Untamed Wolf by Heather Long Read Free Book Online Page B

the doorjamb. The interior apartments of the old house meant she shared a hallway with only one other resident. Since she worked nights, Chrystal rarely saw her. She was also human, a huge plus in Chrystal’s book. Another human, who’d taken the upstairs apartment no longer lived in Three Rivers—she’d returned to Willow Bend.
    Hugging the paper bag to her chest, Chrystal waited for whatever else Rayne needed. He didn’t seem to be in a hurry to leave. With a sigh, the wolf said, “I don’t want to yell at you. Let’s start there, shall we?”
    “But I am in trouble?” How could she not be? Dylan had driven her straight to Luciana and Rayne’s, dropped her on the porch and left.
    “No—and yes. More no than yes.” With a single finger, Rayne touched her chin and nudged her gaze upward. Expecting chastisement, she almost flinched. Still better to show no reaction than to freak out, so she tried to steady her breathing. Instead of anger or reproach, she found a rough sympathy in his eyes. “Definite more no than yes. Luciana wants to talk to you when you’re ready. She’s worried about you, and so am I. This isn’t the first time you’ve disobeyed the border order. We know we’re still establishing ourselves, but we need your trust, Chrystal.”
    “I do trust you.” Mostly. His raised eyebrow said he’d scented the mistruth in her statement. With his finger bracing her chin, she couldn’t drop her head the way she wanted, so she settled for lowering her eyes to stare somewhere in the vicinity of his chest. “I mean, I’m not trying to be bad or break the rules. I’m not always used to the rules and when I go…when I go looking for good pictures and pretty scenes, I don’t look for the border or if I’m going to cross it. I’m looking at the places. I promise I’m not doing anything to do harm to Willow Bend or make trouble for you.”
    “We know that.” The assurance left her swamped with relief. “So, tomorrow, I want you to come by when you’re ready and I’m going to program your phone with some GPS coordinates so it will tell you when you get to the border.”
    Hope surged through her, and she glanced at his face. “Really?”
    “Yes, really. We want you to be happy, but we do need you to follow the rules.” Oh, they’d come to the part where she was in trouble. “This is your third warning, Chrystal. It’s also the last one. We’re working hard here. If you can’t do better, there will be punishment. Luciana doesn’t want to banish you…”
    Her stomach bottomed out and ice trickled through her veins. “I’ll do better. I promise .” She had no idea how she would keep the promise, but she would find a way. “I’ll use the GPS, and I won’t go out looking for new places.” The very idea crushed her soul.
    “You can explore, kiddo, you just have to do it in Three Rivers. We’ve got a lot of territory. Would it help if I got someone to run you around and show it to you?”
    The offer was kind, but it meant running around in isolated areas with someone she didn’t know. Was she even allowed to decline? “If you want me to.”
    Rayne released her chin, and she edged back a half-step. “I won’t force it on you. None of us will.” The firmness and authority in his words soothed the trembling seizing her muscles. “Let’s get the GPS set up, and go from there.”
    He’d offered a decision she could live with. “Thank you.” She hugged the paper bag a little tighter. “I’ll do better. You won’t have to talk to me again.”
    When he didn’t say anything immediately, she dared another fleeting glance. He wore a troubled expression as he stared at her. “Come talk to Luciana when you’re ready. She’s on your side, and so am I.”
    It meant more than he knew. She nodded. “I will.”
    With those last words, he pivoted and left. She waited to hear the outer door open before closing and locking her apartment. Sagging against the closed door, she fished one of