Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 113944 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 570(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113944 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 570(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
Turning to him, Aidan raised a placatory hand. “I just want to talk to Gwen. That’s all.”
“Here’s my problem, Aidan,” said Zander, face hard. “I don’t like the way you look at her. Not at all. Your voice changes, softens, when you say her name. Did you know that? No? Well, it does. And, yeah, I don’t like it.”
Twin spots of color stained Aidan’s cheeks. “She’s one of my patients. I’m fond of her.”
“No, she’s not,” said Marlon. “She hasn’t been one of your patients for a long time.”
“That doesn’t mean I no longer feel any concern for her.”
Zander cocked his head. “Do you always chase down patients who choose to end their sessions with you?”
Aidan gave a dismissive snort of laughter that was clearly false. “I’m hardly chasing her.”
“But you did at first,” said Marlon. “Isn’t that right?”
“At the time, I was worried,” Aidan defended. “She left therapy before we could make any real progress.”
“She left? I wonder why that was.” The sarcasm in Marlon’s voice made Aidan flush.
Done with the whole thing, Gwen said, “Go home, Aidan.” She didn’t need this shit. “And don’t come back.”
“I just want to help you,” he said, looking the image of what she believed was false concern. “Everything that’s happening with the Moores has to be tearing open some wounds.”
God, the guy was dramatic. “It’s not,” Gwen said truthfully.
“Witnessing violence, feeling unsafe, the pressure to keep secrets—it must be like reliving your childhood,” he insisted.
Gwen glared at Aidan, pissed that he’d pretty much exposed the bare bones of her childhood to Zander. The asshole was wrong. It wasn’t like reliving that time. This situation wasn’t about her; it was about Andie—an innocent female who’d been drugged, beaten, and terrorized.
“You want me to be this fragile person who needs your help to heal,” said Gwen. He’d even tried to convince her that she was. “Maybe you like the idea of being someone’s savior, and it makes you feel powerful, I don’t know. But I’m not fragile. I don’t need you. And I have no wish whatsoever to speak to you as a therapist or as a fellow human being.”
“In other words,” began Zander, closing in on him, “you aren’t welcome here, and you need to fucking go. You also need to stay the hell away.”
Gwen swallowed. The words had been spoken low and soft, and that seemed to make them all the more menacing.
“What are you going to do if I don’t?” Aidan challenged, voice shaky. “Rip my throat out?”
Zander smiled. “That would end the fun all too quickly.”
“Way too quickly,” agreed Marlon.
Aidan looked from one male to the other. “I only came here to help her.”
“You don’t want to help her,” said Zander. “I doubt that you ever did. No, I think you get off on making women dependent on you—and I think you should note that that is just plain fucked-up. You should also note that if you come back here, you won’t leave unharmed.”
The therapist’s fear was clear to see. “You can’t threaten me.”
“I can and I did.” Zander went nose to nose with Aidan. “In sum, you’ll stay away from Gwen. You’ll stop passing messages through her sister. And you’ll get it out of your fucking head that Gwen could ever be yours. In fact, don’t even think about her at all. We clear?”
Drawing himself up straight, Aidan licked his lips. “I have places to be.”
“That’s good. Bracken will walk you to your car.”
Aidan’s brow furrowed. “Who?”
“That would be me,” said Bracken, standing directly behind him. Aidan whirled with a sound of alarm, and Bracken gave him a shark’s grin. “Jumpy little thing, aren’t you? I’ve been here for a while. You didn’t know I was there? Hmm. Well, lead the way to your car.” Before Aidan could object, Bracken shepherded him to the Audi by the scruff of his neck. “Here, let me get your door for you.” He sharply yanked it open, making it smack Aidan right in the face. “Shit, sorry about that. Sometimes, I forget my own strength.”
Hand covering his face, Aidan slid into his car. “I’m fine.”
“You have a good day now.” Bracken slammed the door shut, waving with a smile as the therapist drove off.
“Huh,” said Marlon, eyeing the wolves. “Looks like you two might be useful to have around, after all. I have to admit, I wasn’t so sure. I want to be as convinced as Yvonne that you’ll see this through to the end.”
“We’ll be here until the entire issue has been fully resolved,” Zander firmly stated. “Our Alphas won’t call us home, if for no other reason than that a fellow shifter was assaulted and deserves justice.” Nick might wish he could summon them back to pack territory, but Shaya would fight him on it. Her soft heart wouldn’t allow her to ignore Gwen or Andie’s plight.