Page 7 of Their Shared Mate
Raphael hadn’t taken time to attend one of the events, but he’d heard all about them from Victor and Patrick. The hybrids wandered around smelling and subtly touching the females. It all seemed like harmless flirting, but the true purpose was to stimulate their instincts into revealing compatible mates.
Such silliness would not be necessary here. Raptors, like all hybrids, were more in tune with their instincts than humans. But the mating bond was formed intentionally.
“Do you have your female picked out already?” Gabriel’s harsh tone mixed sarcasm and disapproval. “Is that the real reason you took on the wolves?”
“The women were in danger, so I rescued them. It was as simple as that,” Raphael insisted, ready for the conversation to end.
Gabriel retrieved the whiskey bottle and refilled their glasses. “I know bullshit when I hear it. What’s her name?”
Clearly, Gabriel wasn’t going to let this go. Raphael took a quick sip before he admitted, “Victor has his eyes on a feisty redhead, but I’m not convinced.”
“Victor’s the best judge of character I’ve ever met. If he’s convinced he found your mate, I’d pay attention.”
Raphael studied his brother for a moment, unsure if Gabriel was mocking him or offering real advice. Raphael wasn’t sure if he was going to court Claire or not, so he simply changed the subject. “Have you made any progress with the com system?”
“I need more parts, or at least components I can turn into parts. I’m honestly beginning to wonder if it can be done.”
“You’ll figure it out,” Raphael assured him. “You always do.”
Gabriel waved away the praise with an impatient scowl. “Tell me about Alex. Is Riverside pack any better than Elias’ mangy strays?”
“I’m not sure,” Raphael said. “The takeover was vicious and bloody, but that’s almost unavoidable. I want to believe that anyone is better than Elias, but I’ve never met Alex or his beta.”
That earned him another challenging look. “So why were you so convinced that the females were in danger?”
Raphael couldn’t hold back a smile. “If I hadn’t rescued them, the cats would have. This made more sense.”
“Of course it did,” Gabriel scoffed as he raised his glass to his lips. “You never answered my question. What’s the redhead’s name?”
“Her name is Claire, but she’s a little hellion. I can see it in her eyes.”
“I like spirited women,” Gabriel said, a hungry gleam shining in his eyes. “If you decide not to court her, let me know.”
Raphael knew his brother was provoking him, but the barb was shockingly effective. He quickly set down the glass and balled his fists to keep his talons from extending. Claire’s image filled his mind and stirred his senses. He wanted to run his fingers through her flame-red hair and watch her green eyes cloud with pleasure. Heat cascaded through his body and carnal hunger instantly hardened his cock. Was Victor right? Was Claire their soul mate? Raphael had never encountered a female whose mere image made his entire body ache.
He shook away the image and forced the possibility to the back of his mind. He wasn’t even sure he believed in soul mates.
Dispelling the rush of possessive anger with a deep breath, he pushed to his feet. “I’ve taken up enough of your time.” He motioned toward the whiskey. “That was a peace offering. Don’t drink it all tonight.”
CHAPTER 2
Alex Dawson looked around the table of enraged alphas and stopped trying to understand what any of them were saying. Overlapping shouts and irrational demands blended into an indistinguishable drone. Two of his guards had limped into the lupine village an hour ago. They were both bloody and bruised from a recent attack. They claimed that a group of eagle shifters raided the stronghold and took the women Alex had stashed there. The guards had clearly been attacked, but Alex wasn’t sure he believed their story.
“Are you finished?” he snarled as the noise level dropped. “Speak one at a time or get the hell out!”
His personal guards, led by his beta Nate, opened the double doors separating the private meeting room from the rest of the clubhouse. The alphas fell silent, yet resentment smoldered in their eyes. Alex motioned to Nate and he closed the doors.
Alex officially declared himself village alpha two days ago. No one challenged him openly, but he could see hostility in many eyes. Wiping out Elias had been the easy part. Power among wolves was taken through combat and held through strengthand brutality. And having twenty potential mates stolen away from his guards was not a strong indication of Alex’s leadership.
“This meeting is a courtesy,” he reminded sternly. “I will analyze the situation and decide the best course of action.”
“That’s fucking bullshit,” Kai Walden snapped, drawing all eyes to him. “Those females belonged to all of us. We should have a say in how they’re retrieved.” He was head of Timberline pack and Alex had expected him to be the most vocal. Kai was always the most vocal. Luckily, Timberline pack was small, and no one took Kai seriously.
“Fine.” Alex crossed his arms over his chest and pressed back into his chair. “Have your say. What’s the best way to get the females back?”
Kai’s mouth opened then snapped shut.
“I was thinking we would start by finding out where they are.” Alex said calmly after a pointed pause. “The guards insist that the birds attacked the stronghold, but I’m not sure that’s what really happened.”
