glass of water for him. This was not the awakening he’d envisioned.
Think of all the times he’s done this for you. You deserve this.
When he returned, Westley was sitting up. He’d wiped his face with the cold washcloth, which he held out to Tom. “Sorry.” He avoided Tom’s gaze.
“What happened? We found you in the garden.” Tom started mopping. The vomit was nearly all liquid. Its splatter covered most of the floor between the bed and the door. Tom tried not to lose his own breakfast as he cleaned.
“ Something I ate,” Westley said.
“ Why was he here? How did he find you?”
“ Who?” Westley asked.
Tom stared at him. “The hunter.”
“He wasn’t—”
“ Westley. His stench is all over the cabin. All over you. Don’t lie to me. Tell me what happened and I’ll, I’ll make it better. I promise. I—”
“ I told him to come.”
“ What?” He must have misheard. “You what?”
“ I met him yesterday and he was nice... I didn’t want him to die, and I didn’t want him to kill anyone, so I told him to come here.”
“ And he came and didn’t kill you?”
“ He didn’t know I was a wolf.”
“ Okay. But why did he come?”
Westley turned red.
Tom raised his eyes to the ceiling. “You fucked him.”
“ It was my choice!”
“ Well, he killed Austin, so your plan didn’t work.”
“ I couldn’t make him stay— Austin’s dead?” Westley blinked tears. “Fuck.”
“ Yeah.”
“ What about Jaylen? Is he—?”
It took Tom a second to catch on. Westley was using the hunter’s name. Like he was worthy of a name. “The hunter? Denton sent Cody to pick him up.”
“ Cuh-Cody?”
Tom felt a smidgen of gratification that Westley seemed upset. Still, it didn’t stop him from adding, “I imagine your friend won’t last much longer.”
“Denton killed his family. He’s here to kill Denton.”
“ And Denton is here to kill him. So you’re going to step out of the way and let that play out, and then everything will return to normal. Understand?”
Westley shook his head. “I felt something when we were together.”
“You and the hunter?”
“ Yeah.”
“ Something like—?”
Westley looked at him. “He’s the one.”
“He murders wolves . He is not ‘the one’.”
“ I felt it.”
Tom finished with the mop. He put it back in the bucket. “I’m going to forget you told me that, and you’d better forget it too.”
Westley stared at him, hard, his mouth twitching. Finally, he nodded.
Tom sighed. “Take a shower. You smell like him.”
Westley got up without a word. He didn’t meet Tom’s eyes as he left the room. Tom contemplated going after him, but he heard the shower turn on and decided against it. If he’d taken Westley as his mate, this wouldn’t have happened. It wasn’t too late. Sure, Westley wouldn’t be speaking to him, but he wouldn’t be fucking around with murderers either. He forced the idea from his mind. Westley would hate him. He couldn’t do that to Westley, to anyone.
Even if it would be for their own good. And that right there was the core reason his father was still alive.
CHAPTER SIX
WESTLEY CLIMBED OUT the bathroom window and hit the ground running. He felt better for having passed out and puked. Since he had a reputation for taking long showers, he figured he had twenty minutes before Tom would get curious. He made a beeline for the La Mer Inn. As a wolf, he could run it in fifteen minutes. As a human, he wasn’t sure. He prayed he’d get there in time to stop any more deaths.
He should have done more to make Jaylen stay. He beat his way through the overgrown deer trails, thankful Tom hadn’t thought to remove his shoes when he’d put him to bed. Westley wiped tears off his cheeks.
His brain rattled off the list of the dead. Ed. Leslie. Austin.
No going back to normal now. Only forward. He shoved through the brush.
“MR. DEWALLIS. OPEN up.”
The wolves howled as he thrashed against his
Think of all the times he’s done this for you. You deserve this.
When he returned, Westley was sitting up. He’d wiped his face with the cold washcloth, which he held out to Tom. “Sorry.” He avoided Tom’s gaze.
“What happened? We found you in the garden.” Tom started mopping. The vomit was nearly all liquid. Its splatter covered most of the floor between the bed and the door. Tom tried not to lose his own breakfast as he cleaned.
“ Something I ate,” Westley said.
“ Why was he here? How did he find you?”
“ Who?” Westley asked.
Tom stared at him. “The hunter.”
“He wasn’t—”
“ Westley. His stench is all over the cabin. All over you. Don’t lie to me. Tell me what happened and I’ll, I’ll make it better. I promise. I—”
“ I told him to come.”
“ What?” He must have misheard. “You what?”
“ I met him yesterday and he was nice... I didn’t want him to die, and I didn’t want him to kill anyone, so I told him to come here.”
“ And he came and didn’t kill you?”
“ He didn’t know I was a wolf.”
“ Okay. But why did he come?”
Westley turned red.
Tom raised his eyes to the ceiling. “You fucked him.”
“ It was my choice!”
“ Well, he killed Austin, so your plan didn’t work.”
“ I couldn’t make him stay— Austin’s dead?” Westley blinked tears. “Fuck.”
“ Yeah.”
“ What about Jaylen? Is he—?”
It took Tom a second to catch on. Westley was using the hunter’s name. Like he was worthy of a name. “The hunter? Denton sent Cody to pick him up.”
“ Cuh-Cody?”
Tom felt a smidgen of gratification that Westley seemed upset. Still, it didn’t stop him from adding, “I imagine your friend won’t last much longer.”
“Denton killed his family. He’s here to kill Denton.”
“ And Denton is here to kill him. So you’re going to step out of the way and let that play out, and then everything will return to normal. Understand?”
Westley shook his head. “I felt something when we were together.”
“You and the hunter?”
“ Yeah.”
“ Something like—?”
Westley looked at him. “He’s the one.”
“He murders wolves . He is not ‘the one’.”
“ I felt it.”
Tom finished with the mop. He put it back in the bucket. “I’m going to forget you told me that, and you’d better forget it too.”
Westley stared at him, hard, his mouth twitching. Finally, he nodded.
Tom sighed. “Take a shower. You smell like him.”
Westley got up without a word. He didn’t meet Tom’s eyes as he left the room. Tom contemplated going after him, but he heard the shower turn on and decided against it. If he’d taken Westley as his mate, this wouldn’t have happened. It wasn’t too late. Sure, Westley wouldn’t be speaking to him, but he wouldn’t be fucking around with murderers either. He forced the idea from his mind. Westley would hate him. He couldn’t do that to Westley, to anyone.
Even if it would be for their own good. And that right there was the core reason his father was still alive.
CHAPTER SIX
WESTLEY CLIMBED OUT the bathroom window and hit the ground running. He felt better for having passed out and puked. Since he had a reputation for taking long showers, he figured he had twenty minutes before Tom would get curious. He made a beeline for the La Mer Inn. As a wolf, he could run it in fifteen minutes. As a human, he wasn’t sure. He prayed he’d get there in time to stop any more deaths.
He should have done more to make Jaylen stay. He beat his way through the overgrown deer trails, thankful Tom hadn’t thought to remove his shoes when he’d put him to bed. Westley wiped tears off his cheeks.
His brain rattled off the list of the dead. Ed. Leslie. Austin.
No going back to normal now. Only forward. He shoved through the brush.
“MR. DEWALLIS. OPEN up.”
The wolves howled as he thrashed against his
Similar Books
