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The tension finally eased from Isaac’s features. “You’re right. It’s just one more indignity to add to the list.”

“The human leaders claimed we’re not prisoners, that they’ve given us everything we need to thrive,” Kyle muttered gloomily. “The nanobots are proof positive that they’re all full of shit.”

“Again, not news,” Jon insisted as he finished his drink.

“We have two options. One, put all our time and energy into contacting someone off-world and convincing them to come get us. The complications with that plan are endless so I won’t get into them.

Option two, make our lives here as pleasant as possible while we work toward achieving the other goal.

That way if it takes years, and it probably will, we’re not all a bunch of miserable assholes the entire time. ”

Isaac started laughing and Tara couldn’t figure out why. Nothing Jon said was funny.

“Were the eagle brothers fighting again?” Isaac guessed. “You suddenly sound like Raphael.”

Jon smiled and tension flowed out of the entire room.

“Gabriel was in one of his moods and not even Raph could talk him out of it. They have a team of their best engineers working to build a communications system from the components we’ve salvaged from the abandoned ships.

There isn’t much more any of us can do in the meantime.

Obsessing about leaving the planet is only going to make the person unhappy and hard to be around. Why do it?”

“You’re right.” Isaac looked at Tara and one corner of his mouth tipped up. “Besides, our life improved drastically a couple of weeks ago.”

Tara offered him a soft smile, but didn’t speak.

She hadn’t known about the nanobots, but it mattered even less to her.

Rydaria had been her prison from the start.

She’d been exiled here as a punishment because she was an employee of Nuevo Biotech.

Earth’s leaders didn’t expect anyone in her party to survive, much less escape the planet.

“Enough about nanobots and injustice,” Jon insisted. “Let’s see if we can locate the missing females.”

The three males moved to the center of the room and grasped arms. They paused and closed their eyes, then their breathing evened out.

Tara could feel energy swirling around them, gradually building in strength and intensity.

They were shielding the link, protecting it from outside interference.

The protective barrier kept her from sensing their thoughts and emotions.

She understood the precaution, but it made her feel excluded and useless.

Not wanting to distract them, she moved to the couch and sat down.

Lexie and her mates originally formed their soul bond to save the life of one of the males.

Lexie insisted that she didn’t regret it and that being completely connected to her mates was amazing.

Would a soul bond allow Tara to participate in these missions?

Even if all she did was feed them energy, at least she would have a purpose.

Was being included enough of a reason to link herself permanently with three males she’d only known for a couple of weeks?

She sighed. Life on Rydaria was so confusing. She wasn’t sure what she wanted.

She had pictured herself as a counselor, offering emotional support to those traumatized by abuse.

Unfortunately, no one seemed interested.

She had asked around, spoken with dozens of people, and everyone insisted that they didn’t need a therapist. Most of the males wouldn’t come near her.

She was being courted by three powerful Shadows and they had no interest in upsetting them.

The other part of the hesitation was cultural.

Most of the feline hybrids were soldiers, badass warriors who took out their emotions on sparring partners and exercise equipment.

Some of the women had shown mild interest, but insisted that now was not the time.

“Damn it,” Jon muttered as the males came out of the trance.

“What did you see?” Tara asked. It was obvious they hadn’t been successful, but had they learned anything helpful?

Jon glanced at her then shook his head. “We found Juan, but he’d already left the cave. We’ll have to try again in the morning.”

Tara nodded, disappointed but accepting. They were doing everything possible to find the captives. Complaining about the time it was taking wasn’t helpful to anyone.

“Do you know who Alex and Nate are?” Kyle asked. “Juan was not happy with those two.”

Tara started to say that she had no idea when she realized that Kyle wasn’t asking her.

“I don’t know which pack he leads, but Alex is one of the other alphas,” Jon explained.

“The ‘other alphas’?” Tara asked, confused by the phrase. “I didn’t know there was more than one.”

Jon moved to the couch and sat down beside her before he went on.

“There are eleven wolf packs living in the lupine village. Each pack has its own alpha and the strongest alpha rules the village. For the past year or so, Elias has been the village alpha, but our spy has indicated that several of the others are ready to challenge his leadership.”

“Or lack thereof,” Isaac grumbled.

“Exactly,” Jon responded. “It sounds like Alex and Nate are ready to make their move.”

“It makes sense,” Kyle interjected as he moved closer to the couch. “Juan isn’t even an alpha. Elias’ pack is vulnerable as long as he is out of commission.”

“Is this good or bad for the captives?” Tara wanted to know.

Jon lifted one shoulder and shook his head. “I have no idea. I know little more than Alex’s name.”

“Even if Alex is a huge improvement, we don’t want the captives caught in the middle of a pack war,” Isaac pointed out. “We have to get them out of there.”

Kyle’s penetrating gaze suddenly shifted to Tara. “How well do you know Claire?”

Tara tensed, unsure of his motivation for asking the question. “I didn’t know her before we came here, but she was in my tent while we were starving and struggling to stay warm. That sort of trauma creates closeness. I feel a certain bond with all six of the women that were assigned to my tent.”

Isaac nodded thoughtfully. “The same thing happens to fire teams or military squads. They create bonds that last the rest of their lives.” He looked at Kyle and asked, “What are you thinking?”

“What if…” Kyle hesitated, clearly uncomfortable with what he was about to suggest. “What if there was a way to contact Claire directly? Juan might eventually lead us to the cave, but Claire is there right now.”

“Tara isn’t ready,” Isaac said firmly.

“Not ready for what?” Tara countered. “What’s Kyle talking about? How can we contact Claire?”

Jon slipped his arm around her and gave her shoulder a squeeze. “If we had full access to your mind, we might be able to use your emotional connection with Claire to contact her telepathically.”

“Even with a soul bond there is a series of mights,” Isaac countered.

He stood behind one of the chairs that faced the couch.

His hands rested on the back, his fingers squeezing and releasing.

“We might be able to find her, and we might be able to form a connection allowing us to communicate, and even if all that falls into place, Claire might have been blindfolded or unconscious when they took her down there. We’re not locking Tara into a soul bond for a might. ”

“If a long shot for Claire were the only reason we were doing this, I would agree with you,” Tara said. “But I’ve spent the last few days wondering why I’m waiting. I know this is the coalition I want to join and I’m relatively certain you want me as your mate.”

Jon scoffed and pulled her tighter against his side. “We’ve known you were our mate since the first day we saw you.”

“Your scent told us everything we needed to know,” Isaac added.

“It’s only been two weeks,” Kyle reminded. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

“I’ve been with you continually for two weeks and our minds have been linked for much of that time.

” She took a deep breath and made her final decision.

“I know how you guys think and what you honestly feel about me. I’ve shared your memories.

I know who you were before Nuevo, and I know who you are now.

You each appeal to me in a different way.

You fulfill a different portion of my desire, which means I’m completely satisfied.

I’m ready.” She paused and looked each one of them in the eyes before she concluded, “I want to be your soul bonded mate.”

Kyle’s brows drew together and his expression tensed. “Is desire all you feel for us?”

“You know it’s not.” She lowered her gaze, feeling vulnerable for reasons she didn’t understand. Why was sharing her body with three males easier than sharing her emotions?

Kneeling in front of her, Kyle gathered her hands into his. “You can feel our emotions, mate. Don’t you realize how deeply we love you?”

She glanced up at him, but said nothing.

“I won’t speak for the others,” Kyle began, “but I love you more deeply than I ever thought possible. You’re bright and compassionate. Your determination to rescue the captives reflects your character. You’re one of the most selfless people I’ve ever known.”

Jon cupped her chin and drew her face around until their gazes locked. “I know I’m hard on you, in and out of bed. But I can’t help myself. I’m obsessed with you. I’ve never cared for anyone or anything as intensely as I care for you.”

Tears blurred her vision, and she furiously blinked them away. They were soldiers, Shadow warriors; she hadn’t expected this sort of tenderness from them.

“I wasn’t looking for a mate,” Isaac told her as he sat down on her other side. “I didn’t think I was ready. Wasn’t sure I’d ever be. But you’re wonderful. You fill in our missing pieces and make the puzzle fit together. Without you, we’re incomplete.”