Page 4 of Last But Not Leashed

I stood my ground, and she lowered her head to look me in the eyes, pricking her ears forward. “Where? Not here. Where? We meet here. You not him.”

Her harsh, raspy voice startled me. It had taken me several long nights of practice, but it hadn’t taken me long to master English while in my hybrid form. The possibility of her being new to the third form worried me even more than the anger and annoyance rich in her scent.

The lycanthrope attack made a lot more sense when I added an unmated hybrid female into the equation.

“Are you courting one of the security guards here?”

She bobbed her head.

Sometimes, I hated when I was right. Being right almost always caused me more trouble than I wanted. If she was courting the security guard who’d been attacked, it was entirely possible someone the female knew had been involved. That the guard survived suggested the attacking wolf approved of her interest and wanted to ensure she mated.

The instant her virus detected the virus in the man she courted, she’d go into a frenzy to claim him.

He’d be one lucky man, although I didn’t envy him the bites and scratches she’d inflict on him during their first mating, which would likely result in a child nine months down the road.

Frenzied females were not to be underestimated under any circumstance.

There was nothing in the CDC contractor’s handbook about what to do in the case of cranky lycanthrope female seeking her desired man. I doubted the mall security guide had anything of use in it, either.

She leaned towards me, breathing in my scent. “Where is he? You wolf, too. Why here?”

Some questions I could answer, and the CDC made it easy to direct her attention away from me. “I’m a stand in hired by the CDC, ma’am. If you’ll call the CDC’s office here, they’ll be able to give you more infor—”

The female lunged for me, slashing at my chest with her six-inch claws. I sidestepped, grabbed the wall, and jumped on top.

A pack of wolves waited on the other side, and they growled.

A cranky hybrid female viewing me as a threat to her man would cause me problems, but a small pack was more than I could handle. They were ready and itching for a fight, and I wanted to find somewhere nice and quiet to hide until they went away.

Running only stirred predatory instincts, so I stood my ground and waited.

“Where is he?” the female snarled.

“A lycanthrope attacked him. He’s in the hospital. I don’t know if he’s infected, but it’s probable. He was seriously injured. That’s all I know.”

The acrid bite of fury stung my nose. I doubted any of them were responsible. I held up my hands and hoped they wouldn’t view me as a threat. “I’m just a CDC contractor covering for him until he recovers.”

The female’s ears turned back. “Where?”

“I really don’t know, ma’am. The CDC does, and once you explain you’re courting him, they’ll give you the information you need. I just show up where and when I’m told.”

Her pack drew closer, and they snarled. If I shifted to my wolf form, I might have a chance of outrunning them, as long as I was on the move before they realized I’d given them the slip. The female hopped onto the wall with me, sniffing. “You not mated. Courting?”

Why couldn’t the lycanthropy virus allow for some privacy? “No and no. I’m not interested.”

“Pre-shift?” She flicked an ear back. “Virus smell strong.”

“There isn’t anyone I’m interested in.”

She huffed and her other ear turned back. “You lie. Why?”

Scowling, I lowered me hands. “Why would you say that?”

“You interested in someone. Today. Scent lingers.”

If any of the pack came around after my morning meetings with my boss, I’d need to remember they might scent my interest in her on me. Why did Ethel Frankwell have to be everything I wanted in a woman?

She made hiding my interest difficult.