Page 31 of Love Bites Hard

I dug through my snack basket, handing it over when I found one.

The people who loved me were prepared for anything.

I kinda loved them too.

He held the napkin against his palm as he added a few more roads to it, along with labels as to where they went. When he handed it back, I snapped a picture with my phone, then stuck it back in the basket.

“Thanks,” I said, heading straight again.

I expected Evan to walk the other way, but he kept pace with me. Considering his long-ass legs, it wasn’t difficult for him.

“You should have someone with you all of the time until we get the pack settled. We’re still making our way through the people who were loyal to Curtis. Some of them who aren’t willing to follow Porter are being removed from the pack, and killed if they pose a threat,” Evan said. “I thought Kim was putting together your bodyguard rotation. She must’ve forgotten.”

“Is Porter helping with that? Last I checked, he was in the forest.”

“His help isn’t necessary at this point.”

“If some of Hale’s vampires were working against him, he would personally hunt them down and kill them,” I said matter-of-factly.

I may not have liked living with the vampires, but I paid attention. Hale was directly involved in everything that mattered. If Blair had been at risk, she wouldn’t have left his side.

That obviously wasn’t the case with Porter and me.

“The pack is a family,” Evan said. “We trust each other to take care of business. Porter trusts us.”

“He doesn’t want to be involved, does he?”

Evan let out a slow breath. “Not particularly.”

Yeah.

That was what I thought.

“We both know he’s only here because he wanted a siren mate—even if I’m not sure why he did. Can the pack ever be safe if the alpha doesn’t actually want to run it?” I asked bluntly.

“Considering our situation before he came here, it’s already significantly safer. Even if he leaves us to do everything else, we’re not being controlled by a dictator anymore, and no one can take him down in a challenge. That’s good enough for us.”

“Is it?”

“Yes.”

I didn’t reply to that.

It didn’t sound good enough to me.

“Why doyouthink he wanted to mate with a siren?” I asked Evan, when he still didn’t leave.

“I probably shouldn’t say,” he said.

“Then I probably shouldn’t stay here,” I tossed back, my anger flaring. “Mymateis off somewhere in the forest while people in his pack are trying to decide if and how they should kill me. Does that sound like a safe situation to be in? I agreed to mate with him—I didn’t agree to sacrifice my life because he’s too fucking lazy to get his pack in order.”

“It’s notlaziness. Porter has been in a very dark place ever since he lost his family. If he could pull himself out of it, he would, buthe can’t. Honestly, I think he mated with you because he thinks it’s his only shot at making his way back to who he used to be.”

“Then why isn’t he with me?”

“I imagine coming back from hell hurts.”

“Then he needs to rip off the band-aid and get it over with.”

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