He hadn’t even paused to consider that she had already said there was no transport available.
Olivia’s safety had been immediate.
Adriana’s had been optional.
In the end, she walked.
Twenty kilometers through dim forest paths, her heels blistered and her wolf exhausted.
Headlights eventually cut through the darkness behind her—an expensive black Audi A8 gliding to a halt.
Nathanie stepped out, furious.
“Are you trying to be dramatic?” he snapped. “I circled the spot you mentioned three times. You weren’t there.”
“I waited—I couldn’t—” she began.
He didn’t let her finish. He grabbed her wrist, pulled her into the car, and slammed the door shut hard enough that something metallic scattered across the floor.
Later, she realized one of the buttons from his coat had broken off during his outburst.
From that night onward, she stopped telling herself stories.
She knew where she stood.
Forcing her thoughts back to the present, she looked at him calmly.
“I’m part of the Healing Corps too,” she said gently. “I’ll manage. You should go. Don’t keep… whoever it is… waiting.”
Whatever faint flicker of hesitation he might have had disappeared at her easy tone.