“Already poured two travel cups for us,” he said and gestured to the dining table. “They’re from my place, not yours, so don’t worry, you weren’t that late.”
Mitchell shook his head and picked them both up before handing one to Walker. He took a sip, the bitter brew sweetened slightly for him since they all knew their caffeine tastes, and headed out of the house on Walker’s tail.
“So…cats,” Walker said after a few minutes.
“Cats.” Mitchell took another sip of his coffee and frowned. “Doesn’t seem possible, and yet…it probably should have been on our radar this whole time, you know.”
“I’m not sure I’d have believed her—odd scent and all—if you guys hadn’t told me you saw it firsthand. But as for keeping it a secret from us for so long? I don’t know that I’d blame anyone for that. We wolves—I guess I need to say shifters now—are a secretive bunch.”
“Yeah, and Blade hated us even before the Unveiling. Thought we were too young to lead.”
“As we’re all over a century old, Blade is a dumbass.”
“Truer words…” Mitchell grumbled. He was just about to say something else when a scent caught his attention on the wind, and his wolf went on alert.
“The hell?” Walker asked before the other man turned on his heel and ducked, his shoulder barreling into the side of a shifter in wolf form that had leapt at them. Their coffees hit the ground, forgotten.
“Walker!” Mitchell called out as he moved forward. His claws pierced the edge of his fingertips, and he slashed out at the wolf that jumped at his cousin again. Another wolf came out of the trees, and both Mitchell and Walker fought as a team against them. Like the rogue in the alley, he couldn’t scent a Pack on them, but that didn’t mean anything anymore, not with the way bonds and scents had shifted so much in the past few years.
From the rabid look in their eyes and the use of their fangs and claws with no provocation, all while on neutral land, these wolves were rogue, and that meant they wouldn’t stop fighting until they gasped their last breath.
A third wolf came at them, and Mitchell sent a pulse through his bonds to his Pack, hoping Kameron or someone else would be able to feel it and come running. There wasn’t another soldier on duty around this area since Mitchell and Walker had said they would both be there, and neither of them had time to call or text anyone for help.
The two of them could take out these wolves, but he didn’t know if there were more, or if there were other attacks happening around the den. His wolf howled, needing to ensure that his people were safe. Fuck, he needed to make sure the other person who had been attacked recently was safe.
A burn crept over his back as claws sliced him, and he cursed, pissed off at himself for getting distracted at the worst possible time. He lashed out and got the wolf by the neck, slamming it to the ground. The wolf whimpered, and Mitchell did his best not to kill him since he didn’t know exactly what was going on, but when he looked into its eyes, he knew it was too late. Grey had bled over its irises, and Mitchell knew the wolf was too far gone.
There was no coming back from that far over the brink.
With a prayer to the moon goddess for its soul, Mitchell snapped the wolf’s neck quickly and as painlessly as he could. The wolf stopped moving, and Mitchell let out a howl before turning and taking out the second wolf. Sorrow washed over him at the senseless loss. Walker finished with the third when Kameron shot through the trees at full speed, sweat covering his skin since his cousin wasn’t wearing a shirt and only wore sweatpants.
“Talk to me,” Kameron barked.
“Three rogues. No Pack scent.” Just like before with Dawn, but this time, there were more wolves.
Walker pressed his hands to Mitchell’s back, warmth spilling over him and pulsating along the Pack bonds as Gideon pulled up in a battered SUV. Mitchell knew Gideon was out of the den and over at the Redwoods today, so Gideon must have driven like crazy to get here that fast.
“Everyone okay?” Gideon growled out, his eyes gold. “What the fuck is going on?”
Mitchell told them what he knew as Walker finished up Healing the wound on Mitchell’s back. “Thank you,” he murmured, turning to get a good look at Walker. His cousin had a black eye, but nothing else that he could see. Since Healers couldn’t Heal themselves, Mitchell was damn glad that Walker was okay. Usually, they didn’t let the other man get too close to the fighting since, without Walker, they’d lose more wolves, and having a Healer was more important than having Walker fight by their sides. He knew his cousin sometimes resented it, but that was the way of Pack life.
However, even after all of this flowed through his mind, Mitchell’s wolf knew he couldn’t rest until he did one thing…
“I need to get to Dawn.” Mitchell knew he sounded crazy, but he couldn’t help the words pouring out. “I…”
Walker shook his head. “Go. But when you come back, talk to us, Mitchell. For the love of the goddess, talk to us. I don’t know what’s going on between you and her, but if you need us, we’re here. All of us.”
Gideon and Kameron gave him tight nods, and his Alpha threw the SUV keys at him.
Mitchell wasn’t sure what to say, so he gave his cousin a tight nod, wiped his bloody hands on his jeans, and ran to where Gideon had parked the vehicle. He needed to see her, needed to know that she was okay after his own rogue attack. Two assaults so close together didn’t make sense, and his wolf pushed at him to see her face, to scent her, and…even do the unthinkable and make her his.
He knew he was making a mistake, yet he couldn’t stop running.
Not to her. Not to a future that could never be.
He just couldn’t stop.
Chapter Twelve
Dawn was out of the house before Mitchell had even pulled up. Walker had called ahead to make sure his cousin arrived safely and to warn them about the rogue attack. She hadn’t been able to think clearly since. Her heartbeat was a rapid staccato in her ears as she ran down the stairs toward the sound of tires crunching on gravel.
Mitchell opened the door to his SUV right as she made it to his side, and she stopped suddenly, her wolf right under her skin, and her heart in her throat. She scented blood, and she wanted to find whoever had hurt him and kill them herself—though she knew he’d have taken care of them himself.
He slid out of the seat and ran his hands through her hair before crushing his mouth to hers. Startled for only a mere breath, she leaned into him, craving his taste and needing to make sure he was alive and safe.
He pulled away before she was ready and rested his forehead on hers. She could feel his wolf prowling beneath his skin, brushing up against hers, a savage and primal instinct that was beyond human, transcending desire.
They weren’t two people standing in front of her empty house in a parking lot.
They were two wolves, two shifters connected to their animal selves that needed to make sure one another was safe. It didn’t matter that they didn’t know what any of this meant or that they’d made no promises to one another beyond that there would be no promises.
None of that mattered, because right then, they were shifters, not human.
“You smell like blood,” she whispered, her voice hoarse.
Why did she feel like this? It didn’t make any sense, and if she focused on it any more tonight, she’d hyperventilate.
“Walker was there,” Mitchell whispered. “He Healed what he could, but I didn’t check to see.” He cursed under his breath and stepped away. Immediately, she felt the loss, but she ignored that and her wolf. “I didn’t even wait to talk to Gideon or Kameron who were there to see what happened. I just left.”
For her.
Or, at least, something to do with her.
She wouldn’t let any guilt slide in, though. Not when she had nothing to do with his decision. He’d been the one drawn to her, just like she was to him.
“Call them,” she said. “Call and get an update, but do it in the house so I can ch
eck you out and make sure you’re not more hurt than you’re letting on. Walker could have missed something.”
Mitchell scowled at her, but she didn’t lower her gaze. He might be more dominant than she was, but he was the one who came to her, had been the one to make love to her just a few days before, so he’d just have to deal with her meeting his eyes.
Her wolf dealt with it.
His wolf would have to, as well.
“Come on.” She tugged at his hand, but he wouldn’t budge. The man was like a wolf with a thorn in its paw. “My parents are out on patrol for the day, and my brother is staying with his friends in the city for the next couple of days on a break I forced him to take.” Cole was actually staying with a woman and a man that she hoped might one day end up being his mates, but she didn’t mention that. Maybe once she and Mitchell got to know one another better—if that ever actually happened—she’d tell him her wishes for Cole. Not now, though.
This man confused her to no end, but if she didn’t get him inside and shirtless so she could get that blood off his skin, she was going to claw him herself.
Finally, Mitchell seemed to stop fighting himself and started moving. She didn’t let go of his hand, though she knew she probably should, she just led him into her house. She’d left the front door open, so they walked right in where she’d been having her breakfast and going over the latest reports from around the den. She wasn’t the Beta to the Pack, but she was Cole’s sister and would do anything to alleviate some stress and help him have a life beyond what might be coming from the moon goddess.
She watched as Mitchell took note of her small but sturdy home and the remains of her breakfast on the kitchen table, but he didn’t say anything. She tried to see what he saw but didn’t find anything wrong with her home.
Her den hadn’t always been here, so building permanent structures where they weren’t hiding from wolves they weren’t sure would ever accept them wasn’t easy. But no matter how many times they moved from house to house, shed to shed as a kid, she’d had her family and the memories that came with them.
“You’re still wearing that bloody shirt. Take if off.”
“You just want me naked.” He growled it out, though she wasn’t sure if she caught heat in his words.
She raised a brow and reached for a kitchen towel so she could wet it down and clean him up. She wasn’t sure he’d let her tend to him beyond that, but there was no way her wolf would allow her to do anything less.
“Shirt. Off. Now.” This time, she growled it. “Call your Pack and figure out what you missed when you ran off. And let me freaking take care of any wounds you may have.”
Wordlessly, Mitchell stripped off his shirt, and she did her best not to stare at the hard planes of his chest and those very sexy dips at his hips that she’d licked not that long ago. She’d only had a small window to learn his body, but she’d never forget the feeling of the scars beneath her hands when she kissed his chest.
Three long lines above his heart.
Ones she knew had to be more than just a battle scar for them to remain after all this time. But no matter how much she wanted to know about them, he’d have to be the one to tell her anything personal, and without her asking—she could never pull it from him.
“Walker took care of me.” His jaw tightened before he visibly forced himself to chill out. “But I need you to stay close to me while my wolf relaxes. I need to know you’re safe. And I have a feeling your wolf needs the same thing.”
She swallowed hard, her wolf scraping along her skin as she met Mitchell’s gaze. “What are we doing?” she whispered. It was the same question she’d asked him before, the one that was constantly on her mind.
He answered the same way he always did, the way she knew he’d answer. “I don’t know, but I can’t stay away.”
“I don’t want you to.” She swallowed hard, wet the towel, and walked over to him, her heartbeat increasing as she moved closer. “Don’t you need to call your Pack?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Walker texted and told me I should stay here and make sure you’re safe.” His eyes glowed gold. “He’s making that part up I think for my state of mind since the attack was only on that one part of the den and in a neutral zone at that.”
Dawn wiped at the blood on his side, relieved to see that there were only slightly pink lines underneath, telling her they were freshly healed wounds rather than anything Walker might have missed.
“I texted my parents right before I heard you drive up.” And ran to him like you couldn’t help yourself. “They’re all on alert just in case, but I didn’t let Cole come back when I texted him. He needs the break.”
“All Alphas—even potential ones do.”
“I’m glad you came here.” She held back a curse at that since she hadn’t meant to say those words. “I don’t know what will come of this, but I don’t think I can stop wanting to be with you. And the fact that both of us needed to make sure the other was safe in a time of need and adrenaline? I think that even if we do nothing more than be with each other for the time being, we need to just be with each other.”
Mitchell took the towel from her and set it down on the table next to them. “I can’t be your mate, Dawn.”
Something tore inside of her even though she completely agreed with him. “I can’t be yours.” Her voice sounded hollow yet laced with truth. “I don’t want a mate, Mitchell. Not yet. Maybe not ever. I need to learn what Pack bonds feel like. I need to learn who I am beyond the daughter of the daughter of the daughter of a traitor. My family’s legacy beyond these walls is a traitorous disgrace, and I need to know if I can live and breathe under that shadow with any semblance of grace.”
Mitchell cupped her face. “You have more grace in your left pinky than many of the wolves I know, Dawn.” Her heart broke once more. “I don’t know if I can stay away. I can’t fight this need. This pull.”
“Then don’t.”
So when he finally, finally, leaned down and took her lips, she knew that she’d have him in her arms and know he was safe. She knew that once his scent mixed with hers once again, there was no going back, but no truly going forward either.
“I feel like I’m using you,” he growled against her lips. “I’ll hate myself more than I already do if I keep doing this.”
She pinched his good side, and his eyes widened, his wolf at the surface. “I’m using you just as much as you’re using me. So if we’re going to do this, then we can be friends. Friends who have incredible sex and lean on each other if needed, just never with a bond.” She kissed his lower lip, loving the way he growled and dug his hands into her hips. “Let our wolves do what they need to do. Just for now.”
“Just for now.” He kissed her harder, and she moaned.
Friends. She could do this. She wanted to do this. And when everything turned to hell later, she would remind herself of this feeling and the decisions she’d made for herself and what she wanted.
“Where’s your bedroom?” he growled. “I thought about taking you right here on this table, but since it’s your family table and anyone could walk right in…I’m just going to have to keep that for my fantasies.”
She let her head fall back as he sucked on her neck. The damn man’s voice could send her over the edge if she weren’t careful. “Up the stairs, last one on the right.” She squeezed her legs around his waist, bringing her core closer to his lower body. “Hurry.”
He practically ran up the stairs, and she couldn’t help the small smile that slipped out. His hand tightened on her butt, and he paused in the hallway after going upstairs to glower at her.
“Are you laughing at me?” He smacked her butt once, and she blinked, awed at the heat that shocked through her system.
“I wasn’t—okay, maybe I was.” She smiled widely, and he shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips. She never thought they’d smile when they did this. But they were supposed to be friends, and friends smiled and laughed wit
h each other…right?
She raked her nails down his back so he would be able to feel them through his shirt, and he growled at her. She was careful not to touch him anywhere he’d been hurt during the attack, but she knew they both needed to feel.
When he reached her bedroom, he let her go, and she slid slowly down the front of him, making sure to touch every inch of him she could as she did so. His eyes darkened at that, and he lowered his head to kiss her, their tongues tangling, fighting for control.
When she pulled away and kissed down his chest before kneeling before him, he growled low and tugged on her hair. She shook her head and undid his pants, sliding them over his hips so she could reach under the waistband of his boxer briefs and grab hold of him.
He let out a strangled groan, and she finished undressing him just enough that his very erect cock was in her hand and right in front of her face.
“You took care of me last time. Now, it’s my turn.” And before he could say anything else, she slid her mouth over him and sucked. He let out a strangled moan before sliding his fingers through her hair and holding on, tight. And while he might think that gave him the control, she was the one with his balls in her hand and his cock in her mouth. She licked up the shaft and flicked her tongue along the opening on the tip before widening her lips and swallowing him whole again. He tasted salty yet just enough like Mitchell to make her wet. She moaned around him, increasing her speed and using her free hand on the rest of the length she couldn’t fit inside her mouth.
When his balls tightened, and he let out a guttural groan, she increased her suction, then pulled back slightly so she could open her mouth wider. The first spurt hit her tongue, and she swallowed it up, taking the rest of him as he came in her mouth.
Before she could say something witty or charming, however, he pulled her up by her arms and crushed his mouth to hers. He’d kicked off his shoes and pants and had her on her back on the bed in the next minute. Using his claws, he tore off her clothes, and she couldn’t help but be even more turned on. The damn man was hell on her wardrobe, but she didn’t care right then. Mitchell past the brink and about to go down on her was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen in her life. She looked over him, taking in the long, lean lines of muscles that made up his chest and torso. Her gaze rested on his scars for a moment before going back to his eyes.
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