Elliot drove the Jeep and I trailed behind. Every now and then I would catch Easton watching me from the passenger side mirror. It was like he was afraid that I would suddenly jerk the wheel and high tail it the other way. To be fair, I half expected that of myself and I couldn't fully understand why I hadn't done that yet. Regardless, I followed the red Jeep onto a gravel road, back to a highway, and to a small town.

But once I was in the town, I was the center of attention. It seemed like every pair of eyes was on me. A woman with a stroller stared at me like I had committed a crime. A group of teenagers pointed and spoke among themselves as if they didn't understand why an outsider was here. Normally, crowds made me feel safer, like someone would intervene, now they made me feel like I was some kind of vermin.

The red Jeep parked in front of of a small home with a wrap around porch and an accent door. Easton jumped out of the passenger seat and gestured for me to follow him. Maybe I should have run then, leaving him behind once more, but my fingers turned the key and the car shut off.

Easton was already on the porch, a grin splitting his cheeks, when I shut the car door. Elliot reversed and drove off a second later.

"Do you want to sit inside or outside. I have the front porch and a back deck or we can sit in the living room or kitchen. I can make you a cup of tea too, have you had enough water today?" he rambled. I didn't know if it was nerves or excitement. It didn't seem to matter because I climbed the couple stairs and stood beside him anyway.

"Inside would be fine." True, I would be locked in with him, but there would be less eyes on me. "And no tea, but thanks."

"Right, you don't drink tea. I don't have coffee, but I could get some. I can send Elliot out to get some or one of my pack members runs a cafe we could go there," he offered as he pushed open the front door.

"I'll be fine," I assured.

When we were in his home the first thing that struck me was how clean and organized the house was. Even with all of the natural light streaming in through the windows I couldn't see a speck of dust on the flooring. His shoes were placed on a shoe rack among his other pairs. His house keys were hung on a hook. His jacket was put inside the closet. Even with all of his excitement there was no laziness. It was the opposite of what I expected a single guy's house to look like.

"Here, have a seat in the living room," he murmured, gesturing to the couches as he moved through the open floor plan to the kitchen. "I'll put on some water to boil."

Something spicy hit my nose, tangy and sweet all at once. "What is that smell?"

"I made peanut thai chicken last night. Sorry, the smell kind of lingers for a while and I was kind of...uh preoccupied last night, didn't really think to open up a window," he explained. He didn't miss a stride as he moved around the island, grabbing various things as he went.

"Oh, it smells really good," I stated as I settled on his dark leather couch. I hadn't realized how uncomfortable my bed was until I sat on something cloud soft. If I had been remotely relaxed I probably would have moaned out loud. Also, smelling real food after eating canned chili for so long was making my stomach rumble. How quickly I had forgotten creature comforts.

Easton shot me another smile and turned his back to me, tinkering in the modern kitchen. This gave me a moment to get my bearings. I was willingly on werewolf territory and it seemed that everyone aside from Easton and maybe Elliot, weren't exactly thrilled about it. I must have been crazy.

But, I had my car keys in my pocket and nothing was between me and my main exit. Each time I had tried to leave, Easton relented eventually. I had faith that he would let me go if I decided that I was no longer safe, though I doubted he would ever allow me to feel threatened.

And now, I needed answers. I didn't think that Easton was lying to me anymore and it didn't seem like he was being a pawn either. That was all good and well, but now I had more questions than I knew what to do with. 

"So, can you tell me what happened to me last night?" I asked. "You said you were trying to give me space, but you couldn't after last night."

"Oh," Easton whispered. His fingers fumbled a little as he tried to tie his teabag to the mug handle. The hand then dove upwards to rub the back of his neck. "How about you start by telling me what you felt last night?"

That was a terrible idea. I was not about to spout off how I had almost touched myself, thinking about him, a man I barely knew. 

"My skin got really hot," I said flatly, slumping onto the couch.

"Yeah, that happens. But one of my pack members said that they heard you screaming," he pushed. And the words came out of his mouth smoothly, but his cheeks were flaming red and he couldn't meet my eyes.

He knew.

"It was out of frustration."

"What kind of frustration?"

"Easton," I groaned. 

His gaze snapped to my face, no longer seeming so bashful or timid. It was as if saying his name was a magic spell, pulling him out of whatever was occupying his mind. I captured my lower lip between my teeth as he stared and his gaze landed squarely on my mouth. But our conversation was a little too intense to let something so small distract him for long.

"So we call it heat, like what animals go through," he admitted.

And I was appalled. I was a human being. Sort of. I was decent and good, that didn't seem sane. "Are you fucking serious? Did you put some stupid spell on me to make me attracted to you?"

"No, Kaia. It's not my choice. Trust me, I suffered as much as you did."

"I don't think you did."

Easton poured the boiled water into his cup and resumed tinkering around in the kitchen. "I won't scar you with all of the graphic deals, but it's not easy for me. Heat tends to occur when mates fight their attraction. It's meant to trigger basic animalistic need to bring us together. I don't know exactly what you went through, but I know that it took a couple of my best men to keep me in my own house."

"Why did you fight it?" I whispered. 

"Well, you made it pretty clear that you needed space. I was fine knowing that you were here on my packlands, you were safe and you were close by, even if you didn't know it. I didn't think kicking down your door in a sexual frenzy was the best way to break the silence. But my men reported screaming so once I was able to think straight, I came out to check on you."

Now it was my turn to blush. Would I really have pushed him away if he had shown up at the cabin? I could already picture him shirtless, with a light sheen of sweat and a lustful glint in his eyes. No, I certainly wouldn't have stopped him.

"So, do you have a pack here and in Aberdeen and Glasgow?" I asked, needing to change the subject as he came into the living room. A plate with thai chicken and rice was set in front of me. A glass filled with water perched on a coaster. "Oh, thank you, but you don't have to feed me." But the plate was in my lap, fork in hand already.

"Trust me, doing anything for you is damn near an honor. Now, about the packs, no. This is my pack. This is my home. Things get a little tangled up, but I used to live in Aberdeen. My parents moved here when I was about ten. Rose decided to move back to Scotland, settling in Glasgow and I go visit her about three times a year."

"Oh, that's nice," I mumbled around a mouthful of food. Now that I was here, with food in my belly, I felt my eyelids grow heavy. What was it about Easton that was so damn comforting?

"Yeah, I volunteer at the library while she's working so I don't get bored most days. She's made it clear that her life doesn't stop because I'm there so I have to entertain myself. Christ, Kaia, when I saw you there I couldn't believe it. I almost thought you were following me. So what were you doing in Scotland?"

"Running away from you. I thought werewolves only existed here, in Canada," I replied while taking a sip of water, the food already gone. Once I set the glass back down, I laid myself sideways, getting more comfortable.

Easton ran his fingers through his thick hair, sighing. "This is what I don't understand. Well, honestly, this is one of many things I don't understand. You saw me, you knew I was a werewolf, and you risked your life in the river, hopped on a plane, and haven't stopped running since. Why are you so afraid of me if you knew what I was?"

But I couldn't answer him because my head tipped back against the arm rest and I fell asleep.