Eve’s POVI didn't know what was happening to me. One minute, I was nursing the sharp pain from Mr. Rochester's slap, and the next, a blinding rage overtook me.

My wolf had been contained for the last five years, but today, she refused to stay hidden. But as she wrestled for the second time that day, I knew it was more than her trying to fight for control.

I could feel the power in my hands, ebbing like a ball of fire. My eyes no longer felt like mine, and my toes were digging into the ground. Mr. Rochester's eyes fell wide open. His poor human mind couldn't even begin to comprehend what was happening.

How could he, when even I had no idea?

I tried to stop myself, tried to close my eyes and bring my world under control. But nothing was working.

Someone screamed my name, but it sounded too far away. I took a step closer to the man who was just about to hit me, but I never got close enough as strong arms wrapped themselves around my waist, pulling me away.

“Stop! Let me go!” I thrashed all around him, fighting hard. But his hands only got stronger, pulling until the door closed in front of me. Until I was pushed into the passenger’s seat of his car.

Malik.

He got in behind the wheel and didn’t waste one second pulling out of the driveway and further down the road.

“Malik, let me go!” I screamed, trying the locks of the car. They didn’t budge under my grip. I felt frustration eating at me. But there was something else. Something darker.

“Let me go now!”

“I can’t!” He screams back, increasing the speed of the car. My back slammed hard against the leather seat, and I swayed to the side almost immediately as he took a sharp turn.

He pulled the car off the road and brought it to a halt. I snarled at him, but he didn't even flinch. Most humans would.

"You need to take a deep breath," he whispered, placing a hand on my shoulders. "Look at me, Eve."

It worked. For some reason, staring at him worked. The heat in my core began to reduce, and the excess energy in my bones retracted along with my wolf.

Malik opened the car door, and I stepped out, the evening air whipping my face. It felt nice taking in large gulps of air. I pressed myself against the car and closed my eyes, feeling him standing next to me.

"How long have you been unable to tame her?" His voice settled deep inside me, and my eyes fell open again. I felt better now that I didn't feel like ripping someone's head off.

“What?”

“Your wolf.”

I blink fast. "Wait. How did you… Aren't you…."

“Human?” Malik shook his head. “I guess being here for a while makes it hard to notice.” I watched as he fished for something in his pocket, coming up with a pack of cigarettes. With a stick hanging from his lips, he retrieved a lighter next and watched it burn into the wind.

“What’s your story?”

“I don’t have any,” I muttered, shrugging. “I’m just a lady trying to make ends meet in a new place. Which, by the way, no longer exists because I'm certain Mr. Rochester will want nothing to do with me."

“You scared him to death.” Malik was choking down his laughter. “Did you see his eyes? I thought they were going to fall out of their sockets.”

I chuckled. It felt good to do that, having held a lot of things in for so long. “He deserved it.”

Malik sighed as the sound of my laughter died. He took one more drag from his cigarette before tossing it on the floor. The heel of his boots crushed it in place. "You shouldn't let him treat you like that."

"I don't have other options available to me, and honestly, Mr. Rochester is better than the others who didn't even give me the chance to prove myself. He hits me, but I can still afford to feed myself and…."

Shit. I just almost gave myself away. I allowed the rest of the words to trail into nothingness, and a good part of me thought Malik would question it. But he didn't say anything either, pulling himself out of the car.

“I need to head back now,” he said.

“Right,” I nodded, feeling a strange emotion that had no business with me. I tried to keep my lips sealed, to let today go without an extra hitch.

Instead, I muttered. “You have to go to your girlfriend. She seemed angry from earlier.”

“Morwenna is always angry.”

We got back into the car, the silence settling like fine dust as he pulled back onto the road. He fumbled with the knobs on the dashboard for a while, receiving only static. And then, he gave up.

When we pulled up in front of the café, Mr. Rochester's car was gone. I would only be in for a few minutes, because I knew if I remained there, it wouldn't be as easy as it was the last time. All I had to do was pick up my son and my bag.

“Thank you for today,” I muttered as I rested my hand on the handle. “But you don’t have to come save me anymore. I will look for a job elsewhere and try to stay out of trouble.”

“I don’t think you can,” he said point-blank, regarding me intently, like he could read into my soul.

“I have managed to for the last five years.”

“It’s different now.”

Something about the way he said it made me uneasy. I hooked my thumb on the lock and made to push it open. But his voice made me halt.

“What are you running away from, Eve?”

"Nothing," I said a little too harshly. I pushed the door open and stepped out onto the curb. He didn't stop looking at me.

“You look familiar,” he said, narrowing his eyes even further. “I have met you before.”

“I don’t think…”

“Blackthorn Pack.”

I sucked in a sharp breath.

"I'm from there, too."