Emmet looked at the wolf and grinned. “You have nothing to worry about with him.”
A moment later, the door to the Sugar Shack opened and Niko walked in and strode toward them. He looked at the wolf and kept walking as though nothing was out of the ordinary. “Is she hurt?” he asked Emmet.
“Nothing serious, but this guy needs medical attention,” he said. “Grab Jaxon’s clothes out of the truck so he’ll stop prowling like a caged beast.”
Niko sprinted out the door, coming back less than a minute later with some jeans and a shirt, which he tossed toward the wolf. “Here you go, boss.”
Maple’s heart pounded, and her lungs burned for air as she watched her wolf savior shudder. In a matter of seconds, his fur receded, and a whole lot of naked skin appeared. When the creature stood on two legs, Jaxon had taken its place.
She did the only thing she could think of. She screamed.
Nineteen
Jaxon pulled his jeans up, not taking his gaze off Maple except to drag the T-shirt over his head. Her eyes were wide, and she shook so hard he thought she’d pass out, but she didn’t. After her initial shock, and the scream that had brought Luca rushing into the building ready for battle, she stared at him, not saying a word. He almost wished she would, so he’d know where to go from there.
“Can you guys leave us for a minute?” he asked, still looking right at her, gauging her reaction to being alone with him.
“We’ll be right outside,” Niko said before closing the door behind him and Luca as they left. Emmet had already gone up the road to get cell reception to call for an ambulance.
Maple still knelt before her uncle, clasping his hand. He couldn’t tell if the man was conscious or pretending to be asleep. He really didn’t care.
“Maple—”
“I can’t do this right now,” she said, her voice cracking a little.
He should have talked to her. Told her what he was. She might have been scared and run back to New York, but it would have been better than the hurt shining in her eyes now. At least he could have followed her and eased her fears slowly. Made her see that they were meant for one another.
He reached over, needing to touch her, but she flinched and pulled back. “Don’t. I’m barely keeping myself together.”
Hanging his head, he stood and went to the door. “I’ll leave you alone for now, Maple, but we will talk.” She didn’t look at him and didn’t say a word. With a heavy sigh, he opened the door and stepped outside.
“How’s she doing?” Niko asked from a few feet away. Not surprising, Luca was nowhere to be found. He was probably patrolling to make sure no other surprises waited for them.
Jaxon grunted and shook his head. “She doesn’t want to have anything to do with me. I fucked up. Bad. She didn’t know I was a shifter.”
Niko nodded. “Well, she does now.”
A moment later, the door to the Sugar Shack whipped open, and Maple came rushing out, her eyes wide. “They said they were going after my grandmother. They said they wanted us all dead,” she practically screamed at him.
“Where is she, Maple? I need an address.”
Maple’s eyes brimmed with unshed tears. “She’s at the Golden Oasis Retirement Home in Scarsdale. Suite 2054.”
“On it,” Niko said as he whistled for his brother, a move he’d undoubtedly pay for later.
Off in the distance, sirens sounded, getting louder with each passing second. The moment Emmet brought his truck to a stop, the brothers hopped in, and Emmet jumped out. They exchanged a few words, then the brothers set off again.
When he looked down at Maple, the tears she’d tried so hard to hold back slid down her cheeks. She swiped at them with her fingers, sniffling softly. She may not want to talk to him, and she may be upset, but he’d be damned if he’d let her go through this alone.
Without giving her the opportunity to deny him, he pulled her into his arms and held her tight. She stayed stiff against him for several moments, but at least she didn’t try to get away. Then, with a shuddering sigh, she melted against him and her sobs broke free.
She didn’t lift her head when Emmet walked past, then again, taking the one shifter they’d left alive with him. Using the man’s own SUV, Emmet drove away, leaving them alone to wait for the ambulance.
He rocked with her, his hands stroking down the length of her back as she let the emotions she’d been holding free. He didn’t release her until the sirens stopped in the drive and the paramedics came bounding over the rough terrain with their stretcher.
Maple followed them inside, then out again, staying with them as they loaded it into the ambulance.
Helpless, Jaxon waited until they were done, hoping she’d give him some indication of what she needed. “Follow us to the hospital?” she asked, her expression guarded, when she finally met his gaze.
“Of course. I’ll be right behind you,” he said, a small measure of hope flickering to life.
She dug in her pocket and handed her keys over before disappearing into the ambulance without saying another word.
Fuck. Did she want him there, or was he delivering her car? Not that it mattered. He’d deal with whatever she threw his way as long as she didn’t shut him out completely.
***
The ride to the hospital was rough, and her uncle’s moans eventually subsided when he succumbed to unconsciousness again, leaving her alone with her thoughts. Even the paramedic taking care of him was happy to leave her in her own quiet hell.
Jaxon was a werewolf. A real life, living, breathing, fucking werewolf. Her grandfather hadn’t been trying to scare her from going into the woods all those years ago. She’d seen him shift right before her eyes. There was no evidence that was more concrete
