Chapter Seven
Nory was over the moon.
It had been two days since she’d gone for coffee with Liam, and when he texted her this morning unexpectedly when she was at work, she’d been so excited.
He’d started off by saying they needed to talk, and she was all for it. As soon as she saw the first three numbers on the caller ID pop up as the three numbers she’d remembered from Liam’s phone, she’d asked who it was just to double-check. He’d answered right away. Liam.
Relief had flooded her as he joked and talked about his day.
He’d said he’d been hanging out with his Pack over the last couple of days and hadn’t been getting back to the apartment complex until late at night, and she’d gone all in.
She’d even sent him a picture of the cute pair of German Shephard puppies she groomed today.
He’d stayed in the conversation and sent her some pictures of some gorgeous woods back, and admitted he’d Changed earlier today, and her crush had grown by the minute.
He was being more open now and she loved getting to know him.
She’d been distracted all day, and equal parts nervous and excited, because he’d asked her out on a date.
That’s what he’d called it. A date at a nice restaurant called Theodore’s.
She’d never been there before, but she already knew what she would wear for it.
She’d been saving this skintight green dress for the perfect occasion, and tonight was the night.
A date with a werewolf. Her. Nory Hunter.
Ha! Her childhood classmates would’ve never believed it in a million years!
He must’ve called it off with the she-wolf if he was asking her out.
She was going to get down to the bottom of all of that tonight, over dinner.
She also had more questions about the rules for werewolves. She wanted to know everything.
She had no idea how he got her phone number, but she didn’t even care. Today was the best day ever.
Are you heading home soon? He texted.
She’d had her phone face up all day so she could respond right away. Yep! Getting to my car now. Speaking of car, do you want to take yours or mine tonight? Send.
My car. I’m a gentleman.
Nory frowned at the text. His car? He didn’t have a car. He had a pickup truck.
I’m getting some stuff done for my Pack right now, but I’ll be back soon. Can you let me know when you get home safe?
She smiled and got butterflies in her stomach. It was really sweet that he was this big tough werewolf but still was caring with her. Sure thing. I’ll be home in twenty. Send.
Her stomach did flip-flops of excitement as she got into her car and started the drive home.
She had a black pair of heels she could wear tonight, and a matching purse.
She pulled to a stop at the red light. It was weird that he’d called his truck his car.
She’d grown up with truck-driving classmates, and they always called them trucks, and proudly.
It was a simple slip of the fingers though. Easy mistake.
The light turned green, and she pressed her foot onto the gas. She was only fifteen minutes from the apartment complex now, but there was something just scratching at her mind.
Her phone lit up with a text, and at the next stop light, she read it.
How much longer until you are home?
This little uncomfortable sensation snaked in her gut. She’d told him twenty minutes. It had only been seven. Soon, she typed out quickly, and sent it before the light turned green.
How long? he replied.
And now big red alarm bells were ringing. Liam seemed controlling. She hadn’t gotten that vibe from him when they’d hung out.
On a whim, she hit the call button. She wanted to hear his voice.
Liam didn’t answer.
Huh.
But he was clearly right by his phone. He was texting. She called again to no answer.
Can’t pick up right now. With my Pack. She read this response at the last light before she turned into her apartment complex.
Something felt off. Liam had gone silent on her for two days. She barely saw his truck in the parking lot, and he hadn’t found any excuses to show up at her place or talk to her by the mailbox or anything.
He’d just…disappeared. And now he was back, texting her fifty times in a row?
She loved the open communication, and loved learning about his life and his Pack, but there was this unsettled feeling growing inside of her chest cavity.
When she pulled into the parking lot of her apartment complex, she looked automatically for his truck, like she always did now. That was silly. He’d already told her he was with his Pack. Of course his truck wasn’t here.
Laughing at herself, Nory got out and locked her car, and like always, checked the blinds of Jackson’s window as she passed to get to the stairs.
They didn’t lift. Thankfully, he’d been MIA since she’d told him off at Shipwrecks.
Gah, she should’ve done that months ago. Jackson had just needed a firm ‘no.’
She took the stairs two at a time, humming to herself. She smelled like dog shampoo and wanted to take a shower before she went out with Liam in a couple of hours.
I’m back, Liam texted. Sorry I was in the woods. We Change as a Pack.
He really trusted her. Truly, he trusted her.
He’d been so shut down on talking about his Pack before, but now he was so open, and she loved it.
He understood her. He understood that she wouldn’t ever judge him for that side of his life.
To her, it was all new and exciting and she clung to every word.
She should tell Alese about the date tonight.
Nory unlocked her apartment door and went in, locked it behind her, and set her purse down.
Usually, she came home and got into comfortable clothes and started cooking, but tonight, she had plans.
She, Nory Hunter, had plans with a man she had the biggest crush on. God, she hoped she didn’t mess this up.
Her phone vibrated. Home?
She frowned at the screen. Yes. Send. She didn’t mean to sound so clipped, but she didn’t like the controlling stuff.
Sorry, I just worry. I want you to be safe.
That tracked. He really was a gentleman. At least he understood it was a bit much if he was apologizing.
She frowned and set the phone down on the coffee table, thinking. The screen lit up again. What are you wearing tonight?
Nory bent at the waist and picked the phone back up. A green dress. Send.
Send me a picture in it.
A few seconds passed as she read the text.
Please.
He would see it on her tonight, so why did he want a picture of it?
I want to make it my lockscreen. Please.
Okay, this felt weird. She set the phone back on the table and crossed her arms over her chest, staring at the screen as it faded to black. She didn’t recall Liam being pushy. Abrasive, perhaps, but not pushy.
He texted her again, and this time, it was an image. She opened it up and a wave of relief took her. It was a selfie of Liam out in some woods, giving the camera a smirk.
Okay. Okay. She could talk to him about the possessive werewolf behavior tonight, and the pushiness. None of this was a deal-breaker by any means.
You look very handsome today. She hovered her finger over the send button but chickened out and deleted it. She tried to think of something clever to say about his selfie, but nothing came to her frazzled mind, so she put a heart on the image instead.
A picture for a picture, he texted. I’ve missed seeing you.
I don’t send pictures like that to men. Send.
Come on. It’s just me. You’re mine. The faster you get comfortable with pictures, the better we will get along.
Okay, this slow anger was building inside of her and dredging up her stubborn side. She’d said no, so why was he pushing? And threatening that they wouldn’t get along if she didn’t send him pictures?
Liam was being mean. It was hurting her feelings that he wasn’t taking her boundaries seriously.
I’m going to hop in the shower now. She frowned at what she’d just written.
He would probably say something inappropriate about that, so she deleted it, and set the phone down on the table again.
She didn’t know why, but she wanted space from the conversation with him, so she left the phone in the living room while she went in to shower.
You’re mine. Those two words haunted her in the shower. He’d been so adamant about the werewolf rules, and how they couldn’t be anything but strangers, and now he was texting claiming words so flippantly?
She felt unsettled the entire time she was in the shower, and as she was rinsing conditioner out of her hair, something hit her.
Nory left the water running, left half the conditioner in her hair, and grabbed a towel, then dried her feet quickly on the bathmat and went straight for the phone. She poked the screen, and he had sent her a stack of messages.
Heart pounding, she opened her memory box and pulled out the coaster and flipped it over.
Her heart dropped to the floor. She checked the number just to make sure, but two of the numbers didn’t match.
Oh shit.
The room was spinning as so many things clicked into place that had bothered her.
This wasn’t Liam.
This wasn’t Liam at all.
This was someone pretending to be Liam.
This was Jackson.
With a gasp at the realization, she dropped the phone like it had burned her and backed away from it. It felt dangerous. She felt violated. She felt stalked.
That’s why he hadn’t answered the phone. She would’ve heard his voice and figured it out.
He was right below her. She felt it in the way her skin crawled.
Another text from him lit up the screen. She’d saved the number as Liam, so his name was on the caller ID, but that wasn’t him.
She needed to go. She needed to run. She needed to tell someone!
This was psychotic. God, she’d been so stupid. She’d talked to him all day, given access to that creep.
Hands shaking, she picked up the phone and typed in the number on the back of the coaster.
“Hello?” a growly voice picked up on the second ring.