Phineas’s breath caught in his throat. She’d already admitted that her father had mistreated her mother. And other women in the pack. What had he done to his daughter?
“Brynley,” he whispered. “What did he do to you?”
With a strangled whimper, she pressed her hands to her mouth.
“Oh shit.” Phineas felt sick to his stomach. He thought back to the expression she’d used earlier when she’d called them survivors. “He’s the one, isn’t he? He wounded your soul.”
Chapter Fifteen
Brynley paced across the cafeteria, but the room wasn’t big enough. Her wolf clawed at her insides like a caged animal. Free, it had to get free. Panic swelled in her chest, threatening to explode.
She pulled open a glass door and dashed outside. Tears blurred her vision, and she stumbled to a stop in the middle of a basketball court.
Dammit, she should have never fallen for Phineas. Now she’d have to chase him away, and it was going to hurt like hell. Once again she would be left all alone.
“Brynley,” Phineas called after her. A door clicked shut behind her.
Oh God, no. He would want an explanation, and she couldn’t talk about it. The memories hovered over her like a toxic cloud. She couldn’t breathe. She swiped at the tears on her face and sprinted toward the woods.
“Brynley, wait!” Phineas ran after her.
She plunged into the woods and weaved through the trees, heedless of the branches that swatted her face and caught at her hair. She couldn’t run fast enough.
Flashes of memories bombarded her. Memories she’d tried so hard to forget. The night she was chased. Hunted. The fear. Terrible, escalating fear. Terror.
Her wolf howled with despair. It was supposed to be the hunter, not the hunted.
Footsteps pounded behind her. They were coming after her. Hunting her. Getting closer. No escape.
“Brynley!” Phineas yelled. “Slow down! You’ll hurt yourself.”
His voice. His beautiful voice that made her melt inside. Her steps faltered.
“Brynley!” he called to her.
With a start, she whirled around to face him, her hands lifted to defend herself. An animal-like growl escaped from her mouth.
“Whoa!” Phineas raised his hands, palms up. “It’s me. I would never hurt you.”
She struggled to breathe and looked around her. Oh God, what had she done? She’d freaked out again.
“Breathe slowly.” He stepped toward her.
She immediately stepped back, then halted. She wasn’t a cornered animal. And this was Phineas. He would never harm her. She ran a trembling hand through her hair, brushing away the leaves that had tangled in the wild strands.
She took a slow, deep breath. The scent of wood, fern, and spongy earth filled her nostrils and calmed the beast inside her. She’d stopped in a small clearing where the nearly full moon shone brightly.
Phineas was watching her, his expression alarmed and worried.
He motioned toward the building. “You want to go back? We could talk.”
She shook her head. “You can teleport me back to the school. Those other guys at the cabin can help you. You don’t have to work with me anymore.”
“You don’t want to help me now?”
She steeled her nerves. “I . . . don’t want to see you.”
He frowned at her. “Are you trying to dump me?”
“We both know we can’t . . . be together.” Her heart ached with every word. “We should just say good-bye and—”
“No! I’m not giving up on you.”
“I—I don’t want you.”
“I don’t believe you. You were all over me last night.”
“That was nothing. Lust.”
“Really? Then jump me again, and we’ll see what happens.”
With a wince, she stepped back. “You don’t want me. I—I freak out. I’m damaged.”
“No, you’re beautiful. But some asshole has hurt you really bad. Tell me what happened.”
Tears filled her eyes. She shook her head.
He took a deep breath. “Fine. I’ll just figure it out. Nod your head if I’m right.”
“No. Please, don’t.”
He leaned against a large maple tree and folded his arms across his chest. “Let’s see. You were hurt and abandoned when your mother died and Phil was banished. You were eighteen, right?”
She remained silent, but a touch of fear fluttered in her stomach.
“So I guess you went to college then? You teach English at the academy, so that must have been your major.”
The flutter skittered up her chest to her throat.
“You felt alone, betrayed, and abandoned. So . . . you reached out to someone.” He grimaced. “I hope I’m wrong.”
He wasn’t. The flutter made her feel light-headed, so she rested a hand against a tree trunk to steady herself.
“Did you fall for someone?” he asked softly.
Her fingers dug into the bark. Her first lover. His arrogant face flitted across her mind. Why had she ever thought he was handsome? “Seth.”
“Seth.” Phineas said the name as if it left a foul taste in his mouth. “He listened to you. Made you feel special. Warm and fuzzy. And furry. I bet he was a werewolf, too.”
She nodded.
“And you were so damned lonesome,” Phineas grumbled. “And hurt.”
More like pathetic. A tear rolled down her cheek. “He said he loved me. He asked me to marry him, and I said yes.”
“You thought you were in love?”
“Yes.” She wiped away the tear. “I wanted to be in love. I wanted to believe love still existed, and someone could love me.”
“So you got engaged.”
She nodded. “I took him home to meet my family. My dad approved of him, and I thought everything would be perfect.”
“What happened?”
“I overheard him talking to my father one night. Dad was congratulating him on a job well done. And Seth asked how many ranches he would get for marrying me.”
“Damn,” Phineas whispered.
“Yeah.” With a groan, she leaned her back against the tree. “My father set the whole thing up.”
“Asshole,” Phineas growled. “And that Seth was an idiot if he couldn’t see how lucky he was to have you.”
She waved a hand. “It’s typical male werewolf mentality. All they can think about is acquiring territory. Land
