“And you left.”
Noah nodded. “I burned the cabin. Paul taught me always to be prepared to run. So I laid low a few days and left, using new IDs.”
“Do you know what happened to those people?” Was someone even now searching for Noah to put him on trial for murder?
“Cops said the bodies were so mangled by wild animals they couldn’t tell the cause of death. I’m not sure if there was an autopsy, but those hunters had lots of guns. The cops found my ripped-up, bloody clothes, and the blood on the knife matched, so they assumed those assholes killed me and dropped me in the lake. The brother left enough evidence to be brought up on arson charges.”
“And the guy who lured you?”
“Accessory to murder. I kinda felt bad for him, then thought again. He might not have known they planned to kill me, but you damn sure don’t drop someone off at the lake with a group of armed strangers expecting a bonfire and roasting hotdogs.”
This is a bad idea. A really, fucking bad idea.No matter how bad the idea, Slade couldn’t stop his arms from twining around Noah’s slender body.
He’d regret this in the morning or in a few minutes. Or when the time came to get back on the road.
But not right now. “Oh, Noah. I’m so sorry.” Slade had been an asshole in the past, but never like the ones who’d tried to kill a sweet man for something he’d no control over.
Noah stiffened for a moment, then relaxed into Slade’s embrace, his body wracked with sobs. He wrapped his arms around Slade, holding on while releasing ten years of poison.
Ten years. He’d carried the burden for ten years, thinking he’d murdered people who’d planned to kill him, who believed him an animal and knew they could get away with killing him because cops would only find a wolf’s body.
Slade held tight. “Shh… it’s okay. They’re gone. They can’t hurt you anymore. You did the only thing you could.”
Eventually, Noah’s sobs quieted to sniffles. Finally, the sniffles faded to the steady in-out of even breathing.
A little wriggling got them more or less into comfortable positions without waking Noah. Though his eyelids sagged, Slade fought sleep, pressing his nose into Noah’s neck and breathing deeply.
After Noah’s confession, Slade should’ve been more freaked out, right? The guy killed people. How did he know Noah told the truth?
Because Noah didn’t have to say anything. He’d volunteered the information, which took a lot out of him.
Slade never wanted to protect someone before or found anyone so in need of protection. In the past, he’d been the one in need of help. What if he couldn’t find a pack? Noah couldn’t keep traveling forever, sharing Slade’s punishment.
Sooner or later, they’d have to part company. Later got Slade’s vote.
Noah slept peacefully in Slade’s arms all night.
Chapter Eighteen
“IhopeIdon’tpiss you off or anything, but I got you this.” Slade reached into a plastic sack and pulled out a dog’s collar.
“A collar? Are you for real?” Did Slade expect Noah to walk around on a leash, a good little lapdog during the full moon? His inner wolf growled.
Slade held out a placating hand. “No, wait. Hear me out. I told the park owners I’d bring my wolf hybrid dog after everyone else left. If someone sees you while you’re wearing this, they’ll think you’re a pet and maybe leave you alone.” The earnestness on Slade’s face wiped out Noah’s anger.
No insult, simply an honest attempt at safety. Slade actually cared? Why? “Okay, but if you feed me cheap canned food, I’m outta here. Just the good stuff.” Noah folded his arms over his chest, lifting his nose into the air.
Slade’s brow scrunched in confusion. “Wait! Did you make a werewolf joke?”
“Yeah, I suppose I did.” How odd to be talking so freely with a human about being a wolf.
“Can I ask you a few questions?”
“No, I’m not going to go crazy and rip your throat out like werewolves do in books.” No wonder humans feared Noah’s kind.
“That’s not what I was gonna ask.”
“Then what?”