Page 16

KATE

T he sun’s barely cleared the ridge when Elder Shaw walks into my store like he owns the damn place—shoulders back, coat sharp, and voice smoother than a snake oil salesman. I was restocking the front window with a new shipment of inventory when he cleared his throat behind me.

"Miss McKinley," he says, tone calm but coated in authority. "The elders would like a word."

I straighten slowly, keeping my hands steady even as my pulse kicks up. "And if I say no?"

He gives me a smile that doesn’t quite meet his eyes. "That wouldn't be wise."

My wolf stirs beneath my skin, bristling at the command. I force a smile. "Sounds more like a summons than a request."

"It is what it needs to be," he says simply. “We expect you within the hour.”

It’s a command dressed in civility, but it hits like a shot fired across a bow. My spine straightens a little more. I give nothing away, but inside, I file the tone for what it is—pressure. Thinly veiled and deliberately timed.

And just like that, I know—this will not be a conversation. It's going to be an interrogation, if not an inquisition. It sure as hell isn't an invitation for tea and cookies.

I don’t budge. I will not be intimidated in my own store. “I’ve got morning orders to unpack, invoices to reconcile, and I need to call someone to cover the shop. I’ll be with you shortly.”

Shaw’s mouth tightens. “Miss McKinley, this is not a matter for delay.”

I lift an eyebrow. “And I’m not leaving my store unlocked and unstaffed. If the Rawlings' pack elders want to talk with no notice, you’ll get me as soon as I can get there. If that's a problem for you, we can wait and discuss it with Hudson..”

He blanches. Ah, so Hudson doesn't know about this. Good to know. Shaw doesn’t like my response and the fact that I'm not cowed by him. I see it in the clench of his jaw and the flick of his eyes to the store around us like it's beneath him. But he gives a stiff nod.

“We'll expect you within twenty minutes.”

“You'll get me when you get me. I'm sure even you can understand and appreciate someone who looks after her business. So it'll be more like thirty to forty-five, but easily within the hour... if you leave now,” I say sweetly.

And just like that, I bought myself the time to show up on my terms—even if it means the rest of the day won't be mine to control.

The council chamber of the Rawlings compound smells like polished wood, dominance, and judgment. It's built like a courtroom and decorated like a hunting lodge—dark walls, heavy chairs, the kind of lighting that casts long shadows across faces you’re supposed to respect. Or fear.

I do neither.

Eddard Rawlings sits at the head of the table like he’s presiding over a royal inquisition.

The seat beside him is empty—Hudson’s not here yet.

A flicker of disappointment tightens my throat, quick and sharp.

I shove it down, lock it behind the mask I brought with me.

I didn’t need him to fight this battle—but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want him at my back when the knives came out.

And that fact irritates me more than I want to admit.

I hate I walked into this alone. Even more, I hate that part of me expected him to be at my side already.

“Miss McKinley,” Eddard begins, folding his hands. “We appreciate your willingness to come.”

Right. Like I had a choice.

“Let’s skip the part where we pretend this is a friendly chat,” I say, lifting my chin. My palms are sweating, but I keep my voice cool, firm. I meet each of their eyes, one by one. “You didn’t call me up here for tea.”

Eddard doesn’t blink. “You’ve been asking questions. Stirring up old rumors. Trespassing in places better left forgotten.”

“I was making deliveries. If I crossed a boundary or two, it wasn’t intentional,” I snap. “I’m not the one laying traps in the old woods or sending out thugs to try to intimidate people just going about their lives. Tell me, did Hudson know about that before or after the fact?”

The color drains out of all three men's faces. Score one for the red she-wolf. There’s a twitch at the corner of Eddard's mouth. Not a smile—more like someone trying to hold his temper in place.

“You found surveillance gear,” one of the other elders says smoothly. “And you reported it to no one. That’s a concern.”

I laugh, sharp and without humor. “You mean I didn’t come running to a council that doesn’t govern me or mine?

Shocking. Besides, if I was trespassing, that would mean I was on territory you consider Rawlings.

And as I realized it was your land, naturally, I assumed you already knew everything happening in it. ”

“Your family,” Shaw continues, “has always walked the edge of what is right and wrong. The McKinleys have never made things easy for anyone in Wild Hollow and especially the members of this pack..."

"Not in my job description," I retort.

Eddard blushes angrily. "Your brother was known to consort with outlanders, ask dangerous questions...”

"Consort? Dangerous questions? Sounds to me like you've got a whole conspiracy theory going here.

" I raise my hand to wave off their objections.

"But if by 'dangerous questions,' you mean smart questions—questions that made you uncomfortable because they poked holes in your carefully sanitized stories, I'm okay with that.”

Hudson storms through the compound’s front doors like a damn thunderhead.

I stand in the center of the room, arms crossed, legs braced wide, face carved from fury. I know exactly how I look—like a goddess of war in flannel and tight jeans—and I’m not giving any of them a single inch.

He scans the room. “You summoned her behind my back?” He bellows accusingly.

“She’s a potential threat,” Eddard says coolly. “Given her family history and who her brother was...”

“She’s mine,” growls Hudson.

The words drop like an earthquake, and the room goes still. I blink once, lips parting. There’s heat in my chest now—but it’s not anger. It’s something rawer. Something that scrapes at my ribs and makes my breath catch.

“She’s not marked,” Eddard says, smugly.

“She will be.” Hudson snaps. “You want to question someone, question me. You don’t lay a finger on her without coming through me first. You want to push someone, old wolf? Try me. I am alpha, and you will obey me.”

"You would think to banish me?" asks Eddard.

"No. I'd rip your throat out and mark my mate in the pool of your blood."

Well, that was pretty graphic, and I hate to admit how aroused his protective and brutal instincts make me.

Instead of telling him that, I pin him with a look. “You’re really going there?”

“Kate,” Hudson says, trying to rein in his temper and placate me.

I whip around, eyes blazing. “What? I'm not sure how, but I'm pretty damn sure this is more about you than about me and Luke. You dragged me into this. You can bloody well get me out of it.”

“I didn’t drag you anywhere,” he says, voice low, rough. “I’ve been trying to protect you.”

I stare at him. “Then do something because that asshole summoned me up here behind your back and he's been taking shots ever since I arrived.”

Eddard’s voice cuts in, deceptively calm. “We’re only trying to determine if Kate McKinley’s involvement with you or her interference in things that don't concern her compromises the safety of this pack.”

"My pack, Eddard. Mine, unless, of course, you'd like to challenge me for leadership."

"No one wants to challenge you, Hudson," says one of the other elders, clearly trying to make peace.

"You know," I say, "I always thought this pack was so level-headed. I thought you'd lost your primal edge. Guess I was wrong."

"Not helping, Kate," rumbles Hudson.

"Not trying to," I retort. "We McKinleys are known for stirring up trouble. I'm just trying to uphold the family tradition."

Hudson growls, then searches my face and begins to chuckle. "You're enjoying yourself."

I shrug. "For what it's worth, so much more so since you arrived."

He shakes his head. "In case you missed it, gentlemen, this little tête-à-tête is over and will not be repeated. You will apologize to my mate and from this time forward will treat her with the respect she is due."

There is silence until Hudson growls low in his throat. It's a sexy sound that really ticks off all my boxes.

"Now, gentlemen."

Eddard studies him for a long moment. Then nods. “As you say, Alpha.”

The three elders, including good ole Eddard, apologize and shuffle their way out.

Once they leave, he turns to me. "Want to explain why I wasn't the first phone call you made after you were summoned?"

"If it makes you feel better, the only phone call I made was Elena to ask her if she could cover my store." I glance at my watch. "I didn't think it would take them long to growl their threats, but I need to get back to town. Elena has her bookstore to run..."

As I move to walk past him, Hudson reaches out and grabs my upper arm. "Kate, wait."

"I'm busy."

He steps closer. “I’m only saying what I should’ve said days ago... what we both know.”

“Damn right you should’ve.” I don’t let up. “At the very least, you should have said it to me first. But if you think you can just claim me like I’m a slice of pie at the diner...”

“You’re not a slice of pie,” he growls low. “You’re the fire I can’t put out. The instinct I can’t override. You belong to yourself, to this pack, and to me. If you give me the word, I’ll burn down the world and anyone that tries to touch you. I meant what I said to Eddard.”

"I know. Is it weird that I found it oddly arousing?"

Hudson chuckles. "Don't worry about the store. I had one of my people lock up for you. I wasn't sure what I was going to find when I got here."

"Did you expect to find me cowering?"

"Hardly," Hudson snorts. "I was just relieved I wasn't walking into a bloodbath of your creation."

"Again, oddly sexy."