Page 3 of Taken by Moonlight

All three males immediately combed the floor tohelp.

Dante picked up my purse, handing it to me. “No need to be nervous,” he murmured in that dark whisky voice. “I’ll inform Norman that I delayed you in starting yourshift.”

His thoughtfulness almost made me cry. Dante had gotten past the emotional barriers that had been a defense against today’s disappointments and stress. I never cried in public, and wasn’t about to start. But this kindness was like rubbing salve on a sorewound.

Standing up, I knotted the broken strap and checked the bag to ensure I’d retrievedeverything.

Alexander cleared his throat. “Ah, I found this under the table.” He handed me the box oftampons.

“Organic.” Dante nodded. “Verygood.”

As if he approved of my feminine protection. A furious blush ignited myface.

“Yes, you wouldn’t want anything inorganic in your, ah, body,” Alexander said, avoiding mygaze.

“Only all natural in your body,” Gabriel chimedin.

Alexander glared at him. “And you’re theexpert?”

Mortified, I muttered “thanks,” and stuffed them into thebag.

Gabriel chuckled. “I hear they’re great for wound care. Alex, you could have used one after last night’sscuffle.”

“What scuffle?” I asked, desperate to shift the spotlight off the contents of mypurse.

“We had a disagreement with the Brown brothers.” Dante sipped his whisky, then the glass dangled in his long, elegant fingers. Such aristocratic hands for such a powerful alpha. “They thought to take a stroll on our land and we thoughtotherwise.”

This was news. In addition to being rich loan sharks, the Brown brothers owned land near the Bar B Q. Earl Brown always looked to challenge Dante for control of hispack.

“I hope you gave them a sound beating.” I gave a furtive glance around in case a Brown pack member listened. “Of course you did. Why am I evenasking?”

Dante offered a brief smile, while Alex nodded and Gabrielgrinned.

“That’s what they get for taking a stroll.” I refrained from glancing at my cell to see thetime.

“It wasn’t a simple stroll. They tried to break past our gate,” Alex blurtedout.

Gabriel’s easy grin faded and his blue eyes narrowed. “Except we caught them on the security cameras and stoppedthem.”

The alpha didn’t hush them or scowl. Instead, Dante studied my face. I felt my heart sink to my stomach over this revelation. Heard rumors for the past four weeks, too, that the Brown pack grew bolder and were after one thing Dante’s packhad.

Females. And young. The Browns had only one breeding couple in their pack who had yet to produceoffspring.

Out here in the middle of nowhere, females of breeding age were rarer than a warm day during a hard winter. From what I’d read, weres typically fought for turf and forfemales.

“Who did theywant?”

“Any of the females. And the young.” Dante’s simple statement sent a chill rushing down my spine. The Browns grew more reckless, andbolder.

“That’s pretty cocky of them to waltz onto your ranch and try to steal your pack members.” I bristled with anger. Damn the Browns. They made life miserable for weres and humansalike.

“They had reason to be cocky.” Gabriel scowled. “They brought five of their strongestwarriors.”

Worried, I scanned all three. “You’re so calm. This is pretty serious. They were after your vulnerable ones, right? The young and the pregnant females and theelderly?”

Dante exchanged glances with his betas. His smile was grim, but approval flickered in his dark gaze. “Yes. Does that botheryou?”

“Hell yeah.” I fisted my hands. “I can’t stand to see kids and elderly abused orscared.”