and into the house, easing her down onto the couch. Now that her adrenaline had worn off, she winced at the aches she felt from running and falling.
“What’s wrong?” Jaxon asked.
“I’m a little sore. I’m not used to running, and I fell when he was chasing me.” She rubbed her hip, where most of the pain seemed to be.
Jaxon reached for the button on her jeans and hesitated only a moment before unfastening it, then lowering her zipper. He tugged her pants down her hips, then pulled down the side of her panties, exposing a rather large bruise that was rapidly turning black.
There was a deep growl across the room as Torren stomped inside. “What the fuck are you doing?”
Jaxon quickly stood and exposed his throat to Torren. “I’m sorry, Alpha. Your mate was hurt and I was trying to take care of her.”
“While you’re naked?” Torren asked.
Jaxon waved a hand toward his cock. “Does it seem like I’m remotely interested in her that way? I found her in the woods and I had to shift quickly, so my clothes were shredded.”
Torren’s eyebrows lowered and he glared at the other wolf before coming to stand in front of Olivia. He reached out and pulled down the side of her panties again, spitting out a string of curses when he saw how badly she’d been bruised.
“Someone better tell me what the hell is going on. Right now,” he said.
Olivia glanced at Jaxon, who gave her a nod of encouragement. She told Torren about the wolf coming to the cabin and leading her into the woods. She tried to remember every single word the man had said, and then told him about running for her life. When she got to the part of Jaxon saving her, Torren’s shoulders seemed to bow, as if the weight of the world had settled on them, then he rose and faced Jaxon.
“Thank you for saving my mate. You should go home, but find Baxter on your way and send him to me. It seems we have a lot to discuss.”
Jaxon hesitated only a moment, then turned and left.
Torren lifted Olivia off the couch and carried her to their bedroom.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“You’re going to put on something looser and more comfortable, then we’re going to ice your hip. Are you hurt anywhere else?” he asked.
“I don’t think so.”
He set her on her feet inside the bedroom then started pulling her clothes off and dropping them on the floor. He made her turn in a slow circle, as he examined every inch of her. The bruise on her hip was the only mark on her, thankfully. Torren helped her into some knit pajama pants and a matching tank, then he wrapped an arm around her waist and stayed right by her side until they were back in the living room. He pointed to the couch.
“Sit while I get some ice for your hip. You’re confined inside until I figure out who this wolf is, and what he meant by it being my fault Gwen is dead.”
She opened her mouth to say something, but he stomped out of the room. With a sigh, she eased onto the couch and curled her legs beneath her, leaving her sore hip exposed. Torren returned a minute later with an ice pack in his hands, and he gently laid it across her hip before taking a seat next to her.
“You didn’t seem surprised when I said Gwen was pregnant, but Jaxon hadn’t known,” she said.
“I found out after she died. A wolf had torn her apart, killing her and the baby. I’d wondered if it was mine, but I’d figured she’d have told me if it was. I never knew she was meeting someone in the woods, but it seemed suspicious that she was out there the night she died.”
Olivia bit her lip and wondered if she should say something or not. The wolf in the woods had said Gwen was forced to mate with Torren, and he hadn’t said much since hearing that. From what he’d told her before, it had sounded like Gwen had accepted her mating with Torren. But now Olivia had to wonder.
“Torren, if Gwen didn’t want to mate with you and was forced into it, and she loved the guy who attacked me today… Do you think it’s possible that someone else killed her? Maybe they found out she was cheating on you. Could it…” She stopped, not wanting to continue.
“Could it have been someone in my pack?” he asked.
She nodded.
“No, I don’t think so. If they had found out, they would have brought the matter to me, not murdered her.”
The front door opened and Baxter stepped into the room. “You needed to see me, Alpha?”
“My mate was attacked today, and I want to know who the hell did it.” He blew out a breath. “And I need to find out why Gwen died.”
Baxter looked from Torren to Olivia and back again. “Alpha, maybe we should…”
