Page 17 of Shifters Unifying (Shifters Destiny: Willow Creek Shifters #2)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

emma

The Gathering Place

Between Bear Trees & Red Tail Territories

“Emma!” Logan’s voice reverberated behind me, and his heavy footsteps followed.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I yelled over my shoulder and kept marching, determined to find a place to be alone to process what Marcus had unloaded. “Leave me alone!”

Thankfully, my mate listened this time. Still, maybe I would have preferred his presence. Maybe we could still a few moments away to ourselves to reconnect.

I glanced over my shoulder, but he had already disappeared back inside the warded amphitheater.

Shit. Everything inside me was all shaken, stirred, up ended, and mixed up, and what I wanted warred with what I needed.

When I’d healed him, I’d worked my self, my magic into his cells, and he’d worked his way into mine. We were two parts of one soul.

I didn’t want Logan’s “help” sorting out how I felt about all the new shit with the birth parents.

I’d have given almost anything for a few hours to reconnect with my mate.

Making out, fucking, snuggling, whatever.

He brought a stability to the middle of the insanity which had become my life, and I craved him.

He anchored me, and the absence of him was noticeable.

The hours since we’d been together felt like a lifetime, like I’d been forcibly starved.

I’d told him to leave me alone, and he had, so I wasn’t going to go after him, sniveling like a woman who didn’t know her own damn mind. Navigating my new life as the multimorph was one thing, navigating a fated mating was something else.

Another wave of tears surprised me, and I flicked away the droplets as though they were horse flies landing on my skin to bite the life out of me.

Logan had already told me that Marcus knew who my birth parents were, but I was positive Logan didn’t know Marcus believed I was related to him. I had had no idea that I was related to asshat alpha Marcus Steele… at least not until my mom had mentioned the last name on some of the paperwork.

I didn’t trust Marcus or like him. Really didn’t like him.

My feelings were probably amplified by Logan’s opinions of the rival alpha.

However, Marcus was a cat, through and through.

He was nice when it suited him, and as far as I could tell, practically every decision he made served himself first and his pride after.

Logan would flip his fucking lid when I told him Marcus was my uncle. He’d probably ban Marcus from Six-Mile, and I wouldn’t blame him, wasn’t even sure I’d argue with the decision. Maybe it wasn’t very “unifying” of me, but I didn’t care.

Sure, as the multimorph, I had to treat Marcus with the respect due his position, but I had no desire to invite him to dinner or to get to know him on any kind of personal level. And now…

Now he implied that I was the result of his shifter sister’s teen pregnancy.

Not just any sister, the sister who had recently gone missing with her son.

Which meant Marcus was my uncle, and I had a mother and half-brother whom I’d never met…

who were both missing and presumed dead. Thanks to Acheron.

How the fuck was I supposed to feel about all that?

Six-Mile Manor

Phil returned me to the manor on the same four-wheeler we’d ridden out to the Gathering Place. When I’d gone to hunt Logan down, he’d disappeared completely, and Olivia had no idea where he’d gone off to sulk. So, all-around-good-sport Phil had brought me home to Six-Mile.

After we eased to a stop, I climbed from the seat with a groan. “You coming inside?”

Phil didn’t climb off with me. Instead, he said, “I should garage this and refuel it.”

“Sounds good.” I reached for my toes, stretching to try to work the kinks out of my butt. If Logan had stuck around, he would have been able to help me with my kinky ass. A grin twisted my mouth, and I wondered how long my mate would be out pouting by moody self.

Phil cleared his throat and tapped me on the shoulder. “Multimorph,” he murmured, bending closer. “I believe you have some visitors. At least two of them are from the squirrel clan. Salali is their alpha.”

Of course, Salali didn’t waste any time. I sighed.

When I straightened, I counted five shifters waited on the front porch, seated in the row of rocking chairs.

Smiles wreathed their faces as we approached.

Two had shaggy strawberry blond hair, sticking out in all directions, but clean-shaven faces.

One brunette tugged on the tip of his Van Dyke beard, while the remaining two females waited, each in frizzy double gray braids, both nearly identical to one another in appearance.

They all chittered and clicked at each other as though they were speaking squirrel to one another even as humans.

“Should I send them away?” Phil asked. “Logan should be returning soon. You could rest.”

“Now that wouldn’t be rest, and you know it.”

Phil chuckled. “Still…”

I shot him a tired smile. “No, there’s no sense in putting it off. I promised whoever sent the first five would get my attention. Salali made it happen, so we’ll start there.” I waved to the warriors, and the porch decking creaked as all five stood as one.

“Multimorph, you’ve come,” one of the females said. “I’m Amelia, but they call me Ah-mie. This is my twin sister, Evie.”

Phil zipped away on the four-wheeler.

When I reached the top step, I stuck out my hand, and Amelia shook it. “Not sure I can tell you two apart,” I said, nodding between them. “Ah-mie,” I repeated her specific pronunciation. “Not Amy?” She shook her head in response.

“Evie,” I said to the other.

Evie grinned. “We’re only different by scent, and even then, not always. We’re used to it, and we answer to each other’s names.”

“But not in bed,” one of the light-haired ones quipped.

Evie rolled her eyes before she turned to the others. “That’s Levi, with the mouth. Benjamin is quieter at least, and the bearded one is Reuben.”

These each stepped forward in turn and shook my hand.

“We’re the best of East Nuttal Delta,” Reuben offered.

“Me and Ahmie are better than these three blow-hards,” Evie interjected, her mouth twisting into a smug smirk. “But they’re decent.”

Reuben’s gaze narrowed, but he didn’t argue.

Levi snickered. “It might chaff Reuben’s ass, but Ahmie and Evie fight as two parts of one, and they outfight all of us.”

“What was your territory called?”

Benjamin stepped forward and gave a small bow. “East Nuttal Delta, multimorph.”

“How far from here?”

“Three hours as the raven flies, but four hours by car,” he answered. “You’d probably prefer the car.”

Olivia jogged up the front steps to join us. “Hey, Emma,” she said. “Logan’s still in a foul mood, and you’re probably the only one who can get him out of it.”

I sighed. “Likely. Between the two of us, it’s been a long-ass day, and we could both use a night off. Where is he?”

“He snuck around the backside of the manor, probably slinking in through the backdoor to get to his bedroom.”

“I’ll take care of it,” I said, making a promise I wasn’t sure I had enough time to fulfill. “Where are the four shifters who arrived yesterday? Maybe they can sit in on a training session today.”

Olivia leaned on one of the porch support columns. “Who?”

“I found four young shifters and brought them back from Willow Creek earlier. Jasper’s supposed to be putting them through their training paces.”

“Ah,” she said, glancing toward the warehouse gym. She chewed her bottom lip a moment. “Want me to go get them? Bring ‘em back here?”

“No, take these five with you. Maybe they can train the four newbies a little before we head to East Nuttal Delta.”

“Did someone say fresh meat?” Ahmie and Evie spoke as one, and their eyes gleamed with mirrored interest. “That’s one of the things we do back home.”

“Training?” I asked.

“They’re good at it,” Levi added.

I crossed my arms and leaned on the opposite side of the support column Olivia also leaned against. “Do you think Salali would mind if I bring the newbies to your territory with us?”

Ahmie shrugged. “You’re the multimorph. I’d be willing to bet you can do what you want.”

“You’re not wrong,” I murmured. Maybe I should stop trying to allow possible offense to control my behavior. Maybe it was time I started listening to my instincts without hesitating or second-guessing.

A sweaty Logan slammed out of the front door of the manor, his skin shining red in the setting sun. His gaze landed on me and narrowed as he took one giant step toward me. He wore boxers, but the thin fabric didn’t hide anything, and every person on the porch knew what was on his mind.

Somebody snickered. I didn’t care.

I took a deep breath, reveling in the scent of him, wiggling my hips and appreciating the way my body had already responded. “Logan.”

“You are my mate, and you will come with me,” Logan growled close to my ear, sending a shiver rolling through me.

“Say it again,” I whispered, turning my face toward him, nearly lost to the world.

“You. Are. My. Mate. And. You. Will. Come,” he lingered on the word. “With. Me.”

My shudder wasn’t voluntary, but I jerked my thumb toward the others. “I’ve got to head over to Salali’s. Can you be quick?”

“Fuck quick.” Logan cursed under his breath and stalked back into manor without stopping.

Olivia’s eyebrows hit her hairline. “You gonna handle that?”

“You gonna keep them busy?”

“Yeah.”

That was all I needed to hear.

Logan didn’t wait for my invitation. The minute I strolled into his bedroom, naked, he scooped me into his arms, heaved me across the room, and tossed me onto our bed.

One leap from my tall, broody mate brought him to the edge of the mattress where he peered down at me. “I need you. Now.”

“Is that so?” I raised my eyebrows and shrugged my shoulders, making my tits bounce. “Will you ask nicely?”

“It’s been too long for that.”

“Logan,” I whispered, my thighs already slick with want.