Page 80 of Diners, Damsels & Wolves

“Got it, I’ll call Nathon,” Sam said, and Tom hung up the phone.

Parking at the hospital, he paused. How was she going to react to seeing him there? Could he take another rejection from her? It didn’t matter though; her life was on the line.

Stalking up to the building, he stopped in his tracks. The older couple from the diner were helping her into a car. Of course, she’d need a place to stay. A pang shot through him; she should be staying with him. He alone could protect her, but only if she’d let him.

“Clarissa,” he called out.

Making eye contact, she stiffened. Her face was pale and drawn, her eyes bloodshot. And yet, there was relief undertoning her wanton features. He had a chance!

Jogging to the car, he called to her. “Clarissa, please, we’re the only ones who can protect you.”

Relief vanished, and her face hardened. Getting in the backseat, she slammed the door and locked it. Giving him sympathetic looks, the two men got in and started the car.

Watching her drive away, he felt sick.

How the fuck was he going to fix this?

How could he make her see the shifters, his pack, weren’t the dangerous ones? She was safe with them. She was safe with him. Did she not understand the lengths he would go to protect her?

If she wouldn’t let him protect her, he’d eliminate the threat. He would make her safe any way he could.

Getting in his car, he drove the back roads. Stashing his 4Runner next to the others in their usual clearing, he stripped, then phased. Pounding through the woods, he picked up the scents of the others. They were waiting for him a mile north of the trailer, hidden among the trees.

“Report,” he thought at them.

“Brittaney corralled the bunnies and other rodents, they’re all hunkered down in the mansion,” Nathon replied. “Some of the other out-of-town shifters have decided to stay. They don’t want to be on the move if the bears attack. Some of them are moving into the mansion tonight.”

“Sara’s patrolling the apartment over The Barrel, then she’s getting some rest. She’s going to stay at the diner tomorrow to keep an eye on Clarissa,” Luna thought. “Tori is contacting every pregnant pack member and moving them into the mansion.”

“Maria is throwing a fit, but Emmanuel and Sam are keeping her put,” Michael added.

“There haven’t been any more attacks. We’ve got the emergency lines monitored; we’ll know immediately if there’s another fire,” Dan thought.

“Good.” Tom paced. “Emmanuel tracked the bears to a lake fifty miles north of here. It’s possible the bear did this on purpose to throw us off. I suggest we set up a perimeter, moving further out from the trailer until we run across another trail. Our goal is to find them or find their den. Are we ready?”

“Yes, Alpha!” they thought in unison, and they took off through the woods.

Tom channeled all his energy into his run. His paws beating against the forest floor, he kept his nose sharp. He thought about that night in the parking lot. How the blonde man had yanked Clarissa down, tossing her across the lot. The lust rolled off him in palpable waves as he held her down.

Tom’s blood boiled. He wanted nothing more than to find the blonde man, to sink his teeth into him. He wanted to hurt him. He wanted to take everything Clarissa had ever suffered and unleash it onto him tenfold.

Twenty Two

Clarissa

“What are you doing here?” Sylvia demanded.

“Working,” Clarissa said.

“No, you shouldn’t be here. Donna said you’d be out for a few days.”

“No, I can’t. I need to work; I need something to keep me busy. I can’t just sit there and worry about it. I can’t. I need a distraction.”

“Okay.” Sylvia pulled her into a hug. “Do what you need to do, sweetie. Do you need a place to stay? What about clothes?”

“I’m crashing at Jeff and Eugene’s. They have like a million nieces, and they all brought over some clothes for me.”

“That’s good. Oh, you poor thing. Well, at least things are going well with Mister Good Samaritan. How was the picnic?”