Chapter 168

Asher

“Asher.” Cynthia was saying my name, trying to claim my attention.

At any other moment, I would have been more than happy to give it to her. But right now, I was defending her from a threat, and that threat had yet to be neutralized.

Cynthia smelled bitter, fearful. It pushed off of her in waves.

Inside my head, my wolf threw itself against the cage of my consciousness. It wanted control. It begged to comfort, to protect, to fight.

The wolf had been agitated already, after so many days lacking Cynthia’s soothing presence. It was already on a hair-trigger, ready to snap at the simplest slight.

Cynthia frightened and in danger was no mere slight.

My growl turned feral.

Lamar had been confident when facing me before, but in the face of my near-shift, with my wolf already sharpening my teeth, and my hands gaining claws… Lamar, eyes widened, took a step backwards.

Cynthia nudged against me, suddenly moving so that she was in the space between Lamar and me.

She said my name again. Maybe a few times.

My wolf and I were confused. She seemed to be stopping us from attacking the threat. Why would our mate stand against us? Why would she side with the source of her fear?

When she placed a hand to my cheek, I came back to myself enough to hear her.

“Asher, it’s not Lamar.”

I frowned.

“Lamar is not a threat.” Her voice trembled. She was still afraid, but I could detect no lie in her words.

With this revelation, I pressed back some of the wolf and my features returned fully human.

She lowered her hand from my face and clutched at my arm instead.

My voice was still rough when I said, “Then who?”

She pressed her full pink lips together and would not open them again. Could she not say, or did she not want me to know?

We were broken up. God help me, I hadn’t forgotten. Maybe I had no right to the answers I wanted.

But my mating bond was still intact. I could feel it thrum between us when I stood this close to her.

She was my mate – might always be – even if we couldn’t be together. I wanted to protect her, needed to, or I would lose my mind.

“Cynthia,” I said. “Tell me who.”

Point me in the right direction, at least. Unleash me, and I will do the rest.

She had to know. If I had only a name, that threat would bother her no more.

She swallowed, then licked her lips. I focused fully on her mouth, priming to hear the name of my target. A name I would hate with the full extent of my strength, for daring to cause Cynthia such fright.

Yet before she spoke, she shook her head, and I knew right away I would be disappointed.

Whoever – whatever – was scaring her was to be her secret.

I wasn’t in her confidence anymore.

But this man…

I lifted my gaze to Lamar. He took another step back.

This was the one Cynthia would trust? How would he protect her when he couldn’t even stand up to me?

“Cynthia,” I said, insisting only once more.

Her fingers dug into my skin. I felt her tremble.

If she would only talk to me…

I couldn’t help her if she wouldn’t tell me anything.

“Cynthia,” Lamar said, and Cynthia jumped as if startled.

My muscles tensed like a coiled spring. If Cynthia wasn’t in the way, I would have pounced.

“Lamar and I are getting ice cream,” she said, as if that was a solution to anything.

I wanted to argue. I wanted to keep her at my side where she would be safe against anything in the whole world.

But forcing my opinions on her was what got me into this mess to begin with. I hadn’t been supportive. I had hurt her without meaning to. I’d doubled down when I should have backed off.

She unhooked her fingers from my arm. Her dark eyes stayed on mine. They were wide, and wild with terror.

My heart jumped into my throat. If only I could pull her into my arms again.

But then she turned from me. She walked to Lamar and he offered her his arm instead. She took it and they walked away.

She watched me, looking back until they reached the door.

Then she was gone, but the strong scent of her fear remained.

Maybe what frightened her wasn’t a person. Maybe she didn’t have a name to give.

Maybe it was something with the baby.

My stomach dropped.

My phone was in my hand before I knew what I was doing, and I dialed Nancy at the hospital.

As it rang, I rushed down the hall to my dorm room. If something was endangering the baby, I didn’t know what I would do. I might lose myself in panic and fully shift.

I couldn’t do that in the hallway.

When Nancy finally picked up, I skipped the pleasantries.

“Tell me if something is wrong with Cynthia or the baby.”

Nancy hesitated, so I spoke again.

“Tell me if –”

“I heard you,” she said. “Did something happen?”

A bit of relief slid between my ribs, letting me breath. If Nancy didn’t already know, then it might not be the baby after all.

“She’s frightened. She wouldn’t tell me why.”

“Asher. You know I’m not allowed to discuss Cynthia’s health with you without her explicit consent.”

My growl returned, unbidden. I didn’t want to threaten Nancy, she’d always been patient and kind, but I couldn’t help myself.

She sighed. “But, I haven’t seen Cynthia to ask for permission. Not since the last time you two were here together. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

If Nancy hadn’t seen Cynthia, that was more evidence that whatever was frightening Cynthia did not relate directly to the baby’s health. But what else could it be?

A thought suddenly struck me. “Nancy. Please transfer me to Irene.”

Nancy paused again. Any relief I had felt vanished.

“I’ll connect you to her personal phone,” Nancy said. “Don’t call her through the hospital again. Do you understand?”

Strange.

“I do.”

Nancy transferred the call.

A moment later, Nurse Irene picked up with an unpleasant, “Who is this?”

“Asher,” I said.

“Oh, thank God.” She exhaled loudly. The phone crackled. “These investigators have been driving me up the wall. Hey, buddy, those are my files! Are you going to reorganize those?”

Investigators?

Nurse Irene wasn’t alone, I heard grunts and grumbles in the background.

I wanted more information, but I hesitated on how to ask. If Irene’s conversation was being overheard, I couldn’t ask the specific questions I wanted.

“These folks believe I know someone who has the projection ability. Can you believe that?” she said, voice strained. “Just because I wrote one paper…”

My blood ran cold.

“I keep telling them I don’t know anyone. They should know how rare that ability is, since they are from the research institute! Why do they need me to tell them that? They’re insistent though. I bet they’ll hang around me for a while.”

She paused for me to say something, so I forced myself to speak.

“That sounds… upsetting.”

“It is! I’ve been telling everyone how annoying it is. I feel like I have eyes watching my every move.”

She told everyone, so she must have told Cynthia. But if the investigators were still investigating, then they hadn’t zeroed in on her.

Yet.

No wonder she was so afraid.

“What a waste of everyone’s time,” Irene said. “They won’t even tell me who filed the initial report against me. I feel like this whole hospital has been unfairly targeted by someone who means us harm.”

Someone filed a report.

Someone who was targeting the hospital…?

Nurse Irene wouldn’t care about that, I didn’t think. She was trying to tell me something else.

Targeting… what? Who?

Cynthia.

Someone meant Cynthia harm.

“My advice? Be careful out there, kid,” Nurse Irene said. “You never know who’s out to get you.”