Chapter 5 - Hanson

Elena's scent remained in Hanson's nostrils even when he slipped out through the kitchen and into the gardens. Barely managing to acknowledge Bonnie's greeting with a wave, he stormed across the patio and over the lawn.

The wolf inside him was clawing at his insides, desperate to get out and turn right around, to get back to her. The scent of her was just too intoxicating. It made him feel all manner of things he would rather not feel. Besides, she was Eddie's sister, and the way he had been looking at him for the last few days didn't suggest he would be too thrilled if he went anywhere near her.

He couldn't afford to rile one of the senior members of the pack, whether she was just plain distracting or not.

Somehow, she was even more than that.

He stopped in the small rose garden at the bottom of the lawn, hidden behind a large hedgerow, and closed his eyes in an attempt to calm himself, but all he could see was her face. Her beautiful face and that goddamn infuriatingly stubborn expression.

How could she possibly say he was creeping around? What right did she have to be such a damned bitch toward him? And why did it make him want to grip her by the throat and take her right there in that fucking hallway?

Growling, his eyes still closed, he ran his fingers through his hair and pulled on the roots until it hurt. Even that couldn't rid him of the memory of her. She continued to glower back at him behind his eyelids, her arms crossed, her gaze never leaving his. It was almost as if she were still standing right before him.

But the ache in his chest told him she wasn't. From the second she had left him, he felt empty inside. And the tone of her voice worried him. Something was upsetting her. He was certain of it. And he suspected, deep down, that it had absolutely nothing to do with him. At least, he hoped that it didn't, because the thought of upsetting such a beautiful creature angered him.

Nobody should ever make someone like her feel anything but adored.

His fingernails elongated into claws, digging painfully into his palms as he dropped them to his sides. What the hell had she done to him? He wasn't some soppy, love-sick idiot who couldn't get a she-wolf out of his head, especially one he had never even laid a hand on.

He'd gotten downright freaky with more than a handful of female wolves in his time, and he'd even felt the slight stirrings of something that might possibly be love, but it had always ended the same way, with him realizing he had been a fool.

He was a fool now, but not because he thought he loved Elena. How could that even be possible? The only words they had spoken to each other had been frustrating and awkward and aggressive. And besides, he had only laid eyes on her twice, a couple of minutes a time.

He was a fool because whatever it was he was feeling inside, he couldn't fight it off. It gnawed at him uncontrollably and his wolf was driving him insane.

The sound of gentle, feminine footsteps on the shingle behind him made Hanson stiffen. He lifted his nose, prepared for Elena's scent to hit him all over again.

Hadn't she snarled at him enough? Had she come to find him for another round? Fuck, he wanted to show her who was boss more than anything.

His fists tightened further, his claws slicing his palms now. He gritted his teeth, prepared for a fight, maybe even for more.

"Hanson?"

The voice that hit his ears was feminine, but it most definitely wasn't Elena's. Elena's voice was like sweet, seductive music to his ears. This voice was soft and gentle, but it didn't set his heart racing like hers did.

"Oh, it's you," he said as he turned to find one of the recently turned she-wolves standing behind him. "Carly, isn't it?"

Carly glanced down, her cheeks reddening as she shoved her brown hair back behind her ear and nodded. "Yeah, I'm surprised you remembered."

She looked up at him then, her eyes sparking with something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"What can I do for you?" Hanson asked. He was a gentleman, but truly, he was in no mood for talking to anyone right now, especially not a woman who was looking at him the way she was.

She fluttered her lashes at him in a way that made him feel more than a little awkward. Shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans, he took a hesitant step backwards.

"I…um…I was just wondering whether you might be willing to come into the woods with me?" Carly asked, scuffling the shingle with the toe of her petite little boots. "I…ah, I feel like I need to shift, but I'm…I'm so new to all this werewolf stuff. I'm worried something might go wrong."

Hanson gritted his teeth. As much as he understood the trauma and anxiety she had been through, was still going through, he was in no mood for baby-wolf-sitting right now.

She looked up at him with large, round puppy dog-like eyes. Once, a she-wolf had looked at him like that and he had been more than willing to give her whatever she wanted for a little something in return. That was the nature of werewolves, always up for a good time. But today, his urge to take Carly into the woods and try to get another conquest under his belt was at absolute zero.

It actually made him feel sorry for her.

"I'm sorry, Carly, but I'm about to go out on patrol," he lied, feeling more than a little guilty when he saw the disappointment darken her gaze. Quickly, he added, "Maybe you should ask one of the she-wolves to go with you? They probably have a better feeling of what you're going through, anyway. Bonnie was up on the patio a moment ago."

He threw his thumb over his shoulder, back in the direction he had come.

Carly looked down at her hands, twisting something between her thumb and forefinger. "Oh, yeah, sure."

Hanson's throat tightened. Was he being a dick, or did he just feel that way because he was already so damn stressed out?

He blinked his eyes closed to try and keep himself calm, only to catch another glimpse of Elena behind his eyelids.

"Hanson, are you alright?" Carly asked, her tone more than a little worried. It was only when he opened his eyes again and saw the concern on her face, the way she had stepped away from him, that he realized he had growled deep in his throat.

Why can't she just leave me alone even in my own head? he thought, still smelling Elena's scent in his nostrils even though Carly's was attempting to take over.

"I…yeah. I'm just tired. All these patrols lately are starting to get to me," Hanson admitted. And that wasn't entirely a lie. He was tired. He had been taking all the extra patrols he could in order to prove to his new packmates he could be loyal and trusted. "I really am sorry, Carly. Maybe we could go for a shift another time?"

Deep down, he had no real intention of making good on that offer, but it just felt like the right thing to say in the moment. Besides, by the time he saw her next, she'd likely have moved on to the next werewolf. It happened and it happened often. With so many she-wolves so hooked on finding their fated mate, and a few male wolves besides, it was no surprise there was always someone sniffing around.

But he had more important things to think about, like keeping his pack safe and not damn well thinking about his packmate's little sister.

"Sure, I'd love to," Carly smiled, her cheeks becoming even more red. "I guess I'll see you around, then?"

Hanson shrugged. "We're packmates, and Nightstar is a small place. I'm sure you will."

His guilt continued to gnaw at him as he watched Carly turn and walk away. His eyes followed her as she went. He even stepped around the hedgerow, considering whether he should take her up on the offer after all.

But then an odd sensation crept over him. Carly was still walking away, and yet he felt eyes on him.

They were so intense that it made his skin crawl. He glanced around, trying to pinpoint whoever the hell was watching him, and when he did, he gulped.

Standing in the upstairs hallways window of the manor was Eddie. And he was glaring right at him. Even from such a distance, Hanson could see the anger fuming in the man's eyes.

What the hell is his problem? he wondered, turning away to start back into the rose garden and the entrance to the woods beyond.

He might not have really been on patrol, and he was in no mood to go babysitting, but he most definitely did need to shift now more than ever. His skin was crawling so violently that he might claw it right off himself if he didn't shift soon.