Page 44 of Levi

“Hannah!” Nick bellowed.

Hannah went into her fighting stance by instinct. She curled her lips beneath her teeth and let out a deafening snarl, eyes as wide as the moon.

Instead of taking a step back, Nick stepped forward. A smirk grew on his face, and Hannah wanted to slash it off with her claws.

“Stop smiling!” she roared.

Nick shook his head and crossed his arms. He looked more like an inpatient tutor than a man with a wolf shifter ready to pounce at any second.

“You’re not going to hurt me,” he said. “I know you better than that. You are justhurting, Hannah. And I promise you that no level of violence is going to remedy that pain.”

Hannah hated it, but she knew he was right. She retracted her claws and fangs and stood still, her muscles still tense with fear.

“What about those shifters?” she snapped. “What happened with that? Why were they there to hurt Levi?”

Nick’s smile faded into a more professional expression. He pulled out his phone from his pocket, staring at the screen as he scanned and spoke.

“Apparently, Levi discovered Lincoln’s true motives just before he arrived to check in on the project. I was able to get into the scanning program from the lab, and it revealed something far more malevolent than any Mars exploration.”

Hannah leaned against the wall, the burst of energy tiring her out a bit. She listened, telling herself to pay attention and relax a bit.

Nick lifted his gaze from his phone.

“Lincoln intended to use Levi’s technology to gain control of various military satellites,” he said. “He would then, presumably, hold them hostage to the highest bidder. That could lead to another war, for all we know.”

The rage in her stomach returned, but it wasn’t because of the threat toward the world’s well-being. She wished that she had killed those shifters before getting Levi to the agency. She could have done both, couldn’t she?

“That fucker,” she whispered.

Nick nodded. “I suppose he discovered Levi’s scanning program and shot him for it. You were next, but they clearly underestimated you.”

Nick was good at placating her, as she was sure he was good at managing all the other hires. She crossed her arms, still leaning against the wall, and felt her breath slow for the time being.

“You really should ask me to bend over first before you kiss my ass,” Hannah said.

Nick grinned wider, then placed his phone back into his pocket. He took another step toward her without caution but with confidence.

“I know how you’re feeling,” he said softly. “Probably more than anyone around here. You two are attached already. Like one long string.”

Hannah’s heart sank, imagining a life without Levi before it even began. She leaned against the wall, then cleared her throat.

“Wow,” she said, looking away. “Who knew that Nick was such a poet!”

Nick had begun to chuckle when an orderly jetted through the doorway of the recovery room. The tiny amount of calm that had washed over her instantly disappeared as she scanned the look on her face.

“Nick!” the overly said, looking startled. “The patient has escaped. He’s gone out of his window!”

Nick instantly shot a look at Hannah, the same thought rushing through their minds.

“Don’t,” he said.

But Hannah was already gone. She smashed her way through the door, past the orderly, and arrived in Levi’s room. The window was shattered, a giant hole made by something much more powerful than a mere human.

“Fuck,” Hannah whispered.

She shifted in his room after removing what remained of her clothing. She soared through the broken glass, narrowly evading razor edges and Nick’s pleas for her to stop. She landed on the ground with ease and broke into a gallop toward the forest.

After all, he was her fated mate, which meant that she could keenly detect his scent through the wall of natural aromas rushing past her. There was a sharp musk that she recognized, but it had altered slightly, smelling a bit more like freshly cut grass than before.

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