Page 57 of Ruffled Feathers

“Tell me everything. But first, tell me you didn’t let Otillie close enough to take these herself.”

Lance shook his head, and it didn’t surprise me that he was standing in an at-ease position. Defaulting back to his military training in a time of crisis was textbook PTSD. “No. I took the pictures.”

“Obviously, because one of you is highly trained in reconnaissance by the finest military in the world, and the other got caught with a cock up her shirt by arguably the shittest copknown to man,” Truett pointed out, clearly trying to lighten the mood.

I huffed an almost-laugh. Even Lance’s lips twitched—at least, until he continued. “We followed the redhead and Anthony Smalls to a warehouse on the south side. They both got out and went inside. The buildings around it were empty, but there was a shitty little deli that we parked in front of, like we wanted salmonella and a hot dog, hold the hot dog.” Shaking his head, he added the part we all knew was coming. “Otillie-James wanted to go check the warehouse out, but I thought that was a bad idea.”

No shit.

“So I told her to stay, while I went around the back. I scaled the side of the building to the skylights and looked inside. Needless to say, I was pretty sure they weren’t there rescuing the animals in those cages. I couldn’t hear what they were saying from the outside, but they looked comfortable. Not like they were there freeing those animals.”

Rubbing my temples, I pushed down my rage. “So we think Anthony Smalls is using his rescue as a front?”

Truett nodded. “It’s the perfect front, if you think about it. They get a free, steady supply of animals, and no one pays any attention if those animals disappear again quickly. They can just say they were adopted by people who didn’t want to be filmed. If they manage to actually adopt a couple out, they’d film it as success stories. Who would even know?”

“And what do we think he’s doing with the rest of the animals?”

Lance looked over his shoulder to ensure that Otillie-James was nowhere in hearing distance. “I think he’s using them in dogfighting rings, or as bait animals. Cockfights are an obvious one now too. Do you know that over a quarter of dogs in shelters and on the euthanasia list are pitbulls or similar breeds? He’d betaking them from kill shelters with the promise of adopting them out, then just shove them in dogfights.”

My stomach turned. It really was the perfect front.That son of a bitch.“I’ll talk to some detectives I trust. His days are numbered; he just doesn’t know it yet.”

Thirty

Edison

“I’m sorry,” she hiccuped at me once again as I washed her face gently with a washcloth.

Shaking my head, I replaced the cloth with my lips, kissing her puffy eyes. “Don’t be sorry for caring, Tillie. It’s one of the things I love about you.” I sighed heavily. “You worried me today, though. I hated not knowing if you were okay.”

I really did. My Alpha still felt riled. I didn’t like feeling helpless, like if something went wrong, I’d never know. Honestly, I briefly considered chaining her to my wrist forever. I had to go back to work next week, and even the idea was making me break out in a cold sweat. I wondered if I could become a good-for-nothing trust-fund baby, just so I could stay at home with Tillie for the rest of my days.

Oblivious to my inner thoughts, Tillie gripped my hands. “That’s easy to fix, Sonny. Claim me.”

I blinked at her dumbly for a long moment, my brain trying to catch up to what I’d just heard. “Tillie…” God, what did I say to that? I wanted to claim her more than anything. But she was distraught right now, and that would make me the worst kind of Alpha. “You’re not?—”

Covering my mouth with her hand, she shook her head. “No, Sonny. I mean it. Why are we drawing it out? I have no doubt in my mind that you guys are it for me. I feel it in my soul. And today, I wanted to reach out to our bond, to find comfort in you guys, and I couldn’t. We’re waiting, but for what?” She reached out and pulled me closer to her body. “Claim me.”

“But what about the ceremony? A big wedding? You deserve perfection, OJ.”

She gripped the sides of my face. “We’re already perfect, Edison. You and me, Truett, Strat and Lance. Weareperfect. Bite me.Claimme.”

I groaned, burying my face in her neck, right over her scent gland, and breathed in her pretty floral scent. It was addictive, and I wanted to roll around in it all day. My lips dropped further down to her shoulder. This was where I’d claim her eventually.

Shuddering against me, she held my head to her throat, encouraging me.Jesus.I was only a man; I didn’t have a will of steel. Still, I summoned some kind of sanity and pulled back.

“I’m not going to claim you in a bathroom right now, Tillie.” She whined, and I stroked her face. “But if you want to be claimed, I want nothing more than to do it. I want to claim you, claim this Pack as mine. We have to do it right. Together.”

I picked her up and kissed her hard, before carrying her back into the living room, where everyone sat around with solemn expressions. I assumed Lance had debriefed Strat on what they’d seen. Even the thought of those pictures made my stomach turn. My poor, soft-hearted Otillie-James would have hated it.

They looked at me, still holding her. “It’s time.”

Truett’s gaze sharpened as he took in the way Tillie was nuzzling my cheek, her body wrapped around mine like a koala. “By time, you mean…?” Obviously, he wanted me to spell it out, but I didn’t blame him, because I’d want to be sure before I got my hopes up too.

“Otillie-James wishes to be claimed. So it’s time. If you’re in this Pack, tonight, we make us one. You aren’t obligated to bite into the Pack yet”—I looked at Strat, giving him a reassuring smile—“but it’s an integral moment in our story, and I’d—we’d—like you to be there to witness it.”

Strat nodded, and I looked over at Lance. I knew Truett was already in; his teeth had been waiting to sink into Tillie for years. However, for Lance, this must’ve all been pretty quick. He’d only had a month to come to terms with his feelings for Otillie, and then her heat and the Pack stuff. This was a lot.

My eyes met his, which held more emotions than I’d ever seen on his face. The overwhelming one, though, was sheer determination, and maybe a little love. He nodded too.

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