Chapter Three

Jonah slammed the door shut before his neighbors could see a massive wolf on his living room floor. "You have to get that metal out of him."

"We're going to discuss why you're not losing your mind after I take care of Kijani." Deputy Kingsman curled his hand around the metal object and yanked it out.

At the sight of blood pouring from the hole it had left behind, Jonah slapped a hand over his mouth as he gagged.

He ran to his bathroom and grabbed a clean towel, hurrying back to hand it over. "You need to put pressure on the wound, Deputy Kingsman."

"Call me Slater." He grabbed the towel from Jonah and pressed it against the wound.

The sight of blood dripping onto his floor was going to make Jonah pass out. He couldn't handle blood, and he didn't like needles, either. Both had always made him squeamish. When he was younger and needed a shot, his mom would have to hold him down.

That was one reason Jonah took excellent care of his teeth. He didn't want the dentist jamming anything sharp into his mouth. It was bad enough hearing the whirling and buzzing of tools while he was in the waiting room.

"What happened to Kijani?" And why had he shown up at Jonah's house when he was wounded and naked? Jonah wanted to help, but he just couldn't understand why Kijani had come there.

He moved to the other side of the wolf, the side lacking blood on the floor, and lowered to his knees. The animal was magnificent. His fur held streaks of brown and black, and Jonah was unable to stop himself from running his fingers through the soft-looking coat.

He knew shifters existed, but he'd never seen one in its animal form or in the process of transforming.

"He rescued a kid from an overturned SUV." Slater pulled the towel away and looked at the wound then pressed the cloth back against the wolf. "Right when he got out, the damn thing exploded. Pieces of the vehicle shot everywhere, including into him."

Jonah's mouth fell open. He couldn't imagine being involved in something so dangerous and was grateful Kijani had survived. "That was the call he got when he was here."

Slater nodded. "Multi-car accident on South Green Road. Firefighters got the woman out of the SUV, but she yelled about her baby. Kijani jumped into the vehicle without a second thought." Slater looked at Jonah. "Stubborn son of a bitch refused to go home to heal. Said he promised his honey bee that he would come back."

Jonah was at a loss for words. He could already tell Kijani was a good guy from the way the deputy had comforted him after the fiasco with Flint. He'd gone above and beyond his duty and didn't owe Jonah anything.

Yet, even wounded, he'd kept his word.

"Now you mind telling me why you're not losing your shit over this?" Slater jerked his chin toward the wolf, curiosity in his blue-green eyes. "You don't have to tell me. It's none of my business, but I'm curious as hell."

Jonah had only met the deputy a few hours earlier. Though he was thankful the guy had hauled Flint out of there, that didn't make them close friends.

"Guess we all have our secrets." Slater pulled the towel away again, but this time, he set it aside. "The bleeding stopped. His body is already healing." He studied Jonah thoughtfully. "Should I assume you're okay with him staying here?"

"As opposed to you carrying a massive wolf out my front door?"

Slater chuckled as he stood. "That would make an interesting sight for your neighbors. It would be as bad as Kijani trying to explain why he crawled out of that SUV naked."

Jonah arched a brow. "Does he normally shed his clothes during rescues?"

A snort of amusement escaped Slater before he sobered, his blue-green eyes growing pensive. "Sheriff Harper told me Kijani's foot got stuck. The stench of gas around the SUV grew stronger, and then the engine caught fire. I'm assuming Kijani shifted to get his foot out so he could escape."

Or barely escape.

Jonah looked at the metal resting on the floor, still coated in Kijani's blood. Things could've gone horribly wrong. Fatally wrong. "I'll look after him while he heals."

It was the least he could do after Kijani had been there for him. He pushed to his feet and walked the deputy to the door. In that short amount of time, it had grown dark outside. Jonah extinguished the light in the living room to conceal the wolf sleeping on his floor.

His neighbors might have saved his life earlier when they'd called the cops, but they were still nosy as hell and would wonder why there was another police cruiser at his house.

They'd probably already seen a giant, powerfully built—and very naked—guy on his front porch. He didn't want to provide them with any further ammunition for their gossiping tongues.

Despite Jonah not owning any pets, if any of his neighbors spotted the enormous wolf, they would probably assume he'd just adopted a very large dog.

Hopefully.

"Tell him to call me when he wakes up." Slater stepped onto the porch.

Jonah stood in the doorway and noticed his neighbor from across the street, Mr. Pritchard, peering at them from his window. Jonah pulled the door closed behind him to block the guy's view.

The neighborhood where Jonah lived in Midnight Falls was mostly middle class with decent homes and nice residents. That was why he'd chosen to purchase a home in this area.

But there were still some individuals who needed to get a life.

As Slater drove off, Jonah hurried back inside. He turned the light back on and stared at the wolf.

This bizarre situation was completely unexpected. He had hoped Kijani would come back, but he never expected the guy would show up in the buff with a thick piece of metal sticking out of his body.

Or that he would shift into a wolf.

Kijani would heal all on his own. There was nothing for Jonah to do but wait. His head snapped around when his doorbell rang. He doubted it was Slater returning, so he crept over to one of the windows and peeked through his blinds, afraid it would be Flint at his door, even though he'd been hauled off to jail.

What the hell?

Why on earth was Arlo standing on his porch? Since they'd broken up, not once had Arlo set foot near Jonah's house. Though Arlo was the reason Jonah and Flint constantly argued, the reason they'd gotten into it tonight, he was clueless to the fact he was the fuse of nearly every argument they'd had. Still, Arlo had felt Flint's animosity whenever Flint had shown up at Jonah's job. So why was he here now?

If Flint had still been there right now, a murder might have taken place.

And of course, now that there was a wolf sleeping on his living room floor, that was when the guy decided to drop by.

Talk about the worst timing.

"I just saw you looking through your blinds," Arlo called out.

Jonah jerked away from the window.

"I really need to talk to you." Arlo repeatedly pressed the doorbell, the incessant ringing echoing through the house. "Come on, Jonah. Answer your door."

"I can't talk right now!" Jonah sprinted to the couch and grabbed the throw blanket then tossed it over the wolf. The blanket barely covered its midsection.

"I heard about Flint getting arrested."

Jonah furrowed his brows as he stared at the door. It had only been two hours since Flint's arrest. How in the hell had Arlo heard about it?

"I'm not leaving until we talk," Arlo insisted.

Gritting his teeth, Jonah stormed toward the door. He'd had enough of asshole men for one day. Fine, if the guy wanted to talk, they were going to talk. Jonah opened the door and quickly stepped outside, slamming it behind him.

Arlo's eyes widened as he took a step back. "Aren't you going to invite me inside?"

"I would if I'd asked you to come over," Jonah retorted, careful to keep his voice down so the neighbors wouldn't get yet another show. "Don't you ever stand on my porch and make a scene like that again."

"It was the only way to get you to answer your door," Arlo argued.

Jonah mentally counted to ten before responding. "What do you want?"

"Flint's hostility must've rubbed off on you." Arlo crossed his arms. "Forgive me for being concerned about you when I heard your boyfriend got hauled away in handcuffs."

"I don't know how you found out, but it's none of your business." Jonah stared coolly at him. "Your right to be concerned ended the night we broke up."

Arlo's eyes hardened. "You were a nice guy until you started dating that jerk."

"Don't twist the truth. I was a doormat until I finally ended things with you. Now what?" Jonah demanded with a bitter tone. "Flint gets arrested so you think you can swoop in and offer me a shoulder to cry on?"

He realized he was directing his anger and fear from Flint's actions toward Arlo, as well as his fear of what could have happened to Kijani when that SUV blew up.

No two ways about it. Jonah was rattled and furious as the weight of everything pressed down on him, causing him to lash out at the first person who'd irritated him enough to unleash all those pent-up emotions.

"Just because Flint was a dick to you doesn't mean you have to treat others that way," Arlo bit out. "I thought we'd put our past behind us and were finally getting along, but I see I was wrong."

"I've just had a really bad day." Jonah pinched the bridge of his nose. Bad day didn't even begin to describe what he'd been through in the past few hours. He felt chewed up and spit out, and the night wasn't even over yet.

Arlo's shoulders slumped. "I know I wasn't a great boyfriend, and I'm sorry. Even though things didn't work out between us, I still care about you, Jonah, and I want to be there for you…as a friend."

Not once had Arlo apologized while they were dating, and Jonah wasn't sure how to react.

Arlo continued, "I heard about Flint from a friend, and I couldn't stand the thought of you being alone and vulnerable. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Jonah rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, Arlo, I appreciate your worry, but now isn't a good time."

Despite the guy's reasons for coming by, that didn't make up for their past. Not by a longshot. Jonah didn't mind them being amiable at work, but that was where it ended. He didn't want Arlo showing up at his house or assuming they could spend time together off the clock.

"I understand." Arlo smiled. "Maybe another time?"

"I really have to get back inside. I'll see you at work." Jonah reached behind his back and grabbed the doorknob. He didn't like the hopeful look in Arlo's eyes. If the guy thought there was a possibility of rekindling their relationship, he was sorely mistaken.

As Arlo headed to his car, Jonah prayed the universe wouldn't throw any more bullshit his way. But deep down, he had a feeling the universe would only flip him off and do what it damn well pleased.