Read Wolf Claim (Wolves of Willow Bend Book 3) for Free Online

on the babies in the morning. I’m sure they will be perfect.”
    “Thank you.” She gave the other healer a hug, before turning to Mason. A.J. stole one, and Ryan gave her a one armed hug and finally Felicia gave her one. Before Dylan could take another step, however, Owen pushed away from the wall he’d been holding up for the entire discussion.
    “You have patrol,” he told the other Hunter. “I’ll see Gillian home.” Dylan glared, but Owen met his gaze steadily. A powerful, skilled Hunter in his own right, Dylan was still no match for him and they both knew it. He waited. The other wolf grimaced and nodded once.
    Surprise filled Gillian’s face, “You don’t have to…”
    “I insist,” he told her, not glancing at Mason. If their Alpha ordered his ass to work the way he had Dylan, he was screwed, but whatever was going on in Mason’s head he kept to himself. Five minutes later, Owen ushered Gillian into his truck.
    “I can walk,” she said, offering another objection.
    “I have the truck, you’re tired. I’ll drive.” End of discussion.  
    “Okay,” she said and folded her arms. When she leaned her head back against the seat and faced the window, he half-thought she’d fallen asleep. He drove with extreme care, taking a side street to follow the loop to the street where she lived.
    The drive took the longest three minutes of his life. He pulled up to the front of her house and, before he could put the truck in park, she had the door open and was out. “Thank you for the lift.”
    After shutting the door, she headed up the walk to her porch. Owen shut the engine off and hurtled out to follow her. “Gillian, wait.”
    She already had her front door open. Despite her claim to tiredness, she moved like lightning. With a huff of a sigh, she glanced at him then turned with reluctance. “Yes, Owen?”
    The darling, little wolf refused to meet his gaze and agitation churned the sweetness of her scent. Fuck. He’d scared her.
    Again.
    Control had never been his problem, so he took Mason’s earlier advice to rein himself in and put a lid on it. Voice low, he said, “Tomorrow, when Mason calls, you’ll tell him you thought about it and decided you can’t go. Willow Bend needs you here.”
    After a long pause, Gillian gaped at him. This time she did meet his gaze. The soft topaz of her eyes was the perfect shade. “What?”
    “You heard me. You’ll tell Mason no.” He couldn’t order the Alpha on anything, but Mason said it himself—he wouldn’t send her if she weren’t willing. Locking gazes with her, he closed the distance. This close to her, he could feel her warmth like a candle, the heat flickering over his skin and teasing him. He wanted to draw his hands around her and cup the fragile flame, keep it protected from everything.
    One part of dominance was the ability to order others, to impose his will. It prevented fights and allowed him to keep fools in line. Never had he imagined doing so with her, but in this? To keep her safe?
    Yeah, better she be upset with him than tell Mason yes.
    She snapped her mouth closed and her lips compressed into a thin line. Eyes narrowed, she raised her chin and glared at him. The defiance in her stance surprised him, but without warning she stabbed a finger at his chest, striking dead center. “Owen Jeremiah Chase. How dare you give me an order like that? You have no right and no authority. What the hell kind of thing is that to do?”
    She punctuated every word with another stab to his chest. From sweet to spitfire in the blink of an eye, and he could almost feel the electric crackle of her ire skating over his skin.
    “Someone who wants to keep you safe.”
    “Uh huh.” Disgust wound through the two syllables. Color darkened her cheeks. Like so many in Willow Bend, her mixed heritage had left her gifted with skin the color of dark honey that combined with her heart shaped face and reddish blonde curls turned her into a pure beauty.
    She’s