I waited until night fell. Daytime was torture. I felt Mac behind the wall. It was as if his pulse was my pulse. Every part of my body felt pulled to his. I belonged with him. Only his touch could erase the memory of Chris’s. And he wanted more, so much more. I would die before I let him. In that, I was like Lena. I didn’t even know her. Had never spoken to her. Still, I believed I understood fully what had happened to her.

Something about Lena made her special. She was a shifter’s daughter even though she was human. Maybe that gave her just a little more immunity to a shifter’s mark than Nikki or me. Whatever it was, she fought. She fought hard enough that Shelby Cole was gone. Had she killed him? Now, she was a prisoner.

Somehow, I made it through dinner. Nikki was gone again and for the first time I was glad of it. I couldn’t trust her. She was Joel and Chris’s eyes and ears now where it came to me. I hated myself a little for thinking it. She was my friend. My first friend here at Birch Haven. But, she might be lost to me forever.

As soon as the sun went down, I put on my sweatshirt, pulling the hood tight around my head. From a distance, maybe no one would know who I was. I went to the park, instinct drawing me. It was the right time. Mac had made sure of it. When I reached the tree line on the south side of the park, his blazing silver eyes bobbed like jewels in the darkness.

Breathless, I reached him. Mac pulled me to him. We staggered back through the brush together, nearly losing our balance.

“God,” he gasped, his voice raw with emotion. “You don’t know how badly I’ve wanted to charge in there and get to you.”

“I know.” Tears flowed freely. I couldn’t hold them back. I’d been holding on so tight for so many hours; now, in Mac’s arms I could let it all go.

“Did he hurt you?” Mac cupped my face with his hands. Then his fingers roamed everywhere, along my jaw, over my shoulders. They left a trail of heat that pulled me to him even more. “Did he touch you?”

“No,” I shook my head, gasping. “Not in any way that matters. He can’t. He knows it. It’s like you said, the Alpha has to approve it. He’s nowhere around. It’s okay. We have time.”

“Precious little,” Mac said. “God, I’ve been a fool thinking this plan of you going back there and pretending everything is normal made you safer. It ends tonight. I don’t care what happens next. I’m taking you back with me. I can outrun those assholes and get you safely to the caves. We’ll figure out what to do then.”

It was so tempting. To run away with Mac and never look back. I wanted to be selfish. I wanted to be free. But, I owed him the truth.

“Mac,” I said stepping out of his arms. He immediately saw something in my eyes and went very still. I knew this would be the hardest for him. I had to get the words out. “Lena. I saw her. She’s alive.”

Mac took a faltering step sideways. His eyes went wide, then he doubled over as if he’d been punched in the gut. My heart broke apart. Mac let out a strangled noise like an animal in pain.

“Is she...she’s okay?” His eyes pleaded with me. I reached for him, my turn to trail my fingers along his jaw.

“She’s alive. She’s in a cell or a hospital. I’m not sure. I only saw her on Chris’s phone. He had a live stream from a security camera. He used it to try and threaten me about what could happen if I...if…”

Mac slowly closed his eyes. He ran his hand down his face. Then, he reached for the nearest tree, bracing himself against it. Finally, he looked back at me.

“If you try to fight him,” he finished my thought for me.

“She’s alive!” I went to him, gently placing my hands on his chest. He wore a flannel shirt with the top two buttons open. I don’t know what made me do it, but I unbuttoned three more and spread the fabric aside. His breathing became ragged and his muscles rippled. There, high on his chest, he bore a striking tattoo. It was just like April described. A wolf’s head with two great wings unfurled behind it. At the base, were two crossed swords.

Mac closed his fingers around my wrists. A beat passed. Then another. I had meant my touch as an innocent gesture to confirm something I’d been told. Something deeper kindled between us. It might have been fueled by the adrenaline from news of Lena, or the pent up rage he’d felt worrying about me all day. In me, it was both but something more.

I wasn’t meant for Chris. I wasn’t meant for any other man but this one. I’d seen too much...felt too much to deny it. We had a thousand reasons for turning away from each other. Here, so close to the boundary of Birch Haven, this was madness. But, neither of us was strong enough to push back.

“Eve,” he whispered my name as a promise. I put a finger to his lips to silence him. No more questions. No more words. Just this. Us. We both knew in our hearts there might never be another chance.

Once I’d started, I couldn’t stop. I tore at Mac’s shirt, pulling it off him the rest of the way. He cast it aside and stood before me. Every inch of him was chiseled perfection from his hard-cut pecs, his bulging biceps, to his trim, tapered hips where his jeans hung low. Ginger curls made a trail from his washboard abs to the promise of what was hidden below.

I reached for him, fumbling with his belt buckle. Mac cupped my face and his lips found mine. His first kiss was slow and tender. I could have drowned in it. But the growing heat between us reached a fevered pitch. We might never be lucky enough to savor this, but for now, we would at least quench the fire.

I was down on my knees, clawing at the zipper of my own jeans. Mac went down with me. Wriggling out my pants, I got them only as far as my knees before Mac was on me. He’d dragged his own jeans down and his manhood sprung free. I gasped at the size of it. He was already thick and hard, the tip glistening with his seed. I reached for him, stroking the length of him. Mac shuddered then found my lips again.

“Eve,” he whispered my name again. The small space at the back of my neck burned with the same desire as the pulse between my legs. Oh, God. I wanted him. I wanted his mark. I wanted him to claim me so there would never be any doubt about where I belonged.

My jeans felt like a prison as I tried to spread my legs. It didn’t stop Mac. There was so little time. The longer we stayed out here, the more likely Joel or one of the others would find us. Mac’s eyes locked with mine; his silvery wolf’s gaze sparked with lust. Then, Mac thrust himself into me, sheathing himself to the root.

His crushing kiss muffled my cry of pleasure. Maybe someday, we would be free enough for me to scream his name into the wind. This was wild, natural, perfect.

I thrust my hips to match his rhythm. We were desperate with each other, feral. My pleasure began to build and build. I felt Mac’s release. He threw his head back and bit down hard on his bottom lip. I knew he wanted to howl. I wanted to hear it. I wanted all of him. The beast. The man.

I reached for him, pulling him down on top of me. Mac went still, bracing himself on his elbows as I found the friction that would drive me home.

Mine. My wolf. My man. I would die before I would ever let another touch me.