* * *
“Fuck,”Rafe shouted silently to his wolf as he stood outside of Howling Wolf Tattoos, debating on whether or not he was calm enough to walk in and talk to Wade about the situation with Adalyn. The last time he was with them, he’d easily scented the mating musk seeping from Wade’s pores. An indicator that a male has found his mate. Another clear sign was the fact that Wade couldn’t stand to be more than an inch away from Adalyn, nor could he take his eyes off of her. Wade being Adalyn’s mate would only complicate an already complex situation. Rafe didn’t want to think about the ties to Black Paw Adalyn would have if Wade was indeed her mate.
Every cell in his body vibrated with pent-up energy. If he could wrap his fingers around Mariska’s neck, he would choke the life out of her himself. Because of her, his father was dead and gone. Because of her, his pack was once again threatened. She seemed to be the source of all their problems. If he could just eliminate the threat she posed to his pack…
“Should we search her out and destroy her?”his wolf asked, hoping for a shot at revenge against the one who had taken Bjorn away from the pack.
As much as Rafe hated the thought of another war, of the loss of any life, he couldn’t deny his desire, his wolf’s desire when it came to the idea of destroying Mariska.“A pre-emptive strike might be best in this situation, but I’d like to think on it a little longer. Once we commit to a strategy like that—there’s no going back.”
For now, he had to deal with the witch—er part witch, who was within his striking distance and until he knew what the fuck was going on, he didn’t want his mate anywhere near Adalyn. There was too much at stake. The lives of everyone in his pack demanded that he take every precaution possible when it came to threats against their survival.
A bell chimed as he pushed his way through the door. He flipped the sign from open to closed as he passed through. Scents of all those who had visited filled the air of the brightly lit shop. As Alpha, he could smell everyone who had walked through the door in the last month or more—easily. Not even the sterile scent of cleaning products could hide the faintest scent of blood from a true Alpha.
A single black leather hydraulic chair sat in the middle of the small room. Chrome tables with wheels lined the side of the chair, along with a rolling stool.
Rafe carefully scented the air, trying to determine Wade’s location.
“He’s in the back, in a storage room,”his wolf provided the answer to his question.
“Wade?” Rafe called out.
“I’m here,” Wade replied, stepping back into the main room. “What can I do for you?”
Rafe eyed him up. Something was different about Wade. His smell was different than normal—off somehow. The smell of smoke covered Wade’s skin. Not just smoke—it was more. It burned his nose. His wolf cringed at the odor.
“We need to talk about Adalyn.” There was no point in filling the time with idle chitchat. Rafe was there for a reason, besides, it would be better if he was straightforward. At least, that’s what he told himself.
Wade tensed up at the mention of her name. “What about her?”
“I know she’s your mate.”
