“Vincent,” Conner frowned, “say something. You can’t just let her throw herself to the wolves like this.”
“There is no one that would know how to navigate their world better than she would.” He shook his head. “I don’t like the thought of her putting herself in the middle of that mess any more than you guys do. But what she’s saying makes sense, and I trust that she can handle herself.” He smiled, stroking a lock of her hair. “Even in the wolf’s den.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Vincent backing her was all the support she needed. Conner and Finn both fell in line behind their alpha, and Jillian was grateful that she didn’t need to waste any more time arguing when she knew what had to be done.
Even though Finn had retrieved a whole duffel bag full of clean clothes, Jillian figured it would make the most sense for them to find her wearing the same thing she had on when she had disappeared. The fact that they were crumpled up and a little wet and musty smelling would only further support her cover story that she’d been wandering around the woods for the last five days. The fact that she hadn’t starved to death would be a little harder to explain, but she’d cross that bridge when she got to it.
Returning to Vincent’s room, she locked eyes with her reflection in the windowpane. Pulling on the damp hoodie felt like donning a costume as she pictured going back to her family. The thought of trying to live the real world felt less returning home than re-entering a prison. Running through the woods, with Conner, Vincent, and Finn had come to feel more real than anything she experienced in her life, and her heart ached at the thought of leaving.
As she gathered her resolve, she opened the bedroom door and crossed the kitchen into the den, where she found Finn had gotten dressed, and they were all ready and waiting to escort her to the river.
“I think I can find my way back.” She glanced around at the three men. “East, right?” She pointed one way and then the other.
“Even if we believed that,” Finn wrinkled his chin, “we would want to walk with you as far as we could.”
Her heart warmed at the sight of them, all three working together to make sure she had something to eat before they headed out. The four of them barely spoke as they hiked along the paths that wound up and down the hillsides through the trees. The colorful canopy of autumn leaves glowed like the stained-glass windows of a church. The sound of their footsteps was soft against the birdsongs and rustling leaves as they found a path down to the narrowest point of the river.
“I guess I just swim across?” Jillian shivered under the damp clothes.
“We’ll get you across.” Vincent looked around. “Lots of options here.”
“The cabin’s going to be excruciatingly boring without you.” Conner held his arms out, and she hugged him tight as he kissed the top of her head.
“Yeah.” Finn stepped forward for, and she buried her face in the crook of his neck. “I guess it’s back to sitting around the firepit, staring at each other.”
“He’s right.” Vincent put his hand on the small of her back. “We’ve been a bunch of bachelors living out here for too long. It’s been nice having a lady around this place.”
“I won’t be gone long.” She put her arms around Vincent’s waist, sinking into his chest as he pulled her close. “If there were a better way, there’s no way I’d be leaving you guys.”
“You just take care of yourself.” He took hold of her shoulders, looking intently into her eyes. “And take care of that guy who roughed you up. When you get back, we’ll see about building a room onto the cabin for you.”
“I’d like that.” She wiped her eyes as they let go of each other.
“You’ll have to excuse me.” Vincent took his shirt off and started kicking off his boots.
“Oh,” Jillian spun on her heel, averting her eyes, “I’ll definitely have to re-adjust to not having gorgeous men strip for me every time I turn around.”
Conner and Finn chuckled. The low rumbling voice of Vincent’s bear almost felt like bass vibrating through her bones. His footsteps shook the earth, but it was the sound of a tree trunk cracking that finally made Jillian look over her shoulder. She gaped, dumbfounded as she took two steps back. This bear dwarfed Finn and Conner. When they said he was big, she assumed they were exaggerating, but he was as big as a full-sized SUV. His back was close to a foot over Jillian’s head even while he was on all fours.
He braced his two front paws against the tree, bouncing against it. The trunk splintered against his weight, releasing the smell of pine sap as it fell across the river. Vincent’s muzzle was proportionately shorter than both the boys’, making him look a little more teddy-bear-like. She would even go so far as to call him cute.
“You didn’t believe us when we told you how big he was,” Conner smirked. “I remember I had about the same reaction when I first saw him.”
“You’re a tank!” Jillian walked toward Vincent, reaching out her hands.
Somehow his sadness seemed more evident in his eyes now. He let out a gravelly breath and lowered his head that was a little wider than her shoulders. She put her
