Page 57 of Claimed

Riley isn’t right at the moment, and nothing would’ve talked him down. His wolf has been close to the surface, ready to battle, and Riley’s wolf emerged with a vengeance tonight. Rage and frustration has been slow-leaking from him and this burst the bubble, unleashed it all. When someone gets between an alpha and his mate it’s never pretty, Tyson’s recent standoff withMason is another example. If the rest of the current council and the retired council hadn’t been present, Mase might not have made it out of that and Ty might not have realized how tight we really are, how connected we are to him.

Now that Riley’s claiming scent is in the air and he’s done what he’s meant to do, he should come back to himself. Our vote to lock them down together was the right call. And it’s showing, too, that Tyson is fitting well into his role within the pack as that was his idea.

I pull my wife closer, purring for her while inhaling the fragrance of her skin, her hair, which is for me – helps me calm myself, too.

Stacy and me? Things are off to a rocky start. But I’m determined to make it right by playing things as carefully as I can with her family to minimize the impact on her. To show her how important she is to me.

I shift to wolf before sleeping; I need to stay alert tonight.

***

I wake with her wolf snuggled up to mine, which surprises me. She’s awake and her eyes are on me. Her tail is thumping against the sheets. I shift; she does as well.

I kiss her. “Good morning, wife.”

“Good morning…” she says and lets it hang, as if she was about to add a title as well. Mate? Husband? I yearn to hear it from her.

Sadness creeps into her expression and I’m sure it’s remnants of last night’s news. It’ll take time for her to process the loss. She’s also afraid of what might be coming.

“Can I ask… why do you sometimes sleep in your wolf shape?” she asks.

“To protect you,” I tell her, twirling a lock of her hair around my finger. “As wolf I’m a much lighter sleeper. I want to be able to react quickly if I need to.”

She tilts her head curiously, but doesn’t ask any questions.

“How you doin’?” I ask gently.

“I’m… worried.”

“About the fallout.”

She nods.

“If your cousin hadn’t abducted Riley’s mate it might have gone differently.”

She changes the subject. “Do you want me to make you some breakfast?”

“Not yet. I want you first.” I move her to her back and cover her body with mine. “Is that okay?” I trace her hairline with my fingertips.

She nods, looking emotional. If this was all I had to go on, I might ask if she’s sure, but I can feel that she wants me. I smell that she wants me, too.

I fuck her gently, missionary position, looking into her eyes, hoping I’m doing a good job of showing her my emotions with my eyes and my touch as well as what I’m sure is being sent through our mate bond. I want her to see and feel how important our connection is to me. How important she is already becoming to me.

Tears glisten in her eyes when she hits her climax with my knot pulsing inside her. She’s looking at me with affection. I feel it, too, mingled with the fear in her heart right now. After a while, my knot finally slows and she’s kissing me when it eventually stops and deflates. She’s kissing me like she’s tryingto communicate through lip and tongue touches. I already mean something to her; I feel it.

Snuggled up after I slide out of her, I do my best to put her mind at ease. “It’s all gonna work out. I’ll make it work.” I caress her face. “Do you believe me?”

She leans into my touch and hope flares in her eyes. “The only promises I’ve ever believed from a male before were threats. But I believe you’re being sincere, Greyson. I only hope you’re right.”

“Things might go wrong, yeah. No way to know what’ll happen. What we’ll have to do, whether we wanna do it or not. But even if things go wrong, we’ve got each other. We’ll get through it together. And babe, nobody will ever threaten you again without answering to me.”

She bites her lip and says nothing, so I add, “Believe me… I’ll do my best to minimize damage. My goal is us. The life we’re building in the place we’re building it. I won’t allow anything to get in the way of that. And part of that is showing you how much your happiness means to me. I know these folks are your family. While this pack is my priority, your past matters too. I’ll do my best to protect the innocents, to reason with your brother.”

“But he’s not reasonable, Greyson. He only cares about himself. Since he’ll happily sacrifice his innocent pack members to further his agenda, believe me, he won’t think twice about sacrificing your pack members.”

“Let’s wait and see what happens.”

“You’re going to… wait for him to attack?” she asks, forehead crinkling.

---