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stomach had bottomed out when Mason told her Owen would be going with her. He’d cupped her chin, locked gazes and ordered her in no uncertain terms to trust Owen’s judgment. If danger presented itself, Owen would shield her and defend her.
    “Your job, little one, is to survive. I want you to come home in one piece, understood?” The command had come from a well of deep affection and concern. Despite her reservations, she’d agreed. Fighting wasn’t her forte, and hopefully it wouldn’t come to that.
    When the Hunter arrived at Mason’s, he’d taken the order he would be accompanying her with a stoicism bordering on total coldness. Though she hadn’t seen him since, he’d arrived at her home just before dawn and loaded her bags. Afterward, he’d held the door for her. All without saying a word.
    One hour into the drive and her nerves were screaming. “Have you ever been to Hudson River?”
    The silence lengthened. When she thought he wouldn’t answer her, he said, “No.”
    Well, that was a short conversation. She sighed. “I’ve never left Willow Bend before.” At all . Her stomach cramped. When Mason explained to her why the Hudson River Alpha wanted to borrow a healer, she’d been torn between eagerness to explore and the deep need to see if something were truly wrong.
    So why was she anxious all of the sudden? They’d long since passed the furthest she’d ever been from her home. While technically they were still within Willow Bend territory, the scenery was all alien to her.
    A warm hand covered her clasped ones. The heat of his skin revealed how icy hers had become, and she gripped the offered hand like a lifeline.
    “You’re safe,” he told her in that gruff, no nonsense voice of his. Despite his rough tone—or maybe because of it—she believed him and relaxed.
    “I don’t know why I’m nervous. We’re coming back, and we’re going to help.” And she was babbling, but she couldn’t help it. “I think it just hit me we’re not only leaving Willow Bend, we’re really leaving it, and we’ll be somewhere else that isn’t here, with wolves that aren’t ours, and do I sound completely insane?”
    “No.” The single syllable echoed with an almost quiet amusement. Hey, maybe she’d broken through his taciturn reserve. He kept his hand on hers, and she savored the feel of his flesh. He surprised her by continuing. “Leaving our territory is always hard. Wolves want to be home.”
    She supposed that was true, for some at least. “Not all wolves.” Some liked to roam. They preferred freedom to being tied to one location, or maybe they simply wanted their own company. “You don’t.” Dammit, why had she added the last bit? He’d talked to her instead of ignoring her existence.
    “No, I guess I don’t.” The self-reflective shrug in the words surprised her. “But not staying in town isn’t the same as leaving our territory.”
    “True.” She hadn’t thought of it that way. “Have you ever been to any other territory?” While she didn’t recall any trips he’d taken, that didn’t mean he hadn’t. Weeks passed when she didn’t see him at all.
    “A few times, actually.” So many words in such a little time, it was almost like winning the Owen Jackpot. Without her asking, he continued. “Once to Sutter Butte to deliver a rogue, a couple of times to the Yukon to deliver a warning and to Delta Crescent with my father.”
    “You went to the Yukon pack?” Shock rippled through her and she shifted in the seat to face him. His jaw tightened and he cut her a quick look, eyebrows raised.
    “Yes. They aren’t boogeymen, just wolves like us with surlier dispositions.”
    Surlier than Owen? She snorted. “I don’t believe you.”
    A smile quirked the corner of his mouth and she forgot how to breathe. Mirth transformed him from handsome to startlingly good-looking. “It’s really cold up north. They don’t play like we do.” The emphasis on the word play stroked over her