Logan grew quiet with concern. He’d remembered the Canine Lupis Inhibitor drug that Tristan’s mate, Kalli had created. Until he’d heard of that, he would have never believed someone could take a pill to disguise their wolf. And while this was completely different, a wolf getting ill was unheard of unless there was some kind of magic affecting her that could explain the illness.
“Could this be some kind of a spell? A hex?” Logan asked.
“Maybe. It’s hard to tell. But you said her fever was really high when you found her, right? I just took her temp again and it isn’t going up, so that’s good news. Whatever is affecting her could be wearing off. If it’s a spell or herbs, it seems short-lived. Tell you what. I’m goin’ to take a few blood samples. I’ll take them to the lab and personally run them, okay?”
Fiona approached Wynter and brushed a long strand of blonde hair from her face. Logan’s jaw tightened in response to having yet another wolf touch his human. Noticing the subtle sign, she backed away from the bed and turned to him.
“Logan, if this is magic, I haven’t seen it before either. That’s not to say the witches aren’t always trying to cook up things to thwart shifters and vamps,” she said coyly. “I mean, you know there’re always a few bad apples in the bunch. I’ll ask around. I can also bring some healing herbs for her…if she still feels sick when she wakes up.”
“Thanks, Fi.” Logan paced, working through his plan of action. “Dimitri, call Jake and Zeke. I want them to set up a perimeter guard on my place. Have them fix the damn gate. No one gets in or out. I don’t know how long she’s going to be down, but my guess is this little bird is going to try to fly the coop when she realizes where she is.”
“You got it.” Dimitri nodded.
“Dana, I hate to ask the obvious question but is whatever’s going on with her a threat to others?”
“Do you mean is what she has contagious? I’d go with no. I can’t be sure but if it was brought on quickly and she’s already rebounding, it could even be a poison of some kind. I didn’t think of it until now, but considering the marks on her neck, it’s obvious she was exposed to something. Sorry I can’t tell you more,” Dana said in defeat. She finished drawing blood, snapped the test tubes neatly into a carrying case and arranged everything back into her medical bag.
“Listen up everyone,” Logan snapped. All eyes landed on his hard glare. “No one else in the pack is to know what’s going on here with mystery girl, got it? I don’t know who this woman is…this wolf is. But something’s not right here. And until we figure out what’s happening, I want to keep it under wraps. This is a direct order. Do not speak of this to anyone. The story for now is that she’s a victim of a vampire attack and she’s under my protection, nothing more.”
The group nodded in agreement and began filing out the door. Logan stopped Dana, privately asking her if she could change Wynter into one of his t-shirts and boxers. As good as she’d felt in his arms, it felt wrong for him to touch her any further. It was obvious she’d been violated by vampires; he wasn’t about to add himself to the list.
Logan had doubts about having the girl sleep in his bed, but his protective instincts told him to keep her close. She was vulnerable, and for at least the night, his responsibility. He wasn’t sure whether it was his wolf or his heart driving his actions, but he felt compelled to watch over her, to protect her. In the morning, there’d be plenty of time for questions and rational approaches to solving perplexing conundrums. For now it was just him and her, resting, healing.
Clothed, Logan laid next to Wynter. He pushed over to his side and propped his head with the heel of his hand. He studied her face as if memorizing every curve of her chin, the swell of her lips. Something about her drew his interest. He’d like to have blamed it on his vision, but his visceral reaction to her scent concerned him. Alone and happily content for so many years, he couldn’t fathom such an instantaneous and intense attraction toward a woman. Regardless, she smelled incredibly delectable to his wolf. Logan sighed. It would wait until tomorrow. He looked forward to her awakening, to forthcoming answers and mostly to getting to know the little wolf in his bed.
Chapter Four
“Hey sweetheart, can you hear me?” Logan awoke to a cry. Even though her eyelids fluttered, she didn’t appear to be moving.
As if an elephant sat on her chest, Wynter felt immobilized, both tired and heavy. The soft bedding was her first clue that she was no longer outside. Where am I? Please God, don’t let them have captured me. She took a deep breath, forcing her mind to focus. Her hazy vision presented the blurry image of a man. No, no, no.
“I’ve gotta go,” she coughed, attempting to push upward. Feeling as if she weighed a million pounds, she got an inch off the mattress before falling backward. She licked her dry lips; tears brimmed in her eyes.
“Hold on there now. You’re safe. How do you feel?” Logan asked, brushing the back of his hand across her cheek. She felt much cooler; her fever had subsided.
Wynter heard the sound of his familiar low voice wrapping around her like a warm blanket. The man from the alleyway. Thoughts spilled like droplets of rain as she remembered their brief encounter. He’d protected her. Sexy, dominant and altogether male. But, no, he wasn’t a man. He was a wolf. Alpha.
“I’m Wyn. Wynter Ryan. I think I’m…” She closed her eyes, trying to piece together what had happened. She hadn’t felt well.
“Sick. You gave us a good scare, but your fever’s down.” Logan finished her sentence. “Here, let me get you some water. You’ve been out of it for a few hours.”
He reached over and grabbed a bottle of water that he’d kept near his bedside. Unscrewing the cap, he slid an arm underneath her neck so he could support her head. Bringing the rim to her lips, he watched as she swallowed a few sips. Almost feeling as if he was feeding an infant, he was careful not to choke her with too much liquid.
“Thank you,” she whispered, aware that he was holding her. She gazed into his mesmerizing blue eyes. The handsome planes of his face were only outdone by the small smile he gave her. She’d been scared he’d hurt her. Jax had warned her about male wolves. But instead of being aggressive, her savior spoke to her gently, tending to her like an injured child.
“Do you need anything else? You really should get some sleep,” he suggested, even though he wanted to ask her a million questions. Reluctantly, he laid her back onto her pillow and backed away.
Immediately, Wynter felt the loss of his warmth as he removed his arm from the crook of her neck. She barely knew him, so why did the brief embrace feel so good? She diverted her gaze, embarrassed by her situation.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have run,” she began. “I need to tell you…”
“Shhh…you need to rest now. Tomorrow, Wynter. Tomorrow, we’ll talk, okay?” Logan assured her. He could hear her heartbeat race; he assumed from anxiety. He sought to soothe her worries. “Just lay back and close your eyes, little wolf.”
“But I’m not,” Wynter protested.
“Hey now, no more words, okay? You need to get well.” Logan moved away from Wynter. Logical thoughts pressed forward; he should let her sleep alone, go work in his office. He eased off the bed and turned off the lights. “You’ll be safe here. Just rest.”
As the room fell into darkness, Wynter grabbed the sheet out of fear. She hated the dark. Two long months of no sun had done that to her. The claustrophobia threatened to smother her. In the pitch black of the night, she let out a small sob.