bChapter /bb17 /b

bSkye’s /bbPOV /b

Consciousness returned slowly, like swimming up through murky water. I forced my heavy eyelids open, blinking against the unfamiliar surroundings bthat /bgradually came into focus,

Soft light filtered through gauzy curtains, illuminating a spacious room with pale blue walls and modern furniture.

A gentle beeping sound caught my attention–medical equipment monitoring my vitals.

This wasn’t my cramped apartment above theundromat. This wasn’t anywhere I recognized.

Memories flooded back in disjointed shes–the parking lot, the drunken ranch hand, the searing pain as the bullet tore through my chest, and finally, Adrian’s ocean scent wrapping around me as darkness imed me.fn47d0 ???? ????s? ???????s ?? find?novel/fn47d0

tried to sit up, immediately regretting the movement as firenced through my chest. A strangled gasp escaped my lips as I clutched at the bandages visible beneath the thin hospital gown.

I nearly tumbled from the bed.

Strong hands caught me just in time, steadying me with surprising gentleness.

“Easy thereb,/b” Adrian’s deep voice cautioned, his warm palms supporting my shouldersb. /b“Your wound hasn’tpletely healed byet/bb./b”

I hadn’t even heard him enter the room. Looking up, I found bmyself /bcaught in his amber bgaze/bb, /bbthose /bwhiskey–colored beyes /bfilled with bconcern /brather than bthe /bsuspicion I’d expected.

“How blong /bwas I out?” bMy /bvoice came out raspy from disuse.

“A full day,” he replied, carefully helping me back against the pillows. b“/bYou lost a lot bof /bblood.”

I nced toward the bwindow/bb, /bnoticing the silver moonlight streaming in. Panic shot through me bas /bI realized what time it must be.

“My shift at the bar!” I eximed, trying bto /bbrise /bagain bdespite /bthe pain. “Buck will be looking for me!”

Adrian’s hand gently pressed me back. “bYour /bphone was damaged in the attack. Nadia took it for brepairs/bb. /bHis lips curved in a bsmall /bsmile. “If byou’re /bworried about your boss, Nadia already called him. Told him you had gastroenteritis and couldn’t make it in.”

I stared at him, disconcerted by how he’d anticipated my concern before I’d beven /bvoiced it. “How did byou- /b

b“/bIt seemed the logical worry,” he shrugged, his expression unreadable.

bMy /bthoughts turned to my attacker, bile rising in my throat at the memory of his hands on me, his alcohol–soured bbreath /bagainst my face. “What about… that manb?” /bI couldn’t bring myself to be more specific.

“You don’t need to worry about him,” Adrian stated, his tone bsuddenly /bcolder, more clinicalb. /b“bI’ve /btaken care of it.”

“Taken care of it?” I echoed warily. “You mean…”

b“/bbMade /bit look like a wild boar attack.” His eyes held mine steadily. “The human police won’t trace anything back to us.”

bThe /bbcalm/bb, /bbmatter/b–of–fact way he discussed disposing of a body should have terrified me. Instead, I found myself impressed by his thoroughness, beven /bas I brecognized /bthe danger that lurked beneath his controlled exterior.

“Thank byou/bb, /bI murmured, not knowing what else to say.

bSilence /bbsettled /bbbetween /bbus/b. Just as I had observed in the bbar/b, Adrian seemed content to watch me, studying bme /bwithout demanding bimmediate /banswers.

b1/3 /b

bThe /bbquiet /bbwas /bbshattered /bbby /bNadia’s arrival, bher /bvoice carrying down the hallway before she even entered the room. bShe /bappeared in the doorwayb, /bdirecting a young bwoman /bbbehind /bher bwho /bcarried a tray of food.

bPut /bbit /bbon /bthe btable /bbthere/b,” she instructed before turning her attention to me. She tossed something soft onto the foot of my bed–a simple cotton dress bin /bpale bgreen/b. b“/bbI /bbfigured /byou’d prefer something loose until your wound healspletely.”

bDespite /bbher /babrasive manner, I felt oddly relieved by Nadia’s presence. Her straightforward hostility was at least transparent, unlike Adrian’s unnerving calm.

“Eatb, /bshemanded, crossing her arms as she stood beside my bed. Then we have questions. A lot of them.”

Adrian gave her ba /bmeasured look. “She needs rest, Nadia. The interrogation can wait until morning.”

But- Nadia began, her expression mutinous.

Adrian’s eyes shed with subtle authority. Whatever silent message passed between them was enough to make Nadia press her lips together in grudging acquiescence.

Rest well, Adrian told me, his voice gentling as he turned back to me. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”

bAs /bthey moved toward the door, I caught Nadia rolling her eyes dramatically before shooting me one final suspicious nce.

When morning came, I woke to find an Asian woman in a white coat checking my bandagesb. /bHer nimble fingers probed the wound site with professional detachment.

Remarkable healing,” she murmured. b“/bAlmostplete tissue regeneration in bjust /bfortyb–/beight hoursb./bb” /b

I stared down at my chest in shock as bshe /bremoved thest bandage. Where there should have been a gapingb, /bbarely healing wound, there bwas /bonly a small pink scar, already fading.

This wasn’t possible!

Without my wolf, I should heal only marginally faster than humansb–/bnot rapidly enough to recover from a gunshot bwound /bin two daysb. /b

Before I could question the doctor, the door swung openb, /brevealing Adrian and Nadia. The timing bwas /btoo perfect to be coincidental.

Nadia wasted no time on pleasantries.

“Now you’re patched up, time to btalk/b. Who bare /bbyou /breally? Did Maxwell send youb?/b” Her beyes /bnarrowed. “What’s your bpurpose /bhiding in a backwater like Boring?”

I hesitated, weighing my options. These people had saved my lifeb, /btreated my bwounds/b. Perhaps I owed them some honesty in return.

“I belonged to Frostshadow Pack in ska,” I admitted finally. “I left three years ago. If possible, I’d rather you didn’t tell anyone from my former pack babout /b

me,

“Frostshadow?” Nadia’s eyebrows roseb. /b“That’s a major northern territory. Her tone remained skeptical. “Why would you bleave/bb?/b”

I met her bgaze /bsteadily. That’s personalb, /band not something I need to share. Believe bme /bor don’tb, /bbut I’m telling the truth. I have nothing to do bwith /bthat Alpha Maxwell.”

bI /bshifted, testing my strength as I swung my legs bover /bthe side of the bed. “If there’s nothing else, bI /bshould go. Thank you for your bhelp/b, but I’ll be leaving Boring–and Texasb–/bas soon as possible. bI /bwon’t cause any trouble for your pack.”

“My bphone/bb?/bb” /bI asked Nadiab, /bextending my hand.

bWith visible /bbreluctance/b, she pulled it from her pocket band /bbreturned /bbit/b. I had little bdoubt /bbshe’d /bbexamined every /bcontactb, /bmessage, and photo bon /bbthe /bdeviceb. /b

bI /brose bcarefully /bbto /bbmy /bfeetb, /brelieved when my legs held firm.

bChapter /b17

bTurning /bbto /bbAdrian/bb, /bbI /bbforced /ba polite smile. “bIf /bbyou /bwouldn’t mind showing me the way out?

bAdrian/bb, /bwho had bremained /bsilent throughout the exchange, finally spoke. His words stopped me cold.

bIf /byou bdon’t /bbelong to any park now,” bhe /bsaid, his deep voice filling the room, “why not join Oasisborn?”

bChapter /bbComments /b

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