AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You bet.”
She leaned over and kissed him, her body immediately responding. Nothing was better than kissing Duke and running her hands over his warm skin. He was the sexiest man she’d ever laid eyes on, and knowing that he was hers entirely made her want to dance a jig.
Duke growled softly as they ended the kiss, his eyes burning the pretty gold that told her he was as turned on as she was. “You smell so good.”
She grinned. “You too.”
“We better get out of here before your sister and her mate get a front row seat to our loving.”
Wrinkling her nose, Ree opened the door and said, “Are you ready, Duke?”
“Yes. You?”
“With you by my side, I feel like I can do anything.”
They met at the front of his car and, hands joined, walked up the sidewalk to meet his parents. Barron and Mercy were behind them, and Ree was thankful to have some extra support.
The front door opened and a man who looked like an older version of Duke stood in the door with a friendly smile. “I’m glad you’re here. Titus called and said you were on your way, but that was a while ago.”
“Sorry, Dad. I was busy winning my mate back.”
“Understandable. I’m Byron, Duke’s father.”
Ree shook his extended hand as Duke said, “This is my mate, Memory Hendrix. You can call her Ree.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Byron said. A pretty brunette woman joined them, and smiled warmly at Ree. “This is my wife, Davina.”
“No handshaking, we’re family now,” Davina said, stepping onto the porch and hugging Ree. “It’s so nice to meet you.”
“Thank you,” Ree said.
“Before we go in, I have to warn you that the Lewiston alpha and his family are here.”
Duke snarled. “What?”
Ree’s heart jumped into her throat. She really didn’t want to face the lioness again.
“But don’t worry. I have an ace up my sleeve,” Byron said.
“Oh?” Duke said.
“Trust me. I’ll make sure that the threat to you and the pride is gone, period.”
“I do trust you, Dad.”
Byron nodded and they followed him into the house. Ree could hear the sound of people talking quietly, and when they entered a large kitchen, the conversation stopped dead. The two lionesses who had tried to scare Ree away were standing next to a tall, lanky man with graying, blond hair, and a woman who wore enough jewelry to open her own store. They all looked angry, as did the small group of men behind them. Seated at the table was a woman with a binder open in front of her, and four older men.
“What’s that human doing here?” the one woman screeched.
“This is my home, Madison, and I am alpha here,” Byron said, his voice taking on a low and deadly quality that made the fight-or-flight instinct in Ree rear its head. “You’ll be respectful to my family or you’ll be gone.”
“Don’t threaten my daughter,” the man next to her said, but Ree didn’t sense the same level of power from that guy as she did Byron. She couldn’t explain her feeling, but she was certain that Byron was more powerful than the Lewiston alpha. What that meant, she didn’t know, but she was glad to be next to Duke.
Byron said, “I’m simply stating a fact, Elroy. Now that my son is here, we can move forward. As has already been made clear, Duke has mated and marked his heart-match.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Elroy said. “He signed a contract. Biting and fucking a human doesn’t make her a mate, it just makes her a sucker and Duke an asshole. He promised to mate my daughter and make her alpha female, and he will do exactly that or my pride will retaliate.”
Byron roared so loudly that Ree’s ears hurt, and she tucked herself close to Duke’s side and pressed her hands over her ears. Everyone seemed shocked by Byron’s outburst, except for Duke and Davina, who weren’t fazed at all.
