Chapter 13

Theo's POV I had never been so grateful for a phone call in my life. Claire's proximity in the confined space of the car was testing the limits of my control. The scent of her—honeysuckle and rain, even beneath the sour notes of spilled wine—was intoxicating. With each inch she moved closer, my wolf paced more urgently beneath my skin, urging me to claim what it already considered ours. Even soaked to the skin, hair plastered to her face, mascara smudged beneath her eyes, she was breathtaking. The sight of her in my jacket, swimming in fabric still warm from my body, triggered something possessive and primal that I'd thought long buried. But I couldn't think of her that way. She was too young—barely younger than Adrian. An employee under my protection. And most damningly, vulnerable in ways that made any advance on my part predatory. I gently pushed her back to her side of the car as I stepped out to take the call, grateful for the rush of cool night air against my heated skin. "Mother