Chapter Fourteen: Torin

Torin had tried to follow after the wolves, once he’d made sure that the little She-Wolf was safely back inside his home, with the door behind him securely locked. He’d hated the frightened look that had flashed through her eyes when he’d asked her what she was doing outside, and while technically he hadn’t raised his voice, he knew that his tone left quite a bit to be desired. But he didn’t have time to deal with any of that now. His number one priority was keeping her safe.

If he could track down one of those furry overgrown weasels, he knew he could get it to spill its guts, both literally and figuratively, although hopefully not in that order. Everyone broke eventually when they were tortured and in that moment he realized that he was willing to do whatever it took to keep that fragile little Wolfling that was inside of his home from suffering any more at the hands of the pack that should have protected her. Besides, after an interrogation, he would have at least some idea of what he was up against, and what their intentions were.

If the asshole of an Alpha just wanted to reject her and make a clean break then maybe they could arrange that. He wasn’t going to let her out of his sight. He definitely wouldn’t send her back with them. But he could arrange the entire thing, if the wolves were reasonable. He could set it up so that a dozen of his closest friends would be there on the same day as Briar’s bastard of a mate, in the open space near the river, with a similar number of his overgrown coyotes. They would agree on a set distance they would stay apart and the prescribed words for the rejection would be said and then both sides would depart, hopefully without bloodshed.

The presence of a dozen Kodiak shifters ought to discourage even the most dishonorable of wolf packs from breaking their word. Even if they brought several times more than the agreed upon number, Torin was confident that they would be able to handle things, especially on their own terrain.

Unfortunately he wasn’t able to track down any of the wolves, although he picked up the scent of at least a half dozen, which made him even more furious as he turned and headed back to the house then he had been when he left. These wolves had ignored the clearly set markers and had come across the empty buffer of the plain, into his territory. They knew exactly what they were doing when they crept up onto his porch and peeked in through his window. Making an effort to relax his jaw, which had started to ache from the tension he was holding there, he finally headed back inside after making one last circuit around the house to make sure everything was as it should be.

While he’d been angry when he was outside, with the men who’d been trying to get to her, and with the entire situation, the moment he passed through the door of his home and his eyes began searching for her, he realized that everything he’d felt outside had evaporated and been replaced with a new nervous tension.

It was an entirely new experience for the mountain of a man and the Beast within him wasn’t helping one bit as he began to anxiously prod at Torin’s thoughts, obviously concerned when Briar wasn’t waiting for him in that nest of blankets he’d made for her on the couch.

Usually he would shower in the master bedroom, but he wasn’t about to leave her alone after what had just happened. He might tell himself that he was only going to see her to put the great brute who shared his mind at rest, because until he did, neither of them would get a moment’s peace, but the truth was, Torin’s human side wanted to see her every bit as badly as the bear half of him did.

He knocked on the door and realized that he was holding breath as he waited for her answer. When she finally called out to him, a full ten seconds after he had knocked, she sounded breathless and flustered. In less than a heartbeat his hand was on the doorknob and he was making his way into the room.

The moment he stepped through the door he could smell her desire and for a moment he had to force himself to stop and stand perfectly still, just inside the door as he closed his eyes and got hold of himself before he said or did anything ridiculous or embarrassing. He had to remind himself, and most especially the part of himself with claws and sharp teeth, that she was not theirs, no matter what had happened less than an hour ago on that couch. He had been helping her out, as a guest, or a friend, or an acquaintance, or whatever the Hell she was to him.

But she wasn’t their mate.

The Beast grumbled something he didn’t understand at that, but that definitely couldn’t be classified as acceptance, of that Torin was almost certain.

She wasn’t even his girlfriend. She was just a young woman who needed help. Torin was going to do whatever it took to help her. And he would do what it took to keep his heart from getting involved in the process.

“Hi.” She finally spoke, breaking the silence, in that same breathy voice he’d heard through the door. It was only then that he realized that he’d just been standing there, with his hands in fists, forcing himself to breath, staring at the wall on the far side of the room for an embarrassingly long amount of time.

“Did they hurt you? Are you okay? I mean, you look okay.” Her voice trailed off into another awkward silence and when he turned to her he saw that her cheeks were burning that incredibly attractive pink that they turned whenever she was embarrassed.

“About what happened outside-”

“I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry. I should have stayed in the house. I was just worried you being out there with an entire group of warriors-”

“I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. I didn’t like the idea of you being exposed with those overgrown weasels nearby. Being out in the open would have made it that much harder to protect you. And that frightens me..” The last word he said looked like they startled Torin every bit as much as they startled Briar. She bit her lip and nodded.

“Thank you. I’m just jumpy. And you didn’t yell. Not really. I’m used to being yelled at and honestly, as an Omega, I’m used to much worse than yelling. You’ve been very kind to me.” Her cheeks turned even redder at the last sentence and he had a very good idea what she was remembering in that moment.

He needed to get out of that room fast. What had happened before had been different. She had been in pain and he had done what was necessary to stop that pain. But now she was fine and didn’t need anything from him except his continued protection. If the members of the pack returned she would need him, but he had a feeling that they wouldn’t be back until they returned to their Alpha and regrouped, which would hopefully give him at least a day.

By then at least Ted would have arrived and two fully grown male bear shifters was enough to discourage most groups from attacking, at least if they wanted to leave without major losses.

“I’m going to go take a shower, Wolfling. Why don’t you get some sleep. I’ll just be across the hall. I don’t want to get too far away. If you need me, just shout, I’ll be listening and I’ll hear you.”

“Alright.” Her brow furrowed and she bit her bottom lip, obviously deep in thought, which hadn’t been the response he’d expected to what he’d just told her.

“What, Wolfling? What are you thinking? You look awfully worried. I promise, I tracked them pretty far out and they’re gone for now. I suspect they’ve gone home to regroup. I doubt they’ll be back tonight.”

“Oh, no. That’s not what I was thinking about.” She waved her hand and that sweet feminine scent that had been driving him half out of his mind since he’d come into the room wafted, a little more strongly in his direction. For a split second he allowed himself to imagine what it would be like if she wanted him the same way he wanted her, right then, in that moment, because after getting a taste of her earlier on the couch he was finding that it had become impossible to lie to himself about what he wanted.

He also understood that he couldn’t have it.

Briar was innocent and pure and good. The longer he was in his presence the more certain he was that she needed someone worthy of that goodness. And that certainly wasn’t her fuck-up of a mate, but he was equally certain that he wasn’t any more worthy than that Alpha out there fucking some other woman. She might look at him now, with those big doe eyes, because he’d made her feel good, and taken away her pain for a few moments, but that didn’t make him right for her. Maybe right now, in her eyes, that made him a little bit of a hero, especially coming from her background. But Torin knew better. He was going to do the right thing this time, even if it killed him.

His mate had been everything that Briar wasn’t. She was strong and bold and fearless.

And yet he hadn’t been strong enough to keep a woman like that safe out here, even though she’d been entrusted to him by the Goddess. How the Hell was he supposed to keep this tiny Wolfling, who wasn’t rightfully his, in one piece, when she was so frail she looked like a strong gust of wind might carry her away. The best thing for the both of them would be to get her strong and far away from her old pack.

He had connections with some groups down in the lower 48. Once Ted got here and said she was stable he’d start making phone calls. He ignored the small voice in his mind that asked why he didn’t start making them right away. If he answered it he’d have to say because he didn’t want to. He didn’t want her to leave his side, or this house, and he especially didn’t want her to leave the state. But this wasn’t about him, this was about what was best for Briar. And getting the Hell away from her pack and especially from him was what was best for her.

That was the one thing he was certain of.