Page 33 of Wolf's Providence

“You’re talking to him,” I reminded him with a slow drawl. “Willow wants to leave. End of conversation.”

He stood there, fuming silently, and then he marched out of the room, the door slamming behind him.

“He’s just protective,” Willow murmured. “It’s nice that he cares.” She glanced at me, her cheeks reddening.

“You like that he cares…so much?” It was the best way to word it. Did Willow want his attention? Did she relish it?

“It’s nice to havefriends.” She emphasized the wordfriends, and I felt the knot inside me loosen. “It reminds me that I’m normal.”

Normal. I almost laughed at her. There was nonormalfor Willow anymore, not after everything that had happened. And definitely not with her tied to me. But I understood what she was striving to return to. Thefeelingof normalcy was the reason she wanted her old life back, why she wanted to go back to her store. She wanted something that didn’t feel like it was controlled by shifters or packs or, dare I say, me.

“It may have actually made him worse to tell him I was accompanying you.” I stood from the chair, stretching languidly. I could feel her eyes traveling over my body, thinking I wasn’t aware of her appraisal. “You’re drooling,” I teased lightly, watching her eyes snap to mine, her cheeks flaming at being caught.

“Ass.” Turning away from me, she pretended to busy herself straightening her bed. “You know, you coming with me,” she began, “it’s not really giving me space.”

“Mm-hmm, space means nothing to our connection. I may as well be close at hand.” I watched her hands still as she listened.“Doc was right, you’re still being hunted, Willow. I know you want to go home, but going back without me? Not an option.”

“I’ll be careful?—”

“I know. I’ll make sure of it.”

“So, you’re going to hover over me all the time?”

I swallowed the words I wanted to say, the ones that would have told her I wasn’t hovering, I was protecting her. But they sounded hypocritical when I was the one who’d brought the most danger to her. Instead, I gave her a wicked smile, my gaze trailing slowly down her body. “I could hover over you all night long,” I told her suggestively.

“Hound,” she muttered, looking away from my heated gaze.

“Wolf,” I corrected. She wet her bottom lip, refusing to meet my eyes. “I’m not taking away your choice,” I reminded her. “But leaving you alone, it’s not an option. Not until I know who’s behind your break-ins and for putting you in the hospital.” I saw her arch her brow. “The first time,” I clarified. “Until you’re safe, I stay.”

“And if you figure it out, what happens then? What happens when I’msafe.” Her fingers clipped out the air quotes, and I hid my smile at her sass.

“I don’t have an answer for that,” I told her honestly. There was noafterin my head anymore when it came to Willow. “Let’s focus on one thing at a time, okay?”

She let out a slow breath, her shoulders sagging a little. “One thing at a time,” Willow repeated. “And dare I ask…but…us? I can’t keep feeling like I’m trapped in something I don’t understand.”

“Trapped?” Her words hurt more than they were meant, I was sure. “I would never want that,” I said slowly. “I’ll give you your space, but I will not leave you.”

Her small weary smile didn’t reach her eyes. “That’s the best I’m going to get, isn’t it?”

“I’m not a miracle worker,” I said, sitting back down, trying to give her the distance she wanted.

“You miraculously healed me,” she murmured, her lips twitching, and I wondered if she knew how amazing she was. Here she was, making jokes with me, defending me in front of Doc, when I was the reason she’d almost died.

“After being the reason you needed healing to start with.”

Her frown marred her features, a reminder that things were not clear between us.

Willow leaned against the bed, her hip resting against the rail as she tried to appear casual. Her attempt failed miserably, and it accentuated how badly she failed when she crossed her arms in that stubborn way that made me want to tear my hair out and also pull her closer.

“Should we address the elephant in the room?” The challenge was clear in her eyes. She was definitely feeling feisty this evening.

“There’s an elephant?”

She shot me a look and I stopped myself from grinning at provoking her. “I need to know something.”

I suddenly didn’t like where this was going. “And what’s that?”

Her gaze flicked over me, trying to read me. “The connection between us…” She hesitated, her tongue flicking out to wet her lips. “It’s getting stronger, isn’t it?”

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