Page 17 of Tethered to the World
He did want something.
He wanted her to be a fucking hero—it would only cost her the one thing that mattered to her most.
Worse, she couldn’t even hate him for it. He honestly thought the only way to keep her safe was to forge her into an alpha strong enough to protect herself.
Unfortunately, she suspected he might be correct.
She strode toward the door, pausing with her hand on the knob, but she couldn’t make herself leave, and glanced at him over her shoulder. “And if my uncle comes for me before I’m ready?”
His face hardened, his eyes flashing black, and she barely resisted peeking into the afterworld to discover what beast he held at bay. “Your uncle is a threat and needs to be eliminated. He knows too much about the supernatural world. You’re either a friend to us or a threat to be eliminated. And he is most definitely not a friend.”
She nodded, then opened the door, watching as the men in the hall turned and slowly straightened.
“Annora?”
She spun and faced Rufus, only to see him holding out the credit card. She grimaced, then reluctantly accepted the card and shoved it in her back pocked, having no intention of using it. She didn’t like all the strings he was wrapping around her. If she used the money, he would have even more expectations.
“Good luck.” Then the door was slammed in her face.
When she turned, she found all four guys watching her with varying degrees of curiosity.
Without a word, Camden turned and began walking down the hall, then spoke over his shoulder. “Director Greenwood is tough but fair…as long as you follow the rules.”
Annora took it as the warning he intended, and reluctantly trailed after him.
“We’ll gather your things and meet back at the house to go over the file.” Camden didn’t even spare her a glance as they headed down the hall. “I want you to keep one of us with you at all times. I don’t like how the wolves singled you out last night.” Instead of pressing the elevator button, they all headed for the stairwell.
Logan heaved a sigh, looking longingly at the elevator before trailing after the others.
She thought back to the wolves last night, not caring for the attention either, but she couldn’t help being suspicious. No doubt Erickson told them to keep a watch out for her. She wasn’t sure if they were supposed to be her welcoming committee or showed up to force her to join them.
When the guys waited for her expectantly, she shook her head and realized they were waiting for her instructions.
“I have what I need.” She tightened her grip on her bag, uncomfortable as each one shot her an incredulous look, glancing down at her bag, then looked back up to her face.
“What do you mean?” Logan scratched the back of his head as he looked around her in confusion. “Women always have a lot of shit and clutter things up.”
He gawked at her as if she were a strange alien, and she could only shrug as they exited the building.
As soon as she walked outside, she scanned the crowd. It didn’t take her more than a quick glance to know they were being watched. It took a concentrated effort to not let panic take over.
Maybe she was just being paranoid. None of the wolves seemed to be singling her out. The whole team was being tracked and observed. The knowledge actually eased her anxiety a bit.
She followed the others, picking up her pace to walk next to Camden. “Why are the wolves interested in your team?”
“They hate anyone who is better than them.” He didn’t even bother to flick her a glance.
When he didn’t say any more, she dropped back, feeling dismissed like a nuisance. To her surprise, Xander glanced down at her.
“Wolves are the largest pack in the country. They’re the strongest breed, mostly based on numbers alone, which they think means they’re superior.” He shook his head at the folly. “They’re like an army that smashes and grabs, while the rest of us are more covert.”
Despite being an imposing man, his body big and rugged, she liked that Xander took the time to explain things to her. She hadn’t expected kindness from the gruff warrior. His facial hair was trimmed close, his beard disguising a lot of his face, but for some reason, being near him was comforting.
“I’m sorry for disturbing your life.” Not used to being around people, she wasn’t sure how to talk to them. She waited for him to snap at her, waited for him to shove her away and storm off, waited for him to just ignore her. To her surprise, he shrugged.
“If it wasn’t you, it would’ve been someone else.” He scanned the campus, and she recognized the path they were taking. They were heading back toward the house. “This will be a test run for all of us.”
“Explain.” He didn’t seem put off by her questions, and she allowed herself to relax around him a bit more.
