AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You didn’t?”
“Yep. Claimed her last night. I have my mate.”
“Goddamn,” Kyran replied, surprised but impressed. “You don’t mess around do you?”
“The moment presented itself, she gave me permission, what was there to wait for? Now reel back your judgment and help me finish setting up out here. We have tables and chairs to put out.”
“I’m not judging.” Kyran sighed. “I’m happy for you, man. I am.”
“And I’m not judging either,” Max told me, shaking my hand in congratulations. “But I’m also not lifting chairs in this suit. I’ll help select the wine later. That can be my contribution.”
I rolled my eyes. “Always the damn gent.”
The oldest wolf of us all, Max leaned toward more refined tastes having learned to appreciate the finer things in life. His home, a stately manor, had held strong against the aged wars. He also had old money, anything he owned such as artifacts and paintings being originals bought from auctions. He used several names across a few businesses he’d acquired over the years.
‘Money attracts attention,’ he always said, encouraging us all to keep a low profile. With his wisdom and experience, he was the one who started the alliance and became our leader of sorts.
Most of the time he was a calm man; a calm wolf unless threatened. But real terror reigned when he let loose.
I’d only see it once, believing in the legend of the one they called the Devil Wolf. When he shifted, he had little mercy. But he was always careful to tread the line to make sure he did the best for his pack, and now the alliance.
Max followed us to Frank’s truck so we could offload the extra tables and chairs. He asked, “Now you’ve claimed a bounty hunter Gideon Fletcher sent to you, any intel you can work with?”
I recalled how annoying Max could be when he acted like a paranoid, overprotective shit. I read plenty between the lines of his words.
“She’s my mate,” I warned, making sure he wouldn’t poke at Savannah.
He smirked. “Of course she is. She’s also one of us now, so you’ve nothing to worry about. But you need to sort this out once and for all. Do you have any ideas on how to approach Gideon?”
“I’ve been thinking about it,” I sighed. “One of my plans is to head out to Idaho, and get Savannah’s uncle safe and out of the equation first.”
“Then after that?”
“Approach Gideon, threaten him, see how he responds. The other option is that I find out who his investors are, who he has in his back pocket, and start unraveling them all before I confront him head-on.”
“Why not prod him into a challenge?” he asked.
“I’d love to,” I snorted. “I’d love nothing more than to take the fucker out. And I’d rather do it in the lines of our law through a challenge. I don’t want shit brought to my door if I just kill the bastard in his sleep. I can’t risk the town. Or Savannah.”
“She chose to take the job,” Max drawled, forever the devil’s advocate.
“Because Gideon had a gun to her uncle’s head. It’s not her fault her family chose to mix with an asshole. She came here, found me, but she didn’t follow through.”
“And you’re honor-bound by that choice?”
“No,” I snapped. “I want her, no matter the circumstances. There was an interest there, the heat, the connection before the mate magic got involved.”
He pondered but didn’t respond to my defensive attitude. “And you’re sure she hasn’t led a trail here?”
“I’m sure.”
“Can she be trusted?”
“Max,” I growled.
Kyran laughed, patting Max on the back. “He’s mated, remember. Better watch your words, brother.”
Max, the power in him always vibrating, took a step back, and for a moment, he shook off the polished veneer.
