Chapter 2
TORIN
His lip curled in distaste, he watched from the shadows as Wolfcraig’s newest arrival left the train station and headed into town.
A human. An outsider entering his territory uninvited.
Unwelcome and too damned loud, grumbling under her breath, the wheels of her large suitcase bumping over the cobblestone street.
Besides that, she was a danger to herself with her complete lack of awareness as to what stalked her in the night.
Padding after her on silent paws, Torin Matheson, Alpha of the Wolfcraig pack, licked his chops.
His nose twitched as he scented her. She smelled of travel, exhaustion, and too many other humans.
But there was something beneath that overlaying stench of humanity that made his inner wolf perk up, intrigued.
Torin bared his teeth at the very idea, a low rumble starting in his chest. Stop, he told himself.
We can’t let how interesting she smells distract us.
No humans, remember? Never again. He gave himself a full-body shake.
As curious as he was about her, he wanted her out of his territory as soon as possible.
This was not the time to have an outsider poking her nose into places she didn’t belong.
The last human he allowed to get close to him betrayed him, drained their shared bank account, and abandoned both him and their three-year-old daughter fourteen years ago, never to be heard from again.
They were flighty, deceitful liars, caring only for themselves, not for the good of the pack or for him.
Cath — beautiful, blonde Cath with clear blue eyes and a soft, deceiving voice — was a prime example.
She came into his life during a period of upheaval.
His mother had just passed, and his father, having lost his mate, retired as alpha, leaving the pack in disarray.
Despite his own grief, Torin stepped up and took the pack in hand.
Cath was there by his side, comforting and supporting him as he pieced his life back together.
He’d fallen for her, trusted her with his heart and with his pack’s secrets.
In return, she cheated on him, stole from him, and stomped all over his heart, destroying his faith in humans.
The only good to come of his relationship with her was his daughter.
He huffed out a breath, his tail swishing in agitation as he trailed behind the newcomer.
How did she even come to be here? And where was she staying?
Locals knew well enough not to invite outsiders to town this time of year.
The Wolfcraig Highland Games, held the first weekend of June, was for shifters and locals only.
The long weekend gave everyone a chance to let their hair down and show off their strength and agility in a safe setting.
Having an unfamiliar human in the area was dangerous, and he wasn’t willing to put the invited visitors at risk.
It was in his best interest to get rid of her, and fast.
But first, he needed to find out more about her.
In particular, he wanted to know where she was staying so he could rip whoever allowed her to come here a new one.
His lips curled up in a snarl, sharp white teeth flashing in the darkness.
Someone had blatantly disobeyed his orders, and that couldn’t stand. His growl deepened.
The woman stopped short and whipped her head around, her eyes wide as she stared into the darkness.
With a little huff, she muttered, “Stop jumping at every little noise, Sophie. There’s nothing out there.
And there’s no way he followed us all the way to Scotland.
” Hitching up her backpack, she tugged the end of her red braid free and flipped it over a shoulder.
Sophie, he thought, turning her name over in his mind.
Slipping behind a neatly trimmed hedge that blocked a recycling bin from sight, he cocked his head as he parsed her quiet words.
Who was this ‘he’ and why was she worried he’d followed her?
She may be an unwelcome visitor to his territory, but until she departed, he would see to it that no harm came to her.
Not from any of his pack and certainly not from this unknown man who made her voice tremble.
The visitor was a tall woman, long legs encased in faded jeans, a fuzzy pink scarf tucked into a bright blue peacoat.
The golden glow of the streetlights highlighted the soft planes of her face, a high forehead sloping down to a snub nose, and rounded cheeks.
Her tongue darted out and licked her full lips as she checked her phone and turned down the road towards the bright lights and noise of the local pub.
Moving deeper into the shadows close to the row of tidy houses lining the street, he kept pace as she moved with determined steps towards sanctuary from the dark, towards noise and people.
A keening howl split the night, a call to the pack. Torin ignored it. His beta was more than capable of running tonight’s hunt. He had a human to deal with.