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The boulder in my gut was back with a vengeance. My uncle took great offense to being denied a chance to mate with me—his niece. Before my mother had died…was murdered, I reminded myself—she had warned me of her brother’s fury over my father’s insistence that I was unavailable and off the roster for mating. Even though I was only a child and puberty was miles away, as far as I was concerned, I didn’t believe her and neither did my dad—not until years later, after she was long dead and buried and my uncle had attempted to trap me with the intention of forcing a bond. He’d assaulted me, incited my darker side, which then led to a rising up of the army of ferals who I’d unwittingly made loyal to me.
Rage simmered at the memory of their sacrifice for me. “If my beast gets her way, there won’t be anyone left to interrogate.” I closed my eyes, tamped down the memories that caused so much pain and fury, then tried to tap into her mind while things were calm, before my anger got the better of me.
Don’t fuck this up.
She swiveled her enormous head my way, narrowed her eyes and curled one side of her furry lip, baring teeth that I swear were already streaked in blood.
I took that to be a firm ‘fuck you’, werebeast style.
Chapter Twelve
Charlie
“My darling niece!” Uncle Gareth came out of his cottage, which looked like a cliché old-timey homestead with its huge log walls and bark shingles, complete with a porch and rocker. He had his arms wide with a familiar smarmy smile in place and looked the same as he had three years ago, a gigolo in his too-tight gun-metal-gray pants and his chest-baring paisley button-up. He lifted his aviator sunglasses to scoop his salt-and-pepper hair, which gave him an eighties vibe. “It’s so wonderful to see you.”
I froze on the spot, unable to move a step closer and put myself in range of his arms. A nod was the best I could do as I crossed my arms, narrowed my eyes and send a clear back-the-fuck-off message. “Uncle.”
“Alpha Gareth, thank you for welcoming us.” Johnny offered his hand, and I knew it was a deflection for my cool greeting.
My uncle sneered briefly at me, there and gone in a flash, as he took Johnny’s hand. “I see she hasn’t changed in her time away.” He shook Johnny’s hand briskly. “Still headstrong.”
“Thank you for agreeing to meet.” Johnny deflected again. “As Kane mentioned, we’re here to talk.”
“Yes, well, had I known there would be lingering hard feelings, I’d have suggested you keep the female at home. These women can hold a grudge, am I right?” He winked and laughed like I wasn’t standing right here ready to rip his motherfuc—calm down…stay in control.
My beast surged forward, threatening to yank me out of the way so she could come out to play.
Instead of reacting, I made sure my expression stayed neutral. I uncrossed my arms, let my hands brush against my thighs, took a deep, quiet breath then did what Levi and I had been practicing for days. I tapped into my beast’s essence, easing myself alongside her, melding in my own way with her emotions, her rolling rage, recognizing for the millionth time that what she felt was what I felt, just a thousand degrees more intense.
She’s you. You’re her. Now get your shit together.
“I suppose congratulations are in order.” Gareth turned his back to me, letting me know that I didn’t exist, that I wasn’t a threat, that he wasn’t scared of me.
When really, we all knew, he was.
“You’ve finally done what my brother-in-law bragged would only happen over his dead body.” He threw a pointed look over his shoulder at me. “Claimed his precious daughter.”
I gritted my teeth, seething. My beast shook her giant head, knocking me loose from her essence so I was suddenly on the outside looking at her spit flying, teeth gnashing, eyes blazing fury. I clawed my way back into her consciousness, forcing myself to awareness, embracing her anger but tempering it.
Not yet. Hold steady. Be smart.
I took a step toward him, my fists clenched, along with my jaw, breathing slow, even though my heart was thundering and flames of rage licked at my nerves, making me shake.
“Oh, you’re mistaken there.” Johnny pierced me with a beseeching expression that could be a call to action or a plea for calm. Either way, his eyes danced, and his lips curled and I knew, no matter what happened, he’d have my back. “She hasn’t been claimed. She’s been positioned.”
“Positioned?” My uncle shifted to glance at me, his face screwed up.
“On the gameboard.”
I sensed the rest of our team stepping up behind me and Johnny and it felt just like it did when my loyal ferals had done the same thing three years ago, facing off with my uncle once again. I was empowered. I was in control.
My beast accepted the situation and eased back, allowing me to rule the tide of emotions for now.
“She wants to play with the big boys, does she?” My uncle scanned the group of men then glanced at me with a sweeping look, before turning his gaze back to Johnny. “I suppose she comes by it honestly. Her father was a real feminist with her, raised her to think she was on equal footing.” He scoffed like he was talking to a likeminded werewolf. “I respect Kane’s move to place her in the action. She is a powerful beast. I know her to be an asset in many ways.” He didn’t look at me when he said, “If you can tame her, that is.”
A growl slipped past my lips.
“Those sound like fighting words, Gareth,” Johnny said with a smile. He shook his head, and again I didn’t know if he was sending a message for me to cool it or amp it up. “We aren’t here for trouble.”
