No response.

“O-kay, that’s it. I’m outta here.”

Working at the tape on the back of his hand, he picked up one corner. Then, holding the tube in place, he pulled the strip off carefully, wadded up the tape, and stuck it on the nightstand. Last, he slid the IV out, wincing at the slight discomfort. A little blood beaded from the hole, but nothing like last night when he’d ripped out the whole thing trying to get to Rowan.

Thinking about the incident, he felt his gut clench. Never had he felt anything like the rage that had overtaken him yesterday when he’d seen Micah in wolf form, pinning his sister to the floor with madness in his eyes. The need to protect her had consumed him. He’d wanted to kill the other wolf for threatening what was his.

Ours.

Even now, his wolf paced restlessly, demanding he seek her out. Rub his scent all over her skin so the others would know she was theirs and stay the fuck away. Then he’d pin her down, plunge his aching cock into her tight, sweet heat, let his fangs drop, and—

Sink them deep into that soft vee of her neck and shoulder.

Claim her?

“No,” he breathed, shocked at his own thoughts. “Hell, no.”

Nothing like that had ever crossed his mind before, so why now? With this woman he barely knew? Though she didn’t seem like a complete stranger, being Micah’s sister and all. The man had talked about his tough cop sibling quite a bit over the years.

A cop. That was another reason not to get involved with the woman. Nothing against the guys and gals in blue. Quite the contrary; he had nothing but the highest respect for the dangers they faced every day to keep the streets safe for humans. They were dedicated, married to their jobs.

And that was just one of the many obstacles he faced by simply glancing in Rowan’s direction. No mate of his would be allowed to place herself in jeopardy for others. Not that he wanted a mate because he didn’t.

There. Issue solved.

A pathetic whine came from deep within his wolf’s soul and he scowled, pushing himself off the bed. He didn’t need this shit. He was in control, not the beast with its pathetic urges.

Which was why, gown flapping against his naked ass, he strode directly to Micah’s room and checked to see if Rowan was inside. She wasn’t, and his anxiety level rose another notch. Where was she? Why hadn’t she come by to see him today? Okay, she didn’t know him. But it would’ve been nice, since he had saved her pretty butt.

Taking a few seconds to make sure Micah was resting peacefully, he turned and stalked through the halls of the infirmary. Instantly, Noah blocked his path, eyes wide.

“Wait! Where are you going? You have to get back in bed!”

“If I get in bed it’s gonna be my own. I’m leaving, which I would’ve told you in person if you’d bothered to answer the damned buzzer.”

The nurse frowned. “I was busy taking care of Mr. Chase. You can’t go or Dr. Mallory is going to chew my ass.”

“Then she’ll need a lot of salt.”

“Huh?”

“Move out of the way, squirt.”

“No. You can’t—”

“Move, now.” Annoyed, Aric let his wolf loose, just a little. Enough to allow a partial change into half-man, half-wolf form. A sight he knew for a fact was scary as hell by the way the guy screeched and jumped aside, hand over his heart.

Much better. Stalking off, he let himself return to normal—if there was such a thing—and headed into one of the main hallways leading to the living quarters. God, he couldn’t wait to take a shower. That was the first order of business after weeks of captivity and being forced to endure his own filth. The nurses had shaved him and given him a sponge bath, but that couldn’t compare with the real thing.

Thankfully, he didn’t encounter anyone and reached his door without incident or argument. Standing outside the door to his quarters, however, he had a bad moment when he realized he’d been gone so long, had endured so much, he couldn’t quite recall the security code to get inside.

Such a simple, mundane action. One he wouldn’t take for granted again.

Reaching out, he let his fingers trace over the keypad. After a couple of incorrect entries, the sequence came back to him and he was inside, breathing deeply and looking around.

The apartment wasn’t the same as he’d left it—the place was spotless. He was sure there’d been newspapers, beer bottles, food wrappers, and a few issues of Big Tits-N-Asses scattered everywhere. He could’ve sworn he was in the wrong place, except the code worked.

Every surface gleamed and the scent of lemon polish hung in the air. The counter separating the bar from the kitchen had been straightened up and cleaned, and so had the counters in the kitchen itself.

Moving into the kitchen, he inspected the fridge. The milk inside, as well as sandwich meat and an assortment of condiments, was fresh. There was a covered casserole dish, too, and he suspected one of the women had baked it for his return.

And yeah, there must be lint in his eyes. He sniffed and cursed simultaneously, glad nobody was here to witness his homecoming. Closing the fridge, he turned and padded toward the bedroom, stripping off the awful gown as he went. He tossed the thing on the floor and made a beeline straight for the shower.

His bathroom sparkled as well, and he winced, thinking of the layer of grunge his friends must’ve tackled to help him out. He turned on the water, gave it a minute to heat, and then stepped inside into heaven.

Hot streams of water sluiced over the top of his head, wet his hair, and ran down his body. Massaged tired, abused muscles. He groaned in sheer bliss and stood under the spray for several minutes, and it hit him that he hadn’t even realized until that moment how bone-cold he’d been.

After shampooing his hair twice, he squeezed some men’s shower gel into his palm, sudsing his face, neck, chest, stomach. Legs and feet. He saved the glory trail for last, following it down between his thighs to soap his balls.

“Ahhh, yes.”

Too goddamned long. Felt so freakin’ good to rub the slippery suds along his sac, roll them around. Thank God his balls weren’t sore anymore. His cock took interest in playtime, lengthening to curve toward his belly and beg for attention. He took his sweet time, washing his balls, rinsing. Then he poured a generous amount of the liquid soap—unarguably the greatest invention ever—along his cock and took the eager member in hand.

Hissing, he gripped his shaft tighter, shivering at the pleasure flowing through his belly. He began to pump, down to the tight sac, up again to the plump head, flushed purple with need. Good, but…

The intensity was missing. The Oh, my God factor that made him strain to hold back from coming and sent waves of fire through his body. Concentrating, he fisted himself almost brutally, reaching for the pinnacle that remained elusive.

To his complete astonishment, his erection began to wilt.

“What the—? No fucking way!”

Leaning against the tiled wall, he gaped at his flagging dick, trying to imagine what had gone wrong. He and the rest of the Pack had the highest libidos he’d ever seen and required release on a regular basis—something they took care of with occasional trips to Las Vegas. Aric had been denied any sort of sexual contact—well, he wasn’t about to jack himself in front of his stepsister or her cohorts even if he’d been able—so he should’ve been ready to blow the second he touched himself.

This was so not right. Thinking hard, he called to mind the last whore he’d fucked in Sin City. Problem was, she wasn’t all that memorable, though he’d been in ecstasy at the time. No, only one woman interested him in the least. A gross understatement.

Rowan’s face, her tall, strong body and luscious ass, invaded his mind. Arousal slammed into his gut like a sledgehammer and his cock stiffened instantly. A growl of satisfaction rumbled in his chest as he began to stroke himself, fantasizing that she was here with him. As eager to taste him as he was to slide the head between her lips. Deeper, inching all of his meat down her slender throat.