Shared for Love (Kagan Wolves) (19 page)

Trepidation settled over her, along with a sense of jealousy. The first didn’t surprise her, not with the worry that had been eating away at her all day, but the latter shamed her. She had no reason to be jealous. Noah was her true mate. He’d just asked her to marry him too. He wouldn’t choose another female’s safety over hers. The fact that the thought even took root made
her
angry. She was better than that. Noah was acting as a pack dominant, worrying about his pack mate. She should do the same.

“If I even suspected you’d be in danger, I wouldn’t suggest it. You know that right?”

“Yes.” She inhaled slowly and pushed from his embrace. “I know that.”

He studied her a moment as if he suspected she were upset over his suggestion, then he shook his head. “Never mind. I’ll tell her she needs to go home and deal with Quinn. I don’t even know why I considered it.”

He turned his back on her and strode for the door leading into the house. She grabbed his arm. “No. Wait.”

He glanced over his shoulder.

“Nobody knows I’m here, and you’re only going to be gone an hour. I’ll be fine.” She raised her chin. “Besides, you won’t be the only one upset if something happens to Maria. I’ll blame myself too.”

“No, Hannah. You shouldn’t—”

“Once Ethan mates me, I’ll be the alpha female. Part of that role is guiding my pack when they’re driven to make poor choices. It also means protecting them. This situation with Maria involves both.” She motioned toward the door. “Take care of Maria. I’ll wait inside for you to get back.”

“You’re sure?”

“Absolutely.”

Noah hugged her. “You’re going to make an amazing alpha female. I’m proud to call you mine.”

She kissed his roughened cheek. “And I’m glad to be yours.”

“An hour. You won’t even notice I’m gone.” He cupped her face in his hands. “The shades are all drawn, but I want you to wait upstairs in my bedroom with the lights out. I have a gun in my nightstand just in case.”

“Okay. It’ll be fine.”

She stepped to the side of the truck. Noah handed her the blanket, her purse, and the small bag of personal items she’d packed, then grabbed a can of air freshener from the table in the back of the garage. He doused the interior of the cab with the floral-scented spray. That done, he faced her.

“Come on. I’ll show you where my bedroom is. I’ve got to grab a quick shower, then I’ll get Maria out of here.”

She followed him inside and ignored the uneasy feeling settling in her stomach that told her she was being a fool.

Chapter Twenty-One

Another loop around his living room, and Ethan cursed. Twenty minutes had passed since Ella called with an update on the shifter auction. The description of the sale’s main offering—a male with dark brown hair, hazel eyes, and a lean build—fit Owen. Not a guarantee. The combination of traits was common among shifters. Instinct told him it was his brother. Or maybe he just wanted to believe it. Either way, Ella had promised to call back with the final word.

“I need to be patient. Owen’s going to be the last sale, and these things take time.”

He rolled his shoulders and forced his fingers to unclench. The tension tightening his muscles and the anxiety squeezing his chest weren’t helping him. He needed to mentally prepare for the upcoming full moon ceremony and the death he’d soon deliver. Necessary or not, he dreaded taking Michael’s life. The male deserved it. Ethan didn’t question that. It was the fact that he’d have to willingly embrace his primal side and become a killer.

A lifetime he’d fought to keep his wolf contained. In mere hours, he’d give the animal free rein, and the two people who could tame it weren’t going to be close by once he emerged from the ring.

He glanced from the clock on the wall to the landline sitting on his desk. The urge to hear their voices took over. A quick call would soothe him. He snatched the phone and dialed Hannah’s cell. She was still adjusting to their relationship and would appreciate knowing he needed her.

She answered on the first ring. “Ethan, are you okay?”

The concern in her voice warmed him. “Yes, I’m good. I just wanted to hear your voice.”

“Thank goodness.” Her relieved sigh sounded loud on the line. “I’ve been a wreck thinking about what you’ll be facing tonight.”

“Don’t be. I’ve been preparing for this fight all my life. I’ll win it, especially now that I have a future to look forward to with you and Noah.”

A long moment passed before she cleared her throat. “Did you know he was going to…”

Her words trailed off but the excitement in her voice told him what she referred to.

He grinned. “Ask you to marry him?”

“Yes.” Her breathy exhale was easy to hear. “I didn’t know if he jumped the gun and asked too soon because you weren’t there.”

“No. I told him I didn’t mind. With the full moon tonight, we’re short on time. I wanted both of you to know I see Noah as your mate too, not just your lover.”

“You’re an amazing male, Ethan. I love you.”

He closed his eyes. Her words seeped into him. Strengthened him. It was the first time she’d spoken them. Too bad he wasn’t there to pull her into his arms and kiss her. Make love to her. Soon, he would. A couple more hours.

“And I love you.”

He glanced around his neat living room. If he mated Hannah while the full moon was at its peak, it wouldn’t stay organized for long. Their child would turn it upside down. At fifty-five years old, he was ready for it. Hannah, though? Whether she wanted to hear him say it or not, she was young. They had centuries ahead of them, and their relationship was new. She might not feel the same way.

“Hannah, there’s one other thing we need to talk about.”

“What’s that?”

“I want to mate you while the full moon is high, right after I become alpha. If I do, you’ll conceive.” He paused a moment, giving her a chance to get her emotions in order. “Are you okay with that? Or do you want me to wait until the peak fades? It’s completely up to you.”

One hour of every month had the potential to change the course of the pack, from conceptions to challenges. Once that magical time passed, their fate was locked in place, at least until the next full moon. The only exception was matings. Those could happen anytime the mood struck. A good thing too. Love didn’t follow a lunar cycle.

“No. I mean yes. I want you to mate me tonight while the moon is high.” Her words rushed out.

“Are you sure? We went from tiptoeing around our attraction for months to planning a life you never expected with two lovers instead of one.”

“Did it seem as if I minded last night? I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing both of you. If anything, I’d say I’m extremely lucky.”

He leaned against the back of the couch and closed his eyes. Memories of their night together flashed before him. He wanted to repeat them and make new ones. The possibilities open to them excited him beyond anything he’d considered before.

“I’d say we’re all lucky, but my point is I don’t want you to regret what we’ll do tonight.”

“Creating a child? Never. I’m looking forward to it, but maybe I should be asking you the same thing.”

A weight lifted off his shoulders, despite the confusion over her words. “The only thing I regret is—”

His cell phone beeped with a new message. He yanked it out of his back pocket. Noah’s image showed on the display. His confusion mounted, but Ethan swiped his finger across the screen and read.

Call me.

He read the message a second time and frowned. “Will you put Noah on?”

“He’s not here.”

He straightened. “What do you mean he’s not there?”

“Umm…” She sighed. “Exactly how it sounds. He’s not here.”

He gripped the phone tighter. “You’re at his house.”

“Yes. I’m in his bedroom.”

“Alone. Is that what you’re telling me?” His voice deepened, and anger stirred his wolf. The animal paced. “Noah left you alone in his house, knowing full well what might happen to you if Michael found out what you mean to me.”

“Nobody knows I’m here, and he’ll be back soon. It’ll be okay.”

“No.” His wolf’s growl added to his making the word nearly incomprehensible. “It is not okay. I’m coming out there. Stay where you are and away from the windows.”

“Ethan, wait. If you come running out here, Michael will learn how important I am to you. Do you really think he’s not watching you?”

“I don’t care. You are important to me. If you die, I do.”

“You’re not soul-bonded to me. You won’t—”

“I’ll follow you. I am not living another goddamn day without you.”

“Hearing that makes me feel special, but there’s no need to rush out here. Noah said he’d be back in an hour. It’s already been close to forty-five minutes. I…”

Her words trailed off.

“Hannah?”

She didn’t answer. His pulse sped.

“Hannah! What’s happening? Are you okay?”

“Somebody’s here.”

Her whisper sent a wave of dread through him. Michael had found out about her. He was going to kill her.

“Noah has a gun in his nightstand. Use it. Don’t die on me, Hannah. You hear me? You keep fighting until I get there. I’m coming. Fast as I can.”

He ended the call and ran for the door. Fifteen minutes. That was how long it’d take to get to Noah’s house. Maybe ten if he sped. Too long. Noah lived on the opposite side of their pack lands.

Regret choked him. He shouldn’t have insisted she be waiting for him after the challenge. Her safety was paramount. Whether she wore his bite or not didn’t matter.

She was his life.

He would not face eternity without her.

One question plagued him—why didn’t Noah feel the same?

Because he’ll never be her mate or mine. He’s only our lover.
And maybe Ethan’s choice to share his precious mate with Noah was the wrong one to make.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Somebody’s here.

Hannah stood frozen and listened. The stairs leading to the second floor didn’t creak. No more sounds of breaking glass. No voices. But she wasn’t alone. Her wolf’s tense posture and low growls told her that.

She silenced her cell in case Ethan called back. If the intruder didn’t realize she was in the house, she didn’t want to announce her presence.

A minute passed, then another. Her heartbeat reverberated in her ears, and her breathing quickened. She was trapped. The only way out was through the door. The predator side of her seethed at her predicament. There was no changing it. She’d fight, exactly as Ethan had commanded her. No question about it. Still, she hated the helplessness settling over her, and the knowledge that she was prey.

Noises from outside drew Hannah to the window. She lifted one of the slats on the blinds and peeked out. Noah’s bedroom overlooked the backyard. Nothing moved. The clunking resumed. It came from the front of the house. Another window smashed. A low whoosh came next.

She closed her eyes and tried to associate the sound with the memory teasing her mind. A bonfire. That was what the noise reminded her of—the moment when the fuel-soaked paper used to start the blaze ignited.

Somebody was setting Noah’s house on fire. With her in it.

She inhaled. The faint smells in the air confirmed her guess—smoke and gasoline.

Another window broke. Another hiss sounded. With the accelerant, the house would burn quicker, hotter than accidental fire.

The seriousness of her situation wrapped around her, chasing back the helplessness she’d experienced moments ago. She needed to act, but simply escaping the flames wouldn’t guarantee her safety. Whoever set the fire would no doubt be close. Whether they meant to kill her or punish Noah for helping Maria, she didn’t know, nor did the reason matter. The danger remained the same. If she didn’t act, history would repeat itself, and Noah would lose another mate.

Gun in hand, she made her way to the bedroom door and hesitantly touched the knob. No heat met the palm of her hand. Still, she didn’t burst into the hallway, despite the urgency riding her. The fire wasn’t the only danger she had to worry about. The possibility of who awaited her was as important as anything else. The likelihood of there being anyone was slim. Why enter if they meant to burn the place? Still, she wouldn’t risk it. She couldn’t let anyone get their hands on her. They’d use her to hurt her lovers.

There was only one thing left to do—get out of the house and run as if her life depended on it. She pressed her back to the wall and listened for any indication someone waited for her on the other side.

No heartbeat. No breathing. Only the crackling of hungry flames.

She turned the handle, then flung the door open. A wash of heated air swept into the room. She hid her head against her arm and choked on the heavy smoke. Her lungs burned.

She dropped to her knees. The few inches near the ground gave her a small reprieve but didn’t save her from the effects of the fire. Tears stung her eyes. She blinked rapidly to clear them.

Smoke hung heavy in the corridor. A quick look in either direction didn’t reveal anyone lurking nearby, however. She slipped the butt of Noah’s gun in the waistband of her yoga pants and crawled toward the stairs.

At the top step, she hesitated. Flames had engulfed the entryway, and black smoke obscured her view of everything. No way out.

She turned around. In the few seconds she’d spent surveying the downstairs, more smoke had filled the narrow hallway. Darkness had descended, blocking out everything, including the location of the door she’d just come out of. Her chest constricted—half from fear, half from the choking stench in the air. She ignored the anxiety and used the wall to find Noah’s bedroom.

She slammed the door behind her and made her way to the windows. With a tug on the shade, it wound itself, slamming into the holder at the top. She popped the locks, opened the sash and kicked the screen. It tumbled to the ground.

Night had fallen, but the full moon brightened the landscape enough to give her a clear view of the grass below. Nobody waited for her, suggesting they didn’t know she was in the house. That made escape a very real possibility…if she could get away without whoever had started the fire seeing her.

I just need to jump, then run.

She couldn’t make herself move. A fall from the second story wouldn’t kill a shifter, not unless she landed poorly. It would still hurt, but she had no other choice. She didn’t know the floor plan of Noah’s house to find a better way out.

She tossed the gun on top of the fallen screen, then slipped her legs through the opening. For a moment, she hung on to the edge of the window, not wanting to let go. Fear left her paralyzed. Self-preservation overpowered it.

Eyes squeezed shut and heart pounding a mile a minute, she eased her grip and pushed from the wall. Gravity took over. She bent her knees a second before hitting the earth. The impact shook her body, and her breath rushed out. She rolled backward, head tucked into her chest. Her momentum slowed, and she flopped onto her back.

The stars dotting the night sky filled her vision. She took a second to enjoy the fact that she’d escaped the house before scrambling to her feet. The heat surrounding the building was as intense as it had been inside, but she needed to find the gun she’d dropped. She wasn’t out of danger yet.

A scan of the yard showed Noah’s home in flames and the gun several feet from the engulfed structure. Caution told her to leave it. Worry over who would come for her forced her feet to move. She took a step forward. Movement caught her eye. She glanced at the side of the house. Greg rounded the corner. He locked his gaze with her, surprise flashing in his eyes, then grinned.

Instinct took over. She spun on her heel and ran toward the end of the property. He was bigger and stronger than her. If he caught her? No. She refused to let the thought take hold.

She yanked off her top as she ran, then shifted. The change in her shape ripped her pants. She wriggled out of the tattered material and gave herself over to her wolf. Rocks and twigs poked at the pads of her feet. She ignored the sting and pushed forward, running blindly into the woods.

A thatch of rhododendrons came into view. She veered toward them. The low clearance would slow down the bigger male. She dropped to her belly and cleared the outermost edge. The jagged points of tree branches tugged at her fur. She ignored the stinging cuts they delivered and pushed forward.

The sound of her heavy breathing blocked everything else out, including the snapping of twigs behind her. A quick peek over her shoulder showed Greg, in his wolf form, struggling to keep up. The sight gave her strength. She turned her focus inward and concentrated on the act of running.

Seconds passed, maybe minutes. She didn’t know. Didn’t care. She was putting space between her and Greg. That was all that mattered. Finally, a clearing spread out before her. She darted to the cluster of trees on the other side. A crack alerted her to the danger awaiting her. She glanced above her. A dark shape fell, landing on top of her and knocking the air from her lungs. Greg’s scent filled them on her next inhale.

She bucked under his bulky, human form. It didn’t do her any good. She couldn’t budge him. He wrapped his arms and legs tighter around her wolf’s body.

“Settle down, my little female.” He rubbed his cheek against the side of her neck.

Scent-marking her. No! She didn’t want any other male to touch her.

She snarled, and he clamped his mouth over the nape of her neck. The press of his extended fangs locked her in place. She panted but held perfectly still, not wanting to trigger any more of his instincts. In his human form, he couldn’t harm her. But if he shifted?

He eased his bite and brushed his lips along her jaw. “Are you done now, little one?”

She didn’t move. Didn’t acknowledge him.

He ran his hand down her side. “Finding you was a pleasant surprise. What were you doing at Noah’s house?”

She wanted to ask what he’d been doing there. The answer was obvious—setting it on fire. To punish Noah for lying. The timing was too coincidental for anything else.

“I should’ve guessed you were involved with him after scenting him on you. Did you get your fill of him? Ride his cock enough to dim your hungers?”

He dragged his extended fangs over her wolf’s throat. Neither she nor her wolf reacted. Silence was best. They both understood that.

“I hope so, because once you’re my mate, you won’t ever look at another male. It’ll happen tonight, Hannah, under the light of the full moon so my seed takes root inside you. And next month, you’ll stand on the edge of the ceremonial circle, cheering me on when I defeat Ethan.”

She turned her head slightly to look at him. Eagerness showed on his expression.

“He thinks we don’t know his plans. We do. Ethan’s been salivating over the position for days now, ever since he learned Michael’s plans for Maria. Stupid fool actually thinks she’ll want him. Maybe if he’d fucked her instead of following her around like a damn puppy, acting as her
friend
, he might’ve had a chance. Too late now. She’s been whisked away by her supposed true mate.”

He chuckled. “Don’t know who Ethan will claim once he rips Michael’s throat out. Won’t matter, I guess. There are no other worthy females in our pack. That’s why I’ve picked you to be mine.”

The confirmation of what he wanted churned her stomach. She growled. If he thought she would just accept him, he was in for a rude awakening.

“I love your spirit, Hannah, but fighting me won’t help you. I’m stronger than you, and I have pack law on my side.” He lowered his voice. “Any female found outside on the night of the full moon is fair game. I just have to get your pretty ass to the mating run, where it’ll all be legal. Then I’ll chase you. Claim you. And you won’t stop me. You’ll be begging for my cock once I catch you. I’ve been to enough of these runs to know that. Your instincts will demand your submission.”

The sick glee displayed on his face matched the excitement in his tone.

He grinned. “And if you think to fight me, you’ll regret it, baby. I promise you that. Won’t matter if you’re on Kagan soil or not. I’ll find you. Force you if I have to. I don’t want that. I might get carried away. Kill you before I can mate you.”

She concentrated on slowing her heart rate and calming her wolf. The animal wanted to fight. She shared its desire to get away, but it wouldn’t work. Intellect would save her, not giving in to her wolf’s fear of being raped. That would only amplify Greg’s need to dominate her. To hurt her. No. The longer she could delay him, the better chance Ethan or Noah would have of finding her.

Her wolf bowed to her choice without challenging her lead.

The easy way with which it relented proved that Ethan and Noah weren’t the only ones who’d been affected by the intimacy they’d shared. Her wolf too had found peace.

Greg ran his hand over her side, petting her. “That’s a good girl. You’re going to make me a fine mate and bear my strong kids, little brats who’ll be powerful enough to accept the wolf spirit and continue
my
pack’s lineage.”

The lure of power the alpha position offered was a dangerous one. Many males become entranced by it. It was apparent Greg was one of them and thought Ethan would be an easier opponent than Michael.

Greg was a fool—Ethan would crush him—but idiots hyped on power were the worst kind. They had no fear.