“Seriously. I think I’m blind. You fucked me blind.”
He kissed her damp cheek. It was going to be so easy to fall in love with his mate. He said a silent prayer of thanks for the awesome gift fate had given him in the form of one small she-Wolf. “Your eyes are closed.”
“Oh.” He waited. He knew she wasn’t done yet. “Are you sure?”
He laughed silently. “Yes, I’m sure, baby.”
“Hmm.” She elbowed him until he rolled off of her, then snuggled into him, her ass resting against his hip. She wriggled and sighed happily, purring like her namesake. He got up long enough to clean himself and her off, then put his cock back into his pants and maneuvered until he was spooned up against her body. If his baby got off on the feel of denim, he’d buy fucking denim pajamas. They would be uncomfortable as hell, but Tabby was worth it.
He drifted off to sleep, a satisfied smile on his face.
Chapter Six
“So.”
Tabby raised her brow, wondering what the hell Alex was up to. He’d let her shower by herself this morning, his demeanor quiet and thoughtful. He’d finished his yoga before she got out, and damn if she wasn’t sorry to miss that. Watching him stretch that amazing body, his muscles quivering with strain, had been an incredible turn-on. After he was done, he’d led her to IHOP for breakfast, his expression still peaceful after his morning workout.
“Tell me about Gary.”
She thudded her head down on the Formica table hard enough she’d probably have a red mark. “Bacon. Need bacon.”
“Tabby.”
She huffed out a breath, leaving her face on the table. “Fine. Gary is a student at the college who thinks it’s fun to try to fuck with me.” She couldn’t go into too much detail; it was Saturday morning and the IHOP was packed to the rafters with humans and Pumas. One mention of shifters right now could lead to either a long life in a hug-me jacket or being forced to leave the only real home she’d ever known. Neither one was an option she wanted to contemplate.
“How long has this been going on?”
The quiet tone of voice had her stiffening. She was coming to recognize that tone as a dangerous sign. She stiffened, wondering if Alex would lose it. He couldn’t go after Gary. Gary, thanks to his friends, was too well protected. Besides, Gabe wouldn’t be able to keep Alex out of trouble if he went after Gary unprovoked. Despite everything that had happened, they had no solid proof that Gary had ever threatened to lay a hand on her. It would be her word against his and his goon squad’s. That would work against Alex in both human and shifter law. “Why?”
He gave her an innocent look, totally incongruous on his face. “No reason.”
She glared up at him through the fall of her bangs. “Alex.”
“You are so not allowed near my mother anymore,” he grumbled.
“Why not?”
“You sound just like her.”
She could feel a smile trying to break free. He sounded like a grumpy little boy. “After having met your mother, I’d say that’s a good thing.”
His eyes sparkled with approval even while he glowered at her. “Flattery will not get you out of telling me what I want to know.”
“What about a BJ? Will that get me out of it?”
He blinked, his eyes blanking before the frown returned.
She lifted her head and grinned at him. “You had to think about it, didn’t you?”
A slight flush crossed his cheeks. “Brat.” He sat back as the waitress piled pancakes in front of him. Tabby sat back too, the scent of her own breakfast driving her crazy. “If he’s a threat to you, I need to know. How can I protect you otherwise?”
The look on his face was hard, uncompromising. She sighed, just knowing he was going to try to be her fuzzy knight in matte black leathers. “Gary arrived in Halle in August. He’s a junior and a transfer from New Mexico, I think. I’m not sure what group he’s affiliated with, and it’s not like I can walk up to him and say, ‘Hey prick, who’s your boss? I’d like to complain about your customer service’.” Tabby laughed at the look on Alex’s face. Her old Alpha had hammered into his Pack how to talk around humans without giving them away. The Pack was treated as a company. The analogy wasn’t that far off the mark. Most Packs came with bosses, employees, and yes, even customer service. Hell, the Senate actually did have a legal corporation headed by the Leo, the ruler of the American shifters, a charitable organization that was mostly concerned with the conservation of endangered species. They only accepted donations from shifters, so they didn’t fall under public scrutiny. The Wildlife Conservation Foundation did a lot of good, helping to repopulate the wolves in Yellowstone National Park and giving the big cats born in the U.S. a safe environment to live in. She’d heard that there were more tigers living in the U.S. than any other place in the world, and the WCF helped to take care of them. Chloe would probably do very well working as one of their vets once she recovered from her injuries and graduated. “Anyway, he found out pretty quickly that I was an ex-employee and decided that harassment was A-okay.”
“Tell me what he’s done, Tabby.”
Fuck. His voice had dropped, deepened until it rumbled through her. “He’s egged Living Art, given me grief, harassed me on the phone, threatened the girls. You know, the usual.” She wasn’t sure if she should tell him about that time in the woods, when Gary had scared the shit out of her. She was afraid of what he’d do if she did. “You were there the other night. He’s done stuff like that off and on the entire time I’ve been here.”
“Have you tried petitioning the closest human resources office for help?”
She shook her head. “I’ve heard of the Poconos boss. He’s a scary guy, and his COO is said to be a little insane.” She heard someone in the booth behind her choke, but ignored it. “I heard she’s from around here, but she left before I arrived.” Tabby shrugged. “Besides, Gabe is aware of what’s going on and he’s doing his best to look out for me.” Although she hadn’t yet told Gabe about how Gary and his Pack had cornered her in the woods. Damn, with everything that had been going on, she’d forgotten she’d wanted to speak to the sheriff about that. It seemed like her life was both spinning out of control and finally finding its center.
Gary hadn’t found out her new cell number yet, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t still stalking her.
“What’s that frown for?”
She looked up from her plate. Seeing the look on Alex’s face, she grimaced. “I need to talk to Gabe about something.” One of those dark brows rose and she winced. “I just want to tell him that some of Gary’s issues are beginning to spill over onto Cyn and Glory.”
He looked unconvinced. “And then you’re going to tell him about the butterflies that flew out of your butt.”
Okay, the person behind them really needed to stop listening in on their conversation. Throaty feminine laughter floated over them and Tabby frowned, not sure if she was more pissed at the eavesdropper or Alex. “Look, he’s begun harassing them too. He knows that if he hurts them, it hurts me, and it would be my fault.” It would damn near kill her if something happened to Cyn or Glory because of her.
“Bullshit. It would be Gary’s fault.” Alex’s expression turned thoughtful. “Maybe its time we called in some reinforcements then.”
“I agree.”
Tabby blinked and turned. There, standing next to her, was a short, curvy woman with long dark hair and laughing brown eyes. Behind her stood one of the handsomest men Tabby had ever seen, his sky blue eyes serious. His blond hair just brushed the collar of his blue shirt. The only flaw on that perfect face she could see was a small scar just along one side of his nose, so faint it was barely noticeable. Dr. Max Cannon, Alpha of the Halle Pride, slipped his arm around the waist of his wife and Curana, Emma Cannon. “I understand you’re having some problems.”
Emma rolled her eyes. “Thank you, Captain Understatement.” She smiled at Tabby, her expression mischievous. “Lion-O and I heard everything.”
She rattled off an address Tabby knew was in one of the more affluent sections of town. Not quite in the same area as the truly rich, like the Howards, but still pretty respectable. “Come over to our place, both of you. We need to talk.”
Tabby blinked. That hadn’t been a request. “Okay,” she drawled. She’d heard about the Little General who ran the Halle Pride alongside her mate. You did not want to be on her bad side.
Emma nodded. “Good. We’ll see you there in half an hour.” She pulled out her cell phone and began to dial. “Sarah? Listen, I need you and Gabe at our place in half an hour.” She frowned. “Sleeping in? There’s no time to sleep in.” She began to march out of the restaurant with an absent wave at the stunned couple at the table. “We have an issue! Oh, and I need to grab a hold of Becks and Simon. You can call Adrian and Sheri. Yes, I know what time it is, Sarah. Why do you think I’m giving you half an hour?” Emma pulled the phone away from her ear and frowned down at it. “Do you kiss your husband with that mouth?”
Tabby bit back a giggle. She now understood the other nickname she’d heard in conjunction with the Halle Curana. Hurricane Emma.
Max shook his head, his lips twitching as he watched his mate walk away, still chattering on the phone. “I don’t know where the hell she thinks she’s going. I’ve got the car keys.” He turned back to Tabby, a small swirl of power surrounding him briefly, sending a shiver down her spine. She had the oddest urge to bow down to the Puma, his Alpha powers caressing her with a different flavor than that of the Wolf Alpha she’d once served. “I’ll see you both in half an hour. Whatever the problem is we can fix it. One way or another.” He nodded goodbye to Alex and followed his mate out the door.
Tabby gulped at Max’s ominous words. “Uh-oh.”
Alex frowned. “What? I’d think this would be a good thing. You have the local guys on your side, right?”
She bit her lip. “I don’t know if Gabe ever told them I…was fired, and what for. And they have strong ties to the Poconos boss.”
Alex shrugged, his eyes glued to the man leaving the restaurant. “It’s a moot point now. We’ve been summoned, not much we can do about it.” He cut into his strawberry-coated pancakes. “Eat your bacon. Something tells me we’re going to need our strength.”
Bunny pulled the Jeep to a stop outside the two-story Craftsman style home. A dark gray gable roof was set off by rich mahogany brown shingles and bright white trim work, with rich red fieldstone set around the base of the house. The front had that beautiful pillar and post design, with a covered porch that wrapped around to the left side of the house. An attached garage had been seamlessly integrated into the right side of the house. Huge glass double doors with an art deco design waited to greet visitors to the home. The house was warm, inviting and beautifully maintained. In the driveway sat a red Dodge Ram and a black Mustang. “Wow. Nice place.”
Tabby nodded and opened her door. “Yeah. Nice.”
He studied her face. She was pale and shaking. “It’s okay, baby.”
She took a deep breath and huffed it out. “The last time I got summoned by an Alpha, I was Outcast.”
“Max has no cause to ask you to leave Halle. Besides, he’s not your Alpha. Technically, he can’t outcast you.”
She shook her head. “Bears don’t have Outcasting, do they?”
“Not really, no. We don’t have the same kind of Pack or Pride structure.” Not all shifters had traditional Alphas and Omegas and all that political crap. Most were simple family groups, like the Bears, Foxes and even the otherwise solitary Tigers. The loose-knit family groups would keep in touch via couriers in the old days and, in modern times, snail mail and e-mail. They held the vote for their proxies on the Senate that way, never having to meet unless they wanted to. Outcasting was something reserved for those who abided by the more stringent rules of the Packs and Prides, like the Wolves, Coyotes, Pumas and Lions, where one shifter’s actions could endanger the lives of all.
“Then trust me, it’s a really big deal.” She shrugged her shoulders like she was shifting a heavy weight. “Let’s go, I guess.”
Bunny held out his hand, offering his mate his full support. No matter what happened in that house, Tabby was his mate. That meant she could fall under either Pack law or Bear law. And since Bears had no Outcasting system, as far as he was concerned his mate had no problem.
One of the front doors opened. Emma Cannon stood there, a grin on her face and her hand on her hip. “I was wondering how long you two would stand out there. C’mon in. We won’t bite, I promise.”
Bunny moved forward, enjoying the warmth of Emma’s greeting. He could already tell there would be few problems on that front. Emma was greeting them like old friends. “Thank you, Mrs. Cannon. I’m Alexander Bunsun.”
Emma’s lips curved up in a wicked smile. “I know who you are. You’re the wereBunny who rode into town on a hog.”
Bunny didn’t know whether to laugh or not. “Um… Yeah. Maybe?”
A woman with wild curly hair down to her waist pulled Emma out of the doorway. “Don’t worry, she has that effect on a lot of people.” She ignored Emma’s rolled eyes and pulled Bunny inside.
Bunny took a second to look around the great room of the Halle Alpha’s house. The sage green walls, cherry floors and white trim created a warm feeling of comfort and home. The skylights in the vaulted ceiling let in a great deal of natural light. A large, reddish-brown leather sofa dominated the room. It rested on a bold area rug done in a geometric pattern of reds, blacks and greens. It faced a set of built-in cherry cabinets along one wall that doubled as the entertainment center with bookshelves on either side. The fireplace, on the opposite wall, matched the fieldstone on the outside of the home. He really liked the feel of the place. He’d have to see if he could find something similar in the area. From the way Tabby was staring, wide-eyed, he had the feeling she liked it too.
The curly haired woman held out her hand. “I’m Becky Holt.”
Bunny returned her greeting. “Alexander Bunsun. Nice to meet you. This is my mate, Tabitha Garwood.”
Tabby smiled weakly and clung to his hand with a grip he just knew was leaving bruises.
Becky Holt pointed to a tall, dark-haired man with muscular arms and an easy grin. “That’s Simon, my mate. He’s the Beta of our Pride.”
“Pleased to meet you.” He exchanged nods with the Beta, keeping hold of Tabby’s hand. He could feel his mate trembling next to him.
Emma nodded toward a striking couple seated on her sofa. The man was dark-haired, with the same golden skintone Tabby had. The woman seated next to him was the palest woman Bunny had ever seen, with snow-white hair, pale blue eyes and pearly skin. Lying at their feet was a golden retriever in a guide dog harness. “That’s our Marshall, Adrian Giordano, and his mate, Sheri.” The couple nodded at them, but quickly returned to their conversation. Bunny wasn’t fooled. Something about Giordano’s body language told him that he and Tabby had the lion’s share of the Marshall’s attention. “Gabe and Sarah, our Omega, aren’t here yet, but they should be shortly. There were grumbles about coffee and doughnuts.”
“Doughnuts?” Becky shared a wicked, intimate grin with her mate. “I love doughnuts.”
Simon chuckled. “Bet I know something that tastes sweeter.”
“Oh, for the love of God, people.” Emma flopped down on the couch. “Get a room.”
“Works for me.” Simon grabbed a hold of Becky’s hand and began to drag her toward the stairs, ignoring her indignant squawking.
“Simon, knock it off. Emma, stop encouraging them.” Max stepped out of his kitchen and shook his head at his Pride leaders, ignoring Emma’s snickers and Becky’s slap to Simon’s arm. “You’re making us look like idiots.” He walked over to Bunny and Tabby and shook their hands. “Alex, Tabby, welcome to my home. Please feel free to join the insanity.”
“Thanks, but everyone calls me Bunny.”
The room stopped dead. He’d never seen anything like it. It w
as like he’d picked up life’s remote and hit Pause.
“I’m sorry. Did you say people call you Bunny?” Simon, his dark eyes twinkling, leaned back against the fireplace mantel.
Bunny nodded. He loved some of the reactions he got when he told people his nickname, especially other shifters. They tended to range from horrified disbelief to unstoppable giggles.
“And you let them? Why not strap a cracker to your ass and call yourself lunch? Ow! Damn it, Becky.” He rubbed the spot on his arm his curly-haired mate had just smacked.
“Ignore Garfield, he hasn’t had his Cat Chow yet.” Simon’s eyes flashed down at his mate, gold sparks dancing in the dark brown.
Bunny bit back his laugh. “And you’re making fun of my nickname?”
Max rubbed the side of his nose. “Why don’t you two have a seat while we wait for Gabe and Sarah.” He walked away, pointing languidly at Emma. “Not a word.”
“Damn. And I had so many of them, too.”
Max stopped and stared at Emma, one eyebrow rising.
Emma gave as good as she got, staring right back at her mate. From the way their mouths were curving, Bunny didn’t think there would be a fight, but the tension in the room seemed to ratchet up a notch. He wondered if the blond Alpha was about to drag his small mate up the stairs, Pride meeting be damned.
The doorbell rang, breaking the staring match between the two Alphas.
“I’ll get it.” The Marshall stood, moving with easy grace to the front door. “It’s Gabe and Sarah. One of you get a cold towel, she spilled some coffee on her hands again.”
Bunny frowned. “How did he know that?”
Emma waved Becky toward the kitchen and followed her through. “He’s the Marshall.”
And?
Sheri, Adrian’s mate, must have seen his confusion. “The Marshall can sense the physical well-being of every member of the Pride.” She frowned. “Your scent. It’s so…wild. Not like the other Bear in town.” She stared up at him, her pale blue gaze unfocused. Suddenly her eyes widened. “You’re a—”
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