Page 41 of Taste of His Skin

Gem’s golden eyes flare, locking on a new target. “It only works against shaky bonds to begin with, and only if she tries on purpose to break the bond. This is ridiculous. Elizabeth is a delta for Luna’s sake and we’re treating her worse than the Wicked of the Wolf ever was! And, know what else? The Luna blessed her to be able to do this. You think of that? You think our goddess didn’t do it on purpose?”

“Gemma, sweetheart,” murmurs Ryker, patting the seat next to him. “Let’s not do this today.”

“Fine.” With a huff, Gem plops down next to him. “But I mean all of it.”

“That’s a good point,” says a dark-haired, Latino Alpha a couple of seats down from Dash. I don’t know him, but he reminds me of Luis Cruces, the Alpha of the Gravetail Pack. Maybe it’s his son? “About the blessed Luna. Now, I’m a new Alpha, only just performed the ceremony a few months ago. Correct me if I’m wrong, but you… you’re the female alpha, right?”

Ryker is the one who answers him. “Who’s asking?”

“Sorry. Rafael Cruces. Gravetail Pack.” I was right! “I missed the last Alpha gathering in July and was hoping to introduce myself to the infamous Ruby Walker.”

“She’s taken,” Ryker says flatly. “And her name is Gemma Swann Wolfson, not Ruby Walker.”

“My apologies about the name mix-up,” Rafael says, punctuating his apology with a chuckle that said he meant no harm. He has a gentle laugh at odds with the sad look in his dark gold eyes. “That’s not what I meant. She’s lovely, yes, but it’s more about her rank. She’s an alpha, as you are, Wolfson. And, again, correct me if I’m wrong, but your pack butts up against the vamp settlement where Elizabeth lives with her mate.”

Gem lays her hand on Ryker’s thigh. “Yeah. So?”

“And you’re not worried? That she might turn against you, use your Luna-given powers against you?”

“What? Of course not. It doesn’t work like that.”

“And you’re sure?”

“No,” cuts in Peyton. “She can steal any shifter’s mate bond! You have to punish her!”

Rafael ignores her. Instead, he focuses on Gem. “If you’re sure, you wouldn’t mind… proving it, would you?”

Oh, no. He’s not suggesting that I try to break Gem’s bond in front of the collective, is he?

I gulp.

Gem’s gaze flickers my way. She frowns. “You don’t know what you’re asking her to do. She won’t break my bond. She can’t. But if she tries… you’re asking me to hurt me friend. That’s fucked up, Rafael.”

“It’s okay.” If this is what I have to do to prove it… “If you don’t mind, I’ll do it.”

Gem glances at Ryker next. With a sigh, she says, “You know I love you, babe.”

He nods. “And you know that there’s no getting rid of me, Gem. It’s for life, you and me. So go on. Show him how unbreakable our bond is.”

Straight-backed and proud as ever, Gem thrusts her hand out. I grit my teeth and brace my legs, knowing what’s going to happen, but no matter how many times I experience the painful blowback of an unbroken bond, it never gets easier.

I’m not really sure what happened. The second I touched Gem, the bond held just like we knew it would. Pain racked my entire body, and I’m pretty sure I collapsed into a pile on the carpet because, when I come to again, I’m on my side. Gem’s crouching next to me, guarding my vulnerable bodies from the others. Ryker is standing at her side.

To my surprise, so is Rafael.

Gem hears me stirring. Looking over her shoulder, she says, “You good?”

“Been better,” I say weakly. “And your bond?”

“Strong like titanium,” she confirms.

Oh. Good.

The two males back up to give me space as I pull myself up and off of the floor. Gem offers her hand to help me up. I wait a second to make sure that I’ve gotten my abilities under control, then take it.

I know what she’s doing. By offering me her hand, she’s not proving how weak I am. She’s letting the other Alphas see that it takes more than an accidental brush for me to try to break a bond otherwise I’d be flat on my ass again.

Instead, I’m on my feet. Shaky, but fine.

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