Chapter 3

By the sun's high position in the sky, I guessed it to be around noon. I stood up and brushed the dirt off my naked body, relieved that I had plenty of time to shower before going to work. My leg muscles ached, a typical side effect whenever my wolf had a good run.

With my car still parked in the same spot, I stole a quick glance at the empty road before springing over the barbed fence, which was designed to mark territory rather than keep people out. Nothing would startle a human more than seeing a naked woman walking around in the woods.

When I opened the passenger door, I gaped at the empty seat.

"Where are my clothes?"

Had I remembered it wrong? Maybe I hadn't put them in plain sight this time. I felt beneath the seat and searched in the back.

Nothing.

They're gone! This can't be happening.

My heart raced as I looked underneath the car and even inside the engine. The rational side of my brain knew that I would have never placed them by the fence, but I checked anyhow before returning to the car.

What an absolute nightmare!

After grabbing my keys from the cooler, I searched the trunk only to find my purse and a spare tire. Flustered, I tossed my purse in the back seat and looked around once more.

"What am I going to do?" I cupped my cheeks in my trembling hands, the gravity of the situation sinking in as my shoulders and chest burned from the blazing sun. Sweat trickled down my nape, and I wiped away the beads of sweat forming on my upper lip.

Had we lived in a rural area outside city limits, it wouldn't have been a big deal. I could have shifted and let my wolf guide me home. But driving into the city naked? Not an option.

When I heard the sound of an engine picking up speed, I ducked behind my car until it sped by.

Crouching in the dirt, I stared at my blurry reflection on the door. "You are in so much trouble."

There was no possible way I could drive naked into the city without a cop pulling me over or someone taking a picture on their phone. And riding up the elevator into our apartment? Forget it! Mel was at work, and I would rather live in the woods as a wild woman than call Lakota. He'd deliver a lecture for the ages about trespassing on private land, even though I'd seen him do it once or twice. Calling my family was out of the question. It would disappoint them that I couldn't live independently without asking for their help. Aside from that, my father would shoot me if he knew I was standing naked on the side of a public road, and Lorenzo Church was a force to be reckoned with. Nothing would embarrass a Packmaster more than word getting out that his daughter went for a joyrun on private land.

The thought crossed my mind to call Asia, but that wasn't exactly the best way to secure a contract. I needed to keep things professional with her, not give her any reason to doubt my abilities.

My eyebrows pinched together when I heard another vehicle slowing down. The motor thrummed, and the windows must have been down because some rock band was screaming the phrase "head like a hole."

I waited for the music to fade as the car passed, but the volume never changed. Curious, I peered through the window at a big white truck with red mud caked on the bottom. The incline placed his truck higher, preventing me from seeing the driver.

"Is someone out there?" a voice boomed.

I froze.

"Please leave, please leave," I whispered. The last thing I needed was for my wolf to get spooked and jump out.

The music abruptly shut off with the engine. When a door clicked open, my pulse skyrocketed.

"Stay where you are!" I shouted.

The man chuckled, his deep voice a rich timbre. "And why's that?"

As his heavy footsteps drew closer, every hair on my body stood on end. This situation had just escalated from bad to worse because the mysterious stranger on the other side of the car was undoubtedly an alpha. His power rippled through the air like an electrical storm.

By the time he rounded the front of my car, it was too late to argue. He glimpsed me and immediately turned on his heel, rocking with laughter. The long braid down his back made me wonder if he belonged to a pack or a tribe.

Though crouched low with my long hair concealing some of my profile, I knew he'd gotten more than an eyeful of my backside. "Stand down, alpha. An exposed female is present."

He bent over in stitches, and his sonorous laugh made me want to find the nearest stick and poke his eyes out. Instead, I tossed a small rock at the back of his head.

"Ow!" His shoulders hunched, and he rubbed at his scalp. "I've never met such a bashful Shifter. I can't help it. So, uh… car trouble?" He erupted in another fit of laughter.

I sprang to my feet and snatched the sunshade from inside my car, using it to shield myself. I had no qualms about nudity during a shift, but I didn't make a habit of parading around naked in front of strangers while having a conversation. Especially not alphas. "You can turn around now."

When he peered over his right shoulder, I glimpsed his face. He had a strong jaw and masculine features—very much Native American. I'd never seen a man with such broad shoulders and a heavy brow. He was a beast of a man, like a barbarian in modern clothing.

When his eyes traveled down to the sunshade, he choked with laughter and bent over again. "I'm going to piss myself."

I glanced down at the Daffy Duck sunshade and didn't see the humor. "You might be an alpha, but you must not hold a Packmaster's rank."

The laughter died in his throat, and he straightened. "I thought someone needed my help. I must have thought wrong." He slid on his dark shades and headed to his truck without looking back.

I jogged after him, but he'd already reached the road. "Wait! Please… I do need your help. My clothes are gone."

The alpha stopped short but didn't turn around. His sleeveless black shirt revealed beefy arms that were perfectly sculpted but not grotesquely muscular. Though his cargo pants hung a little loose, I could easily see how built he was beneath them, and he carried himself like a man who feared nothing. I guessed him to be around six and a half feet or more, excluding the extra lift his boots provided. His deep, commanding voice had a luscious undercurrent that changed the texture in an indefinable way.

"Where are your clothes?" he asked.

"If I knew that, I wouldn't be standing naked on the side of the road."

A car flew by and honked.

"Did your car break down?"

"No, my car is fine. I just…" Out with it, Hope. Fess up. "I was joyrunning on private property. I don't have a pack, so before you question me about why I didn't shift on my own land—"

"I don't really care what you do out here," he said matter-of-factly. "It's not my business. Do you live close by?"

"No. I'm from the heart of Austin."

His lips thinned. "This isn't Austin?"

"This is Greater Austin."

A gust of wind cooled my bare back, reminding me of my dire situation.

He opened the passenger door of his truck and reached inside, whistling the whole time. A few moments later, the man turned, and I took three steps back.

I'd never seen anyone with permanent ink on his face. A tribal design covered the entire left side, and though his eyes remained hidden behind black shades, I could feel them all over me.

He tilted his head to the side. "My name's Tak, and I'm visiting from Oklahoma. I won't eat your face off."

My feet rooted in place as he approached, a masculine swing in his step, his face sculpted like a warrior's. This was a man who could easily deliver a deathblow with one swing.

Tak offered me a handful of garments and flashed his teeth. "They won't fit, but they'll get you home. You needn't worry. I'm only dangerous when provoked."

I held the shade against me with one hand and gathered the clothes in my free arm. "Thank you, sir. Are you attached to a pack or are you a… maverick?"

"Maverick? That's an interesting but polite way to put it. I'm not a rogue, and my Packmaster doesn't need to know about my chivalrous deed. I won't receive any medals for doing what any decent man would do. I'd get a lashing if I left you as I found you."

I inclined my head and stepped back. Kind or not, I didn't trust outsiders and wanted to put distance between us.

He started to turn away and then snapped his fingers. "Actually, there is one favor you can do for me."

I mashed my lips together at his roguish grin.

"I'm lost," he explained, rocking on his heels. "Men aren't supposed to ask for directions, so I'm entrusting you with my little secret. The city is… confusing, and I need to find a gas station to buy a map of Austin."

My eyes flicked back to his truck, which faced right. "You're going the wrong way. This road eventually leads to a lake. Turn around, and after a mile or two, you'll hit a major intersection. Go right until you reach the big gas station on the left. You can't miss it, and they'll have whatever you need."

"Do they have a sunshade like yours?" He winked and circled around to the driver's side.

Thank the fates for sending a man generous enough to offer me his clothes. Just the fact that he had a spare outfit was a good omen. It could have been so much worse had the cops thrown me in a human jail for public indecency. I had no pack, and breaking Council laws could tarnish my reputation.

When he got in the truck and started it, the music blared. Before he took off, I rushed toward the open passenger window, stopping short of the fiery hot asphalt.

"Something else?" the alpha asked, turning down the radio.

"I… I appreciate your kindness."

He grinned. "Anytime, Duckie."

The back tires spun, and I stepped aside as he lurched forward and made a U-turn. A red car suddenly raced by so quickly that a gust of wind ripped the shade right out of my hand. It spun in the air like a butterfly, and I stood naked on the side of the road, listening to my rescuer's laughter as he sped away.