As soon as Tatum made an exit, I finally took a breath.

Jude hadn't said a single word or made a move to leave. I was grateful but at the same time, it seemed as if the room was getting smaller by the second.

"I'm sorry but I can't stay here." I stood and rushed to the door, yanking it open.

A blast of heavy wind brushed against my heated face.

Emerys and Luka stood at the door, perplexed as I shot between them in a hurried pace. Jude called my name, but I could barely breathe or think. My thoughts were scattered all over the place, I could barely retrieve or make sense of it. My wolf was surfacing, and I knew that she wanted out. She was practically scratching her claws to escape my control. I knew she wanted to feel the sun through the trees and the breeze against her coat.

I ducked to the front yard and ran to the ridge of towering trees in the distance. I sensed Jude running at my heels. If he wanted to, he would've easily caught up, but he retained a steady pace behind me as I kept racing through the grass. The sun was setting, and the air had become cooler, no longer a warm caress.

My wolf resurfaced. The euphoric sensation travelled along my body, sending tiny pricks along my skin.

Behind me, I heard clothes seamlessly rip. A large black wolf treaded towards me, its head lowered and his coat shiny despite the dimming light.

Go away. I don't want company.

Grrrr. No company.

I will rip you to shreds.

His wolf spoke firmly. His eyes flashed in the muted glow of the sunset drifting low behind him.

I didn't think I ever witnessed my wolf submit, even if just a little. She was a spitfire but this evening, she listened. She stubbornly stuck out her nose but made no move to lower her head even a smidgen. She was permitting Jude to stay. That was a level of acquiescence she rarely showed.

His wolf was big and magnificent. His thick coat was a dark midnight blue, his snout an obsidian black and his eyes a dusky brown.

Each exhale of his breath created small white puffs in the cool air as he pawed the dirt.

My wolf decided to pointedly ignore the large wolf who began to idly follow as she made quick work of chasing squirrels.

We ran until our lungs burned but that feeling of being free and wild made us a bit more reckless than usual.

The transformation into my human skin was a blur. The frosty breeze kissed my skin as I stood and waited. Jude approached, unbothered by his nudity as the moonlight shone a silver cast over his broad shoulders. My gaze fell below his belly button. He paused on his way to me, letting me look my fill. I suddenly felt hot, my body automatically responding to his. I picked up the sweet aroma in the air, watching the way his eyes turned ravenous with hunger. He held his body stiff as he tasted the air.

"Aella." He growled, his chest heaving.

Something sensual possessed me as I closed the gap between us. A startled breath escaped his lips as I touched his chest. His body trembled, a full-body shudder that satisfied my wolf. As if cast in a spell, he closed his eyes and fell against the tree trunk. I knew my eyes must've converted into their wolfish form. When Jude opened his after a long inhale, his orbs darkened. "Aella. What are you doing?" He asked, his voice coarse.

What was I doing?

It was like I had no control over my body as I pressed into his warmth, feeling his hot chest expand and depress against the palms of my hands.

"Jude." I was shocked by the amount of need laced in that single word. There was no hiding the unsatisfied hunger dwelling in the pits of my body. I wanted him but there was that single strand of doubt that didn't allow me to go further. I was running wild now, barely keeping control but there was something restraining me with iron-clad shackles.

"What do you know about him?" I whispered, tracing the outline of his nipple with my finger. He didn't need to ask who I was referring to. He knew why I had allowed my wolf to come out and play.

He sucked in a startled breath, peering down at me under his half-lidded gaze, "He's dangerous Aella." He stole a lock of my hair, working it slowly around his fingers.

"He's really an assassin?" I asked, watching as he placed a kiss against the dark strands.

"A very skilled one. I met him two decades ago when there was a prize on his head. He is still a wanted man and the only reason we allowed him and his men entry into my Territory was because he had a message for me. We offered him a safe haven until he was ready to leave."

I turned the words over in my head. This man who was supposedly my father was an assassin. A dangerous man in Jude's words. I couldn't imagine Jude describing anyone as such since he seemed more lethal than any man or woman I had encountered in my life. His claim sent a healthy shock of caution into my system.

"And he was sent to kill you?"

"Yes."

But obviously, something had happened. Jude was still alive and breathing but I had other questions.

"Who sent him?"

"We don't know. We've been trying to figure that out. Tatum said a man in a blue and red bandana had approached him to instigate the deal, but the real mastermind is unknown."

"This man, Tatum, he doesn't seem like the type to back down from anything. You offered him a safe haven and he didn't kill you but why did he change his mind?"

"No one understands what Tatum does. He does what he wants without anyone questioning him."

"Is he a real threat to you?" I asked, pausing so I could read his expression.

"No one is a real threat to me Aella. The single person who can, doesn't even know they hold that amount of power over me." He said quietly, watching me intently.

His expression was wary, and I knew he must've fought the urge to keep his words hidden.

The confession startled me, nonetheless.

I glanced down at our naked feet pressed into the dirt of the forest bed. Something squawked in the distance, sending goosebumps across the exposed skin of my body.

Shame abruptly consumed me as I traced the line of his strong throat, not quite ready to meet his gaze. "I wanted to apologise."

I didn't think I had ever seen Jude look so caught off guard and...uncomfortable. "What are you apologising for?" He asked warily.

"At the cabin, I keep remembering what happened and the way you left. I'm just sorry. I hurt you." I know I was squirming like a kid, but I never said that I was good at saying sorry. Hurting people wasn't something I enjoyed doing.

"No stop. Look at me Aella. If you're going to feel sorry for me, don't. At least have the decency to look me in the eye to apologise." His words may have sounded harsh, but they were soft.

Only Jude could pull off this strange combination of hard and soft.

I lifted my head, hoping he saw just how much I regretted hurting him. His expression was unreadable as he took a step closer. His earthy scent immediately assaulted my senses. He lowered his chin until he was watching me closely under his sooty lashes. "Say it again." He whispered, his words carrying in the wind.

"I'm sorry-"

His hands reached out, tracing the delicate outlines of my dainty collarbone. His fingertips brushed against my skin. I shivered from the feather-like contact.

"You're trembling." He took a breath, following the trek of his fingers down the outlines of my collarbone with his eyes. My nipples puckered in response of his fleeting touch.

My heart stuttered. "Jude-"

"Wrong word."

"What are you doing?"

"I smell your fear...do you fear me, Aella?"

"You know I don't." I grabbed his hands, halting his movements. He remained silent, watching intently as I grasped his hands tightly. "I fear for the things you'd do for me." Yes, that was the ultimate truth. I think I was slowly starting to uncomplicate the enigma that was Jude Slater.

"Then-"

I froze, sensing the wrongness in the air. I hadn't felt this since...

"Morph. Now." I said before three large wolves appeared, idly prowling towards us.

Their eyes flashed, a bloody red as if a stark warning for the danger to come. They moved soundlessly, without a scent etched into their fur. There was nothing different in the air, which was the wrongness of the situation. They carried no obvious scent and they moved so quietly; it was nearly impossible to detect their nimble manoeuvres.

I sensed Jude morph behind me as a lethal growl ripped from his throat. His fur felt ticklish against my bare thigh. His head almost reached my chest as he slid in front of me, body tense and poised to strike.

The three wolves lunged at the same time. I lunged forward, feeling the tingling effects of the transformation as my wolf resurfaced, angrier than before.

Two of the wolves jumped for Jude, snarling. The other one tackled me to the ground before my paws could skim the forest bed. We rolled against the grass, thrashing wildly. Something sharp sliced into the skin of my arm but I ignored the pain, struggling under the weight of this massive changeling. Since I was naked when they arrived, my weapons were gone, which was regrettable. Now, I had to use my paws to kill this motherfucker and that cost too much energy.

My wolf and I were in complete unison as we danced around the frothing beast. He lunged again. We dodged the attack and lunged forward, capturing the sensitive nape of his neck between our teeth. He clawed at our body, but we hung on, tightening the grip on his bloody coat. My body burned from the open wounds and for a minute, my vision went hazy with black dots. I heard Jude's grunts as the sound of breaking bones filled the air, followed by a growl of fury that promised death. I released the changeling as I tasted the copper of his blood. It made me want to hurl but I wiped the blood away, circling the changeling who was doing its best impression to appear formidable despite the missing chunk of flesh from his neck.

He launched off his hind legs, but his movements were heavy and uncoordinated as he stumbled forward. I pushed through the air again, catching the ruff of his neck. He squealed like a pig, the noise ricocheting off my ears like a fired bullet.

The tang of copper exploded across my mouth, but I managed to hear the sickening snap as his head twisted unnaturally to the side.

His body instantly flopped like dead weight onto the ground.

To my right, Jude finished off the last, ravaged wolf. His wolf was merciless as it tore into its fur. The changeling's pathetic whimpered tapered off into silence once Jude achieved the final blow.

Breathing heavily, I took a step towards him, but my muscles seized. Confusion flared. I suddenly found myself blinking up at the night sky.

Jude was at my side, in human form, in less than a second. I somehow managed to transform back but the pain in my body was an avalanche of nothing but hurt.

My vision blurred.

Jude's voice sounded distorted and the places where the wolf had slyly nicked my skin suddenly felt as if lava had been spilled into the open injuries.

I felt Jude's arms lift me. My head pressed against his sturdy chest. The wind rushed pass as Jude rapidly navigated through the forest with swift manoeuvres. I felt my eyes tear up from the whipping wind in my face. I could feel his tight grip on me, holding me firm against his chest.

He didn't slow as Pack members found him on his path to the Pack House.

My vision blurred again. The vibration of Jude's voice thrummed against my cheek. His heart raced wildly, and the other voices joined his, sounding surprised.

I couldn't decipher their words because the blackness pulled me under until everything abruptly faded into complete silence.