Throwing Joanna over his shoulder, he moved quickly and stealthily through the trees. It wasn’t hard avoiding Cain and his men. Despite his many years as a werewolf, the man still couldn’t walk through the forest when in human form without sounding like elephant in heat. Just because Cain had never added a woman to the pack, didn’t mean he never would and once he set eyes on Joanna it would be a fight to the death to keep her out of his hands. It still might…

Entering his cabin, he quickly bolted the door before taking Joanna into the back room and laying her on the bed. Standing back, he looked her over, running his eyes over every inch of her body like a man dying of thirst. She was still beautiful; nothing would ever change that. But she looked tired and worn. That wasn’t normal for her. Her long, raven colored tresses were tied loosely in a ponytail, strands escaping from the ribbon messily. She looked wild, free, and never more beautiful. Her skin was pale and she looked thinner than the last time he saw her. He hated seeing her this way; he liked her curves.

Joanna stirred as a shiver passed through her. Reacting instinctively, Christian fetched a blanket from the closet and gently covered her with it. “What do I do with you now, my dear Joanna? I can’t let you leave, not while Cain is out there hunting me. He’d take one look at your beauty and snatch you away for himself. Then I’d have to kill him for touching you."

A barely legible murmur escaped her lips, pulling a smile from his lips. There were some advantages to be a Lycan. He heard every deliciously whispered word. No, he couldn’t let her leave, only now his reasons weren’t so unselfish. He wanted to keep her for himself, lose himself in her arms, and lips. Christian finally understood what his subconscious had been trying to tell him for the past year, that he needed her. She was his sanity, the thing that kept him holding on.