Shadows (Book 2 of the Zara's Wolf Trilogy) BWWM

15. Back Off

Rick turns to Keith and Evan and orders them to continue patrolling the area. "Keep it secure until Alpha orders you back. I will speak with him about this."

Evan and Keith nod before turning back. Evan shoots me a glance over his shoulder, but I ignore him, rotating on my heel with Brianna in tow. Rick shifts and sprints back to the village, his paws kicking up damp leaves and twigs behind him.

Pushing the last look my mate gave me to the back of my mind, I focus my attention on helping Brianna walk to the village. My lingering thoughts on those two words the rogue uttered continue to plague me. Maybe Brianna will know what he was talking about?

I probe her, but even she has no idea. We walk back in silence, focusing on our footing.

I think of Ryan, Evan's brother, and how pissed he was when he picked up his scent on the rogue's fur. It confirmed what he and his parents had been afraid of.

Ryan is one of them. But what does that even mean? Does he mean to bring harm to his family? What could Ryan have done in the past to make him reject his family? Surely they didn't kick him. They don't seem to be the type to do that.

Brianna's in too much stress to talk right now, I can tell, so my head continues to fill with questions as we trudge forth.

When we get back to the village, we find our clothes in the bushes and get dressed. Brianna shakes her head at the jeans I hold up for her, and just puts her underwear and T-shirt on. Her T-shirt barely covers her fanny, but with the big gash in her thigh, she doesn't care. Stepping out from the tree line, the village is eerily silent. There's a lot of hesitation among the four shifters milling about. They are loosely spaced out around the front door of the Alpha's house, as if waiting for something to happen.

Rick is there, leaning his back against the right corner of the building. His hands are shoved in the front pockets of his jeans, while his chest remains bare, like the other guys present. Only one woman is hanging out among the men in skimpy short-shorts and a tank top. They're all caked in dirt, and keep shooting worried look at the front door.

The infirmary, Brianna tells me, is in the guesthouse. Before we head inside, Clyde steps out of the Alpha's house with Owen and Blake (Clyde's beta), in tow. The waiting shifters nearly pounce on the trio, talking animatedly in hushed voices.

Brianna and I pause to watch what happens next.

Rick hangs back, and as he waits for Clyde to acknowledge him, he catches my eye. Lowering my gaze, I get the feeling that Brianna and I should go inside.

Brianna must have picked up on it too as she urges me into the guesthouse.

The infirmary is just inside the doors and opposite of the dining hall. Faint howls in the distant woods interrupt the silence as I step into the big white room with simple white cots lining both sides of the walls.

Half a dozen men and two women are already inside with minor wounds like Brianna's. There's one guy lying on a bed, but I can't even make out what's happening because there are threes nurses around him, blocking him from view.

To my surprise, Burk is sitting three cots down from the entrance. Upon entering the infirmary, he looks up and catches my eye. He has a few cloth bandages wrapped around his upper arms and his forehead. He grins as he gets to his feet and starts toward me at a leisurely pace.

Oh great. As if I want to see him again.

"Well, well, well. Looks like the fates wanted us to meet again," he drawls as his eyes look me up and down. Gross.

Brianna looks from him to me, her brows furrowed. "You know each other?"

"Hardly." I glower, balling my hands into fists at my sides. "He hit on me early this morning."