“I’m not asking because I think I’ll find it interesting; I’m asking because it’s you.”
She flicked him a confused look, noticing he was purely focused on her in a way that only a shifter could center their attention on someone. “Is this because you marked me? You feel the need to know everything about a person you mark?”
She didn’t get why he’d care. He didn’t know her. He’d claimed to respect her, sure, but she respected plenty of people—that didn’t mean she had an urge to learn their personal business. In any case, she couldn’t tell him more about her background. There were too many things that it was best he didn’t know. It wasn’t like they were in a relationship where they needed to get to know each other anyway, was it? He’d go back to his pack after the hearing.
Zander closed the gap between them and gently fisted her braid, but she didn’t look at him. There was tension in every line of her body. “Baby, why is it so hard to believe I simply want to know you? Why does there have to be some sort of technical reason behind it? I told you in the grocery store, I like what I know about you. I want to know more.”
She kept her gaze firmly ahead. “You don’t need to know more.”
“Never said I needed to. I said I wanted to. But maybe your mother trained you so well to keep secrets that you instinctively shy away from people who try to get close.” She inhaled sharply. “Not trying to hurt you, Gwen. Just want you to ask yourself if you’re so highly private for the wrong reasons.” Noticing they were nearing a dock, Zander whistled at Bracken. “Almost there.”
Tucking his cell in his pocket, Bracken sidled up to Zander. He must have sensed Gwen’s tension, because he frowned. “Everything okay here?”
“Fine.” She slowed the boat and steered it toward the dock, wincing at the grating sounds of reeds scraping along the side of the boat. Once she’d parked and anchored it, she said, “Let’s go.”
Nobody spoke as she led them across the marshland, but they didn’t move in silence, thanks to the sucking sounds of their boots traipsing through the mud.
She hadn’t introduced the wolves to Andie before now for two reasons. One, she’d needed to see that they were trustworthy. Two, she’d wanted to be sure they’d stick around—and that they’d be truly helpful if they did. If the way they’d dealt with Aidan was anything to go by, they would be . . . even if Zander was a nosy bastard.
Reaching the trees bordering their land, she led the wolves through the woods. Finally, a simple cabin came into view. Donnie had used it as a decoy to fool the mysterious they into thinking it was his home. Since Gwen doubted there was anyone actually searching for Donnie, she figured Andie was safe enough there.
As they neared the cabin, Bracken broke the silence. “The cougar’s been staying here?”
“It was her choice,” said Gwen. “She didn’t want to stay at the house.” Urging them to halt, she asked, “Is she inside?” As shifters, their hearing would be advanced enough to sense any movement.
“No,” replied Zander. “But she’s close. I can scent her.”
“Then we wait,” said Gwen.
It was mere moments before a cougar appeared—golden, graceful, with big, intelligent brown eyes. She gave them a snarl of warning before entering the cabin. Soon enough, Andie hesitantly came out in her human form, wearing jeans and a tee.
“Hey,” said Gwen, “how much do you know of what’s been going on lately?” Because Gwen was pretty sure that Andie would have kept a close watch, especially since she didn’t look startled to see either Zander or Bracken. She did appear slightly nervous, though. That might have been why the wolves seemed to be making a conscious effort to appear relaxed and nonconfrontational—their stances open, their hands hanging loosely at their sides.
“I heard plenty,” Andie replied, scratching her arm in a fidgety movement. She looked at Zander. “I saw you chase off Ezra. You and your pack mate want to help.”
“Did you hear me tell Gwen about the shelter?” Bracken asked, his tone calm and easy. She shook her head, and he then asked, “You ever heard of the Phoenix Pack?”
“No.”
“They’re good people,” Zander told her. “One of their wolves, Makenna, used to be a lone wolf and helps run a shelter for lone shifters. They’re given protection, food, a roof over their heads, counseling, and any education they might need. Then, when they’re ready, Makenna rehomes them. You could stay there rather than hiding out here. You’d even be welcome to stay there once this shit is over.”
Andie squinted. “Surely if such shelters existed, I’d have heard of them.”
“From what I understand, there aren’t many,” Zander told her. “That’s probably why I hadn’t heard of them either.”
“You’d be in a place filled with people just like you, and you’d be safe,” said Bracken. “The place is secure, and the Moores wouldn’t think to look for you there anyway. I don’t mean to scare you, but it’s only a matter of time before they come searching the marsh, hoping you’re here. You could run, sure. But where?”
Andie scraped a hand through her short red hair. “Look, I’m not stupid. I know I can’t keep living like this. But I don’t know how to be part of a pride. I was raised by humans—they adopted me without knowing I was a shifter, but they kept me.”
Bracken shrugged. “A lot of loners at the shelter want to live among humans. Makenna helps them find a residence of their own, along with a job.”
She looked from Zander to Bracken. “I’m nobody to you. Why care?”
“We learned that not all lone shifters are bad,” said Bracken. “In fact, our pack adopted a little girl from the shelter.”
Andie blinked. “You . . . adopted a loner?”
Bracken nodded. “The Phoenix Alphas gave Makenna and four other loners a place in their pack.”
Her eyes widened. “Four?”
“Only one of them was related to a Phoenix wolf. The other three were strangers, and each had a shitty story of their own, but they were offered a place there.” Bracken tilted his head. “The shifter who runs the shelter is a cougar, if that makes you feel more comfortable.”
Andie bit her lip, still uneasy.
“I get that you have no reason to trust us,” began Zander, “but what do you have to lose at this point? If you want the truth, my main reason for proposing you go there is that I’m hoping that, with time and space, you’ll find the strength to go before the council and speak up for yourself. You should. You deserve justice. And I don’t want Gwen doing it alone.”
Andie’s hands balled up. “I told her she should just back down.”
“I won’t let Brandt get away with what he did,” Gwen declared. “I couldn’t live with myself if I did.”
Sighing, Andie rubbed her temple. “I need some time to think about it.”
Zander inclined his head. “Take a few days to consider our offer. Come by the house when you’ve decided.”
At Andie’s nod, Gwen threw her a supportive smile. “You know where I am if you need anything.” With that, they returned to the boat.
CHAPTER EIGHT