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D aire was up in the attic space laying some duct work when his cell phone went off. He glanced at the screen and saw Jericho’s name and answered it.

“Yes, Alpha?”

“Get to the office now,” Jericho said harshly. “Kinleigh’s gone.”

The call disconnected, leaving him confused. Gone? Like got in her car and left Sheridan gone? He packed up his tools and headed toward his truck. Luckily, the drive only took a few minutes and he parked in front before heading inside the office where a dozen people waited. That’s when he knew Kinleigh leaving wasn’t what he had at first interpreted.

He moved through the crowd and saw Luna Payton sitting in a chair, with Savannah next to her bandaging a wound on her head.

“What happened?” he asked.

Everyone turned toward him and Jericho stepped forward.

“Daire, Kinleigh was taken,” he said.

“What do you mean taken ?”

“Vaughn,” Payton said. “Her ex-mate showed up, demanded she go with him. She did it to protect me.”

So many different thoughts rattled through his head and none of them stuck. Only one thing cut through everything.

“We have to go after them.” He glanced back at Jericho. “Have we tracked him yet?”

“I have scouts out there now. As soon as they—” He no sooner started talking when his cell phone went off. “It’s Kinleigh. Where are you? Kinleigh?”

He pulled away the phone and placed the call over the speaker. They listened to Kinleigh having a conversation with a man that Daire assumed was this motherfucking Vaughn.

“Falling-down barn next to a stream?” Beta Ledger said.

“She has to mean the outlier road near the old lumber mill,” Jericho replied.

“I know it,” Daire said, already moving. He didn’t know if Jericho and Ledger wanted to come along, but he wasn’t waiting. He hurried out of the small crowd and got to his truck and took off, gunning the engine once he cleared the town.

Sheridan, way back in the day, had started as a lumber community. The old mill had been where wood rested between saddle blocks, and sawyers would hewn the logs. As he passed the mill, which had been closed ever since electric saws came to be, he spotted something far down the cracked road. Gunning it, he sped forward just as he saw a man lift an obviously unconscious woman in his arms.

A red haze descended over his eyes. The closer he got the angrier he became. The man saw him and dropped Kinleigh like she was a hot potato onto the busted road. Daire skidded to a stop and jumped out of his truck, not caring that he left the engine running or that the door was wide open. He didn’t even say anything, just flew at Vaughn Wishard.

Swinging his arm, his punch connected to Vaughn’s midriff, causing him to grunt and double over slightly. Daire gripped the back of his head, brought his knee up, and cracked Vaughn’s face apart. Blood poured from the broken nose. He was about to move in for the kill when Vaughn charged, hitting him in the gut and sending them both flying.

They grappled and stumbled, the fight less about strategy and more about raw, unfiltered rage. Daire punched with jabs, using every inch of his arms and legs. Elbows thrust upward while knees tried to cripple. They dove for one another causing each fist to connect with a jaw, and then staggered back.

“She’s not your mate!” Daire shouted.

“This is none of your concern. Kinleigh is mine!”

“Not any longer, you asshole. You fucked around and now you’re finding out just what you destroyed.”

He pulled his fist back and punched the guy in the face as hard as he could. Vaughn’s head bounced on the busted concrete road. Daire eased back and that’s when he heard a feminine scream. Spinning, the sound of a gun reverberated and a woman fell facedown, claws out and ready to strike him while his back had been turned.

Then he followed the trajectory of the bullet and saw Kinleigh holding a gun. Her hand dropped and she swayed. He rushed to her and caught her, helping her to steady. She held out the gun and he took it, sliding the safety on and sticking it in the back of his jeans.

A pickup truck came to a skidding halt and Jericho jumped from the driver’s seat while Ledger exited the passenger side.

“Looks like we missed the fun,” Ledger quipped.

“I killed her,” Kinleigh said. She reached up and touched the back of her head. Blood coated her palm.

“Shit, Kinleigh,” Daire said. “We need to get you to a doctor.”

Then her gaze fell on Vaughn as Jericho hauled him to his feet, slapping his face to rouse him. Hatred blanketed her face as she stomped over.

“Let me get this straight,” she hissed. “First, you cheat on me. Then you threaten my cousin. You kidnap me and hit me. And you think I’m going to want you back? We’re wolves. So, we’ll settle this like the animals we are.”

In the blink of an eye, she swiped with her claws, directly over his jugular. Blood sprayed, and Vaughn slapped his hand around his neck in a vain attempt to keep from bleeding out. Shock settled over his features as he quickly came to the understanding his life was draining fast. Even a wolf’s rapid healing wasn’t quick enough to save him.

Jericho let go and Vaughn fell to his knees. His mouth opened and closed like a fish.

“You’re nothing,” she said coldly. “And now you’re dead.”

Then she kicked him in the chest, sending him sprawling on the old road, and watched as the life ebbed from his eyes. After using her foot to shake him, making sure he was gone, she turned to face Daire, Jericho, and Ledger.

“Is Payton okay?”

“She’s fine.”

“Are you okay?” Ledge asked, looking at the two bodies.

“Come,” Jericho said. “Let’s get you back and checked out. I’ll send people to retrieve them.”

“I don’t care if they rot, but I think their parents will want them back.”

Suddenly, Daire swooped her up bridal style and headed back to his truck. All he wanted to do was inspect her and make sure she was unhurt.

****

L ater that night, Kinleigh and Daire lay in bed facing one another. When they’d gotten back, Savannah had treated the wound on her head. In his home, they’d showered together and then made love. She needed to replace the bad memories with good ones.

“I have a question,” Daire murmured, a few hours later.

“I hope I have an answer.”

“What do you think about chosen mates?”

A bolt of excitement shot through her. “I don’t think it’s fair that the idea of chosen mates isn’t given the same revered status as moon-fated mates. You and I had shitty mate choices from the High Luna.”

“I have another question.”

“I hope I have another answer.”

He smiled at her cheek. “What would you think about us maybe being chosen mates?”

She studied him for a moment. “I thought you weren’t looking for a mate.”

“I wasn’t,” he replied. “Then I met this amazing woman that knocked both socks off, and I kind of want her to stay around.”

“Just kind of?”

He pushed some of her hair behind her ear. “I’d like to explore this, Kinleigh. I think we owe it to ourselves. Who knows, maybe this was the High Luna’s plan all along.”

“I’m not sure I take stock in the High Luna anymore, but I agree we should allow ourselves the chance to see if we’re compatible long term.”

“You make it sound so sexy,” he mused.

She winked. “We should do a six-month investigation. Reevaluate at that time to determine if we’ll stick together.”

“It’s a deal, Miss Shire.”

“Now shut up and kiss me, Mr. Nolin.”

“With pleasure.”