Seth woke to the sound of heavy rain and thunder, the sweet scent of honeysuckle clinging to his skin.

He opened eyes to find Annalise curled against him, her mouth ajar and her slender body wrapped in the shirt he'd discarded before crawling into bed. Through the fog of the sleep clouding his head, the steady sound of her breathing brought a smile to his face.

Without knowing the slightest bit about this woman, everything about this felt...good. Right, even. Natural.

Annalise stirred, burrowing deeper against his body, the lilt of her words broadening his smile. "You just gonna watch me or you gon' tell me good mornin'?"

Seth chuckled, rolling onto his back. "Yeah, if you tell me what you're doing in my room."

"Isn't it obvious?" She asked, her eyes still closed. "This bed's bigger."

He watched her roll over onto her stomach, arching her back into a deep stretch. As she writhed, the hem of his shirt rode up and exposed the soft curve of her ass, effectively halting his breathing.

"And the real answer?" He prodded, trying to keep his attention on the conversation at hand.

She sighed, settling back into the mattress. "Just can't let a little mystery in your life, can you?"

Seth snorted. "I don't know about you, but I don't make a habit of letting strange women in my house, let alone my bed."

Annalise's nose wrinkled and she sat upright. "I can leave, if it's uncomfortable," she said, her tone only half-apologetic.

As she inched toward the foot of his bed, Seth sighed and leaned forward to wrap his arms around her waist to stop her. In one fluid motion, he yanked her backward. She yelped, her back crashing against his chest with enough force to knock the breath out of his lungs.

Right, Seth remembered. Though Annalise looked slender and willowy, she was as solid as any female shapeshifter. He laughed. She really might give him a run for his money. He'd never not had to be careful with someone before.

"If you wanted me on top of you, all ya had to do was ask," she laughed, pulling his arms tighter around her frame.

"Shut up," he muttered, his cheeks hot.

She leaned back to waggle her eyebrows before relaxing against him. "Protection," she said, the amusement still tinting her words. "Warmth. Affection. That's why I'm here. Where I'm from, we stick close to each other when we're vulnerable—you're easy prey when you're asleep, you know."

"Please," he scoffed. "Even asleep, I've got the best ears on the rez."

Annalise huffed out a laugh. "Right." She drew the word out into two syllables with a patronizing nod of the head. "That's why you didn't hear a full-grown coyote crawling into your bed this mornin'."

Coyote? Her words came as a shock to his system. Seth had barely listened to the stories of the tribal elders, but he knew his people's own origin stories. To be honest, he was a lot less interested in the mechanics of things and much more concerned about the being. Now, though, he suddenly wished he'd paid more attention. He found he didn't just want to know more; something about the woman in his lap made him want to know everything.

"That's different," he responded, giving her the same vague answer he'd given her last night. It was the best answer he had. The situation was different, because she was different.

"So you do like a little mystery," she teased, turning in his lap. Her eyes, more green than hazel today, watched his face with a wicked gleam.

He did, he couldn't lie, but mystery was dangerous. Especially for them, and especially right now. If she truly had a run-in with Paul last night, it was any wonder why they hadn't already been found out.

"How did you get away from Paul?" Seth asked, dying to know. "He's one of our best fighters. Almost better than Leah."

At this, Annalise looked away, a slow tic beginning to work in her jaw. Hesitantly, he reached to cup the side of her face, gently turning her gaze back to him. "How did you do it, Annalise?"

It was the first time her name had come out of his mouth and it rolled off his tongue as naturally as her being in his arms. In his bed.

She slid off his lap and over the side of the bed, her bare feet slapping against the hardwood floors of his bedroom as she stood upright. "I did what I had to," she answered, all humor gone from her voice.

Seth's blood ran cold at the implication. "Please tell me you didn't—"

She sighed, pulling her hair into a loose pony tail, her eyes trained on the grooves in the paneled walls. "No, but I'd have been well within reason to kill him, you know. That son of a bitch attacked me with zero provocation." She turned back to face him. "But I didn't. Because of you."

Seth wanted to respond but the snapping of limbs in the forests around his home froze him in place.

Someone was moving fast and they were headed straight toward them.

He shot up, one arm finding its way around Annalise's waist to press her tight against his side. Though he'd been right to question the events that led to her needing medical attention, he'd been a few hours too late in asking and now, well...they were running out of time.

"Whatever you do, just follow my lead, okay?"

He felt her stiffen next to him, her feet planting themselves against the floor as if offended by the idea. "You don't own me, you know."

Any other time, he might have indulged her weird angst but not was not the time. "Just stick close to me, please." He mumbled, instinctively moving back to her side though, this time, he was careful to keep his arms to himself.

The front door crashed open, Leah's panicked voice echoing to the back of the house. "Seth!"

Oh thank God, he thought, rushing into the hall. As soon as his sister saw him, she let loose, her words flying out faster than he could keep up.

"We've got a huge problem," she started. "Paul claimed he was attacked last night in the woods by something, said it was like a coyote but almost as big as us. He got in about an ago. Told Sam by the time he regained consciousness this morning, the shapeshifter that attacked him was long gone. He couldn't trace its scent once the rain started."

Seth staggered back. "Not Annalise," he found himself hoping.

"No, Big Foot." Leah rolled her eyes. "Yes, stupid. The coyote part might've thrown me for a loop but what other mysterious shifter is hanging around here? Face it, little bro, your girlfriend's in some deep shit if you don't get her out of here like, now, unless you can come up with a good ass excuse for why they shouldn't retaliate."

"I've got one," Annalise chimed in, leaning against the doorway to his room. "That son of a bitch attacked me and I defended myself."

Seth groaned, his body dropping back against the opposite wall of the hallway. "This is seriously messed up," he muttered. The day hadn't even started. Hell, he hadn't even begun to think of a game plan for bringing Annalise around the others, let alone found out for himself what actually happened out there.

"I don't understand what I did that was so wrong? If I had attacked him first, he wouldn't have hesitated to do the same."

"How much time do we have?" Seth asked, looking over Leah's shoulder to the yard.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Not long. Without her scent, they'll head back to where Paul ran into her...about 20 miles south. That's maybe a 10 minute run from here—less if they're hauling ass. You might get lucky since the rain's hiding her scent, but we both know it won't be long until they find her."

This was the exact opposite of a good thing. If they could leave in enough time...with the rain giving them a slight advantage, maybe they could scrape by unseen. But then what? The body-sized hole in his bathroom window would be a dead giveaway that Seth was harboring a fugitive.

Going out on a limb, Seth ran back to his room and grabbed his phone. It felt like ages waiting for Embry to answer the phone and, when he did, he cursed. He wasn't expecting to hear the voices of the others in the background.

"Uh, hey, Em," Seth greeted slowly.

"Seth, you heard?" Embry cut straight to the chase. The noise in the background quieted and he knew the others would be listening. "Get down to Sam's as soon as you can."

"Actually," Seth said quickly, fighting to keep the roiling panic in his chest to a simmer. His eyes flickered from Annalise to Leah, the words out of his mouth before he thought better of it. "I think I have a lead. But, I need your help to check it out first. It's probably nothing but it wouldn't hurt to have you at my back."

Annalise's lip curled back over her teeth, the shock of betrayal on her face. He grimaced. She would just have to understand.

"Got it. I'll swing by in a few. Thanks, kid." Embry answered before ending the call.

Seth turned his attention back to Annalise, who growled in warning. "It's not what it sounds like. Trust me, we'd rather Embry get here before Sam does."

Annalise cast a wary glance at Leah, as if she trusted her more than she did him right now.

Leah nodded, picking up on the same subtle message. "Embry's the acting alpha for our pack, but he's the most level-headed out of all of us except maybe Seth."

"Acting alpha?" Annalise questioned, her face the picture of disbelief.

"I told you, it's complicated." Seth ushered them both into the living room, hating how the hallway was starting to feel cramped. "When we first phased, Jake should have been the real alpha, but he let Sam have it. Said he didn't want this life, let alone to be responsible for others. One day, Sam gave an order Jacob couldn't obey, so he split."

"Why? If this Jake is as strong as you claim, he should have fought. What wolf allows the weak to lead?" Annalise questioned, her words harsh in a way that gave Seth and Leah pause. Sam was the farthest thing from weak, but that wasn't the point right now.

"Leadership is a birthright in our tribe," he explained quickly. "So, when Jake gave up his place as alpha...well, Sam was next, and he saw it as an honor to protect our tribe. Jake didn't."

Annalise curled her lip. "He'd have been exiled if it were me. You don't abandon your own."

"Listen, Annie, we can compare pack politics later." Leah chimed, cutting off the mini-lesson. "Right now, we need a compelling fucking argument before Embry gets here or you're dead. Simple as that." Her tone left no room for arguments.

Annalise glowered. "It's like I said, it was self-defense. I was on my way here, minding my own business when he came out of nowhere. I wasn't going to let him kill me, so I fought back. The only reason he isn't dead now is out of respect for Seth."

"How noble. That's not really helping your case here," Leah muttered. "And it isn't enough to convince them. It's your word against Paul's and, no offense, but we don't know you."

"She could swear loyalty to Embry...or to you even. Join our pack. They'll know she's not lying if they can hear her thoughts."

"That's a big if, Seth." Leah's doubt was seriously grating his nerves. If she was just going to shoot down his ideas, she could've at least bought them some extra time.

Annalise glared at Seth. "I will not submit."

He'd never wanted to throttle someone before, but he thought this must be what it felt like. "Look, it's your only option. Leah was Jacob's second in command before we thought she'd stopped phasing."

Leah shook her head. "No one knows I've been phasing and I want to keep it that way. Pick a different option."

"Leah, please. I need you and you know she's harmless—" Seth paused, glancing over at his imprint who, at this point, was struggling to contain her anger. "—at least unprovoked."

"I don't know that," Leah snapped back. "I just met her last night. The only reason I'm choosing to trust her is because she's your imprint. She's hardwired to make sure you're safe. That's all I care about."

"Can you two stop talking about me like I'm not here?" Annie snarled, her chest rising and falling violently with each huff of breath.

Shit. He knew that look. "Outside," he muttered, gripping Annalise's arm and hauling her through the kitchen to the back door.

She snatched free, eyes flashing dangerously as she stumbled onto the covered slab porch. "If you want to keep that hand, I suggest you keep it to yourself."

Leah growled, shouldering herself in between them. "Watch it."

Seth wanted to talk his sister down, talk them both down, before it was too late, but this was the worst situation he could be in: choosing between his sister and his imprint.

With a snarl, Annalise returned her ire. She stepped forward, her eyes level with Leah. "Make me, bitch."


A/N: Ooo, sucks to be Seth right about now.