I’d barely managed to stay in human form in the military prison. It had been ten feverish days and nights. I’d managed to stay in control, but the pressure of keeping my wolf down did some permanent damage to both of us. He couldn’t be in tight places anymore.
And they were about to put me in a very tight place. And without my unmarked mate. Close to a fucking full moon.
I’d refused to answer any questions, demanding my one phone call, which I used to call Rob. He could get in touch with Mark Ruhl to be sure Brooke was safe.
“Roy?” he’d barked into the phone.
“Yeah.” I ran a hand over my hair. “Hi Rob…I’m, uh, in jail right now.”
I expected my alpha to dress me down. Demand answers. Instead, there was a long pause. “Okay,” he said carefully, like he was trying not to further stress me. “Can you stay in control?”
Sweat dripped down my temples. My claws were trying to punch through my fingers. “Yeah,” I choked. “I think so.”
He could hear the lie in my voice.
“You can,” he reassured me, like he was sending his will across the phone line to make it true. “Just breathe. Close your eyes. Think about holding your mate.”
That thought nearly sent me into wolf form once again.
Protect. Mate.
My wolf gnashed his teeth.
I shoved him back down.
“I need you to make sure she’s okay,” I gritted out through clenched teeth. “I told her to call Ruhl, the DEA agent you sent.” I didn’t say anything about packs or shifters because I didn’t know who was listening.
“Good. I’ll get in touch with him and get you out of there. Don’t worry about your mate. I just need you to stay calm for her. Can you do that?”
My ears itched, like they were already lengthening and turning furry. I sure as fuck hoped they weren’t. That it was just me going crazy. I drew in a deep breath and held it, then blew it out. “I’m good,” I lied again.
“You can do this,” he repeated. “Just think of your mate.”
“Yep.” I hung up and let them take me back to a jail cell.
The two other prisoners in the cell took one look at me and slid to the corner.
That was right. Stay the fuck back. Do not poke the wolf, or this won’t end well for any of us.
The moment the door clanged shut, my wolf exploded. A snarl shot out of my mouth. My eyes were probably glowing green.
I gripped the bars and started to yank the door off its hinges.
No.
No!
I remembered Rob’s advice: think of Brooke.
I forced my fingers to release the bars, conjuring the image of my mate again. Her scent. The feel of her soft skin. The way her glossy black hair swung across her shoulders.
Another snarl reverberated in my throat.
Fuck.
This was bad.
I wasn’t sure I could keep from shifting.