Page 10 of Shifters Unifying

Laughter echoed through the new amphitheater, and the buzz of side conversations increased. The governing body had been formed, and each warrior would be interested in performing well for the sake of their clan’s position in the council. What I’d come to do had been done, and now I needed to find Logan. I excused myself, determined to find him.

When I reached the exit, Olivia caught my arm. “What are you doing?”

I leaned close to her ear. “I have to find him. I need him to understand.”

She leaned back. “He’s an alpha. He understands duty before feelings.”

“Please, Olivia. I need to see him.”

Her lips pursed as though she wanted to argue, but she released my arm.

The warding magic slid over my skin as I passed between Jasper and Olivia to exit the magically constructed structure. It disappeared the moment I stepped outside of the perimeter.

Scanning the surroundings didn’t help me locate Logan, so I tested the bond between us.Where are you?I pushed the thought toward him.

He only growled in response. If he meant to scare me away, it was half-hearted and succeeded in reminding me of the sound of him growling my name in the middle of his orgasms.

Fine. We’ll do this the hard way.His presence tugged on my mind, and I followed the sense of him into the thick woods around the conclave. My leg scraped against a thorny bush, and I hissed in pain. Being naked and unfurred in the woods presented a whole new set of problems, but I pressed forward toward him.

When I finally found him, he sat on the ground in the middle of a clearing, his legs crossed as though he were meditating. Scruff shadowed his cheeks, and his hair fell over his forehead. His neck met wide shoulders, and the light danced over each chiseled muscle—every blessed inch of him naked, glinting with the soft sheen of sweat.

CHAPTER FOUR

emma

His eyes popped open the moment I stepped into the clearing, glittering bright blue. “We should have discussed your offer before you made it.”

“It only came to me while I was standing in front of the hard-headed alphas,” I answered, easing close enough to touch him. Even seated, his head came to my breasts.

“I don’t trust Marcus,” he snapped.

“You did when you needed him last.”

He glowered at me.

“Same for Torbin,” I added.

“I’m reconsidering my decisions,” he gruffed.

“I’m not. They’re allies, even if they’re begrudging ones. They were there when it mattered, and their allegiance buys me enough time to prove myself to the rest.” I smoothed my hand over his steamy skin. “Have you been out running?”

His eyes flashed, and he dragged them over my body. “Burning off my fury.”

“Smart,” I whispered, my heart thumping madly in my chest. Not from fear or nerves this time. “No wonder you’re naked.”

“We both are.”

“Handy, that,” I said, and then I rush toward him, grabbing his hand and dragging him to his feet. “Come on. Let’s put a little distance between us and them.”

I launched into a run, darting between the October trees on the other side of the clearing, and his barking laugh followed.

The woods seemed to shimmer around us, pulsing with an otherworldly glow, as if matching the rhythm of my heartbeat. Chaotic. Frantic.Hungry.

I twisted through the maze of trees, peeking up at the sun above me. Footsteps closed in behind, so close his fingers must be reaching for my hair. So, I picked up my speed, and he did, too.

It’s no fun if he doesn’t work for it.

But I already knew, we weren’t leaving these woods without fucking in them.