Page 75 of Claimed

“Catch the scents?” I ask.

“That’d be Jeremy and Thorn.” Her eyes pan the still smoking pile, and quickly dart away. Emotions surge from her and I fucking hate it.

Worry. Fear. Pain.

She’s got a good nose because there’s no other physical detail that’d be identifiable in that pile of smoking charred remains. It’s a testament to her scenting abilities that she knows those scents. I wondered if she’d be able to pull those scents out of the potpourri of aromas between the smoke and all the other shifters that are here and have been here in the past thirty minutes or so.

I’m relieved that just as we leave I’ve heard Riley inside the cabin. He’s now conscious after taking multiple shots from a weapon that lodged drugged darts into him. Mase and Linc both took darts and regular gunshots but Erica yanked those out with her magic.

Rye sounds tweaked and I can feel his anger through our pack connection, but I know the others who are still here have it inhand and I also feel relief that I can feel him. He’s been fucked up for a few days and now he’s enduredthis.

First, he and Erica were stuck in a copulation tie for a couple days and then using his wolf to help release the knot, Riley’s wolf locked him out of his own body. Far as we figure, he came back to himself to save his mate when the now dead shifters tried to take Erica.

But Riley didn’t save Erica. She saved him. She also saved Mase and Linc.

I don’t know that it’ll be easy to save my mate’s brother from what he’s courting with repeated attacks on my pack. Repeated attempts to take Erica.

My mate is quiet and visibly troubled all the way home.

“It’ll stop,” I assure her, knowing I might have my work cut out for me convincing Riley to give me this.

She stares straight ahead out the windshield as she answers, “Don’t give him any chances, Greyson. He wouldn’t give you that chance. He doesn’t have it in him to take a minute and think, not about innocent lives, not about his suffering and dwindling pack, not about anything that doesn’t fit with his agenda. He’s focused on one thing. Winning.”

She dashes tears off her cheeks. The hoarseness in her voice, the pain there, they infuriate me.

I can feel how much she hurts, and it fuckin’ guts me. Not just that, it’s making me feel like I’m in the wrong fucking skin.

I grapple with all these emotions – mine, hers, in tense quiet the rest of the way home.

20

Grey

A Few Days Later

I’m heading to Riley’s for a council dinner with the Youngs. I’ll get to meet the rest of Erica’s sisters.

It’s been a couple days since Meadows attacked and while we’re still vigilantly working on fortifying security as well as learning more about him, Riley and his mate’s issues are now centerstage.

Though I’m focused right now on helping Riley with what’s coming, I’m also planning to take this opportunity to learn about the potions and poisons he’s weaponized with and I’m hoping my biological mother’s side of the family is forthcoming with information, with knowledge. I want to be able to fight fire with bigger fire. Hotter fire. Hellfire.

We’re focused on Riley’s SCC issues for the moment and if by the time it’s done with there are no further developments on the Silver Hills front, a few of us will be heading down there and forcing our way beyond their fences to make our point clear. Our point being that it’s time for a conversation, time to make it crystal clear that we won’t tolerate another attack. Time to make it clear that he’ll be lucky to still be breathing after the shit he’s pulled.

I also want to see what the state of things are there. I suspect it’s time to help that pack find their way to new leadership.

Rye filled us in on the story of Erica’s perceived transgressions and punishments seven years ago and he understands and can’t hold any of it against her because it wasn’t her that wanted to hurt him. It was the SCC that sentenced her to a harsh punishment of hiding the truth from him. She performed a spell to make him fall for her and they punished them both for it despite the fact that they’re fated to be together anyway. I don’t blame Rye for being so livid. They kept his mate from him for seven years. He mourned and so did she because she couldn’t relieve him of his pain. I know from my conversation with Vivi it profoundly affected her.

On a positive note, Riley is sounding and acting like himself again. Proof that pushing away your mate fucks with an alpha. It’s better that they’ve gone home. Easier to look after everyone if we’re all inside our village.

The past couple days haven’t been great at home though. Stacy’s been in her head, subdued, even more timid. She gets stressed out every time the phone rings or the doorbell dings. I know it’s partly because of what she’s worrying about, but suspect she’s tuning into my mood, too, and that’s not helping matters. Though I’m trying to be patient, being in tune with her emotions is fucking with mine. I’m ready for this shit to be over with, soon so we can get on with building our bond.

Then again, hurdles have gotten in the way of every mating in the council so far so why should my mating be any different?

I’ve been in and out, going for a run with the council brothers in the mornings, I’ve met with the guys at Joel’s a few times as we continue to dig into the Silver Hills pack. We’re keeping vigilant watch on the two entrances into the village – the four corners and the old backroad. We’ve popped a few trail cams up in the woods at some other possible entry points as well and all alphas,betas, council alphas, and retired council alphas are taking turns doing patrols.

The entire situation is frustrating but what’s fucking with me the most is the constant fear pulsing in me from her. It’s messing with me and it’s fucking with my wolf. Two nights in a row I’ve had to purr most of the night to get her to sleep, waking with her when she jolts with bad dreams. If not for the innate need to stay close to her along with the task of trying to get her back to sleep with purring I’d be tearing out of the house in search of her fucking brother. So we can put an end to this bullshit.

She’s beyond distraught that he tried to take out three council alphas. She’s probably scarred from seeing two of her pack’s betas smoldering as charred ash. She’s indicated she’s worried about the state of things for the people backhome. And I can’t help but feel irritated when she calls ithome, because at my core, my instincts are to make her home with me, and I know her worries have her holding back. I think she wants to give herself completely to the mate bond, but bottom line: she’s damaged. Damaged from living in a fucked-up pack under a tyrant alpha who doesn’t care for his people.

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