Lifesong by Erin Lark Read Free Book Online

admitted, investigating the trees out back, but the other wolves knew better than to come so close to the house.
    “Then don’t.”
    “Emma, you know I can’t. I need to be sure it’s just Zarrius and not any of the other wolves as well. I can protect you from him, but I won’t be able to protect you from the entire pack. For all we know, they’re as loyal to him as ever, even if stealing from another guardian is against our laws.”
    “You won’t get anywhere just by standing here,” Emma warned, her eyes darkening at the thought of the wolves she probably imagined stalking the backyard. “Besides, I have the fire poker if they get inside.”
    I winced at the imagined pain of getting stabbed in the side with a metal poker. I admired her strength. I’d shown her my tragic story and warned her of the dangers outside and she hadn’t even flinched. If she had, she’d hidden it remarkably well. Even from me.
    I couldn’t believe how I’d got so lucky. And gazing at her in the morning light, I wanted nothing more than to kiss her on the lips and to touch the skin hiding beneath her thin blouse.
    “You’d make a wonderful alpha,” I said, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
    Emma gestured to the dishes in the sink. “These won’t get done on their own, and I’m sure there are other things I can do around the house while I wait.”
    “I promise I won’t be long.” After hugging her tightly, I padded to the back door, pausing to give her a final warning glance. “Lock the door once I leave, and don’t—”
    “Open it for anyone,” Emma finished for me, closing the distance between us before kissing me on the forehead. “You worry too much. Just be back for lunch.”
    I eyed the clock hanging on the wall near the door. It told me it was eleven-thirty. “You mean dinner.”
    “Damn, thought I’d get you to stay.” Emma hooked her arms around my neck. “Don’t be too long.”
    I breathed in her scent before opening the door. “I couldn’t stay away even if I wanted to.”
    Emma closed the door behind me, and I smiled when she turned the lock. Studying the trees around the house, I knew Zarrius would stay as far away from the dirt roads as possible. After taking a breath, I thought of my human skin, of it falling away to reveal the wolf underneath. Lowering onto four paws, I scented the air and headed west into the forest along the side of the house. I only hoped Zarrius was close enough that I didn’t have to go running after him. I’d give myself one hour. Just one. If I didn’t find him by then, I’d have no choice but to check in on Emma. And by then, he’d probably be long gone.

Chapter Seven
     
     
     
    Emma
     
    The cabin felt way too empty as soon as I closed the door. Watching Tucker shed his human skin was like nothing I’d ever seen before. He didn’t seem to be in any kind of pain. No bones breaking through the skin. No blood or sound. He was as he'd always been. Tucker—just Tucker.
    His knees buckled beneath him and he pressed his fingertips into the ground, and as he did, his skin rippled until it was covered with fur. Without looking back at me or to see if I was even there, he shook out of his clothes, struggling with the jeans before disappearing against the tree line. He probably didn’t even realise how much I liked seeing him shift, having caught him doing it three times already, including when he’d shifted this morning, waking me up in the process—I was getting used to it.
    Last night, he’d come to the door, naked and shivering from the cold. He’d looked so fragile then, as if his human skin hadn’t fit right. Then there was the kiss and the way he’d stared at me as I’d drip-dried in front of him after my shower. My heart flipped. I shouldn’t have sent him away or told him to confront Zarrius. I might not have seen him when we’d pulled up in front of the house, but if Tucker didn’t trust him, then neither did