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pinched the bridge of his nose. He sighed heavily and then looked at her directly for the first time since she’d begun speaking.
    She sucked in her breath at the bright gold of his eyes. He was very near a change forced by some strong emotion—and despite seeing his eyes, she couldn’t read it in his body or his scent—he’d managed to mask it from her.
    â€œThere are rules. First is that no person may be Changed against their will. Second is that no person may be Changed until they have been counseled and passed a simple test to demonstrate that they understand what that Change means.”
    She didn’t know what to say, but she finally remembered to drop her eyes away from his intense stare.
    â€œFrom what you’ve said, Leo is adding new wolves and missing others—he didn’t report that to the Marrok. Last year he came to our annual meeting with his mate and his fourth—that Boyd Hamilton—and told us that his second and third were tied up.”
    Anna frowned at him. “Boyd’s been his third for as long as I have been in the pack and Justin is his second.”
    â€œYou said that there is only one female in the pack besides you?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œThere should have been four.”
    â€œNo one has mentioned any others,” she told him.
    He looked over at the check on her fridge.
    â€œThey take your paycheck. How much do they give you back?” His voice was bass-deep with the heat of the change behind it.
    â€œSixty percent.”
    â€œAh.” He closed his eyes again and breathed deeply. She could smell the musk of his anger now, though his shoulders still looked relaxed.
    When he didn’t say anything more, she said quietly, “Is there anything I can do to help? Do you want me to leave or talk or turn on music?” She didn’t have a TV, but she still had her old stereo.
    His eyes stayed closed but he smiled, just a twitch of his lips. “My control is usually better than this.”
    She waited, but it seemed to get worse rather than better.
    His eyes snapped open and his cold yellow gaze pinned her against the wall where she sat as he uncoiled and prowled across the room.
    Her pulse jumped unsteadily and she bowed her head, curling up to be smaller. She felt rather than saw him crouch in front of her. His hands when they cupped her face were so hot she flinched—and regretted it when he growled.
    He dropped to his knees, nuzzling against her neck, then rested his body, now taut as iron, against hers, trapping her between him and the wall. He put his hands on the wall, one to each side of her, and then quit moving. His breath was hot on her neck.
    She sat as still as she could, terrified of doing anything that might break his control. But there was something about him that kept her from being truly scared, something that insisted he wouldn’t hurt her. That he never would hurt her.
    Which was stupid. All the dominants hurt those beneath them. She’d had that beaten into her more than once. Just because she could heal quickly didn’t make getting hurt pleasant. But no matter how much she told herself she ought to be frightened of him, a dominant among dominants, a strange man she’d never seen before last night (or, more accurately, very early this morning), she couldn’t.
    Though he smelled of anger, he also smelled like spring rain, wolf, and man. She closed her eyes and quit fighting, letting the sweet-sharpness of his scent wash away the fear and anger aroused by telling this man about the worst thing that ever happened to her.
    As soon as she relaxed he did as well. His rigid muscles loosened and his imprisoning arms slid down the wall to rest lightly on her shoulders.
    After a while, he pulled away slowly, but stayed crouched so his head was only slightly higher than hers. He put a gentle thumb under her chin and raised her head until she gazed into his dark eyes. She had the sudden feeling