Page 60 of Wild

“I’m sorry,” I forced myself to say, looking down. It was one thing to see my brother naked, another to see my sister-in-law barely dressed, especially when I’d been an asshole and interrupted them. “Marina’s gone, and I was wondering if she was here or if you knew where she went?”

Audrey’s eyes grew wide. “What did you do to her?”

I deserved it, but her words still hit me like a punch to the gut.

Fuck.

What had I done to her?

I’d scared her, for sure. Was that why she’d ran?

I rubbed a hand over my face, trying to remember exactly what had happened. I’d been eating her against the wall, and then I’d thrown her on the bed to have sex with her. My teeth had descended. She’d been scared and tried to stop me, but it didn’t get through my haze until I’d heard the word no.

Fuck!

“I lost control,” I admitted. “The full moon. Fuck. I wanted to mark her. And I scared her. So, I got out of there to keep her safe. I told her—”

Oh shit.

I knew why she’d left. What had I said? Something colossally stupid. Like,I can’t do this with you.

Had she taken it as a rejection?

My sweet, sensitive girl? She carried that insecurity from her dick of a dad. Not being good enough. Had I made her feel that way, too?

Jesus, I would cut off my own arm if I had.

I had. I knew it. And it was far worse coming from me. I was her safe place. Her person of trust. The one who let her be who she really was. I let her submit and give herself freely to me. That meant she gave everything to me. Even her heart.

And I’d been a dick. I’d destroyed her.

“You told her what?” Audrey snapped.

“Not enough,” I admitted. “I didn’t tell her she was my mate because—”

“You never told her she was your mate?” she practically shouted.

“I didn’t want to pressure her. She’s so young, and she still has school. She needs to have fun and figure out who she is, what she wants. Party. Hell, dance. I was going to try to keep my wolf in control and give her time for that.”

Audrey crossed her arms over her chest as she listened.

“If she were a she-wolf, she’d know she belonged to me. But Marina’s just a sweet young human who didn’t know about shifters until tonight. It’s not like I could just bite her. I couldn't claim her without her consent. It’d be too much to throw at a young woman who just met a guy and has no idea what a shifter even is.”

Audrey put her hands on her hips, and Boyd grabbed the front of her robe and tugged the two sides together. “So, what did you say?” she asked, ignoring him.

I dropped my head and closed my eyes in misery. “Something stupid,” I muttered. “But I’m going to fix it. Right now. I’m going to find her.”

“You’d better,” Audrey said. “And you tell her everything. Don’t make assumptions about what she can handle or not. She may be young, but she’s not stupid. She can make her own choices about things. About you. She doesn’t need you to protect her.”

“The hell she doesn’t,” I grumbled, but I was already marching for the truck. I had to find Marina tonight before I lost my ever-loving mind.

“She needs the truth, Colton. That’s all she’s ever needed.”

Those words sliced deep because they were true. So. Fucking true.

I nodded and walked away.

“You’d better fix this,” Boyd called after me, and I would’ve flipped him off if I could spare even the slightest distraction from my purpose.