decided yet.”
Nathaniel’s sharp wolf ears picked out the sounds of lips
brushing against a forehead and a hand smoothing hair back.
“Let me know. I wanna say goodbye to the cows if we go.”
“You like them, don’t you?”
“Sure,” Ryan answered with creeping drowsiness.
When the sound of Ryan’s breathing evened out, Nath stepped
away from the door and waited for Fina. She tiptoed out and started when she
saw him standing there. He held out his hand and, after a moment, she took it
warily.
Nath took a step toward her and laid his cheek against hers.
His wolf was clawing at his self-control, wanting his share of Fina’s presence,
his share of their mate—and the wolf repeated a single word over and over
inside Nath’s head.
Mine.
Nath didn’t say anything and, after a time, some of the
tension thrumming through Fina’s slender body eased. He breathed her in, tasted
her health, age, strength, fertility… Nathaniel’s eyes opened suddenly.
Wait.
Nath’s wolf retreated back into his head, curled around
itself and settled down with calm, almost smug satisfaction.
Nath lifted his head, offered Fina a smile and led her
toward the family room where he could already hear the sounds of a baseball
game coming through the flat screen TV.
Fina followed Nathaniel without protest. She settled herself
on the big sectional and Nath dropped a pillow on the floor at her feet, sat on
it and leaned his broad back into her shins. Pinned in place, she felt a moment
of panic. Being touched by a male—a monstrously huge male, no less—brought back
every repressed terror inside her.
Terrors Fina had tried so hard to repress. Breathing slowly
and evenly calmed her. He had the remote in his hand and split the image on the
screen so he could check the day’s scores. Nathaniel Powell was massive,
powerful and hadn’t even reached his prime yet. Just then, Nath chuckled. At
what Fina couldn’t guess but the laughter rumbling through his broad back and
into her knees comforted her. She reminded herself that he was gentle,
easygoing and had a smile that could charm the panties off a nun. His sense of
fun ran soul deep and he somehow felt younger than her, if that was possible.
Before the rogues Fina had been sheltered, even coddled. The
baby in the family, the daughter of an Alpha, she’d grown up privileged,
indulged, perhaps even smugly entitled. She’d had a place in her well-ordered
community—a place, a plan and a shining future with possibilities limited only
by her intelligence and courage.
After the rogues she’d…diminished. Feeling older than she
was and somehow fragile, she realized Fina Whitesage used to be more than she
was now.
Her eyes tracked Cutler as he wiped the counter. Focus,
power and confidence reflected in every sure, precise movement of his huge
body. Even something as mundane as cleaning up after dinner didn’t mute his
dominant presence. Nath was powerful but in a friendly, endearing way. Cutler
could be just as funny—well, almost—but there was an innate maturity and
reserve about him. This Alpha was responsible for so much and to so many. He
wore it like he wore his other strengths and they rested on his calm, wide
shoulders with deceptive ease.
Whenever the brothers looked at her, it was with veiled heat
and it terrified her.
It comforted her too. For whatever bizarre reason, they’d
taken her in, given her a home and a pack and hadn’t made a single sexual
advance. Fina exhaled deliberately. They still frightened her but not as much
as before and she wondered when she’d ever get over this shackling, groveling
fear of prime males. Her fear made her want to run away but her instincts and
common sense urged her to stay, for her sake and for the sake of the pup
sleeping down the hall.
Ryan was her responsibility. She had to be better than this
to raise him, and had to set an example of a loving, strong, intelligent
parental figure. The trouble was, she wasn’t that
Nathaniel’s sharp wolf ears picked out the sounds of lips
brushing against a forehead and a hand smoothing hair back.
“Let me know. I wanna say goodbye to the cows if we go.”
“You like them, don’t you?”
“Sure,” Ryan answered with creeping drowsiness.
When the sound of Ryan’s breathing evened out, Nath stepped
away from the door and waited for Fina. She tiptoed out and started when she
saw him standing there. He held out his hand and, after a moment, she took it
warily.
Nath took a step toward her and laid his cheek against hers.
His wolf was clawing at his self-control, wanting his share of Fina’s presence,
his share of their mate—and the wolf repeated a single word over and over
inside Nath’s head.
Mine.
Nath didn’t say anything and, after a time, some of the
tension thrumming through Fina’s slender body eased. He breathed her in, tasted
her health, age, strength, fertility… Nathaniel’s eyes opened suddenly.
Wait.
Nath’s wolf retreated back into his head, curled around
itself and settled down with calm, almost smug satisfaction.
Nath lifted his head, offered Fina a smile and led her
toward the family room where he could already hear the sounds of a baseball
game coming through the flat screen TV.
Fina followed Nathaniel without protest. She settled herself
on the big sectional and Nath dropped a pillow on the floor at her feet, sat on
it and leaned his broad back into her shins. Pinned in place, she felt a moment
of panic. Being touched by a male—a monstrously huge male, no less—brought back
every repressed terror inside her.
Terrors Fina had tried so hard to repress. Breathing slowly
and evenly calmed her. He had the remote in his hand and split the image on the
screen so he could check the day’s scores. Nathaniel Powell was massive,
powerful and hadn’t even reached his prime yet. Just then, Nath chuckled. At
what Fina couldn’t guess but the laughter rumbling through his broad back and
into her knees comforted her. She reminded herself that he was gentle,
easygoing and had a smile that could charm the panties off a nun. His sense of
fun ran soul deep and he somehow felt younger than her, if that was possible.
Before the rogues Fina had been sheltered, even coddled. The
baby in the family, the daughter of an Alpha, she’d grown up privileged,
indulged, perhaps even smugly entitled. She’d had a place in her well-ordered
community—a place, a plan and a shining future with possibilities limited only
by her intelligence and courage.
After the rogues she’d…diminished. Feeling older than she
was and somehow fragile, she realized Fina Whitesage used to be more than she
was now.
Her eyes tracked Cutler as he wiped the counter. Focus,
power and confidence reflected in every sure, precise movement of his huge
body. Even something as mundane as cleaning up after dinner didn’t mute his
dominant presence. Nath was powerful but in a friendly, endearing way. Cutler
could be just as funny—well, almost—but there was an innate maturity and
reserve about him. This Alpha was responsible for so much and to so many. He
wore it like he wore his other strengths and they rested on his calm, wide
shoulders with deceptive ease.
Whenever the brothers looked at her, it was with veiled heat
and it terrified her.
It comforted her too. For whatever bizarre reason, they’d
taken her in, given her a home and a pack and hadn’t made a single sexual
advance. Fina exhaled deliberately. They still frightened her but not as much
as before and she wondered when she’d ever get over this shackling, groveling
fear of prime males. Her fear made her want to run away but her instincts and
common sense urged her to stay, for her sake and for the sake of the pup
sleeping down the hall.
Ryan was her responsibility. She had to be better than this
to raise him, and had to set an example of a loving, strong, intelligent
parental figure. The trouble was, she wasn’t that
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