Chapter 18 · The Name Under His Skin

Derek steps out of the dark like he owns it.

I'm still on my knees. Cole's weight is half across my lap. His blood's all over my hands. The water around us is black and it stinks like rust and old stone.

Derek doesn't look wet. He doesn't look tired. He looks like a man who just walked into his own house and found someone stealing his shit.

"Ivy." His voice doesn't echo. It just fills the space. "You're bleeding."

I am. My side's torn where I shifted wrong. The baby kicked twice since I dragged Cole through the gate. Kicked hard. Like she knows.

"I'm fine," I say.

"You're not." He takes a step closer. The two wolves behind him don't move. One of them is holding a light but it's pointed down. I can see Derek's boots. Expensive. Clean. "You shifted. You shouldn't have done that."

"I didn't have a choice."

"You did." He crouches. Still three feet away. Still too close. "You could've stayed in the clinic. Let Rena handle it. Let me handle it."

I tighten my grip on Cole. His chest moves. Barely. "You sent them after me."

"I sent them to bring you home."