Reflections of the Wolf by Lori King Page B

pissed-off expression warmed him a little. She was a feisty female wolf with Alpha-bitch tendencies, and he knew that she would go to bat for him if she felt it was necessary. The siblings had never talked about it, but they both knew that they were approaching the time when taking a mate would be the next logical step in their lives.
    Whitney was a beautiful woman with long, black hair that fell in waves almost to her butt and expressive gray eyes rimmed with long, thick, black eyelashes. Her Native American roots blessed her with the same cinnamon-colored skin that most of the pack had, but on her it seemed to glow with an inner vibrancy. She was stunning and had piqued many of the male pack member’s interest. Recently he had even heard rumors of a few suitors from other packs contacting her. To his knowledge she hadn’t decided to accept the serious attention of any of them, but he dreaded the day that she changed her way of thinking. The idea of any man touching his baby sister caused his stomach to heave and his fists to clench. He knew that their adopted brothers Rafe and Ryley felt the same way. The three alpha males had scared off just about every wolf in the pack over the years trying to protect her.
    “It’s complicated.” He paused and she sat down next to him again. “Her name is Tina Jameson, and she is Caroline’s best friend. It was Tina that Barton Diego took hostage the other night, her and Caroline. Tina was pretty amazing. She fought him, trying to keep him from killing Caroline, even while he was in wolf form. She ended up with some injuries in the process. After the whole thing was over, Caroline and the guys had to explain everything about us to her, and then I tried to explain that she was my mate. I meant to tell her slowly, but it all just kind of spewed out of my mouth before I could stop myself. I figured she would understand it better after hearing about Caroline, Devin, and Damon, but she didn’t. Against her wishes, I made her come back to my place, thinking I could take care of her and protect her.” He groaned and put his head in his hands.
    “Okay. I don’t understand. That’s what you should have done. A wolf is supposed to protect his mate. What happened?” Whitney prodded.
    “We…damn it. I don’t want to talk about it with you.” He growled his fists clenching at his sides.
    “You had sex with her? What’s the big deal? Do you think I’m still a child that has never had sex?” Her irritated tone shifted to exasperation when he just sat there sullenly. “You know that your physical desires get stronger when you are with your true mate? Did it suck? Is that the problem?” She looked utterly befuddled.
    “Hell no, it was fucking amazing. She was perfect in every way, but afterward she blew it off like it was just a quick lay. She couldn’t wait to hightail it out of there and get away from me. She doesn’t want me. She said so.” He sighed heavily, and Whitney laid her head against his shoulder and wrapped her arm around him.
    “Well, there’s a first for everything, big brother. I don’t think any woman has ever tied you up in knots like this. You weren’t even like this when you met Roxy. If I were to guess, I would say that most women beg you to stick around and end up with their own broken hearts. What did she say when you called her the next day?” she said softly.
    “I didn’t. I don’t have her number,” he replied. A moment of silence stretched, and he forced himself to look his sister in the eye. Her eyes held amusement, and he was instantly irritated.
    “Damn, you are dumb, dumber than a box of rocks.” She laughed at his startled expression.
    Jumping to his feet, he snarled at her. “I don’t need this. I’m already in a bad mood, and I don’t need you making it worse.”
    “Stop it, don’t act like a pup. If Caroline is Tina’s best friend, then she would have her number. And every woman knows that the man is supposed to make the first