Page 57 of Toward Immortal Ruin

Aidan stilled, his eyes on the panther.

“Nero …”

Zia’s voice was a warning, but the cat didn’t care. Head lowering in a clear threat, the snarling panther took a step forward, his emerald eyes locked on the wolf before him. Aidan didn’t cede the ground.

“Well, this is devolving quickly,” came Zia’s comment. “Eden, I know you’re new to this, but Nero is protecting you the way his panther sees fit. Can you reach out and touch him? He won’t hurt you—he never will—but we need to stop this before it escalates, and blood is drawn.”

The delicate touch of her hand on his spine was like a curtain lifting on his unhinged urges. “Nero? Can you come back to me?””

His higher reasoning returned to him in a flash, and instantly, he felt ashamed of his reaction. Nero had never lost control of his cat like that before, nor had he reacted so aggressively to alook. He yanked back the animal and shifted.

“I’m so sorry, Eden,” came his shame-filled rasp of regret. “I can’t believe my panther did that.”

“Don’t apologize,” she whispered, pulling him into a hug. “I know your cat meant well.”

“Mahalo, Eden. I suppose I’ll have to face the firing squad now.”

Her soft chuckle made his tenseness disappear. “I think they’ll forgive you. No harm done.”

“Except give me a heart attack,” Jeremiah quipped. “I thought I’d be on blood-mopping duty, and look at the size of this floor.”

Zia linked her arm with his. “Don’t borrow trouble, Jer. Nero’s doing enough of that for all of us.”

“Apologies, Aidan. My panther was … well, hell. I don’t know.”

“If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: a mating Raeth is a dangerous Raeth.” Grunting a laugh, Aidan shook Nero’s extended hand in a peace offering as Lucy walked in. “Listen to Eden: no harm done.”

There was a smile on the werewolf’s face. “It seems you’re destined for crash courses today, Eden. This is my mate.”

The woman beside him beamed. “I’m Lucy, and I’m sure you have a ton of questions. We can help you out, if you’d like.”

Zia and Jeremiah walked up, and Nero found their presence soothing. With so many predators around, his panther could use the reassurance of his clan.

An unclaimed mate was proving his panther’s weakness.

Chapter Twenty

Though Aidan’s wolf wasmagnificent, to Eden, nothing compared to Nero’s panther. Despite the fact that—if she lived—she would become one of Aidan’s pack members, she found herself drawn indelibly to the cat that vibrated with tension beside her.

After Aidan had become his beast to explore the process with her, Nero was controlling his impulse to shift, but just barely. The Raeth was protective to a fault, and she couldn’t help but adore him for it.

The wolf disappeared, and Aidan took his place only moments later.

“Werewolves live primarily in packs, and each den is led by an alpha and their team of betas. All of them fall under my leadership and have for centuries.

“After a werewolf shifts the first time, we become immortal,” he continued. “No aging, no sickness. Things like getting a cold or developing cancer become irrelevant. We maintain the height of physical fitness without logging hours at the gym or worrying about our diets.”

“It sounds too good to be true,” Eden confessed. “I’ll admit, I’m curious: how are new werewolves typically added to the pack? I know my case is the exception to the rule.”

“Our new packmates are typically those who’ve been born to werewolf parents, or those that have grown close with a pack member,” Aidan explained. “Unlike the vampires, we can still bear children after immortality. Often, those children want to join the pack as wolves.”

“Those who’ve grown close to the pack—like a mate?”

Aidan nodded, his fingers affectionately trailing up and down Lucy’s arm beside him. “Yes. We occasionally find mates in the human community—or in one of the other immortal races.”

Eden’s heart flipped within her chest. “What about offering immortality to those who’ve been diagnosed with terminal conditions? Those who you could save from certain death?”

Through their mating bond, Eden experienced second hand the sudden disquiet in her mate. Beside her, he stiffened. Likewise, Aidan’s gaze grew shadowed.

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