Page 30 of The Mating Need
His butter smooth voice made her belly tighten and her heart flutter. She’d missed him, even though he’d only been gone aday.
Someone slid a rare steak the size of a dinner plate before her, and next thing, her plate was piled with carrots and spinach and grilled zucchini. She began to eat, too hungry to be self-conscious anymore. Troy told her about the ranch, moving the cattle to the summer field and how they worked together as ateam.
Samantha finished feeding Hunter something green, peas maybe. The baby made a face and Jennygrinned.
I don’t like peas either,kid.
“Glad you joined us, Jenny. I wanted to thank you again for finding that evil in our backyard and destroying it,” Samantha toldher.
Forks stilled and silence draped thetables.
“How did you know it was bad?” asked Ellison in a friendly tone. The cowboy wore a battered straw hat and seemed to be at ease with everyone. He was lean, lanky andtanned.
Jenny wiped her mouth with the napkin, feeling the burn of dozens of curious gazes upon her. “I don’t know. I knew it was bad. I could senseit.”
“Interesting. I’ve never heard of a Lupine with thatability.”
Jenny shrugged. “Maybe you need to get outmore.”
Darius laughed, a carefree, boisterous sound that eased the sudden tension. “Tell him, Jenny. He’s seldom off this ranch. You need to take a day off, Ellison. Go into town and find a prettywoman.”
Ellison grinned. “Someone has to work around her when everyone else is partying intown.”
Talk turned to a local rodeo as Jenny finished her steak. Troy touched her arm.You okay?His gazeasked.
She hated being the center of attention. Part of her longed to bolt for the woods, run free as wolf again. Jenny forced anod.
For Troy’s sake, she’d stay here, at least for the night. This was important to him, and he’d stuck by her side for months, never complaining, her shadow who made her feel safe andaccepted.
“Thanks for not running away,” hemurmured.
She gazed into his brown eyes, feeling herself falling again. For the longest time, she’d thought Troy was a roving wolf like herself. Never thought he’d settle for a pack. Her need for him and her biological need for a mate threatened to override her instinct to keepmoving.
Safety in movingaround.
No safety in staying in oneplace.
“How do you know it’s safe here?” shewhispered.
“I don’t. Reckon it’s a gamble. But I won’t let anything happen to you, Jenny. Trust me on this.” He brushed back a lock of hair from her face, his touch gentle. “My gut says this is a good place. I need this, Jenny. I need pack, and I’m hoping you need this aswell.”
“Jenny, Jenny, at last,” a booming voiceannounced.
Light flashed and she blinked. Smoke filled the air and when it cleared, a lovely blonde woman stepped forward. She looked likeNia.
A man all in black, his black hair tipped with silver, floated on the table above them. Enormous power radiated from him. So much power she winced. He glowed withit.
Everyone bowed their heads, except Troy, whose grip around her shoulders tightened. Jenny’s hand shot out for her steak knife. Palming it she remained seated, butalert.
Aiden sighed. His mate, Nia released a delighted scream and practically bounded off the chair to engulf her lookalike. They walked away, talking fast, arms around eachother.
Twins, Jenny realized. Maybe the new arrival was this person’smate.
Jenny lifted her chin at the floating man. “Who the hell areyou?”
Gasps and dropped jaws at her words. The man chuckled. “I am Tristan, the Silver Wizard, guardian and judge of allLupines.”
Guardian? “Not mine,” she muttered, refusing to drop hergaze.
