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door to her apartment flew open and hit the wall behind it, leaving Justin standing in the open doorway.
    She’d been so intent on Charles, she hadn’t heard Justin coming up the stairs. She’d forgotten to lock her door after Kara left. Not that it would have done her much good. Justin had a key to her apartment.
    She couldn’t help her flinch as he strode through the door as if he owned the place. “Payday,” he said. “You owe me a check.” He looked at Charles. “Time for you to go. The lady and I have some business.”
    Anna couldn’t believe that even Justin would take that tone with Charles. She looked at him to gauge his reaction and saw why Justin had put his foot in it.
    Charles was fussing with his plate, his eyes on his hands. All his awesome force of personality was bottled up and stuffed somewhere it didn’t show.
    “I don’t think I’d better go,” he murmured, still looking down. “She might need my help.”
    Justin’s lip curled. “Where’d you pick this one up, bitch? Wait until I let Leo know you’ve found a stray and haven’t told him about it.” He crossed the room and took a handful of her hair. He used it to force her to her feet and up against the wall, shoving her with a hip in a gesture that was both sexual and violent. He leaned his face into hers. “Just you wait. Maybe he’ll decide to let me punish you again. I’d like that.”
    She remembered the last time he’d been allowed to punish her and couldn’t suppress her reaction. He enjoyed her panic and was pressed close enough that she could feel it.
    “I don’t think that she’s the one who is going to be punished,” Charles said, his voice still soft. But something in Anna loosened. He wouldn’t let Justin hurt her.
    She couldn’t have said why she knew that—she’d certainly found out that just because a wolf wouldn’t hurt her didn’t mean he wouldn’t stop anyone else from hurting her.
    “I didn’t tell you to talk,” Justin snarled, his head snapping away from her so he could glare at the other man. “I’ll deal with you when I’m finished.”
    The legs of Charles’s chair made a rough sound on the floor as he stood. Anna could hear him dust off his hands lightly.
    “I think you are finished here,” he said in a completely different voice. “Let her go.”
    She felt the power of those words go through her bones and warm her stomach, which had been chill with fear. Justin liked to hurt her even more than he desired her unwilling body. She’d fought him until she realized that pleased him even more. She’d learned quickly that there was no way for her to win a struggle between them. He was stronger and faster, and the only time she’d broken away from him, the rest of the pack had held her for him.
    At Charles’s words, though, Justin released her so quickly that she staggered, though that didn’t slow her down as she ran as far away from him as she could get, which was the kitchen. She picked up the marble rolling pin that had been her grandmother’s and held it warily.
    Justin had his back to her, but Charles saw her weapon and, briefly, his eyes smiled at her before he turned his attention to Justin.
    “Who the hell are you?” Justin spat, but Anna heard beyond the anger to fear.
    “I could return the question,” said Charles. “I have a list of all the werewolves in the Chicago packs and your name is not on it. But that is only part of my business here. Go home and tell Leo that Charles Cornick is here to talk with him. I will meet him at his house at seven this evening. He may bring his first six and his mate, but the rest of his pack will stay away.”
    To Anna’s shock, Justin snarled once, but, with no more protest than that, he left.

C HAPTER 2
    T HE wolf who scared Anna so badly hadn’t wanted to leave, but he wasn’t dominant enough to do anything about it as long as Charles was watching. Which was why Charles waited a few seconds and then quietly followed him down the