small wolf?”
His alpha’s eyes widened and he knew the male’s thoughts mirrored his own. “Oh, shit.”
“Right.”
Ares eased toward one of the deck chairs and lowered onto the seat. “Oh, shit. You two…” He took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I don’t know that you two would ever have a full mating. Not without…”
Not without her tugging his tail. Mating bites were easily shared. A mate tugging his tail, being strong enough to take that last step and meeting him tooth and claw, was not.
“I know, but that doesn’t change the fact she’s mine.” Braden closed his eyes, imagining their future without that final step. “It doesn’t change the fact I’ll claim her in any way possible and keep her. I was ready to let her go because of that, you know? I was willing to live without her rather than only have half of her. Now… Now I won’t let her go and she wants nothing to do with mating.”
Braden gave a rueful chuckle. “She claims she doesn’t have a mate.”
“Maybe you’re wrong?”
“Nah,” he closed his eyes and breathed deeply, drawing in her lingering scent. “No, she’s mine, just like I’m hers. She just doesn’t want to admit it.”
“Damn,” Ares whispered.
“Yup.” Not much else to say.
“That is going to make what’s coming up next really fucked up.”
Braden knew he’d regret it but he asked anyway. “What?”
“We have a situation.” Ares grimaced.
“What kind of situation?”
“The one that involves a public hearing with Cadman from DoPE.”
Disbelief held him silent for a moment. “Hearing? What the fuck?”
“Our guy inside texted me from his throwaway cell this morning. Cadman will come to the den tomorrow morning to arrest Gannon and Murphy as well as you and Ronnie.”
“Why?” He frowned. “What the hell?”
Cadman and DoPE again. Interfering where they didn’t belong. He still remembered Veronica’s pain when they’d discovered that Cadman and DoPE were behind the attack on Claire. Veronica’s father had welcomed Cadman in his home, eaten at their table, hunted with the wolf, and was a friend of the family. Then the tigers came out and Cadman revealed his true colors.
“Why?” Ares sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Public opinion. The media didn’t protest when we enforced tiger law on our own lands. DoPE didn’t push because they haven’t decided if the men were on a sanctioned mission or rogue. They still aren’t standing firm on that issue.
“At this point, Claire’s mate is just that—a mate staying with her family. The other men are classified as trespassers as far as the media is concerned. It’s something humans understand from when the other apex shifters came out. Everyone gets that shifters are very territorial. Even more so on the night of a full moon.”
“And what do they think about this morning?”
Had it only been this morning?
“You four are responsible for the death of two humans, and the severe injury of a third, on a public road.”
Fury rose, rushing forward and consuming him before he had the opportunity to say a word. His tiger was there, slipping into his human body and seizing control of every inch of him. “They held a knife to her throat, Ares. A knife. To her throat . To my mate’s throat.”
“No one but you four saw the knife. The video they have is from a distance. The humans present didn’t see you rescuing a hostage, they saw three half-shifted tigers kill two men and critically injure a third before loading them all into your SUV and disappearing. We don’t even know what happened to the knife.” Ares lowered his voice. “Humans are calling for blood and demanding DoPE do something about us.”
“Our actions are sanctioned by tiger law, Ares. Public property or not. Tiger law prevails. It’s part of our declaration paperwork.” He couldn’t hold the growl back. It refused to be suppressed.
“I have Zoe already talking to
His alpha’s eyes widened and he knew the male’s thoughts mirrored his own. “Oh, shit.”
“Right.”
Ares eased toward one of the deck chairs and lowered onto the seat. “Oh, shit. You two…” He took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I don’t know that you two would ever have a full mating. Not without…”
Not without her tugging his tail. Mating bites were easily shared. A mate tugging his tail, being strong enough to take that last step and meeting him tooth and claw, was not.
“I know, but that doesn’t change the fact she’s mine.” Braden closed his eyes, imagining their future without that final step. “It doesn’t change the fact I’ll claim her in any way possible and keep her. I was ready to let her go because of that, you know? I was willing to live without her rather than only have half of her. Now… Now I won’t let her go and she wants nothing to do with mating.”
Braden gave a rueful chuckle. “She claims she doesn’t have a mate.”
“Maybe you’re wrong?”
“Nah,” he closed his eyes and breathed deeply, drawing in her lingering scent. “No, she’s mine, just like I’m hers. She just doesn’t want to admit it.”
“Damn,” Ares whispered.
“Yup.” Not much else to say.
“That is going to make what’s coming up next really fucked up.”
Braden knew he’d regret it but he asked anyway. “What?”
“We have a situation.” Ares grimaced.
“What kind of situation?”
“The one that involves a public hearing with Cadman from DoPE.”
Disbelief held him silent for a moment. “Hearing? What the fuck?”
“Our guy inside texted me from his throwaway cell this morning. Cadman will come to the den tomorrow morning to arrest Gannon and Murphy as well as you and Ronnie.”
“Why?” He frowned. “What the hell?”
Cadman and DoPE again. Interfering where they didn’t belong. He still remembered Veronica’s pain when they’d discovered that Cadman and DoPE were behind the attack on Claire. Veronica’s father had welcomed Cadman in his home, eaten at their table, hunted with the wolf, and was a friend of the family. Then the tigers came out and Cadman revealed his true colors.
“Why?” Ares sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Public opinion. The media didn’t protest when we enforced tiger law on our own lands. DoPE didn’t push because they haven’t decided if the men were on a sanctioned mission or rogue. They still aren’t standing firm on that issue.
“At this point, Claire’s mate is just that—a mate staying with her family. The other men are classified as trespassers as far as the media is concerned. It’s something humans understand from when the other apex shifters came out. Everyone gets that shifters are very territorial. Even more so on the night of a full moon.”
“And what do they think about this morning?”
Had it only been this morning?
“You four are responsible for the death of two humans, and the severe injury of a third, on a public road.”
Fury rose, rushing forward and consuming him before he had the opportunity to say a word. His tiger was there, slipping into his human body and seizing control of every inch of him. “They held a knife to her throat, Ares. A knife. To her throat . To my mate’s throat.”
“No one but you four saw the knife. The video they have is from a distance. The humans present didn’t see you rescuing a hostage, they saw three half-shifted tigers kill two men and critically injure a third before loading them all into your SUV and disappearing. We don’t even know what happened to the knife.” Ares lowered his voice. “Humans are calling for blood and demanding DoPE do something about us.”
“Our actions are sanctioned by tiger law, Ares. Public property or not. Tiger law prevails. It’s part of our declaration paperwork.” He couldn’t hold the growl back. It refused to be suppressed.
“I have Zoe already talking to
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