Wolf Slayer (The Order of the Wolf) by Angela Addams Read Free Book Online

anymore.
    She was alone. Unwanted. And for good reason. She was a disgusting show of weakness.
    Strangely, the only thing that invaded her dark thoughts was the determination to thank Jaylon for taking the time to set up her target area. She felt it was vital he know how much his thoughtfulness impacted her. Maybe it was a need to connect with someone. An excuse that would make a lot more sense if she’d made a little more effort throughout the day to connect with Darcy.
    If she’d been acting weird, which she probably had been, Darcy hadn’t said anything. Instead, Darcy had tried to pull her into the fun, took her out shopping for the day, demanding that she try on some clothes, sling a purse over her shoulder to see how it would look, slip on a pair of impossibly high, neck-breaking heels. After indulging Darcy for a while, Aubrey resisted any further temptation for shopping fun, determined to keep things professional so she wouldn’t lose herself any more than she already had. Except…she couldn’t keep her mind off of Jaylon. That persistent little tingle of something in her stomach every time she thought about his kind gesture. Professional.
    Yeah, sure.
    It wasn’t until dinnertime that she even saw him. Dinnertime. An event that was mandatory for everyone, including security, to attend. Something she would have preferred to avoid given her current state of mind, but if it meant a chance to speak with Jaylon, then she would bear it.
    “You’re part of the family now,” Mayhem had said in his stern, demanding way, like a father making a command that brokered no debate. “We’d like to get to know you.”
    Get to know her they did, pushing her to the limits of the story she’d planned out for herself. Even causing her to slip up once or twice about her sister, her training, her life in the woods. Her accidental info sharing was nothing of much concern—without context, they would never guess that when she said she’d been training with her bow for her whole life, she actually meant training to kill werewolves. Or that when she let it slip about her sister being chosen by her true mate, what she’d really meant was that her Hunter had come to claim her.
    They poured glass after glass of wine, the first one going down so quickly, loosening her tension, and her tongue. Easing the burden of regret she’d been carrying all day.
    “I saw a wolf in the woods today. Probably want to avoid strolling out there without some kind of protection.” She hadn’t meant to say anything, didn’t think it would be an issue for anyone in the house. How many rock stars went for strolls in the woods? Especially at night when they seemed to be most active. As of late, the werewolves generally stayed away from humans, unless they were after someone in particular. “In fact, it might be best if you avoid going out there at all. I think there might be a pack prowling the area. I heard howling.”
    Mayhem’s eyes snapped to hers. All conversation stopped. Someone dropped a utensil, the clang on their plate deafening.
    “You saw a wolf?” His voice was low, almost a growl, a warning.
    Aubrey frowned, the hair on the back of her neck prickling. “I was training with my bow.” She glanced at Jaylon, suddenly nervous, confused. His eyes were cold, glaring, it seemed, at her. “In the west lawn, and it came out of the woods. Big, brown, golden eyes.”
    “Did it approach you?” Mayhem gruff voice pulled her gaze back to him. His jaw was clenched as he lowered his fork to his plate. “Did it harm you?”
    Aubrey’s stomach plummeted. She felt like she had just said something so very wrong, the tension in the room pumping into her like a jackhammer. She shook her head, swallowed. “It approached me. I felt its breath…” She sucked in a gasp, lowered her gaze to her plate, her eyes burning with her remembered embarrassment.
    Mayhem cleared his throat. “You felt its breath where?”
    Aubrey shook her head. Her words