“Don’t. Touch. Her.” A low growl rumbled in the hunter’s chest.

Okay, maybe he wasn’t that sane . . .

Carlos’s eyes widened, but then they narrowed. “It doesn’t look like she wants you touching her either. From what I can see, you have no claim on her.”

The hunter’s nostrils flared before he slammed my ex into the tree again.

Carlos groaned. “She’s okay with me walking her, though.” The corner of his mouth kicked up.

Oh, for fuck’s sake. This was worse than I’d thought it would be. Both of them were now occupied in a pissing contest. Werewolves, seriously, but ah-ha! Silver lining.

I used the opportunity to make a beeline for the street corner. As much as Carlos had intended to help me today, I wasn’t so stupid as not to see what he was really doing. Yes, he was honest in his intentions to help me, but given his recent text messages, he was also looking to rekindle our relationship, which wasn’t something I was interested in.

And if the dude felt like pushing the Fire Wolf’s buttons, I wouldn’t get in his way, but that was on him, not me. I had shit I needed to get done today.

I whipped my phone out and began furiously tapping. With any luck, I would be in a hired ride, driving away, before either of them had put their dicks back into their pants.

I was one tap away from confirming my ride when the sound of footsteps came from behind me. I hurriedly finished the request, before swinging around to find both men staring at me. Carlos was now keeping his distance, and he kept giving the hunter wary glances.

So much for a quick getaway.

“I’ll escort you to the SF.” The Fire Wolf’s hands fisted.

“I don’t need an escort.”

His gaze flashed to Carlos, then back to me, as if saying, you were going to let him escort you.

I merely raised my eyebrows. Clean break. We needed a clean break.

The hunter glowered but something flashed in his eyes. Worry maybe? “Tala,” he growled, before he prowled closer to me.

I jumped back. “Keep your distance, please.”

He stopped, his frown turning into a glacial scowl.

Carlos’s lips twitched, and the hunter shot him a murderous glare at which my ex wisely wiped his face clean.

“Tala, I can help you.” The hunter’s plea came out through gritted teeth.

“I don’t need your help, thanks. I’m just fine on my own.”

“Tala,” he snapped. “Why are you being so difficult?”

“I’m not being difficult. If anything, you’re being difficult. I’m merely stating the obvious. I don’t need you to escort me to the SF. I’m a big girl.”

His scowl grew even darker, especially when Carlos took another step in my direction. “So you’re going to let him escort you?” the Fire Wolf demanded.

I resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of my nose, because I had no doubt the hunter was currently experiencing an overriding urge to claim me and mark me as his. The mating instinct was obviously sinking its teeth into him so deeply that he couldn’t have fought that bitch off if he’d wanted to. Right now, he just wanted to stamp his ownership of me, and that reaction was only being heightened because my ex was present.

I bundled my coat tighter around me as I imagined what said ownership would look like. The dude would probably insist on tattooing my forehead with something like, Property of Fire Wolf. Do not touch. If you do, I’ll dismember you. And if that doesn’t get the point across, I’ll burn you in my black flames ’cause I’m a demon werewolf who’s also something else as I have magic, but my chosen mate doesn’t know what that other part is because we just met. But anyway, beware. She’s mine.

Yeah, no thanks. Because despite my undeniable attraction to the hunter, I wasn’t going down that path. Any attraction he felt toward me was one hundred percent driven by his wolf, and well, I wanted more than that. The Fire Wolf’s interest in me had only started after his wolf had gotten a whiff of my true scent. Prior to that, my arousal had merely amused him. Amused him. Hence, he wasn’t actually attracted to me. He only wanted me now ’cause his wolf told him to, and I wasn’t interested in getting wrapped up in that mating crap. I wanted something real.

My long blond hair blew over my shoulder while I continued waiting for my ride as the Fire Wolf’s and Carlos’s energies barreled into me from behind. I could only imagine what my ex was thinking right now.

I sighed and shot the hunter another annoyed stare. “Okay, seriously. I don’t have the energy for this right now, so can you just go away? Please?”

“Why are you standing on a street corner?” He frowned, completely ignoring my request. Shocker.

“Because I’m waiting for my ride.”

Carlos ran a hand through his hair, then asked hesitantly, “So just to clarify, am I understanding this right? He’s interested in you, but you’re not interested in him despite what he claimed he did to you this morning?”

Right, we were back to the subject of my orgasms. Le sigh . . .

The Fire Wolf made a discontented sound when I replied, “Something like that. Now, please, can I just wait for my ride in peace?” I gave my ex an apologetic look.

Carlos straightened his jacket and took a step toward me, although he eyed the hunter warily. As a werewolf who’d grown up in a pack, Carlos knew better than to push an alpha, which the Fire Wolf obviously was. Still, as a mid-level, Carlos was also used to having dominance over some, so he wasn’t a complete pushover. “I can still come with you. I’m going there anyway.”

Right. The whole reason my ex had shown up on my doorstep was because the Supernatural Forces was now willing to search for my sister. And since Carlos had begun working for the SF again, he’d offered to deliver that news to me personally. Only thing was, the Fire Wolf and I had already found Tessa. Still, the SF needed to know that Tessa’s abduction was actually part of a much larger kidnapping ring.

A warning snarl erupted from the hunter. Apparently, my ex was standing too close to me again.

I muttered a curse at the hunter’s animalistic behavior. I needed to nip this in the bud, because the Fire Wolf looked seconds away from shifting. And considering I’d seen how fiery his wolf could get, that was the last thing I needed. I kinda wanted my neighborhood to stay standing, not burned to the ground, because being homeless on top of everything else I was dealing with would be the icing on the cake.

Speaking of being homeless…

I planted my hands on my hips again and cocked my head at the hunter. “Do you know how Declan is?”

My question forced the Fire Wolf’s attention to shift from my ex to me. His shoulders were still tensed, though, but he took a deep breath and some of the fire receded from his eyes. “He’s fine.”

“Are you sure? Did you actually check on him?”

The Fire Wolf nodded tightly and gave Carlos a side-eye again. “Actually, I did. I promised you I would, didn’t I? Miranda’s got him placed in one of their rehabilitation centers. Declan’s got his own room and a roof over his head. He won’t be back on the streets again.”

Some of the ire died inside me. Because of the hunter, one less homeless kid was walking the streets in Portland, but that didn’t mean the Fire Wolf and I would ever mate.

Carlos’s gaze drifted from me to the Fire Wolf and back again. “Who’s Declan?”

I shook my head. “Long story.” I shivered again as I waited on the sidewalk. According to my app, my ride was still five minutes out. FML, seriously.

The Fire Wolf stepped closer, until he stood right beside me. “You know, I can take you there.” He pulled his yellow crystal from his pocket. “You don’t need to wait for a ride.”

“No thanks.”

“But you’re cold.”

“As I’m aware.”

He growled and slammed a hand through his hair. “Dammit, Tala, I could see your shivers a mile away. I’m just offering you a free and quick form of transportation.”