Maria shoved past Alex and scooted around Quinn without touching him. “I’ve got to go.” She hurried to the exit. The door banged shut behind her.
Hannah glanced between Alex and Quinn. They didn’t look at each other, nor did they move to follow Maria. Hannah shook her head. Pity rose, along with worry. She hadn’t known Quinn had taken an interest in Maria. If he pursued her, then found out she’d been sleeping with Alex, Quinn might do something drastic. Hannah didn’t want to contemplate what. She refused to let it happen.
Alex grabbed her hand, pulling her back from her grim thoughts. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
Ethan’s gaze locked on to hers. A warning showed in his eyes. She wasn’t sure what it meant—don’t go with him or don’t fuck him. The latter she wouldn’t give in to, but the first was a necessity. She needed to get Alex away from Quinn before they got in each other’s faces. She didn’t want to see either of them hurt.
She held Ethan’s look a moment more, hoping he saw the answer in her eyes she couldn’t express, then turned her back on him. “Good idea. I’m tired.”
They walked toward the door. All the while, Ethan’s stare bored into her. She fought the urge to glance over her shoulder and ignored the angry sounds her wolf made. Not all instincts and desires could be acted on.
On the sidewalk, Alex released her hand. “I’m going to try and catch up to Maria.”
“But if Quinn has the same idea. You’ll end up—”
“Hannah?”
She raised a brow.
“Let it go. You don’t know everything, and your need to protect me is only making things worse.”
“I can’t help it. I—”
He pulled her into a hug. “You care about me. I know. I care for you too, but you need to either let me figure this out on my own or fuck it up, once and for all. I shouldn’t have dragged you into my mess to begin with. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. That’s what friends are for.” She squeezed him tighter. “If you need me, call me. Okay?”
“Yeah. Sure. I’ll call.”
With that, he left. She stood there a moment more and debated whether she should go back into the club and find Ethan, but decided against it. Quinn hadn’t come out. If she had to guess, Ethan probably had him cornered, delaying him so Maria and Alex could get away. Avoiding a fight was more important. She needed time to think anyway.
The encounter with Ethan reaffirmed her suspicion—Ethan was hers. His confession that he was attracted to her both eased her anxiety and stirred her confusion. He wasn’t involved with anyone. Maria had confirmed it. Hannah honestly didn’t know what was holding him back other than her age as he’d claimed. She simply didn’t understand it. For shifters, age differences between partners meant little. She knew several couples with over a hundred year gap between them. Thirty years was nothing.
What, then?
Maybe he really does view me as naïve.
No. He’d appeared bothered by her suggestion. It couldn’t be that. Something else held him back. But what?
Stop it. I’m going to drive myself nuts. I need to let it go for the night.
She took a deep breath and did exactly that, pushing aside her emotions, then turned in the direction of where she’d parked her car. Alex had left his in the lot across the street. There hadn’t been any more open spots when she’d arrived. She’d been forced to leave her SUV a couple of blocks over. She slipped her hands into her pocket, pushed aside her thin wallet, and grabbed her keys.
Ethan’s comment about her size had angered her, but he was right. She wasn’t as strong as other shifter females. It irritated her to admit, but it wasn’t something she could ignore. In her animal form, she wasn’t fearful. Where she lacked strength, she used speed and cunning to bring down her bigger opponents. Her confident aura helped too.
Among humans, however, she was simply a woman. Shifting and attacking anyone who thought to hurt her wasn’t a strategy she could embrace. The fate of her species depended on secrecy. Luckily, she’d never had to face any situation where she’d been threatened.
The darkness of the alley didn’t help her grim thoughts. She opened herself to her wolf as much as she could while in her human form and scanned the shadows. Nothing moved, not even a stray cat. She inhaled, noting no unusual scents on the air, and continued forward.
Her black SUV came into sight. A dark gray truck pulled in behind it. Mud splotches covered the side. She glanced from the caked on dirt to the oversized tires and shook her head. Off-roading was a popular pastime even among shifters.
The truck door opened on a squeak. She froze. Her wolf sat up, suddenly alert. She didn’t need the warning it offered. The scent of the shifter told her everything. Another Tanner male had arrived, one she’d never encountered before. Not a surprise really. As rival packs, they avoided each other. It was safer for all involved. Packs were territorial, and if they weren’t careful, one wrong act could start a pack war, not a fate anyone wanted. The town she stood in was neutral, though. Any shifter could come and go as they pleased. That was why Alex had chosen to meet Maria here.
Stance widened, she waited for him to round the truck and approach her. It was the only thing she could do. If she wanted to assert herself as a dominant in the other Tanner shifters’ eyes, she needed to act like one. What better time?
The car door closed, and she straightened her shoulders. The male stepped around the hood. Then stopped. Her gaze locked on to his wide chest first. She skimmed her visual perusal lower, maybe not the appropriate way to greet a new shifter, but she couldn’t help it. The black T-shirt he wore clung to every hard, defined muscle. The cloth tucked into loose jeans, a working man’s choice, not the tight fit humans sometimes favored. No matter the style, his narrow hips and thick thighs were clear.
A shiver ran down her spine. She bit the inside of her cheek to stop any wanton sound from escaping. The growing bulge in his pants didn’t help. She dragged in a slow, steadying breath.
“Are you done imagining what I would look like naked, or do you want me to stand here longer?” His rough voice zinged through her, setting her on edge. Not in a bad way. Awareness settled low. She ignored the instant arousal and yanked her gaze to his face. Green eyes framed by dark lashes snared her attention.
She inhaled sharply. Never before had she seen a shifter with green eyes. The rare gene offered power, just as the combination of her black hair and blue eyes gifted her with strength.
She let her gaze map his face as she had his body. Dark blond hair set off the deep emerald color of his eyes and framed a harsh face, but his shaggy locks softened his features. She doubted he’d styled it on purpose for the effect. The uneven ends gave the impression he’d hacked it off with scissors and didn’t give a shit if it looked nice or not.
The shadow of his beard added to the image of indifference. The uneven growth covered his cheeks, chin, and neck. Her fingertips itched to touch his jaw and see if the stubble had reached the point of softness or if it would tickle her skin and make her squirm. She curled her fingers and fought to contain her runaway thoughts. They weren’t appropriate, especially after being in Ethan’s arms. She swore she could still smell him on her skin.
The Tanner wolf chuckled, breaking the trance he’d cast over her. She tore her attention from the cleft in his chin to his eyes.
“Hello, little Hannah Kagan. What brings you to this shithole town?”
She took a step forward, anger replacing the lust. “Don’t ever call me little.”
The growl to her voice shocked her. It took the Tanner wolf by surprise too. His smirk faded instantly, and his cocky stance eased. He tilted his head and studied her as if seeing her for the first time. Something flashed in his green eyes. Respect, maybe? She didn’t know. Didn’t care. She took another step.
“And why I’m here is none of your fucking business.�
�� She rubbed the pad of her thumb over her fingertips. The points of her claws pushed against her skin. The aggression on top of the desire she’d experienced moments before confused her. Her muddled feelings couldn’t be shown. No way would she give him the satisfaction of knowing how much his presence messed with her mind and body.
She let her fangs drop, only enough so the tips would peek past the line of her straight teeth, and took another forward step. “And how do you know my name?”
“My apologies, Hannah.” He inclined his head, never breaking their gaze. “Calling you little was incredibly rude.”
His softly spoken words skipped through her as tangibly as his rough tone had. The male had a voice that could set a lover on fire. Or make me beg.
She lifted her chin. “Yes, it was.”
A smile pulled at his lips. She couldn’t help but wonder if her attraction showed on her face. Surely, he wouldn’t be able to scent her arousal. He wasn’t close and the breeze blew in the opposite direction, bringing his scent to her. As captivating as the male, it filled her lungs, drugging her and making her knees weak. She locked them.
“Well, answer me.” She took another step. “How do you know my name?”
One corner of his mouth rose. “There are only a handful of black-haired, blue-eyed…” he glanced at the windows of the apartments lining the alley before focusing on her, “…women in West Virginia, and your…” Again, he trailed off. His grin widened. “Your petite stature is well known. It was a logical guess.”
She couldn’t argue his reasoning. She might not have seen many shifters outside of her pack, but she’d heard stories of some. No one had mentioned him. She would’ve remembered if someone had talked about a male with gorgeous green eyes and a body carved from stone.
He swept his gaze over her, much as she had him moments before. Lust heated his eyes, but there was something else. Sadness, maybe? It hurt to see. She relaxed her shoulders and closed the distance between them. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fi—”
His nostrils flared. Anger flashed in his green depths. Before she could process his quick mood change, he snaked his arm around her waist and tugged. She yelped, a feminine sound she hated but couldn’t stop. In the next heartbeat, she tensed, expecting to hit the side of his truck. She collided with his hard body instead. Her breath rushed out.
He buried his nose in the fall of her hair and inhaled audibly. A groan rumbled his chest. Deep and rich, the sound resonated within her. Her eyelashes fluttered closed. He turned his head and dragged his open mouth along her neck, the same path Ethan had mapped with his lips. The shifter’s beard tickled her, and sparks skipped across her skin. She shivered but resisted the urge to clutch at his shoulders.
Another sound rumbled deep in his chest. He tightened his hold on her and pulled her closer. Back and forth, he rubbed his cheek against her throat—scent marking her. His personal fragrance wouldn’t last past her next shower, but it spoke of his animalistic need to stake his claim. Ethan had done the same the first time she’d met him.
A wave of guilt rushed up. She didn’t have time to process or act on it. The male holding her ran his hands over her back, her sides, her ass. Lust hit, flooding her core with welcoming arousal and threatening to tear a whimper from her throat. She bit the inside of her cheek to stop it. If she refused to give it to Ethan, the shifter holding her didn’t deserve it.
“Hannah.”
Her name. That was all he offered. Desire, longing, and raw lust gave it a lulling cadence, but sadness radiated from him. The pain in her heart spread outward into an ache that left her hollow. She didn’t understand the odd sensation of emptiness. It brought tears to her eyes. She blinked rapidly to clear them.
A shudder ran through his body, and the moment passed. She clutched his shirt, balling the fabric in her hands. Her heart rate kicked up, not in desire but with an anxiety she couldn’t explain. The certainty of her thoughts consumed her. If she let go of him, she’d lose him. She didn’t want to. Crazy but true. She wanted to keep him close. Of course, she’d wanted to keep Ethan close too, but it hadn’t worked out either.
The shifter took a step forward, then another. She moved with him. Her butt hit the side of his truck. Hands on her bottom, he lifted her and urged her to wrap her legs around him. With her heart beating a mile a minute and the sensation of emptiness in her chest, she did.
He delivered small, nipping bites along her jaw. At her ear, he breathed shallowly, slowly. The cock pressed against her jeans-covered cleft thickened. He ground his rigid length over her groin, and she bit her lip to stop her pleasured sounds. She wouldn’t whimper for him. It was wrong. Still, she couldn’t push him away. She clung to him.
“You didn’t answer me, my beautiful Hannah.”
“What was your question?” She knew but needed a moment to get her thoughts in order. Lust muddled them.
He grinned. She felt the lift of his lips against her skin. “Why are you in this shithole town, Hannah?”
A sense of jealousy hit her. She had no reason to feel it, but couldn’t deny it. She knew why men, human and shifter, came to the part of town they were in during the middle of the night, and it wasn’t for the scenery.
She leaned back and caught his gaze. “Why are you here?”
The smile he flashed her curled her toes. “Not for the reason you think. Don’t worry. Human females don’t arouse me.”
She rolled her eyes, a ruse and one she hoped he bought. “I could care less about your sexual preferences.”
“You should, Hannah.”
He needed to stop saying her name. The slight accent to his voice gave it a musical quality. She couldn’t place his origin, but liked the effect his heritage had on his words.
She shook her head, pushing out the thoughts. She needed to focus on the facts. If there were a chance he might be a danger to Alex or Maria, she had to figure out a way to stop him from running into them. Her pack mates came before her needs. Always. “I don’t want to hear about your lovers. Tell me why you’re here.”
“My cousin called me. Seemed he needed my advice.”
“Who’s your cousin?”
“Quinn from the Kagan pack.” He smirked. “You know him, I assume?”
The moment the words left his mouth, the resemblance clicked. The cleft in the Tanner shifter’s chin was a dead giveaway. Both Quinn and his brother Sean had one.
“Yes. I hadn’t realized he had relatives still alive in the Tanner pack.”
He shifted his jaw. “I’m the last one.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Thank you. We’ve had a run of”—he paused as if searching for the right word—“bad luck. Lots of tragic accidents.”
He growled the last word.
The same sense of frustration that had influenced her choices over the past year settled over her. She wanted to help the struggling pack. Free them. Show them what it was like to be a part of a healthy, strong community who looked out for one another.
At the moment, the Tanner pack didn’t have that. They lived in fear of pissing off their current alpha, Michael Tanner. He had to die, and the pack he’d scarred over his reign needed to heal.
“They were killed by Michael in his messed-up attempt to cleanse his pack of weakness. That’s what you meant to say, isn’t it?”
His eyes lit up with amusement, but he didn’t smile. His lip quivered instead. “Nature and the influence of the spirit wolf will cull the unworthy. We, as a pack, love all our members equally, but we also recognize the importance of strength in our rapidly changing world. We must position ourselves so as to overcome any obstacles posed by the humans, including a possible war.”
“What?” She tipped her head to the side. “Did that come directly from some preprinted propaganda cards Michael handed out?”
The grin he’d been fighting sprea
d over his face, making him look even more devastatingly handsome. “From his speech the night he announced we’d be reverting to the old ways, actually. My pack mates had embraced his teachings. They feared the changes happening around them. Michael offered them a way to deal with the advances in the world that didn’t involve hiding or cowering.”
She’d heard that from her father. Michael was many things, including a liar and a murderer, but he hadn’t started out that way. He’d been a hero in many shifters’ eyes and a great speaker.
Or a traitor and a manipulator. Tit for tat. It boggled her mind that people fell for his bullshit.
“Let me guess. You bought into it too.”
He shrugged. “I was young and had just returned to the pack after going to college. Those years among the humans left me disgusted and shamed. I couldn’t wait to get away from them.”
She tilted her head, and a section of hair fell over her eyes. She left it there and studied him through the gaps in the strands. “Why?”
He tucked her loose hair behind her ears. “I’m a little older than you, Hannah. Times were different when I was your age. There were many violent protests and hate crimes committed during those years. Color, sexual orientation, gender—it didn’t seem to matter to the humans. They attacked those they viewed as weak. Different. It angered me. I couldn’t help but wonder how we’d be viewed.”
“Worse, probably.” Most shifters worried about the same, her included.
“Yeah, so I bought in to Michael’s ideas, even helped convince those shifters on the fence.” He dropped his hand from where he’d been toying with the ends of her hair. “I regretted it after a few years and tried to make him see reason. I failed miserably at it, and made our situation ten times worse.”
The honesty with which he spoke to her shocked her. She wouldn’t question it. She wanted to understand, not only his thoughts but the mentality of his pack—past and present. It’d be the first step to healing them. “What did he do to change your mind?”
Shared for Love: Kagan Wolves, Book 2 Page 3