My throat felt raw, knowing that if we were in his territory, he wouldn't care about hiding my scent. Which meant I had crossed over into someone else's land. "We aren't in your pack, are we?" I asked nervously.
Maddox's jaw clenched, giving me an answer. I had gotten myself into another territory, but I didn't think about what would happen if I had.
I watched his eyes jump from one corner to the next, looking around us. Maddox's body didn't move from mine. If anything, he pressed closer. I felt heat rush over me, and I squirmed, trying to ignore it.
"Maddox, what do we do?"
"Considering this is the territory of a jackass that loves to degrade women, I think you should have taken my warning seriously."
"Really? You're going to fucking yell at me now?" I snipped back in a whisper.
He leaned back and began to take off his jacket. I stared at his biceps, taking in how large they were. I swallowed at them, feeling my toes curl at the sight.
"What are you doing?"
"Masking your scent," he said, taking his shirt off next. My eyes widened as I took in Maddox's chiseled abs. He had a six-pack and perfectly formed pecs. I took in the hair that trailed down his belly button to his jeans button.
"Put this on." He handed me his shirt and his jacket. I moved quickly, pulling on his shirt and his coat. Maddox leaned closer and sniffed at me. "It's better, but still, I can smell you. We just have to hope this is enough."
I could hear there were several sets of footsteps walking closer towards us now. My heart pounded, and I felt sweat trail down my spine as I tried to contain my fear. I was now deeply regretting having run for it.
Chapter 5 - Maddox
Crap. This was bad in so many ways. Her scent wasn't as strong as it had been before, but it was still lingering around. I knew they would be able to smell her no matter how much I was trying to cover her scent up with my own.
I quickly scanned the area, trying to think of where to go, where to hide Jillian. We couldn't run; there would be too much noise. There was nowhere really to hide from them. We were in the middle of the woods, so there were no buildings nearby.
I paused as my eyes landed on a tree a few feet away from us. It was a pine tree. You could hardly see through the pines. It was so dense you couldn't see the trunk of the tree. I grabbed Jillian’s hand as an idea sparked. "This way."
She hurried with me as we neared the tree, getting close to it. I could hear footsteps and pressed her against the trunk, making both of us stay extra still. I felt her heat through my jacket, and her breath was soft and even. My eyes scanned the space, listening to where they were coming from.
"Up," I whispered as I pointed up into the lowest branch, and Jillian swallowed, looking nervous.
"Is this going to work?" she asked in a soft tone as I grabbed her arm and we moved. I offered her a hand up, and she started climbing. I followed her, lending a hand where she needed it. Once we were both secure up there, I stood in front of her, trying to at least cover her as well as I could. The smell of the tree and mine should be enough. There was also enough wind to take the scent away.
Jillian was silent for a long moment, her body cold against mine. "Who is the Alpha of this pack?" she whispered.
I glanced at her before looking back at the ground, my eyes scanning the space. "His name is Andrew. He rules his pack like women are disposable, and I imagine finding a woman in the woods is a game for them." I glanced at her. "You think I'm a dick, this would be another level."
She swallowed, placing her hand on her chest. Her fingers curled together, and I could see they were shaking.
She swallowed, and I watched as she chewed on her cheek. "I'm sorry," she whispered, tears blooming in her eyes. I could see how scared she was. Moments ago, she was calm, and now I could see that she was losing her composure.
I didn't like this look on her. I could handle the defiant and smart mouth she had on her, but this broken look I couldn't. I reached out, pulling her against me, and wiped at her eyes. "I don't blame you. People do things in fear." As angry as I was, I understood why she was running. She wasn't the first person to try. I had thought starting over sounded good for a moment. Anyone under this pressure would think it's a good idea.
We both froze at the sound of footsteps nearing us. Neither of us moved as four wolves surveyed the area. I took them in knowing they weren't from our pack. Two of them were larger, while the other two were smaller. But none of them was Andrew. I felt a little relief. It didn't mean that he wasn't out there with them.
They sniffed the air, and I pressed against Jillian tightly. I could feel her shiver against me, feeling how cold she was. I was tempted to ask why she thought of running away without properly dressing herself, but it was a question for another time.
I wrapped my arms around her, holding her against me, hoping it would help soothe the cold away. She looked at meslowly, her mouth moved, but no words came out. I knew what the words were. Thank you.
She fit against me like she was made for me. Her hands pressed against my chest, and I could feel them shaking slightly. But she was watching them with curious eyes, her expression falling neutral.
"I thought you said you smelled a woman," a sharp voice broke through the silence, and we both looked, seeing that two of the wolves had shifted into their human form. They were both larger guys, looking frustrated. One was dark skinned with black hair. The other had a slight tan with tattoos that wrapped around both his arms.
"I know I did," One of them snarled. "I smelled one."
"Then why can't we find her?" the other snapped back angrily.