Free Lone Wolf Ripples 03 - The Fire of a Lone Wolf's Heart by Anya Byrne Page A

human, he would have surely broken several bones, but for Perry, it was the sound that made it all agonizing. He whimpered and curled into a ball, trying and failing to shield his ears, the agony too much to withstand.
    By the time the noise drifted away, all the fight had drained out of him. When they reached for him again, he didn't try to struggle. He was dizzy and as weak as a newborn calf.
    "There you go," the man said, grabbing his arm and pulling him upright. "Wouldn't it have been better if you hadn't forced us into unpleasantness? I never realized deer could be quite so stubborn."
    Perry wanted to spit in his face, but even that would have required more strength than he had left. Oddly, his lack of energy almost seemed to be contagious, because all of a sudden, the man holding him paled, skin going pasty. The hands holding him up dropped limply, and Perry crumpled to his knees, more confused than ever.
    Despite his fatigue, he couldn't miss the obvious fact that all the humans in the alley were suddenly lying on the ground, motionless. Perry couldn't tell if they were breathing or not. He just knew they were out for the count.
    This was his chance. If only he could actually make himself walk instead of lying here like helpless prey.
    The sound of approaching footsteps reached his ears, and the distinctive click of heels let him know the new arrival was most likely female. Indeed, seconds later, a beautiful woman knelt next to him, facing him with a smile. A soft warm hand settled on his cheek, while the other caressed his hair. "It's okay now, young one. You don't have to be afraid anymore. You're safe."
    Perry didn't know if that was the case, but he didn't have it in himself to question the words. Everything that had happened suddenly became too much. He allowed himself to take comfort in the soft touch and drifted into unconsciousness.
    ****
    Clay was angry. He didn't remember the last time he'd felt so furious and restless. No, cancel that. He did remember—and it made no sense, because he'd thought he'd left it all behind.
    He wasn't due at the club until later, but he couldn't stay at home. He roamed through the streets for a while, but that made him even more anxious, almost as if something peculiar and scratchy was crawling under his skin. Despite the distance between his apartment and the club, he ended up walking there, distantly wondering if his employer would even let him in.
    Much to his dismay, V intercepted him the moment he stepped into the building. Clay wondered if he'd broadcast his emotions so loudly that he'd bothered her, because the way her fingernails dug into his skin was distinctly alarming.
    "Come with me," she said. "I need a word."
    Clay scowled at the seriousness in his employer's voice. "V? What is it?"
    "Not here."
    She pulled him out of the main corridor and toward one of the private staircases that led to the upper levels of the building. Few people ever came here—they were V's private rooms, and she didn't take kindly to being interrupted here. Clay went along with it, though, since V always had a reason for everything she did, and he owed her a lot.
    He was halfway up the stairs when he felt the burn that had been bubbling under his skin flare up again. It was unlike anything he'd ever experienced, a nearly maddened desire to search, to protect, to scour every inch of this place until he found his target.
    He pushed past V and ran up the stairs, blind to anything except the emotion, the feeling that guided him. V didn't stop him, which was a good thing since he didn't know what he'd have done if she'd tried.
    There were many rooms at the superior levels of the club, but it was easy for Clay to find the one he wanted. He followed his nose, his heart and his wolf and stepped into the third room on the second floor.
    Instantly, his gaze zeroed in on the sleeping figure on the bed. He almost stopped breathing as his world tilted on its axis and reoriented.
    How was this possible?