Chapter One
Matt exited the elevator and hurried toward the nurse’s station. Chandra’s texts claimed that Sage’s condition was stable, and she was merely being held for observation, but he needed to see her for himself.
He hadn’t seen Sage in over a year—not since the assault that had changed his life.
In truth, he’d been afraid to see her. After the attack, he’d avoided anyone he cared about out of concern for their safety.
He’d changed and he’d needed a few months on his own to adjust. He’d quit his job at a web services company and hit the road, travelling by bus, train, and sometimes on foot.
In hindsight, he realized that he should have stayed with the O’Connor pack longer.
But several influential members of the pack were relatives of his assailant.
While they’d been remorseful of her actions, he’d never felt welcome.
His presence was a constant reminder of the stain on their family’s honor.
So, he’d left and as a result, his werewolf education was sadly lacking. There was so much he didn’t know about being a werewolf.
As he approached, the nurse at the desk glanced up. Her eyes widened briefly. Then she blinked. She straightened in her seat and rearranged her hair so that the golden waves cascaded over her shoulder. Flashing him a flirtatious smile, she inquired, “How can I help you?”
He returned her smile with a polite one of his own. Her reaction to his appearance was one he’d become accustomed to receiving since his teens. “Hi. I’m here to see Sage H—”
“Slut, there you are.”
Matt grinned and turned to face Chandra.
She stood outside one of the hospital rooms. Other than a few added pounds and a change in her haircut, she looked much the same as she had in college.
“Cockblocker, this is a hospital. Show some respect.” He thanked the nurse before continuing down the corridor.
Chandra rolled her eyes. “We don’t have time to wait for you to pick up chicks.” She threw her arms around him and drew him into a hug.
He automatically returned her embrace. They’d become friends over the years despite her insistence on calling him a slut. But he stiffened at her words. “We don’t have time? But you said she was fine. Did something happen?”
“Don’t panic. She’s being discharged. We’re just waiting for the paperwork.”
He nodded and moved around her, eager to see Sage. Cutting her out of his life had been the emotional equivalent of serving a limb.
“Um, Matt, wait—”
He pushed the door open. Sage sat at the edge of the hospital bed fully dressed, her thick ebony curls parted down the middle and braided in cornrows. A white bandage, some bruising, and scratches were the only visible signs of injury.
Her beautiful face lit up when she saw him. Two steps and he crushed her in his arms. She leapt off the bed and met him halfway with a happy shout of his name. His duffel slipped off his should and fell to the floor, forgotten. He buried his face in her curls and breathed in her scent.
Fuck. His legs wobbled as his knees grew weak. She’d always smelled good to him, but this…. The sweet mouthwatering mix of browning butter and brown sugar hit his system like a sledgehammer to the gut. His arms tightened around her. He never wanted to let her go.
His dormant cock filled with blood so swiftly that he grew lightheaded.
His mind spun. He hadn’t had a hard-on since he’d been changed.
Though embarrassed, he’d been concerned enough to see a doctor.
A battery of tests revealed no physical reason behind his sudden erectile dysfunction at only twenty-eight.
The doctor had suggested an emotional component might be the cause of his issues and had referred him to a therapist. He’d gone a few times, but the therapist wasn’t a werewolf.
Though werewolves were now public knowledge, there were still secrets—chief among those was that humans could be changed.
Fortunately, out of pure habit, he’d shifted his hips away from Sage. His cock had always responded to her. What he couldn’t hide was the deep satisfied growl that rumbled from his throat.
Sage withdrew and cupped his jaw. “Are you okay? You should have told me about your father. I would have been there.”
How like Sage to inquire after his welfare while standing in her hospital room! He tugged her hands away from his face but kept them in his grip. “I know you would have, but I couldn’t ask that of you. How are you? What happened?”
“A drunk driver ran a red light as she was crossing an intersection,” a male voice replied.
Matt tensed. He’d been so wrapped up in Sage and her scent that he’d failed to notice the man sitting in the corner.
It was all Matt could do to not snap at him.
His animal side did not like to be surprised in this manner.
It felt like an ambush and his body reacted instinctively, readying itself for attack.
Sage’s lips compressed for a fleeting second. “Matt this is Preston.”
Preston rose and offered his hand even as he sized Matt up with his gaze. “We finally meet.”
Matt glanced from Preston to Sage, wondering at the other male’s presence.
“Nice to meet you,” he said automatically as he shook Preston’s hand.
He kept his other arm wrapped around Sage, effectively holding her captive at his side.
Staking his claim. “Does this mean that you two…?” he asked, dreading the answer.
Throughout college and the intervening years afterward, he and Preston had never met. Though it hadn’t been intentional, it kind of was. He’d never wanted to see Sage with another man. The mere mention of Preston ruined his day.
Sage had called off her wedding to Preston a month before the big event. If he’d only known at the time…. Matt hoped his presence at the hospital didn’t signify an attempt at reconciliation.
“Oh, no,” Sage answered.
“We could be,” Preston said simultaneously.
Matt’s eyebrows rose. A maelstrom of emotions rolled about in his belly. Anger and possession fought for dominance. This fucker had his chance with Sage. As far as Matt was concerned, Preston could fuck right off for good.
“Preston was visiting his parents in town when he heard about my accident,” Sage explained quickly.
“My parents are celebrating their thirty-fifth wedding anniversary. Long successful marriages run in my family,” Preston said proudly, his expression smug.
Matt resisted the urge to roll his eyes. His parents’ marriage ended in his mother’s death, so in a sense it counted as successful. Happy, it was not.
A nurse, not the same one he’d met earlier, bustled into the room with a clipboard and a pen. She smiled at Sage. “Ready to go home?”
“Yes.” Sage eagerly accepted the paperwork and signed her name where indicated. She returned the completed forms to the nurse.
The nurse scanned the paper briefly before detaching several sheets and returning them to Sage.
“These are your restrictions—foods and drinks to avoid. No alcohol—of course. You’ll need to continue to get rest. No returning to work until you’ve been cleared by your physician.
Ideally, you should have someone to watch over you or check in on you for the next few days. ”
“I’ll stay with you,” Matt volunteered. He hadn’t booked a hotel room for this very eventuality.
Preston’s shoulders went back. “That’s not necessary. I could—”
“Aren’t you leaving town?” Chandra interrupted. She’d been standing outside the open door the entire time.
“I could stay a few more days.”
“But you’d miss work,” Sage pointed out.
“I’m sure Dad will give me some time off. This is an emergency. I want to be here for you.”
“You don’t have to go through all that trouble,” Matt interjected. “I’m free.” No way was he planning on giving Preston the opportunity to win Sage back.
“I think—”
Sighing impatiently, the nurse said, “Well, I see you have plenty of volunteers. Please read these so you’ll recognize any warning signs.
There’s a prescription for painkillers on top.
I’ll send someone in to roll you out.” She patted Sage’s arm, casting a significant glance at him and Preston. “Remember rest is the best medicine.”
***
Chandra peeked around Sage to the den where Preston and Matt seemed to be engaged in a stare-off.
Sage followed her gaze. “It’s flattering, but annoying.
If you want, I’ll kick Preston’s ass and drop Matt off at a hotel.
And you can come and stay with me and Ced.
Little Ced’s sleeping through the night now. ”
Sage shook her head. She loved her friend, and she was fond of her husband and son, Cedrick and Cedrick, Jr., but after her stay at the hospital, Sage was ready for the comfort of home.
“It’s irritating, but I’ve got this under control.
” She didn’t know which of them she was more annoyed with—Preston because he’d never been there for her when she needed him.
Now that she didn’t want him around, he was adhering to her like a half-chewed wad of bubblegum on the sole of a pair of new sneakers.
Her irritation with Matt was more low-level worry.
Even though they lived in different cities, they’d always kept in touch.
Usually, they’d exchange calls and texts weekly.
But for the last seven months, he’d been evasive and vague as to where he was and what he was doing.
She still didn’t know why he’d quit his job.
At first, she’d thought Matt was trying to give her space after her almost wedding. But as the long silences dragged on, she became concerned that her good friend had serious troubles of his own.
Chandra gave her a quick hug. “I wish I could stay….”