Page 50 of Ravenous

Of course, she was. Because she was my mate. Human or not, she had instincts for her pup. And, yes, I now believed Remy was Joy’s pup, even after less than a week of knowing her. She had more love for my daughter and took more responsibility for her care than Soraya ever showed.

But I couldn’t think about Remy’s biological mom right now.

That was a separate cluster fuck.

Right now I had to find Remy.

“Joy!”

There.

I heard it–my daughter’s voice. The sound was weak and thin, but I was sure it was her. I stopped only long enough to howl and let the pack know I was on her trail, then charged in the direction of her voice.

“Remy?” Joy had heard her, too. “Where are you, baby? I’m coming!”

I skidded to the edge of a crevice and peered over the ledge. My little girl was down at the bottom. Naked, except for her little sandals.

Fate had to help me.

I lifted my snout to the moon and howled, letting the pack know I’d found her.

“Daddy!” Remy shouted, recognizing my wolf. She waved her little arms. “I’m down here!”

“I see you, Remy!” Joy was already skidding and sliding down the opposite edge of the drop-off. Shit, she could get hurt!

I leaped down to the ledge below me, then another, taking the sheer cliff face in small bites until I was down.

I raced to Remy, and she threw her arms around my neck and started crying.

“Remy–don’t move!” For a brief moment, I couldn’t understand the tension and fear in Joy’s voice.

Then I realized. She was afraid ofme.

Her own mate.

She hadn’t seen me in wolf form. Still didn’t know what I was.

The yips of my packmates arriving and gathering on the ridge above only added to Joy’s fear. She shot a quick glance at them as she stooped to pick up a large rock, advancing slowly toward us with stealth. She gripped the rock out in front of her body, as if ready to use it.

“Slowly move away from the wolf, Remy,” Joy warned her. Her voice was calm and steady, but I heard the thread of fear. Sweat dotted her face, and her eyes were wild. She weighed the rock in her hand like a softball.

“I don’t want to,” Remy whined, not understanding why she should leave her father.

“It’s okay. Come toward me,” Joy beckoned with her free hand, still creeping toward us.

Then she wound up, just like a softball pitcher, and hurled the rock at me. I had to dodge to the side to avoid getting hit in the head. If it were anyone else, I’d be pissed. But I was proud of my fierce mate. She had hidden talents!

Remy screamed. “Stop it!” She threw her arms around my neck. “Don’t hurt my daddy.”

“Remy!” Joy cried out in alarm.

Fuck it. I didn’t care if Rob and the entire pack were watching me break pack rules. Joy was my mate. I wasn’t going to let her go. But I had no idea what she’d do to protect Remy from a supposed threat. I already had a rock come at me. I could survive it, but if she got more desperate, she might do something rash and get hurt. And hurt Remy with her.

I was all in with her, and we were going to figure out how to be together as a shifter, a shifter pup, and a human, or I’d die trying.

That meant she needed to know what I was.

I shifted and stood beside Remy.

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