She stepped away from the SUV. “Go.” She cleared her throat. “When this is over . . .”

What? She’d find her hubby and they could live happily ever after? That wasn’t the way things worked. A hunter and a wolf didn’t have a shot at forever. Besides, she wasn’t even sure he wanted to stay bound to her.

Kayla pulled in a deep breath. So maybe she wouldn’t offer any lines about what would happen when this mess was over. She could just say, “Go take care of your pack.” Then Kayla turned her back on him. Dammit, was she actually tearing up? What in the hell was happening to her? She was a fountain these days.

She took one step, then found her body hauled back against Gage’s rock-hard chest. “Before I found you in that cage”—his breath whispered over her ear—“I made a side trip by the infirmary.”

Kayla tried to jerk free. No give. “Gage?” Now she was afraid because his low voice had been so angry. So . . . determined.

“While all the medics were busy stitching up the wounded hunters, I borrowed a few supplies from their office,” he growled the words.

Her heart seemed to stop even as a dark suspicion grew in her mind.

The heavy garage door was opening with a groan and shriek of metal. Curtis was rushing back toward them.

“Sorry, sweetheart, but I’m not risking you,” Gage told her and shoved something sharp—a needle!—in her arm.

No. Jonah! She opened her mouth, but Gage put his hand over her lips, smothering her instinctive cry. Her feet kicked back at him. Landed a hit. Another. But he didn’t let her go.

And she could already feel the drug slipping through her system. First her brother, now Gage? Why was everyone drugging her?

“When you wake up, you’ll be safe.”

And he’d be a dead man.

Jonah. Her eyelids fell closed and a tear slipped down her cheek.

CHAPTER EIGHT

She was still out.

Gage paced beside the bed, shooting frowns at Kayla’s unconscious form. Just how long was the woman gonna stay that way? They’d gotten away from the compound. Made it back to the safe houses he’d set up for the wolves.

He’d met with his aides. Gotten extra guards to start patrolling.

And she was still out.

Had he drugged her too much? He put a knee on the bed and leaned over her. She was breathing okay. His hand lowered to her chest. Her heartbeat was good. Steady. No, um, actually, it was picking up now and—

Her eyelids flew open. She kicked out at him and landed an attack right to his groin.

Son of a bitch.

“Tell me you weren’t groping me while I slept!” she yelled.

He sucked in a breath. Well, at least she was awake, and she seemed very, very aware. No gradual waking for her. Just slam-bam, wake-up, ma’am.“No, I was . . . just . . . checking your heartbeat.” He’d been too worried for a grope. But now that she was awake—

Her eyes narrowed. “Where the hell am I?”

Awake and enraged. He’d try to play things cool, for a while. “You’re in a shifter safe house.”

“Oh, hell, no.” She jumped from the bed and rushed to the door. “This place might be safe for you, but I’m not a shifter. I’m a hunter. That puts me at the top of any shifter-kill list.”

He caught her arm. Stopped her before she could race into the hallway. “You’re my wife. None of my wolves would dare to hurt you.”

Or he’d tear them apart. Simple fact of pack life.

Her breath huffed out. “Yeah, well, what about me hurting them?”

“You won’t.” Because she wasn’t a cold-blooded hunter, out to destroy every shifter she saw. She’d never been like that.

Her shoulders fell. “I am so mad at you.”

His aching cock attested to that fact.

“And I am going back for my brother.”

Yes, he’d been rather afraid she’d say that.

“Those hunters—they all have to learn the truth, Gage. When they realize what Lyle is, they’ll fight him. I know they will.”

She had an optimistic side. He hadn’t noticed it before. The optimism was cute. Kind of.

He freed her hand. Stared down at her and had to tell her, “Your brother’s gone.”

Her face drained of color. “Wh-what do you mean?”

“When Curtis came back to the SUV, he told me the guards had already reported your brother as missing. Even before we left the compound, he’d already broken out.” He kept his voice flat as he delivered the news she had to hear.

She’d been so worried about leaving her brother, but . . .

He left you.

He didn’t say the words. There was no need. She’d understand.

Now Kayla was the one who grabbed his hand. Her nails dug into his flesh. “Find him for me.”

Uh, he had enough problems of his own right then. A pack to protect. A traitor to smoke out. A wife to woo.

Her dumbass of a brother could wait a bit.

“You owe me, wolf,” she said and her voice rose a notch. “You drugged me, you clawed my brother . . . now you find him.” She licked her lips, then whispered, “Please.”

Hell. Like he could resist when she stared at him with those big, lost, golden eyes. She looked so sweet and innocent right then, but she’d shot a man less than six hours before.

“Wolves are the best trackers out there,” Kayla said. Damned straight they were. “You can get his scent. You can find Jonah for me.”