Page 70 of Hawke

Hawke rolled his eyes, a growl escaping his throat.

“Anyway,” Bram said disappointedly. “When you gave your driver’s license to Simon, he ran a background check. Come to find out, you were reported missing, and immediately he called the police, who then got in touch with a private investigator in charge of your case. A man named Shane Cunningham has been looking for you and was going to collect you next week during this special guest meeting.”

I felt the blood drain from my face.

“I’ll find you, Delilah.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Delilah

Idon’tknowhowthis could have happened.

I changed my last name, paid an exorbitant amount of money to hide myself, and gave myself a new identity. There was no wayhecould have found me. My background was humble; I was a teenage dropout. I never got my GED and worked at various diners under the table for a few weeks just to get across the country until I landed in Iron Fang territory.

My references were none, but the Iron Fang took me in after an extensive interview when they asked me if I was bringing ill intent to their club. I told them I didn’t want to speak of my past, that I was no longer in danger of being found. I was the one that was wronged.

They didn’t pry and respected my wishes. Locke’s glare softened when my voice trembled when I told him I would rather die than go back. And thank god, he had a soft spot.

Locke, along with everyone else, believed I was telling the truth. They let me stay, trusted me, and I had been safely hidden ever since.

“H-how?” My voice trailed off, shaky as Hawke held onto me.

“You gave them your license, of course. If you had missing persons report out to find you, they would find you. Why give them that information?” Bram rolled his eyes like I was the stupid waitress he’d met for the first time.

“It’s a fake name!” I countered. “My last name, anyway. I didn’t want to give up my first. It was my grandmother’s name. She–”

Hawke hushed me, pressing his lips to my temple. “That’s enough. We will talk in private.” Hawke’s glare to Bram gave no room for a reply, and Bram rose from his seat.

“Very well,” Bram cleared his throat. “I’ll bring up another tray of food. In addition to that, a special tea needs to be consumed to help her restore her strength. Make sure she drinks it if you want her healthy.” Bram eyed Hawke, who glared in return.

Bram swiftly opened the door and closed it behind him, and we listened as his steps continued down the stairs.

I relaxed further into Hawke’s arms. I’d never felt so weak and vulnerable, not since I ran away. Since I’d known Hawke, he had seen me as the peppy person I’d always been when I was with him.

And it wasn’t an act; I truly was happy with him. He made me feel things I’d wished for my entire life. A sense of belonging. It felt right to always be near him. I took what I could, even though he didn’t give me enough.

After some contemplation, I understood he had acted out of love to protect me.

“Sunshine, we need to talk. I want to know every bit of what you’re running from, but I think I need to get some shit off my chest first. I’ve hidden it from you for a long time, and it’s only fair. But hell, none of this is going to be easy.”

Hawke pulled me closer to him, and I could feel the heat radiating from his body as he embraced me. His embrace was like a shield, and in that moment, I felt nothing could tear me away from him.

“It was supposed to be easy until now?”

Dude, you are a shifter-wolf thing.

Hawke scoffed, his nose dipping into my shoulder. “I suppose not, but now I have to do something I’m not good at, and it’s going to be hell for me.”

“You mean talking?” I quipped. “You aren’t very good at that or expressing your emotions.”

Hawke wrapped us in a tight embrace, as if the bed couldn’t contain us both, if that were possible. We were cocooned in a nest of pillows and blankets, feeling their softness around us. He continued to wrap me in blankets as if I was made of glass and huffed with satisfaction when I could no longer move.

“How about we start with this?” I nodded to the blanket wrapped around me tightly. “Because I feel like you are an icky spider about to eat me.”

Hawke’s smile grew as he petted my hair, the feeling was soothing against my head. “As you know, I am a wolf. Wolves have dens. My den is back at the Iron Fang, my apartment. It’s my safe space, and it’s near my brothers because we are a pack, a unit.”

I nodded, silently encouraging him to keep talking.

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