Page 28 of Orion: Galaxy Huntress

“Defend your lands, it is.” Vice materialized a map on his desktop with little chess pawn wolfs carved of shiny wood. “We set up soldiers here and have them guard the borders of your territory.”

Orion climbed from her chair to study the map. “Where are the weak points? Places where your enemy can sneak into your lands?”

I swiped at the corners of my mouth as I stood, wondering where this tempting little vixen learned to play with weapons and strategize war. “Here and here.” I pointed to two locations.

Orion nodded. “What is the terrain like? Can you set up traps? Diversions? Something to ward off the intruders?”

My mate thought like a true soldier. She was more than a beautiful face. Skilled with a knife and bow and arrow. Warrior or supernatural bounty hunter or some shit. Anything but the helpless woman I thought she was when I came to her rescue days earlier against the vampires. Strong, too. The way she’d shoved that vamp against the wall and held him there. Punched him and kicked him in the balls.

My mind went back to her question. “Like bear traps?” My wolf cringed at the thought of the barbaric traps which could catch our pack members and injure them.

“What’s that?’ Orion’s cedar eyes looked to me for an answer. “I don’t like the sound of it.”

My wolf whined, preventing me from replying.

“Big jaws with long, sharp teeth that capture a larger animal, kitten,” Vice explained and my whole body shuddered at his use of the term.

Orion cringed. “That’s a bit barbaric.”

Vice blinked. “Coming from a huntress?”

Huntress? What did she hunt? My wolf loved to hunt. Shit, we had several things in common.

Orion stroked her luscious, thick lips. “I was thinking net traps. Sharp jaws sound painful. Cruel.”

“It’s brutal,” I told her. “But necessary. It will ward our enemy off our lands. Teach them to stay out. It’s more merciful than killing them all and stealing their region.”

She nodded, but her eyes seemed dark and unsure, just like her voice when she replied, “If you believe them necessary.”

Ironic. The little woman who stabbed me preferred to avoid violence where possible. Funny coming from a hunter of animals. Woman had no hesitance in plunging a knife into me two days ago. I rubbed at the dull ache in my shoulder. How was it that I got injured and Vice got fucked? Some mate she was.

“This makes you squeamish, kitten?” Vice reached for her hand, but she pulled away, her eyes shooting to mine. “When you shot and killed that cow and hauled it into my bar?”

Hauled a fucking cow into his bar? Get out of town. Not even I was that strong.

She rolled her shoulders. “Monsters are creatures who don’t know any different. They create chaos, destroy, kill indiscriminately. They don’t know any better. But shifters do. They’re intelligent. Rational. Can you not reason with your enemy?”

Orion’s eyes drilled into mine for mercy and fuck me if I didn’t want to give it to the Lithgow pack, just to soothe her discomfort. My mate had the soul of a wolf and the spirit of a fierce warrior. At heart, wolves didn’t like to fight with other packs, but they had to sometimes to protect their family. Casualties were bound to occur on both sides, and that was unavoidable. Lithgow’s pack refused to respect our space because of their greed and lust for power, forcing my hand. I’d not let fucking Darius roll over and submit to them. The Bathurst pack bowed to no master but our Alpha.

Vice came around the desk to place one hand on her back and another on her stomach. “Ace’s pack is beyond the point of reasoning with his enemy, kitten.” I twitched. “This is a last resort. Believe me, he doesn’t wish to do this, but when it comes to protecting his pack, he’d do anything. Just as I would to protect you.” He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand and another growl escaped me. That was my mate and he tried to steal her from under me.

Mate or not, I wanted to protect this woman too. Make her mine. Ease my loneliness. Cure my broken fucking heart. Something told me these thoughts weren’t the mate bond talking. That damn demon had delved into my soul and plucked out my weakness and thrown me at a woman who could steal my heart along with his. From now on, I had to tread carefully if I wanted to keep hold of my heart around her. And him.

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