Page 17 of Kai's Hunger

Miggs didn’t have the good sense to back off. “She shouldn’t even be here.”

“Bullshit.” I closed the distance in two strides, facing off against my normally good-natured sibling. “You will treat her with respect or you will answer to me.”

Miggs moved back to the stove. “How the hell are you going to explain when you shift? Got that all figured out, do you?”

Yeah, that had me worried, too. “It’s not your concern.”

Miggs spooned green beans into a bowl. “It’s not just your life you risk, Kai,” he muttered.

“Did you forget my position?I’mthe enforcer. The safety of this family is always my top priority.”

He shot me a glare. “No, now that you have a mate, your top priority isher. We just took second place.”

I started to argue, but another voice intruded on our discussion. “Kai and I have discussed the situation already,” Wyatt warned, his voice quiet and even. “Unless you wish to challenge me, shut the fuck up.”

Miggs stood his ground, watching Wyatt, calculating his odds. Finally, he offered their alpha a jerky nod. “Sorry.”

Cage and Trakker strode into the room, then stopped and looked at Wyatt. Trakker cleared his throat. “Uh, what’s going on?”

Wyatt turned and motioned to all of us at once. “I’ll say this once. Kai’s found his mate. She’s human. He has my permission to keep her at the compound. If any of you have a problem, speak up now.”

Trakker’s eyes widened. “The little redhead you brought in earlier?”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “She’s mine.”

“Damn, congrats. She’s cute.”

Ah, hell. “Yeah, see, that shit needs to stop. I’m already on edge. If you all want to keep your balls, then I suggest you put some fucking distance between yourself and Lily.”

Trakker whistled low as he pulled out a chair at the table and sat. “That bad, huh?”

I wasn’t sure how to explain the out-of-control mating hormones running amok. Thankfully, Wyatt took pity on me. “Look,” my oldest brother growled, “Kai is going to be a total dick to live with until he makes the exchange. Heed his warning. HisYuciloninstincts won’t care that you’re family. He’ll go for the throat if you touch a single hair on her head.”

Miggs grumbled under his breath, then asked, “And you know this how?”

Wyatt’s attention strayed toward me. “I’ve seen it happen,” he muttered. “And I won’t step in. Mates are off-limits. Keep your junk in your pants, boys.”

Everyone in the room agreed. Miggs was the last to nod. I would need to watch him closely—I had a feeling he’d cause trouble for Lily. A sound caught our attention, and everyone turned to see Lily striding through the door. She wore a fresh pair of jeans, tight with little tears at the knees, a black blouse with pearl buttons down the middle tucked into the waistband, and she was barefoot. Her toenails were painted bright red.Damn, that’s adorable.Her hair was damp and hung down around her shoulders. Her pretty face free of makeup showed off the freckles sprinkled across the bridge of her nose.

I crossed the room and took her hand, then leaned close and whispered, “You are beautiful, Lily.”

She smiled up at me, then whispered right back, “Everyone is staring.”

I chuckled. “Because they also think you’re beautiful.” I pointed toward my brothers. “You already met Creeg and Wyatt.”

Lily shuffled a little closer to me. “Hi, again.”

Creeg grinned. “You are feeling better?”

She ran a hand through her hair. “So much better. Thank you again.”

I began introductions. “Trakker is the big brute with the shaggy black hair in desperate need of a trim, sitting at the table and staring at you as if he’s never seen a woman before. He’s a year younger than Wyatt.”

She chuckled. “It’s nice to meet you, Trakker.”

Trakker tipped his head upward a second. I could see arousal flare to life as my brother sniffed the air. “Welcome to our home, Lily.”

I moved on to Cage. “And Cage, the softer, younger version of me with the brown hair that he thinks looks cool hanging in his eyes, but it actually just makes him look homeless.”

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