Deception

He watched her with a sense of dismay. He didn't want to kill her but she had seen too much. His father would have a fit if he allowed her to leave the woods alive. It really would bring hell to the pack if she were able to go to the police. On second thought, they'd probably think she had to be a major nutcase if she babbled about werewolves. He bit his lip, debated, and finally decided he could never kill a woman.

  He cleared his throat, not sure what to say, but knew his first problem would be talking her down out of the tree. He feared she'd panic if he tried to climb up to her and she might fall to her death. She had managed to ascend high enough that the branches had thinned enough to put her in danger of a limb snapping from her weight. Her small-looking body appeared to be wrapped tightly around the branch.

  "You can come down. I promise you're safe now."

  She licked her lips. "Go away and I'll climb down when you're gone."

  He hesitated, wishing it could be that simple. "I'll escort you to your car or return you to your campground—wherever they chased you from. I swear I won't hurt you. I realize you're in shock but no harm will befall you as long as I'm around."

  She shook her head, her red hair snaking around her body to her waist. "Just go away. Shoo!"

  Amusement surprised him. "Did you just 'shoo' me?"

  The woman hesitated. "I've done nothing to you or them."

  He watched her turn her head to glance around the area and rage returned instantly upon seeing the dark bruise along her jawline. Someone had clocked her with a fist. She had very pale skin and the fact that she appeared to be smaller than average made it worse. He decided his pups were in for a beating of monumental proportions when he got his hands on them for what they'd done to the woman.

  "I know you're in shock and I realize you must be very frightened, but I swear, you're safe now. I'm Klaus" He paused, regretting giving her his name but it had just slipped out. "I'm afraid that branch is going to snap and you'll fall to your death if it does. Please come down."

  "I'm not stupid. You're trying to trick me."

  He didn't blame her for her fear or suspicion. She had to be traumatized as hell. Not only had she been attacked and hunted but learning werewolves existed after watching them change forms had to be messing up her human mind. He took a slow breath and blew it out. It didn't help his case that he stood there completely naked. She probably feared him because he not only had turned into a wolf but he might also be some major pervert who'd attack her.

  "I don't think you're stupid. They were wrong to attack you. I sent them away but that doesn't mean more of them aren't out running in the woods. If I left and you tried to walk out on your own, to be honest, there's a real possibility that you'd run into more of them. You don't know me but you saw me chase them off. You watched me strike one of them when I realized what they'd done to you. I give you my word, I won't harm you or allow anyone else to."

"You could be a big, fat liar."

  "I could be." He hid a smile, amused again. She had a nice voice and while he studied her, that wasn't the only thing he could appreciate. Most of her face remained hidden by a curtain of hair, but from what he could see, she appeared pretty. "You're right. Let me put it this way. How long do you think you could survive up in that tree? It'll grow dark soon and the temperatures will drop drastically. Do you want to spend a cold, miserable night up there? I doubt you want to climb down and stumble around in the dark once I leave. You also can't stay up there indefinitely. It would only be a matter of time before you either have to climb down or they climb up after you if more of them are in the woods. At this moment you've got no chance of survival but I'm offering you safety and protection."

  She seemed to mull over his words. Klaus watched her pull her lower lip into her mouth and then the pouty fuller lip returned after she either bit it or sucked on it. He wished he could see more of her features but her messy hair hid parts of it.

  "Okay, but I want you to swear on your life that you won't hurt me or allow them to."

  "I give you my word of honour and that means everything to me," he stated honestly, relaxing. The faster he got her back to her world, the quicker he could get on with his day—after he kicked some pup ass. "I'll protect you with my life."

  She moved and Klaus received another surprise. She'd been balled up, wrapped tightly around the thin branch, in a fetal position. As she lowered her legs and stretched downward toward a branch, he saw a glimpse of her shape. She didn't appear very big but what he could see had definite appeal to him as a man. Werewolf women tended to be tall but on the lean side. The woman had a lush body with soft curves.

  "What's your name?"

  She paused on her downward climb to twist her head and peer at him. "Rose"

  He didn't comment or blame her for not sharing her last name. Neither had he. If she reported the attack to the police he didn't want them to have too much information. The last thing he needed would be bullshit questions from some overworked cop who wouldn't see the humour in checking out a woman's crazy tale of a werewolf attack. He pulled away from his musings to watch her climb lower.

  Anger returned when he saw blood smeared on her bare feet and he stopped breathing through his nose. The scent of her bleeding so soon after he'd shifted could affect him. The last thing the woman needed would be to see his eyes darken or hear his voice thicken into growls. He pulled air in through his mouth and hoped the scent wouldn't be strong enough to taste. The cologne he always splashed on before pack meetings would help mask it. He'd made a habit of wearing the stuff to keep some details of his personal life private. Wolves could smell way too much but artificial fragrances could confuse their noses. He moved under her, ready to assist as she climbed down the tree.

"That's it," he encouraged. "Don't fall, Shannon. I'm going to reach up and help you down, okay?

Don't be alarmed because I'm not wearing clothes. I swear I won't hurt you."

  She paused again to shoot him a frightened look. He could make out more of her features and his gut tightened. She had big, beautiful blue eyes framed with dark eyelashes, and they were shaped in a way that stole his breath away. Not even the purplish bruise could distract from her attractiveness. He hesitated and then lifted his arms to assist her to the ground.

  "It's okay, Rose." He kept his tone soft, attempting to lure her closer to safety. "I keep my word. No one is going to hurt you."

  Klaus could tell she wasn't certain if he could be trusted but she still lowered down the last eight feet that separated them until he gently gripped her waist. His hands wrapped around soft hips and he tried not to notice her full, rounded ass displayed in the pair of thin cotton capri pants too close to his face. He didn't want to become aroused. She'd scream if he allowed his body to show his sexual interest.

  He lifted her easily, placing her carefully on the ground. She turned, faced him, and kept her gaze fused with his. She didn't glance down at his body but instead gave him a fearful look that made him wonder if she'd attempt to climb the tree again. Her back pressed tightly against the bark. He could see her terror as clearly as the cute, tiny freckles sprinkled across the bridge of her nose. Her much shorter height—a few inches above five feet—made him question her age. She looked mature, the late twenties maybe, but then again, teens seemed to appear much older than their years, in his opinion.

  "See? I'm not going to hurt you." He tried to sound harmless, the irony of that not lost on him since he had to be the most dangerous thing within miles of the small female. "I'm the good guy," he lied. No one would ever call Alpha Klaus that title without it being the punch line of a sarcastic joke. He had become one of the most feared members of his pack. "Where did you come from? I'll take you back there."