Page 21

She paused a moment, flicked her long, dark hair over her shoulders, and allowed him an unimpeded view of her bare, toned body.

One thing about Minsi he couldn’t deny was her beauty.

Her lissome body was breathtaking in its form and what she could do with it.

There had been many nights he’d called her to his dwelling or chased her down after a run and fucked her until they both were exhausted.

He’d done maddening things to her because Minsi, like most wolves, could take more than a bit of pain, and they liked it with their pleasure.

Chanin wasn’t into bone breaking, like some in his wolf-shifters, because even though their bodies could heal and heal fast, some took it way too far.

When he became Alpha, he stopped that shit cold in the Pack.

Depending on the damage, it could take too long for a wolf to heal and if an attack happened, that wolf would be down and unable to fight.

It didn’t matter that the preternatural beings had a truce around the globe for two decades; a wolf stayed ready.

With his rage inside, he was more than tempted to teach Minsi a lesson. However, he had some care for the she-wolf, and they had a history. Chanin wouldn’t allow his anger at Farkas and his temporary loss of his mate to rule him in such a way or alter his judgment.

Minsi moved toward him slowly and sensually, with one long, graceful limb after the other crossing the floor. The musky scent of her need permeated his house.

Before he met Morlie, the smell would have had his cock rising quickly and his wolf panting inside of him. Minsi wouldn’t have had a chance to get up because he’d have been undressed and on her in a flash, driving his dick inside of her until they both had the first of many releases.

Now, his gaze tracked her as his mind calculated her action plan.

She had a way of walking that shifted her hips out wide and made her heavy breasts sway alluringly.

Males in his Pack admired her even when she was clothed.

When they went out for a weekly Pack run, more than a few wolves followed the trail of her scent in hopes of fucking her in the end.

However, once she got his approval to move in close to him, Chanin’s claim warded off the others’ pursuit, and they would find other willing bitches in heat.

A heat cycle that would produce nothing, thanks to the damn humans.

“Again, welcome home, Chanin.” Minsi stopped a half step away from him.

He could feel the wild energy coming from her body. Her wolf wanted to connect with his in the most primal of ways.

Her nostrils flared, and something sparked in the depth of her pale-greenish-gold eyes. If she scented something, she didn’t say. Instead, Minsi stretched forth a hand as she said, “Let me help you out of these clothes—”

He grabbed her wrist before her fingers contacted his shirt. “What the fuck are you doing here, Minsi?”

The lustful glow in her gaze dimmed as he held her firm. “As I said. I wanted to welcome you from your journey to the council meeting. You’re always riled up from your interactions with the other alphas and need me to help you work it out,” her voice became low and ardent.

“Did I call for you now?” Chanin’s voice was low, too, but interwoven with a growl from his wolf.

Minsi’s eyes flashed amber in response to his wolf.

He felt a slight tremor in the place he gripped as she licked her lips.

“No,” she murmured. Not one to give up, she turned to place her back against his chest and tried to press her backside to his groin. Since he still held her wrist, her move caused him inadvertently to wrap his arm around her.

The scent of her lust was strong now that she was so close.

Chanin clutched her shoulder with his free hand to keep distance between them. He wasn’t sure what his wolf would do if she touched him. Never having a mate before, he was in unchartered territory.

“I can’t hear you.” Purposely, he let his wolf show more force, and his words were practically inaudible. He released the tether on his wolf a little to let his claws come out. The tips dug into the flesh of Minsi’s shoulder.

She hissed.

“No, Alpha.” Her voice was more precise, and her gaze sharp as she stared at him over her shoulder.

Minsi was an alpha female, which made them a good match sexually.

Others in the Pack often deferred to her leadership when she said or did something.

Most believed they would one day mate. Minsi hated being chided but respected authority.

“Then don’t mistake your place with me.” Chanin released her and stepped back. “I have a lot to do today. The last thing I need is a distraction.”

“If not sex, then what can I do to help?”

“Go home. Or find another to fuck.”

When he headed toward his kitchen for water, she followed.

After he got a glass from the cabinet and turned, Minsi stood behind him. Chanin growled.

She folded her arms over her breasts and cocked her head to the side. The claw marks on her shoulder were barely visible, already healing. “I can tell something is disturbing your wolf, Chanin. You know I can help.”

What she said was true. Their wolves were connected because they were Pack, which meant they could sense strong emotions.

Only in wolf form could they mind link and communicate.

Considering her, he took a moment to fill his glass from the jug of water in his refrigerator.

As he closed the door, he heard the solar generator kick on to regulate the temperature of the large appliance.

Chanin could not deny Minsi’s words. They were friends before they became lovers. She’d also fought beside him in scrimmages, and she was formidable. He would be stupid not to use her in his plans with Farkas.

He downed the water and set the glass in the sink. “Dress yourself and go home. Come back in an hour or so. You can sit in on our talks once Boris arrives.”

She nodded but held his gaze. “Anything else I need to know?”

Morlie. Chanin knew Minsi had probably smelled her on him.

Even though his contact with the human was small and brief, a light trace of her sweet scent still lingered in his hands and mouth.

But he owed Minsi no allegiance. They had never been exclusive, and even if he fucked her often, there had been others in the Pack for him.

And plenty of other males for Minsi as well.

Not sparing her a glance, he headed toward his bedroom.

“No. On your way out, tell Bleddyn and Rudie they can come back.”

He didn’t wait for her confirmation of his command; Instead, he shut his room door.

Enclosed in his room, Chanin turned to his dresser and slammed his palms down.

The antique wood structure shook and groaned under his force.

He drew in a deep, clean breath, no longer tainted by Minsi’s arousal.

He needed to steady himself and get under control.

Not because he wanted the she-wolf but because being around Minsi and in his home made him yearn hard to have another here and with him.

Morlie. Damn, he needed her. As long as she was away from him, it was as if he wasn’t whole—a fractured man.

He’d heard others talk about the soul-level of need they felt toward their mates and that it was like no other bond, but he had barely registered their words.

He’d believed those shifters to be weak.

He couldn’t imagine how his Beta managed with two mates.

However, Bleddyn did say it was a different ache once the bonding was complete.

Chanin couldn’t fucking imagine the ache being greater and being able to stand it. If only the pre-bite he’d placed on Morlie had him this twisted inside, then he’d be worth shit once he gave her the sealing bite.

Maybe I should have shifted and gone for a run, delaying the meeting. However, Chanin couldn’t delay tracking down his cousin. That situation needed rectifying now. Farkas was wily and wouldn’t remain in one place for long.

Another deep breath made him a little steadier. Chanin gathered up clothes and changed out of his business attire. After he put on his T-shirt and jeans, he left his room.

The scent of food greeted him as he walked back into the front area.

“While we waited outside, I figured we could kill two birds while we waited for Boris.” Rudie smiled from where she stood beside the table laden with food.

“Your acts of service intuition never cease to amaze me, runt.” Chanin reached over and ruffled her short hair as he claimed his seat at the eight-person table.

Rudie’s cheeks turned crimson as she swatted his hand away. She rolled her eyes. “I’m not a kid, Alpha.”

It was true. Rudie wasn’t a pup anymore, and one day soon, a wolf in his Pack would see her for the lovely and special she-wolf she was and want to take her as a mate.

Chanin didn’t know how to handle it without wanting to kill the wolf for even thinking about Rudie.

However, he knew he’d have to let her have her own life.

Maybe they would be able to find a cure for the infertility of the females in his Pack, and taking a mate wouldn’t mean Rudie had to share or fear a human woman would steal them away.

He grinned and gave her a playful wink. “You will always be a kid to me, runt.”

“I agree. No full-grown wolf could be that small. You think she’s an elf or fairy in disguise?” Bleddyn, who sat across from her, his plate already filled, joined in on the teasing.

“Maybe. We could have Rudie tested. Get one of the elders to have her shift for them.” Chanin served up food on his plate. He was grateful for his assistant’s foresight because he was starving. He needed sustenance if they would go after his cousin and the others.

Rudie shook her head as she sat down on his other side.

Even though they picked with her about her shifting, it did concern him that Rudie had never changed into her wolf form since he’d rescued her.

She told him she had shifted before when she was with her family.

Chanin could sense her latent wolf and knew it was there, but he wasn’t sure why Rudie kept it contained.

He was her alpha, but as her guardian, he refused to push her into something that may trigger her.

They were halfway through their second plate when Boris walked in.

“Good you’re here.” Chanin waved him toward a seat at the table. “Join us. I want to build a strategy to bring my cousin to justice.”

“The time for planning may be over. I’ve word that Farkas’s band is holding two Fae women.” Boris stopped at the far end of the table.

“Fuck!” Chanin got to his feet. “This will cause a war. If we don’t get to them before Iskah discovers they are gone, and they are in our territory, she will bring an army of Fae here.”

“First the Drahks, now the Fae.” Bleddyn pushed aside his plate before he shoved back from the table.

“Once I got word from the scout team. I assembled the fang warriors,” Boris announced.

Chanin couldn’t figure out how Farkas managed to cross undetected in and out of other territories. It didn’t matter at the moment. He had to get the females out. “Farkas must be stopped. Now.”