Once he knew where she lived Killian decided to leave Freebasin and return to the pack. He was too angry to deal with the human woman now but he fully intended on returning to make her by whatever means necessary, confess to the town that she was the one to find and bring back Unis.

She is heartless and cold like a snake.

The scent of her was following him through the forest. It angered him. Killian refused to think about why it made him so angry. He refused thing about why it was hard for him to walk away from the town without making certain that Angeline made it home.

There was so much noise and arguing going on in the town of Freebasin that he couldn’t really decipher one conversation from the next. When he heard the sound of an impact and struggle, though he stopped.

It could be the murderer with a new victim.

Killian turned back toward Freebasin, listening. There were several minutes before the struggling, fighting sounds continued. Killian raced back over the ground he’d just covered. Concentrating on the sound he couldn’t help but notice he was heading right back toward the back of Angeline’s house.

When he arrived, Killian saw Angeline throw a punch as Barthos swung the huge rock in his hand striking her on the side of her face. He looked at her dazed and defenseless before throwing his elbow and hitting her on her shoulder hard enough her body shook with the impact.

What the hell?

The violence and hatred Barthos was showing for his younger sister made no logical sense.

I should leave. This is not my business.

Barthos stood over Angeline with the rock still in his hand. “Everything would be better if you were gone, Angeline.” He was holding the rock like he meant to use it even though it was clear that Angeline was too disoriented to fight him.

It’s not my business.

Barthos looked to the left and right before he took hold of the rock with both hands. He raised it over his head.

Don’t do it.

His back arched as he reached further back to gain more momentum with the swing. If he hit Angeline in the face with a rock that size he’d kill her. It was what he meant to do.

Using the speed of his spirit wolf Killian shot into the yard like a bullet and took the rock from Barthos’ hands as he swung down with full force, only now he was empty handed.

Angeline closed her eyes with a look of relief when she saw Killian. The blood running down her face and the bruise already forming made Killian’s heart twist with sympathy. He wanted to hate Angeline but how could he when she was so injured and in need of medical help?

“Hey, get out of here,” an older sibling of Angeline’s shouted at Killian as he came out of the back door from their house. “You aren’t welcome on our property.”

Killian reached down and picked up Barthos by the back of the neck, lifting him up off his feet. “He nearly murdered your little sister. I just stopped him. Look at her. She’s hurt.”

The young man looked down at Angeline as she blinked and rubbed her eyes.

“She’s got a concussion. She needs medical attention.”

“We don’t need you interfering in our lives. Leave now,” the young man repeated.

Killian shook Barthos hard in his grasp. “Don’t ever lay your hands on a woman like this again. Next time I hear about it, see it or even suspect it, I’ll track you down and snap your neck,” Killian growled at Barthos.

He was crying. It disgusted Killian what a coward he was dealing with and he tossed him across the yard like a sack of garbage. When he looked at the older brother, Killian saw more of Angeline in him. He did not show his fear and didn’t cry.

Killian picked up Angeline from the dirt. “I will dress her wounds and return her. You’re welcome.” With that, he shot off into the forest. He’d stashed his medical supplies by the waterfall. He was glad of this because bringing Angeline to the Rizer compound now, after she’d failed to stand up for Cara would be a bad situation.

“I’m okay,” Angeline said when he set her down next to the water’s edge. “I was just a little dizzy.”

“Shut up. You’re still bleeding.”

Angeline nodded. “Do I require stitches? If I do I don’t want you to put that stuff you put on Unis on my wound. She was drunk and then passed out. I can’t afford to be that way.”

“It does require stitches and you need something to dull the pain.”

“Do not drug me with that shit. I told you, I have to be alert.”

Stubborn, ignorant, self-righteous woman.

“It will be very painful for you if I don’t numb the area.”

Angeline clenched her jaw. “If you don’t have anything that will help me without knocking me out then don’t numb it. I’m strong. I can take it.”

“Really? How many times have you had them without something to dull the pain? I don’t want you to start crying or scream out in pain. Believe it or not, I’d like to concentrate on closing the gash on your head.”

She started to try and stand up. Killian pressed her back down to a seated position. “Why are you helping me? I know how you feel about me.”

“Darian made me promise to help any and all of the humans from Freebasin if I find them injured or in need of medical assistance,” as soon as the words left his mouth he regretted them. Angeline would have the entire village lined up outside Rizer mountain by tomorrow, wanting medical treatment.

Angeline frowned, her fingers gripping the edges of a very soiled and damp dress. She was shaking.

Lord and her scent.

His eyes landed on the torn section of her bodice where only a bit of her flesh was visible. It would take less than a firm tug with his finger to rip the garment open and he would be looking at her breasts.

Angeline leaned forward, unknowingly showing more of her smooth skin. His tongue ran over his lower lip. He could already see himself parting the loose material and tasting her.

What am I thinking? She’s the enemy.

She leaned further forward. His shaft was beginning to take notice of her close proximity, and the glimpse of a coral pink nipple that awakened his spirit wolf. The beast stirring inside him demanded more air.

Killian sucked in a breath and stiffened as his wolf took greater notice of Angeline than he ever had any other female before.

Taste her. She is perhaps, ours? His wolf pushed him.

No.

“What are you doing? Sit up.”

Another flash of pink before she was upright. At this point, his cock was straining against his pants.

What the hell is wrong with me? She’s a betrayer, a hater of shifter kind. I begged her to just talk with Cara and she didn’t care that she hurt Cara.

“You have a lot of potions in your bag. Not one of them could help me through the pain without making me drunk?”

Killian picked his bag up from his side to keep her from bending over again. He wouldn’t be able to resist doing something stupid if he saw the tip of her breast one more time.

“I have many things in here but most I haven’t used on humans. I stay away from your kind as much as I possibly can.”

“That’s strange. Why make a study of healing people when you can’t stand them?”

Killian thought immediately of Aldrich and his dead Alpha, Valor. “Why ask questions of me if you have no intention of answering any of my questions? You think I should tell you anything after you refused to tell me why you didn’t stand up for Cara? Or take responsibility for your own actions?”

Angeline lowered her eyes from his, but not before he saw shame in them.

Killian began digging through his bag looking for a solution that had proved very useful for werewolves when they were struck with silver weapons. Wounds inflicted by silver instruments healed as slow for werewolves as they would for humans.

“I’d like to try this on you. It should speed up the healing process and make it unnecessary for the stitches.” Killian was studying the bottle in his hands. The contents would have to be refilled soon, it was already three-quarters empty.

“What does the blue one do?” Angeline asked. She was leaning forward again.

Shit.

“Now you’re interested in medicine? I don’t think it would serve you well. It takes guts to allow people to count on you to save their life.”

Angeline straightened. Her blue eyes appearing almost violet as she glared at him. “If you can do it, I won’t have a problem. I went out in the middle of the night last night by myself to save Unis, that took plenty of guts.”

It did.

“You failed to stand up this morning to explain exactly that. Why? You seem plenty proud of it now. Why did you go into the woods in the middle of the night by yourself anyway?”

“I’ll tell you if you tell me what the blue bottle does,” she said.

Interesting.

“Agreed. You go first.”

Angeline exhaled. “I had a bad dream. When I woke up, I needed to get some air, and go outside.”

“You didn’t say why you went into the woods.”

“Because… I… felt I needed to.”

Killian shook his head. She hadn’t told him anything really but she acted like she was giving him a piece of gold. “The blue bottle treats burns.” The slight dilation in her pupils told Killian she was interested in this bottle. She’d selected it over the rest. There were four other blue bottles but this one was the one she was curious over.

“You read?” Killian asked her pulling out a flashlight from the bag as he put away the blue bottle.

“Yes.”

“And you know what Calendula, Aloe, or Echinacea are for?”

Angeline began to shake her head but winced and said instead. “Not all of them. I know aloe is used for many things, burns being one of them. I don’t know what Hycheariam is though.”

Killian smiled. “A plant that I discovered and named myself. It has amazing healing properties.” He put away the flashlight. “Many of you humans have let go of the practice of reading. Where did you live before you came to Freebasin?”

“Will you tell me where to find the Hycheariam if I tell you where I lived before we moved here?”

Killian’s wolf was smiling with this request. “Yes.”

“We lived in Riverside, in what used to be called California.”

Killian nodded considering the distance a great distance to travel to come all the way to Freebasin when it was such a tiny obscure place.

His gaze drifted to the hole in her dress again. This time Angeline caught him ogling her curves. She adjusted her dress. “Well? Where is it found?”

“It grows right here in these woods.”

Angeline turned her head, looking around at the surrounding she exhaled. “That doesn’t help me very much. What does it look like?”

“Sorry, that information is only for friends of the Rizer pack and you, Angeline, are not one of them.”

Her pale skin brightened at her cheeks and her neck. “I’m not your enemy.”

Killian considered the bottle in his hand. “I don’t know if I can use this on you. It may be too strong.”

“You can. I’m strong, I told you that.”

“Is there any chance you could be pregnant?” Killian asked. It was a standard question but when she didn’t answer right away he found himself growing so tense that his spirit wolf was starting to feel on edge.

Angeline finally answered. “No.”

Her answer took so long that he found himself asking, “When were you last sexually active?”

“Is that relevant to the medication?”

It only mattered if she was pregnant but Killian found he wanted to know. “Yes.”

“It was about two weeks ago.”

Killian’s spirit wolf pushed forward with an instinct to protect and to claim. Killian forced his spirit wolf to back down but it took a few minutes. “Don’t believe in waiting until you get married?”

Angeline was back to glaring at him. “That’s not up for discussion. Are you going to give me some of that stuff or what?”

He gathered a few sections of cotton and poured a small amount onto one of the balls. “This may hurt,” he warned. Killian touched the medicine wet cotton to her injury. 

She sat up straight and closed her eyes. “It feels good, very good.”

Killian barely registered what she was saying. Her breasts were rising and falling with her slightly accelerated breathing. The peaked tips growing tighter as they rubbed against the fabric of her dress.

Claim her. His spirit wolf demanded.

“Well, that should do it.” He removed the cotton ball from her head and dropped it into her hand without touching her flesh. Killian closed the bottle and put it back inside his medicine bag. “Perhaps you should consider not fighting with men who have no problem beating you to a pulp. He is your brother?”

“Yes.” She was looking at the cotton ball in her hand. “What if I need more than this?”

Killian picked up his bag and put it under his arm “You won’t. It has five doses at least and you only one more treatment. Use it again in three hours.”

Angeline stood up. “Thank you for your help even if it was just because you had to keep your promise to Darian, I do still appreciate it very much.

“Who did you have sex with two weeks ago? Someone from Freebasin?”

“Why?”

Because my damn spirit wolf is feeling possessive.

“Some of the humans of Freebasin have diseases, you may have picked one up if you let one of the infected humans have sex with you.”

“I don’t have any symptoms of any diseases.”

Killian couldn’t stop himself from reaching out and halting her retreat. “Tell me who.”

“Malleck Paragon.”

“Do you mean Miles Paragon? The town official?”

Her cheeks were burning a deeper shade of pink now. “No. It was his brother. Is he infected with any diseases?”

“No,” Killian said though he’d wanted to say he was just so she would never have sex with him again. He couldn’t in good conscious make her worry that she may have picked up a disease.

Angeline exhaled with relief. “Thank you for helping me with Unis, with my brother, and with my injury. I know that I don’t deserve your kindness.”

“All you have to do is tell them it was you that found Unis and the pack will forgive you for your momentary fear.” Killian found himself holding his breath, praying she would promise to do just that. If she did then he could let go of the betrayal he felt where she was concerned.

“It’s not so simple.”

Killian stepped into her pathway. “Explain it to me then. I just saved your life. He would have killed you with another blow to the head with that rock.”

“I don’t think he would have done it. I am grateful to you anyway. It doesn’t change that I can’t explain to you why I’ve failed you and your family so horribly. The cost of doing that is too great. That’s all I can say.”

“That’s all you will say.” Killian’s wolf riled and a growl rumbled from his chest.

Angeline didn’t even flinch. “Yes. It’s all that I’ll say.”

Killian clenched his fists. “Do not ever expect or ask for my help again, selfish human.” Picking her up he held her like a bushel of sticks under his arm as he carried her to her home. He put her on her feet glaring at her as he did.

“Thank you for bringing me home.”

Killian raced off. He didn’t want to look at her anymore, smell her, or hear anything she wanted to say. He hated how fascinated he was with her. Hated the way her scent made him forget how angry he wanted to be with her. Killian hated that she was so unaffected by him while he was attuned to her every breath, and aware of every movement.

Why do I have to be tormented by this woman who is crazy? She is brave enough to stand up to me, to her brother, but not the people of the town? Ridiculous.

Angeline just didn’t make any sense.

Killian shifted into his wolf, allowing the spirit wolf to stretch free. His dark brown fur blossomed over his human flesh as the bones in his body shifted using joints that regular humans don’t have the mutation for. The forward leap of his wolf showed just how much he was dying to be let out.

Crossing the forest and mountainside went fast as Killian tried to make sense of his magnetism toward Angeline. He still had no answers when he reached the Rizer community.

The pack was assembled in the courtyard and the howling of a pack member’s death filled the air in a mournful cry that was joined at once by the rest of the pack.

Killian raced into the courtyard.

Rayhanna, the sister of Kate lay dead in the center of the courtyard. A silver tipped arrow protruded from her chest.

“No scent left behind,” Darian said to Killian. “I think the murderer from Freebasin did this.”