Noah glanced over his shoulder at Ethan. “She’s safe.”
“Your eyes, Noah.” Ethan stepped forward, blocking Noah from Greg’s view.
“Yes, Noah, what is with your eyes?”
Michael’s question dragged their gazes to the section of woods he emerged from, followed by the last two Tanner protectors.
Noah cursed and turned away. Ethan locked his knees and focused on his heart rate. Everything hung on his ability to maintain the role he’d cultivated over his lifetime—the loyal dominant who cared about his pack mates but didn’t want to involve himself with a shifter female or the responsibility that came from mating one. The fact that Michael thought Ethan loved Maria made the deception easier.
“You saw the same thing I did, didn’t you?” Michael motioned to Noah but kept his gaze on Ethan. “Noah’s eyes are green. No white showing.”
Ethan sent a silent apology to his lovers. “Yes, I saw it.”
“But do you know what it means?” Michael raised a brow. “Our pack member has been bridged. There’s only one thing that I know of that can bring about such a feat.”
“Don’t worry about my eyes or what it means.” Noah pointed in the direction of his home. “Someone decided to burn my house down. We need to find out who did it.”
Michael kept his gaze on Ethan. “I’m sure it was an accident. I sent a call out to our pack. They’ll watch it. Make sure it doesn’t spread.”
“No. Let’s call the fire department and—”
“Quiet, Noah. I’m waiting on Ethan’s answer.”
The silence that followed Michael’s demand forced Ethan to respond. “Finding one’s true mate.”
“Yes.” Michael nodded. “That’s what I’ve been told. I must admit I’ve never witnessed the effects of a true mate before on a shifter. It’s even more unusual, considering Noah’s unfortunate widowed state.”
Michael studied not Noah, but Hannah. She shifted her attention from the smoke filling the sky over Noah’s burning house to Michael. The cold, hard expression she wore held venom. Ethan tensed, wanting to warn her to back off but knowing to do so would ruin his position as an outsider concerned about the well-being of his pack mates, not his lovers. Their futures depended on it.
After a moment, Michael grinned, displaying the same sick depravity Ethan had glimpsed the day Michael had warned him not to mate a dominant.
All of Ethan’s plans crumbled under Michael’s focused and hungry look. The full moon’s peak was minutes away, but he couldn’t risk challenging Michael. Even having Noah within arm’s reach didn’t counter the danger to Hannah. It would take only seconds for Greg to rip her throat out or snap her neck.
No. I won’t lose her. I can’t.
She was the one female he’d waited his entire life for.
He’d have to regroup and lay out a new strategy for securing his pack and claiming his mate, but it couldn’t happen until he got Hannah off Tanner soil and safely under the watchful eyes of her pack.
Michael curled his finger in a come-hither motion. “Bring Miss Kagan closer. I’m curious to talk to her.”
Noah spun and faced Michael. “Leave Hannah alone. She shouldn’t even be here.”
“But that’s what I’m wondering about. Why is she here?” Michael tilted his head. “I was under the impression no outside shifters would be participating in our mating run tonight. Surely she knows the danger of being on Tanner soil during the night of the full moon. We, as a pack, embrace the old ways. An unmated female who finds herself outside without a male guardian is inviting trouble.”
“Trouble?” Noah took a step forward. “She was simply visiting me. The trouble she found was because somebody set my house on fire while I was playing guardian for your daughter so she didn’t end up corralled into joining the mating run.”
“Maria knows the rules and decided to risk running to you for help escaping her fate.” Michael chuckled. “But the spirit wolf made sure she couldn’t. It’s not the outcome I had wanted for her, but I’m glad things worked out the way they did. No shifter, male or female, should think themselves above the influence of our pack spirit. My daughter has been acting selfishly by ignoring her true mate and trying to avoid the role she was born to fill.”
“What a load of crap.” Noah glared at Michael. “Maria is an individual who has the right to choose who she loves. Nobody should dictate to her, certainly not you.”
“Maria is an unmated female.” Michael snorted. “As such, my daughter has a responsibility to produce worthy shifters who will carry on the integrity and strength of our species. Who fathers her babes is up to the spirit wolf to decide. Whether he’s the same male she loves isn’t my concern.”
Ethan frowned. He’d cut Hannah off earlier and missed the reason for Noah’s disappearance. “What true mate?”
Michael leveled a sympathetic look on Ethan. “I’m sorry, Ethan. I know how much you care for my daughter, but it appears as if Quinn from the Kagan pack is Maria’s true mate. Or at least he claims to be.”
“Where is she?”
“With Quinn. I have approved for my daughter to spend the next month under his parents’ roof so he and Maria can engage in a safe, controlled setting while they figure out if their connection is real or not.”
Michael’s response would’ve sounded politically correct, at least from a dated shifter perspective, if Ethan didn’t know Michael or how little he valued personal happiness. It was all about strength and leverage. Or how to stop those he viewed as threats from gaining any.
Maria mated to Quinn put her at the top of the list, which made Michael’s decision out of character for him. There was no guarantee Maria wouldn’t urge Quinn to go after Michael’s role. No, there was more to the story. Ethan would bet money that allowing Maria to go with Quinn had been Michael’s only option. It’d also be one he’d correct at his earliest opportunity.
“I am glad you think so strongly about respecting the spirit wolf’s wants.” Hannah approached with Greg’s clawed hand wrapped around her wrist. They stepped between the pack protectors, cutting off any chance of grabbing her from Greg.
“It’s my duty as an alpha to see that its needs are met,” Michael answered.
She grinned. “Good. Then you’ll be pleased with its decision for me.”
“Is that so?” Michael lifted one corner of his mouth on a half smile. “Then please share what it supposedly has decided for you.”
Ethan tensed. He couldn’t be certain of her plan, but he could guess. He had to stop her. “I would think this is a conversation she should be having with her alpha.”
“Do you see Nic?” Michael raised a brow. “Because I don’t. Miss Kagan has decided to join our pack for the night. Therefore, she is subject to our rules, and since I am alpha, I make them.”
Michael turned his attention to Hannah. “So, answer me. What has the spirit wolf decided for you?”
“I’ve found my true mate.”
“Really?” Michael cocked a brow. “Who? Noah?”
“Yes. Noah is mine.”
Michael swept his gaze over Hannah, making a point of visually judging her. Lust didn’t show on his face. Sympathy did.
“I understand your self-esteem must be low since no shifter from your pack has shown any interest in mating you. I can’t really say I blame you, but you need to remember that it’s not your fault. Genetics isn’t something we can change. It doesn’t mean all your children will be affected by yours.” He pointed to his house. “My mate is not nearly as strong as I would have liked, so not all my offspring are dominants, but enough are that it made mating her worthwhile.”
A growl escaped Noah. “Do not talk to Hannah as if she’s somehow deficient. She is as strong as she is beautiful.”
Michael inclined his head. “Exactly, which is why thinking the spirit wolf would waste a fertile fe
male with the rare genes she carries on a male who can’t impregnate her is foolish.”
She stepped forward, but Greg’s hold on her arm didn’t give her much freedom. “Your opinion doesn’t concern me. Your acceptance does. Noah has asked me to marry him. I’ve agreed. The only thing left to consider is if we will live on Tanner soil or on Kagan pack lands.”
“No, Miss Kagan. There’s one thing to make sure of first.” Michael focused on Noah. “Finding out if Noah has been blessed with a second chance or punished for wanting something that didn’t belong to him.”
“Mindy?” Hannah asked.
“No. My pack.” Michael grinned. “He contemplated challenging me. The spirit wolf intervened by ensuring he couldn’t and has worked to counter all the other foolish males who thought they knew what it wanted.”
Hannah straightened her spine, looking impossibly strong as she stared down Michael. A surge of pride swept through Ethan. “His mate—”
“Died in a fire.” Michael cut Hannah off.
“Was murdered.” Noah stormed closer. “Mindy’s legs were already—”
“Dredging up the past is not healthy,” Ethan interrupted his lover. A verbal fight wouldn’t help them. They needed Hannah off Tanner soil before midnight. “And neither is trying to uncover the spirit wolf’s wants for Hannah or Noah. We should…”
Ethan stopped himself before he told Michael how he should run his pack. Ethan had influenced him over the years by making Michael think he’d been the one who’d come up with the ideas Ethan planted.
Michael narrowed his eyes. “And what do you suggest we should do?”
Ethan inwardly cursed. Put on the spot, he scrambled for a believable response. “We should be looking at how to use the situation to improve relations between our pack and the Kagan pack, especially if Maria will be mating into it.”
Michael stared at him for a long moment, while Ethan held his breath. Finally, Michael raised the corner of his mouth in a smirk. “If she ends up mating Quinn, then I will worry about our interpack relations. Tonight I have to make a decision about what to do with Hannah. I’m sure Nic will understand the predicament I’m in.”
“My brother won’t. I am a Kagan pack member, and we are protective of our own.”
Michael turned his intense gaze on Hannah. “The moment you accepted Noah’s proposal, you became a Tanner. Human marriage laws mean nothing to me. Our matings are done by verbal agreement. Even those entered into during the mating runs are consensual. Any males who break that rule are killed.”
Curses zinged through Ethan’s head. The reason Michael had insisted Ethan participate in the run took on a whole new twist. All Michael had to do was suggest a forced mating, and by shifter law he could have Ethan eliminated. No trial necessary.
Noah reached for Hannah. Both Tanner protectors blocked him. Noah curled his fists. “Let me take Hannah back to her pack. The details of our life together can be decided tomorrow.”
“If you still have a future tomorrow. The full moon is a time when destinies are changed.” Michael glanced at the star-filled sky. “And in about twenty minutes, you might very well lose your wife if she decides she wants a mate and a family, not just a cock to use.”
Noah lunged for Michael. Ethan stopped Noah and pushed him away from Michael. With both protectors close by, Noah would lose any fight he started.
“Back off, Noah.” Ethan caught Noah’s gaze, a silent warning to play along. Nothing mattered beyond Hannah’s safety.
“Yes, Noah, listen to Ethan. He’s the peacemaker, always calming people’s tempers,” Michael said.
“Yeah, nothing ever riles him.” Greg snorted. “He’s too busy trying to pretend to be human. He hates being a shifter.”
Ethan glanced over his shoulder. “No. I’m grateful for my wolf, but I won’t let it rule me.”
Greg scrunched his nose. “Which is why you don’t touch our females. You can’t handle them. Hell, I don’t think you’d even be able to get one to spread her legs for you during the mating run when they’re horny and looking for any male to screw.”
“Why I—”
“As much as this amuses me, it’s wasting time.” Michael cut off Ethan and nodded toward Hannah. “Bring Hannah to the circle. She’s joining our unmated males and females in the mating run.”
Noah tried to break Ethan’s hold. With a squeeze of Ethan’s hands, Noah relented, following Ethan’s silent cue. “You’re contradicting yourself. You just said you acknowledged that Hannah is my wife.”
“Yes. Whether she’ll stay yours is up for her to decide. She deserves the same chance you had, don’t you think?” Michael cocked a brow. “You mated someone else. If she wants to do the same, let her. If you and Hannah are true mates, you’ll find your way back to each other in heaven, or in another life. On the other hand, if she wants to settle for a barren existence, all she has to do is make it back to Kagan soil without giving in to her lusts.”
Michael glanced at her. “Remember, Hannah, all you have to do is say no.”
Hannah narrowed her eyes but held her tongue. Ethan was glad. He needed the few minutes before the full moon’s magic descended upon them to figure out how he’d get Hannah to forgive him after he broke her heart tonight.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Michael had planned the night well. Ethan shouldn’t have expected anything less, and both he and Noah had played right into Michael’s trap.
Ethan rolled his shoulders and fought his frustration. He was as much to blame for Hannah getting coerced into joining the shifter version of speed dating as Noah.
He turned his attention to her. With her hands clasped loosely in front of her bare sex, she stood on the edge of the group of Tanner females. It bothered him that she was the only one naked, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it. They were shifters. Being naked was acceptable, but Hannah was shy where her body was concerned. At least in front of strangers. Their first meeting told him that.
And I can’t help her. I have to pretend like she doesn’t mean anything to me.
Greg approached. The sight of him set Ethan’s wolf on edge. Greg always had. He was a demented bastard. No way would Ethan allow him anywhere near Hannah. Greg wouldn’t have a problem forcing her into a bond. In fact, he’d probably enjoy it.
The tips of Ethan’s claws broke his skin. He curled his hands to hide them.
Greg leaned against the tree next to Ethan. “Why are you here? I thought you’d be fighting our alpha this full moon.”
“What gave you that impression? I have no interest in being alpha.”
“Don’t bother with the act. I saw the look on your face when you left Michael’s house the other day. There was determination stamped on your expression.”
“Was there?”
“Yeah. Doesn’t take a genius to figure out why either. The moment you found out Michael’s plans for Maria, you decided to show a backbone.” Greg snorted. “Too bad Maria’s so-called true mate snagged her first, huh?”
“I doubt he’s her true mate.” Because Maria had already admitted she felt at peace around Alex. There was only one reason that would be—Alex was her true mate.
Then again, I have two true mates. Why can’t she? He pushed away the question. Maria’s fate was out of his hands. He had to worry about his own.
“Whether he is or not doesn’t change things. I’ve met the Kagan male. If Quinn has decided he wants Maria, he’ll claim her.”
Ethan had to agree with Greg’s assessment. Stubbornness ran in Quinn and Noah’s family. Once they made up their minds, there was no escaping. Ethan’s relationship with Noah was proof of that.
“He probably will.”
“That’s why you’re waiting, isn’t it? With Maria out of the picture, you don’t have a female lined up to rule at your side.”
“I have no interest in bein
g alpha. You don’t need more of an explanation than that.”
Greg grunted. “Fine. You’re not interested in being alpha. So why are you here?”
“Our alpha ordered me to join the mating run tonight. He wants to increase the number of our breeding couples. I’m supposed to open myself to the spirit wolf’s influence and see if there are any females who would fit the bill.”
“Good luck with that.”
Ethan ignored the disdain in Greg’s voice when all he wanted to do was give him a lesson in respect. There were many wonderful women in their pack. The fact that none stirred Ethan had nothing to do with their worthiness and everything to do with Ethan. Minutes before the mating run wasn’t the right time for this discussion.
Ethan cleared his throat. “And why are you here?”
“To find a mate, of course. I attend these events from time to time when there are potential females who might interest me.”
“And are there any tonight?”
“Yes. Hannah. It was damn lucky I found her before one of our less civilized males did. They might’ve mated her right then and there.”
“You happened to stumble upon her. Is that it?”
“No. Michael sent me to Noah’s house to”—Greg’s grin widened into a sneer—“deliver a message. He wasn’t there, but Hannah was. Finding her surprised me, but honestly, it shouldn’t have.”
There was no point in accusing Greg of setting the fire. He’d only deny it. Ethan tore his gaze from where Hannah stood among a group of Tanner females to Greg and asked the other question bugging him. “Why aren’t you surprised by her involvement with Noah?”
“I smelled him all over her yesterday when I went out to her office.” Greg shrugged. “It was a logical guess since no other shifter male has shown interest in her. She wouldn’t have wanted to spend her first full moon as a mature female alone.”
Shared for Love: Kagan Wolves, Book 2 Page 23