slammed into him. There wasn’t a hard muscle within the spread of his fingers. Shit, he was probably hurting her.
He let her go. She hunched her shoulder and rubbed her arm, glaring at him accusingly.
“That’s right.” She sneered. “I’m not pure wolf. I won’t bring you prestige. I’ll always be a liability and my children, too. So are you very sure you want to go forward with this claim?”
He let her go, reeling from the revelation and the waves of pain that flooded from her to him. She marched back to the cave. He followed more slowly, anger burning as hot as anything else. Over Sarah Anne’s shoulder, Megan watched him with sleepy eyes and a whole lot of expectation.
He ran his hand through his hair. Shit. He’d spent his whole life thinking that, when he found his mate, he’d finally find acceptance. Cherished images, framed in his youth of his life “someday,” shattered. Sarah disappeared into the mouth of the cave.
Cur stood, his gaze following Garrett’s. “You can see she’s teetering on the edge.”
“Yeah.” Well, so was he. “She’s not pure.”
Cur would know more than anyone else what that meant to them. “Could see that.” He continued to repack his pack. “She’s got two kids.”
“She’s not pure wolf.”
“Could see that, too.”
Garrett spun around. “How do you know?”
“A pure wolf or a mix with wolf talent would have used a wolf’s speed to save her daughter.”
He was right. “Why the hell didn’t I see that?”
“I’d say you were a bit distracted.”
He had been. The woman had knocked him off his feet from the moment he saw her. And it got worse the more he saw her. He ran his hand through his hair again. “Hell.”
“So tell me, are you pissed because she’s not pure, or because you don’t know what to do with her?”
Garrett dropped his hand to his side. Cur always had a way of paring things to the bare essentials. “The latter.”
“That’s what I thought.” Cur stood and shouldered his pack. “Just remember, when that rage gets eating at you, she’s yours, and the only way you lose her is if you hand her over to whatever yahoo thinks he’s got the balls to take you down.” Cur smiled at him. “And I’m still waiting to meet the wolf who can match you in a fight.”
More of the wildness settled as that fact filtered through emotion. Though he had yet to mark her, Sarah Anne was his. And it would be a cold day in hell before he lay down in a fight.
“She is, isn’t she?”
“Yup. So where am I meeting up with this woman and kid?”
“Rachel and the boy will be waiting on the south ridge tomorrow morning.”
Cur grunted and hefted his gun. Before he could walk away, Garrett added, “I get the feeling Rachel isn’t going to be that happy to see you.”
Cur smiled over his shoulder. “Well, we wouldn’t want it to be easy, would we?”
“Nope. Have a care, Cur.”
“Going soft now that you have a little woman?”
“Got a bad feeling.” A very bad feeling.
“How much trouble could a woman and a cub be?”
Garrett scented the wind. Trouble was definitely coming. “A bit more than you’re expecting.”
Cur’s grin flashed white in the night. “Well, good, then. I hate to be bored.”
“MEGAN!”
The cry was Sarah Anne’s. In a heartbeat Garrett was in the cave, Cur hot on his heels.
Inside the cave, Sarah stood ten feet away from Teri. Meg was taking the final steps to Teri’s side. Between her and her destination was Daire. The big man looked up, his dark face starkly impassive as she offered him a tentative smile. He didn’t smile back.
Sarah tried again. “Get back here.”
Meg took another step forward, her head cocked to the side, studying Daire’s battle-ravaged face until she got close enough to touch.
“Oh, my God.”
Garrett caught Sarah with an arm around her waist.
“Daire won’t hurt her.”
Sarah shook her head and dug her nails into his arm.
“Let me go.”
It was too
He let her go. She hunched her shoulder and rubbed her arm, glaring at him accusingly.
“That’s right.” She sneered. “I’m not pure wolf. I won’t bring you prestige. I’ll always be a liability and my children, too. So are you very sure you want to go forward with this claim?”
He let her go, reeling from the revelation and the waves of pain that flooded from her to him. She marched back to the cave. He followed more slowly, anger burning as hot as anything else. Over Sarah Anne’s shoulder, Megan watched him with sleepy eyes and a whole lot of expectation.
He ran his hand through his hair. Shit. He’d spent his whole life thinking that, when he found his mate, he’d finally find acceptance. Cherished images, framed in his youth of his life “someday,” shattered. Sarah disappeared into the mouth of the cave.
Cur stood, his gaze following Garrett’s. “You can see she’s teetering on the edge.”
“Yeah.” Well, so was he. “She’s not pure.”
Cur would know more than anyone else what that meant to them. “Could see that.” He continued to repack his pack. “She’s got two kids.”
“She’s not pure wolf.”
“Could see that, too.”
Garrett spun around. “How do you know?”
“A pure wolf or a mix with wolf talent would have used a wolf’s speed to save her daughter.”
He was right. “Why the hell didn’t I see that?”
“I’d say you were a bit distracted.”
He had been. The woman had knocked him off his feet from the moment he saw her. And it got worse the more he saw her. He ran his hand through his hair again. “Hell.”
“So tell me, are you pissed because she’s not pure, or because you don’t know what to do with her?”
Garrett dropped his hand to his side. Cur always had a way of paring things to the bare essentials. “The latter.”
“That’s what I thought.” Cur stood and shouldered his pack. “Just remember, when that rage gets eating at you, she’s yours, and the only way you lose her is if you hand her over to whatever yahoo thinks he’s got the balls to take you down.” Cur smiled at him. “And I’m still waiting to meet the wolf who can match you in a fight.”
More of the wildness settled as that fact filtered through emotion. Though he had yet to mark her, Sarah Anne was his. And it would be a cold day in hell before he lay down in a fight.
“She is, isn’t she?”
“Yup. So where am I meeting up with this woman and kid?”
“Rachel and the boy will be waiting on the south ridge tomorrow morning.”
Cur grunted and hefted his gun. Before he could walk away, Garrett added, “I get the feeling Rachel isn’t going to be that happy to see you.”
Cur smiled over his shoulder. “Well, we wouldn’t want it to be easy, would we?”
“Nope. Have a care, Cur.”
“Going soft now that you have a little woman?”
“Got a bad feeling.” A very bad feeling.
“How much trouble could a woman and a cub be?”
Garrett scented the wind. Trouble was definitely coming. “A bit more than you’re expecting.”
Cur’s grin flashed white in the night. “Well, good, then. I hate to be bored.”
“MEGAN!”
The cry was Sarah Anne’s. In a heartbeat Garrett was in the cave, Cur hot on his heels.
Inside the cave, Sarah stood ten feet away from Teri. Meg was taking the final steps to Teri’s side. Between her and her destination was Daire. The big man looked up, his dark face starkly impassive as she offered him a tentative smile. He didn’t smile back.
Sarah tried again. “Get back here.”
Meg took another step forward, her head cocked to the side, studying Daire’s battle-ravaged face until she got close enough to touch.
“Oh, my God.”
Garrett caught Sarah with an arm around her waist.
“Daire won’t hurt her.”
Sarah shook her head and dug her nails into his arm.
“Let me go.”
It was too
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