He stepped back. “I’m sorry, but I’m not at liberty to disclose the details of the case.”
Lie.
“I need to know.”
“Good night, Ms. Caine.”
My fists clenched. I deserved to know what was going on. I was the damn victim, after all.
Screw the creepy government man and his black truck. If he wasn’t going to tell me why people were hunting me, then I’d figure it out on my own—even if I had to call every law enforcement agency in the state to get the details.
As I turned to leave, Jaxson caught my arm, and I gasped as a spark of electricity ran through my body. He jerked his hand back, and his expression darkened, then shifted toward surprise. “A word of advice, Ms. Caine: don’t leave town. And don’t talk about this to anyone. For your own good.”
His eyes sparkled with gold, and his presence washed over me again. Somehow, the overwhelming sensation delivered a clear, unmistakable message: Obey.
3
Jaxson
Savannah Caine turned on her heel and strode back toward the sheriff’s cruiser. Her bittersweet orange hair swayed back and forth hypnotically, and the way her long, pale legs disappeared into her high cutoff jean shorts amplified the alluring effect.
Heat raced up my neck, and I drank deeply of her lingering scent.
The red-haired woman with a tattoo on her left shoulder.
There was no doubt that Savannah was the woman the seer had sent me to find. The fortune teller’s words still burned in my mind: Your adversaries hunt her, too. If you do not stop them, she will be dead before the full moon rises, and with her, the future of your pack.
I looked up at the moon-mother shining high overhead. Five days before full, and they’d nearly gotten to her before I had.
She was lucky. The abductors had attacked seven people so far. Forty-eight hours ago, I’d seen what happened to one of those who resisted. Utter carnage.
Yet Savannah had survived. Although she was Magica—a person who had magic in their veins—the woman obviously had no idea what she was or how to use her magic, or that werewolves were real. But despite all odds, she’d managed to kill one of the wolves that ambushed her without using weapons or spells.
It was damned impressive. We were very difficult to kill.
Unfortunately, Savannah had slain only one of her attackers. The woman she’d described was still out there—a wounded she-wolf, judging by her scent.
Hopefully, Regina would catch her. My second in command was one of the best trackers in our pack. She’d slipped out of the truck to chase our prey while I’d distracted the cop and the woman. If we couldn’t catch the she-wolf, there’d be blood. Savannah was wolf-marked now, and the she-wolf would hunt her until one of them was dead.
I motioned to the sheriff. He sauntered over and stuck out his hand. “Seems I’m lucky the DNR had people in the area tonight. This is one hell of a mess.”
Rather than return the smile, I locked him in place with a cold stare. He froze like a deer caught in the headlights. His subconscious knew that I was in charge here, and that I could snap his arm like a twig.
I shook his hand for appearances. “The DNR will handle things from here, Sheriff. The woman ran over a wolf, that’s all. The attack at the Lakeside Taphouse was an animal attack, too. Neither incident needs further investigation.”
I let my alpha presence drown him into compliance. It wasn’t mind control, just the force of raw, uncontestable authority. More than anything, most people just wanted to be told what to do, and this man would believe anything to make the monsters go away.
The befuddled sheriff nodded. “Of course, that’s what I was thinking. Just an animal attack.”
“And Sheriff, bury the report. We don’t want the locals going around town with guns half-cocked, looking for stray wolves.”
He shook my hand vigorously. “Of course. Happy to help. Can’t have people around here all riled up. It’s still the height of tourist season.”
The man would do exactly what I’d told him to. He barely had a choice.
I released his hand. “Most importantly, make sure that woman gets home safely.”
He rubbed his palm. “Of course.”