Page 60 of The Wolf's Surrogate

“I’m calling Jermaine. You’re not leaving the house until he’s handled.”

“How exactly are you going to handle him, Liam?”

He visibly fumed, eyes bulging with rage as he glared at my phone. “In my own special little way.”

I snatched the phone from him and marched up the stairs. He called after me, the sound garbled and distant underneath the way my blood rushed through my ears. It was like hurricane winds beating my eardrums. It was like a hammer beating a nail into a wall. I didn’t stop until I got to the guest room and shut the door.

The phone shook in my hand. With the screen blurring, I had a hard time typing, but this nightmare had to come to an end. I had to be the one to end it. Nobody else could save me. I’d caused this mess, so I had to clean it up.

Knocks echoed behind me. I ignored them in favor of texting Phil at the private number he was using to contact me. I asked him if he would meet me and talk to me without doing anything rash. He didn’t respond.

I tucked the phone back into my pocket, a whirlwind of knocking sounds coming back at full blast along with a pitiful meow. My eyes swept the room. Where was Memphis?

The door creaked behind me. A ball of fluff rushed into the room, bouncing at my feet with a giddiness I recognized as pure love. Smiling crookedly, I bent to scoop him up, feeling a massive wave of guilt at having ignored him as soon as I got home.

I whimpered, “Sorry, baby. Mommy is upset.”

Memphis growled but the sound was hardly intimidating, more of an annoyed warning to the man standing in the doorway.

I scratched his chin. “Is that any way to thank a wolf for letting you get to me?”

Memphis blinked at me, huffed, and then leaned into my hand. I turned around, trying to get my cat to look more grateful than he appeared. Liam didn’t seem bothered in the least. His tangled brows and strained jaw muscles told me he was more concerned for me than my silly fur baby.

His Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed. “Ani, this isn’t your fault.”

“Yes, it is. I’m the one Phil wants. If I just go see him—”

Fury blazed in his irises. “If you go see him, hewillhurt you.”

“I know. I just—”

“Then why the hell would you try to see him?”

I shrank back with an agitated frown, averting my gaze to the carpet. He was disappointed in me, wasn’t he? No, I couldn’t handle that feeling. I couldn’t handle anything.

While holding back another wave of tears, I turned to the bed and set Memphis on the comforter. Liam sighed behind me. I heard him ruffle around in his pockets like he was searching for something. It was something he did when he was trying to think.

“Hey, I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m just worried about the baby.”

I closed my eyes.Oh, I get it now.

I rubbed my elbow as I faced him, putting on a fake smile. “That makes sense.”

“How about we go into the yard? I can teach you some self-defense moves.”

“Can you show me how to throw someone over my shoulder?”

He smirked. “Absolutely.”

Some of my suspicions faded as I trailed after him. He waited at the bottom of the stairs for me, taking my hand as we walked through the living room to the kitchen. At the back door, he flipped on a few lights, revealing a giant brown bear sniffing around the edge of the yard.

I grabbed his arm and screamed.

He shushed me as he reached for the doorknob. “It’s okay, baby. That’s just Jermaine.”

“He’s a bear.”

“Yeah, he’s a grumpy bear. But he’s friendly once you get to know him.”

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