8. New Face

Smile wilting a little, I gently pushed against his chest and got my jelly legs back under me. Something struck a cord deep within me at the name, but for the life of me I didn't know why. The name of his Pack made an uneasy feeling swell up in my chest and it was contradicting the fuzzy feeling his closeness brought me.

Stepping back, I pulled away from his warm embrace and froze. A flicker of movement in the dark base of the stairs caught my attention a second before a deep growl had me looking around Jade's form to meet two glassy eyes flashing up at us. Fear chilled my blood.

"So this is the intruder we smelt slithering through the woods. You reck of men. Whore much?" a growling deep voice dripped with disdain, a tall large frame appearing behind the hunched wolf to reveal the speaker.

Paling, I hugged myself as Jade whipped around.

"SILENCE! You know not what you speak of!" Jade's human voice had thickened to a rumbling base that was octaves lower then normal, his anger heating the very air around us.

Spinning on the ball of my foot, I clenched the maroon towel to me as I fled back towards the bedroom. Even from ten feet away, they could still smell them on me. Slamming the bedroom door, I barely saw the maroon themed room as I bolted into the bathroom. I needed to erase this nightmare. To erase what those savages did to me.

Letting the towel drop to the floor, I stepped back into the glass encased shower and turned the silver knobs. Water quickly warming to a near scalding temperature, I stepped under the spray and did a tight circle to get my skin wet. Reaching for the black shampoo bottle I paused as a worm of guilt hit me. I had just fled and left Jade to defend for himself. Yes he was a big strapping man beast and he could probably handle them on his own, that is to say if they weren't his own Pack members. It was wrong of me though. He stuck his neck out for me tonight and I couldn't even handle the barbs thrown at me.

Shaking my head, I huffed a sigh and opened the shampoo cap. I'd apologize after I was scrubbed down. I could smell the blood, dirt, and male scents on me and it was nauseating. At the thought of blood, I glanced down at my wounded leg and blinked in surprise. The gentle flow of water was slowly washing the grim and clotted blood bits around the once deep cut, to show pink shiny skin that was on the last stages of healing. I never healed this fast. Humming in thought, I shrugged and squirted sandalwood scented shampoo into my right palm.

Going through the actions of scrubbing, rinsing, scraping and scrubbing some more, I finally felt clean enough to step out of the rapidly cooling water. Turning the water off, I stepped out and nearly screamed when my eyes landed on a lone figure standing in the middle of the bathroom. Throwing an arm across my breasts and using my other hand as a shield to my lower bits, I stood there with my heart pounding, wondering if I was going to have to fight this burly tanned man naked.

Brown eyes watched me from underneath dark lashes, his mouth drawn in a firm line beneath his slightly crooked nose. Firm muscled arms crossed over a chiseled chest that was covered in a fine layer of dark brown hair that thinned to a line down his defined abs to disappear into his dark green cargo shorts. His short brown barely curled hair on top of his head seemed at odds with his looks. Long wavey hair would have suited him better. He was still nice to look at, but meeting him naked in the bathroom was not ideal.

"I'm sorry." His soft deep voice had me jumping, blinking his face back into focus.

"Sorry for what?" my own voice came out higher then normal, almost a squeak.

Blinking those guarded brown eyes at me, he glanced away and licked his lips. "I shouldn't have said what I did. I didn't know the circumstances before I made such vile accusations. It's not every day a lost beauty breaks into our Alpha's home."

This had to be the weirdest apology I have ever received. Standing there wet and naked while he acted like it was normal to have a conversation with a complete stranger in the middle of a bathroom, me being NAKED! Glancing around in discomfort and at a loss for words, I flinched when he suddenly moved.

He had started to reach for the cabinet underneath the sink, but paused when he noticed me flinch. Dark eyes meeting mine, he held my gaze as he slowly opened the small door and reached with the other hand to pull out a maroon towel just like the one I had earlier. Muscles flexing as he stood straight, he took a small step towards me and held out the bundle of cloth.

Eyes flicking towards the towel, I looked back up at him and noticed the sad look that entered his pure brown eyes. "Take it."

Curving my leg enough to hide my feminine core from his all watching eyes, I carefully reached out and took the towel from his grasp. "Thank you."

Nodding, his crossed his arms back over his chest and glanced away to stare at the wall opposite from the mirrored sinks. With quick movements, I hastily wrapped the soft length of fluff around my body and tucked a corner in beneath my armpit to help secure it.

"You didn't have to apologize," I murmured softly, tucking a strand of wet hair behind my ear.

Eyes flicking towards me, his mouth hardened into a thin line again. "Yes, I do. From what Jade shared, you have been through hell tonight. No woman, much less a female wolf, should ever have to be...handled like you have been."

Heart aching, I glanced away and had to fight the sudden burn that built behind my eyes. Heat washed over me a second before two strong arms pulled me against a furry chest. Stilling with shock, I simply stood there blinking at the reflection of this strange man holding me. His cheek rested against the top of my head and those dark lashes fluttered against the crest of those smoothly shaven cheeks. Were all wolves so touchy?

"What are you doing?" I asked in a small voice.

"Comforting you," he murmured softly before his chest rose and fell against my cheek as he sighed heavily, "I could smell the salt in the air as you fought not to cry. It's strange, though. I can smell the essence of you, your own personal scent and your tears, but I can't smell the wolf in you."

His comment reminded me of what Jade had said. Had my wolf retreated so far inside me that no one could detect her expect through direct contact? I couldn't remember the last time I heard her voice.

"The moment I touched you though, my wolf knew right away you were one of us. What did they do to you to make your wolf disappear like that?"

Watching his reflection, I felt the fear and uncertainty build within my heart. "I... don't know. "

My wolf has been silent for some time now, even before tonight and I hadn't felt her presence since the lab. After the chemicals they injected in me to make me shift back and forth, I hadn't heard a peek from her. It was like a giant void in my head that normally she would fill. It was unnerving.

What if I can never shift again? What if she's locked away so far inside me that I'll never be whole again? What's the point of being a wolf if I can't shift? A silent tear rolled down my cheek and the swell of pain tried crawled out of my throat that I fought not to give in to. Did they really take my wolf from me?