Rhyannon Byrd - Wild Wolf Claiming

Cursing under his breath, he understood exactly why Skye was so frustrated. If not for the mementos, her friend probably wouldn’t have come back to the apartment at all that night. “In that first message,” he rasped, recalling something that Vivian had said, “what did she mean about the shelter?”

She winced as her gaze skittered away from his. “That’s, um, where we met. Viv lived there with her mom and her little brothers.”

Already knowing he wasn’t going to like how this story went, he asked, “How old were you?”

Her mouth twisted, almost like she had tasted something bad, and then she slowly brought her gaze back to his. “Sixteen.”

His jaw tightened, and he could feel the muscle pulsing there, just like Max’s had done when he’d been warning him about Vivian’s bedroom. The idea of his life-mate living in a women’s shelter at the age of sixteen made him burn with a raw, desperate feeling of rage. Christ, there were so many questions running through his head, jamming into each other, he couldn’t even think where to begin.

And Max... Oh yeah, Max was onto him. Big-time. He could feel the weight of his partner’s questioning stare burning against the side of his face, and knew that Max had picked up on the fact that there was more going on between him and Skye than Elliot merely doing his job.

But this wasn’t the time for him to start explaining that she was his . If he did, Max would push him to tell her everything, and that wasn’t something he was ready for. Hell, he hadn’t had time to even figure out how he was going to do it. Wasn’t like he could just blurt out that he was a fucking werewolf, and then tack on an Oh, and by the way, we’re also meant to spend the rest of our lives together. She’d probably think he was insane and run so fast it’d make his friggin’ head spin.

No, right now his main objective needed to be her safety. Then, once that was settled, he could start the terrifying prospect of trying to figure out how to lay it all out on the line for her, while still holding his most painful secrets close to his chest. Max would tell him he was stupid, and that he was making a massive mistake by not telling her everything , but Max wasn’t the one walking around with that kind of shit staining his soul.

So, yeah, Skye knowing the truth about him, and about the things he’d done, was the last damn thing that Elliot wanted.

And yet, how the hell was he meant to claim her, binding them together body, heart and soul, without ever being completely honest with her? He didn’t know, and this really wasn’t the time to figure it out.

Breaking the awkward silence that had settled over the room, Skye murmured that she needed to get her things from the bathroom. Elliot stayed where he was as she hurried past him, but kept a careful eye on her, while doing his best to ignore Max’s questioning stare. Jesus, he could feel the pressure of that look battering against his skull like a hammer, until it started to make his head hurt.

“Are you going to tell me—?”

“Let it go,” he grunted, cutting the guy off just as Skye came back into the room with a small pink bag in her hand. Sliding her backpack off his shoulder, he held it open for her as she added the smaller bag to the inside, setting it on top of her clothes.

“Don’t close it yet, please,” she said, turning and heading toward the small kitchenette. “There’s one more thing I need to pack.”

Curious, Elliot followed Skye into the small room, watching as she opened one of the painted cupboards and pulled down a colorful box of cereal. She opened the top, reached into the box, and instead of pulling out a handful of Cheerios, she was clutching a rolled-up wad of cash being held together by rubber bands.

“Do you really think it’s safe to hide money in this place?” Max asked, coming to stand beside him.

“It’s not like it’s a lot,” she murmured, sounding embarrassed.

Max tilted his head as he watched her add the money to the backpack Elliot was still holding. “You got something against banks?”

“No, I don’t have anything against banks—I just don’t have time to go to mine every day. So I usually hold on to my cash tips during the week, and then make a deposit every Monday morning.”

With her explanation made, she zipped the backpack closed, then tried to take it from Elliot, but he just pulled it back up onto his shoulder. She frowned, but didn’t argue with him about it, her gaze cutting back to Max as she added, “And not that it’s any of your business, but I put almost every penny I make into a business savings account. And Viv is trying to save up enough to go to dance school. So it’s not like we’re backward idiots who don’t understand how the banking system works.”

Jesus, at least this explained why they lived in such a shithole. These girls had been working their asses off without enjoying any of the rewards, hiding away every penny they could spare in order to better their futures. As much as it frustrated him that they hadn’t been taking better care of themselves, he knew it spoke volumes about what kind of women they were.

Clearing his throat to get her attention, he held her troubled gaze as he said, “We need to get going. You have everything you need?”

He watched her pink tongue swipe across that juicy lower lip, and nearly growled from the blistering surge of untimely lust that tore through him, damn near burning him alive. But then it was like a cold bucket of water had just been tossed in his face, because she shook her head, and Elliot already knew what was coming. “I have everything, but I’m not... I’m not leaving here with you. I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me tonight, but I’m driving myself to the shelter.”

Frustration crawled up his spine like an animal, clawing at his skin, making him want to gnash his teeth. “Why the fuck would you do that when I’m here?” His voice came out gruffer than he’d wanted, but there wasn’t any way he could pull off something mellow and calm right now. “I’m here to help you by taking you someplace safe. Someplace where I can protect you.”

“Elliot.” She sighed, and he could see the arguments building in her head without her even having to say a single word.

“Max,” he scraped out in a low, tightly controlled tone, “you mind waiting for us out front?”

“I’ll be in my truck,” his partner murmured, turning and making his way over to the door. But he stopped before he went outside, adding, “Don’t make me wait too long. You know what I need.”

“What did he mean by that ?” she asked, as soon as Max had shut the door behind him. “What does he need?”

With one hand hooked around the back of his neck, and the other holding the strap of her backpack, Elliot answered her questions. “To know where to look for Vivian. He’s going to need you to tell him where you think she might go.”

Blinking, she took a step back, coming up hard against the edge of the counter. “I...I can’t,” she stammered. “Vivian left because she didn’t want anyone to find her.”

“After seeing her room, you really want her out there on her own?” he demanded, figuring that if he didn’t start being a little tougher with her, they could end up standing there and arguing in the small-ass kitchen all goddamn night.

She blanched, and her eyes went glassy. “No.”

“This is what Max and I do, Skye. Let him do his job, and let me do mine. I swear I won’t let these assholes get anywhere close to you.”

“ But who are they? Everyone keeps talking about these mystery b-bastards, but won’t tell me anything. I just... I need to understand what the hell is going on.”