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The glare she shoots me makes me stop before I take another.
“I’m not having sex with you.” Her cheeks color, and I have the feeling that wasn’t what she meant to say. I guess we’re both blurting things out today.
“Okay.” For now.
“And you’re not marking me.” Her jaw sets stubbornly.
“We’ll see about that.” There’s no way in hell I won’t mark her. Already, my wolf is wearing at my attempt to practice patience for her. She’s lost one mate; I’m willing to respect that for a day or two. But then she’s going to have to come to terms with the fact that she belongs to me now.
And if she doesn’t, then our mark will convince her, my wolf adds smugly.
* * *
Tasha is quiet as she sips at the bitter red wine Leah left for her. Leah’s made herself scarce, which is for the best at the moment. Despite how she seems when she meets people, she’s actually an extreme introvert. We’ve already made her socialize too much for one day. I know it’s unlikely we’ll see her the rest of today. Or maybe even again this week.
One of the perks of this big house is that she can easily stow herself away in solitude even with houseguests.
“All of this is insane,” Tasha breaks the silence. She waves her hand around as if gesturing to everything that’s happened. “This is the problem with rogues. You trade in favors but have no idea who’s trustworthy. A wolf might be your friend or foe, and you have no idea which.”
“As opposed to packs where wolves are born into their stations and never meant to question the order of things? An Alpha is born an Alpha no matter whether they’ve earned it or not.”
She huffs out an annoyed little breath.
My mate is cute when she’s a little tipsy. Honest. Open. I can see it in her eyes, she’s desperate to ask questions. To understand how we ended up here. The wine is loosening her up; I’ll have to thank Leah for that when she comes back from her introverted hibernation.
“I have a lot of questions,” she announces, confirming my suspicions about her curiosity. She’s meant to be Luna Sovereign. Of course she’s naturally curious.
“Ask away.”
I shift on the lime green stool, my leg brushing hers. She inhales a long breath but doesn’t move away. I’m sure it’s because of the alcohol, but it’s such a damn relief to touch her that I’m too much of a bastard to do the polite thing and move away.
“What’s the deal with Leah and your brother?”
It’s not exactly the question I thought she would open with. “My older brother Greg was the worst kind of asshole. Thought the world owed him something. He saw Leah one night with her mate and decided he wanted her even though she didn’t belong to him.” My stomach still turns when I think about it, but I force myself to continue. Tasha is my mate, she deserves answers if she wants them.
“He waited until they were leaving the party and jumped the guy. Killed him and claimed Leah for himself. She was barely eighteen, and my brother was pushy.”
“Sounds familiar,” Tasha mutters, but I ignore her because it only pisses me off to hear her compare me to that worthless asshole.
“By the time he dragged her home with him, I think he already knew he didn’t actually want her. He didn’t like that she was quiet and colorful. She didn’t fit in with his friends’ mates. So he started beating her down, forcing her to change. He’d drag her to parties in boring clothes and make her stand by his side like a prop. Then take her home and keep her beaten into submission.”
A sound of disgust escapes me, and I have to pause. I’m desperate for a drink of my own now.
I painstakingly pull my leg away from hers and get up to go to the cabinet by the fridge that I’m hoping still holds the liquor. Bingo. There’s moonshine front and center. I pour a small glass and put the bottle back. There won’t be any getting drunk tonight, not for me.
I left the Jeep keys on Zeke’s lifeless body and stuffed both in the freezer in the garage. Even if Tasha goes looking for the keys, there’s no way she’ll grope a dead body looking for them.
Still, I’m not taking any chances of losing my head to drink until I’m sure she won’t try to run from me.
“I’m glad she killed him then,” Tasha says, nearly making me choke on my first sip of bittersweet moonshine.
I like to think any decent shifter would take Leah’s side, but I know meeting Leah in person sometimes changes people’s opinions. My brother was right about one thing. The woman is odd. But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have the right to be whoever the hell she wants.
‘’He was an Alpha.” The last of the Wild Bend Pack.
I turn to study Tasha. She’s abandoned her wine now and is sitting straight up in her seat, her back stiff.
“Your brother was an Alpha?”
