Page 37 of Havenfall Harbor
“Don’t run, Quinn,” Griffin demands.
Chapter 12
Evan
It was hard not getting involvedwith the challenge. The animal in me knows I could have dominated the entire pack, claimed them for my own, but the other part of me knows I don’t want them for a pack, I don’t want any pack.
My bear is roaring in my head, insisting I do something to appease him for not claiming what I could have. Knowing Quinn was on the other side of the forest was the only thing that spurred him to leave the alpha challenge.
Maybe I should have had Griff come back for me later. I’m on edge, I’m ready to fight or fuck. With Quinn so close, I’d rather do the latter. She’s not a supe, I don’t think she would be willing to jump in the sack without even knowing me.She would love it.I shake away those thoughts.
Her scent is what carried me through the trees so swiftly, and now my animal wants his prize. I burst through the tree line, my chest rising and falling quickly. If I had shifted, I could have been here faster, but it was too dangerous to do so. I’m not sure I would have had complete control of the bear.
“Everything okay?” Her soft words have an effect on me. My skin isn’t tingling so badly.
“Don’t run, Quinn.” Griff’s order draws my attention, but it’s the other shifter who’s backing toward Quinn that has a snarl curling up from my chest. “Kid, stop!”
The wolf freezes, but he’s still too close to her.
“Quinn, do you drive?” I tilt my head at the calmness in Griff’s tone as he takes a step closer to Quinn.
“Yeah, yes. Of course.” Quinn’s lip quivers.
I watch as Griff nears her, then he dips his head and speaks softly in her ear while keeping his eyes on me. “He’s fine, just wired after the challenge. It’s a shifter thing.” Griff being close to Quinn doesn’t elicit the same feelings it does when the wolf gets close to her. “Ask him to bring you the key.” He takes two steps away from Quinn and crosses his arms over his chest, his eyes never leaving me. There’s a level of comfort there. I know if I ever did anything to hurt her, he could stop me. I shake my head, I’ve never once thought about hurting a woman, neither has my bear.
“May I…may I have the keys, Mr. Winters, please?” In two strides I’m in front of her. I meet her eyes then turn to find the wolf. His head is down. I feel Quinn’s hand on my chest. “You’re scaring him.” Her voice holds a thread of censure. I look back down at her. She’s so small, the top of her head just reaches my shoulder, but she’s fierce too. I can hardly believe that she would still speak up for him, even when I’m a breath away from dragging her body against mine.
I drop the key fob into her palm and stalk around to the passenger seat. I need a little space from the other shifter. The bear in me wants to assert dominance, but reason wins out.
We just pulled the kid from what seems like an abusive environment, and I’m snarling at him like an angry old bear—more like a horny old bear.
“Get in, Quinn,” Griff instructs her softly.
I should say something to her now that we have a moment alone, even though Griff can hear us, but I can’t seem to force the words out.
“Kid.” I’m surprised to hear Griff talking to Jacob. “You get what that was, right?” He keeps his question simple. Shit, he barely even talks to people anymore unless he has to.
“I get it. The fight and the female. I’m not a baby.” I let out a grunt, the kid has more balls than I gave him credit for.
As the engine purrs to life, I turn my focus on Quinn. Her knuckles are tightened over the top of the wheel as she peers straight ahead. For a brief second, self-doubt and pity color my thoughts. I’m worried about what she’ll think of me, about how I’ll responded. No matter how much she thinks she knows about supernaturals, she can’t truly understand us, not with the limited information made available to humans.
“Do you know where we’re going?” Quinn’s soft voice fills the car.
My intent is to tell her no, but it comes out in more of a grunt, so I shake my head in denial.
“Okay.” She barely breathes the word. That, more than anything, has me unclenching my teeth. She seems like she’s trying to bring back some normalcy.
“That back there…” I don’t even know what to say, so my words trail off. I’m not used to having to explain to a human the nuances of being a shifter, an alpha shifter at that.
Quinn reaches over slowly and places her hand on my forearm, her touch is as light as a feather. “I may not completely understand, but I get it, Evan. I’m not judging.”
Well, fucking shit. Something in my chest warms, making me want to squirm. I’m a fucking polar bear, I don’t squirm. I feel the scowl on my face, but I fight the tightening of my lips. Before I can respond, the rear doors open, and Griff gets in behind me and the kid behind Quinn.
I glare over my shoulder, but the wolf’s eyes are firmly on his lap. Unstable pack life would have taught him that lesson early. Pity that I can’t get control over myself enough that it wouldn’t be necessary.
With a jerk, I force myself back into my seat and look forward. Pissed that I’m acting like a cub who can’t regulate his beast.
Griff leans forward. He’s so tall that it’s not much of a reach for him to be halfway between the two front seats. “Head back the way we came. The motel’s not too far from the airport.” His fingers trail down Quinn’s shoulder so softly she doesn’t even react. I wonder if he realizes what’s happening here.
