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“Temporarily. We have to keep her safe. Also, give her time to decide,” Kerian says. He dishes another plate.
“I’m hoping I’m so irresistible that it makes the choice easy,” I smirk. I shove two slices of bacon into my mouth. I’m trying desperately to shove the little voice in the back of my head that is whispering thoughts of her ultimate rejection.
You’re too damaged.
You’re not worthy of her love.
You’re too weak to protect a mate.
You lived in a cage.
“How are you coping with the bond? It must be painful to deny it?” Bishop asks.
“It’s uncomfortable but growing steadily. We refuse to force her into something she’ll regret,” Kerian says.
“Noble of you,” he says.
“That’s us, noble as fuck,” I mumble. My head whips around at the knock at the door. It has to be pack, or else the alarms will go off. The smell of the food masked their scent enough for us not to be alerted.
Kerian goes to the door just as Ava is coming down the stairs. She dressed in jeans and a flowy top showing her toned arms. I remember her mentioning taking classes at the gym, which definitely shows. I smile at her when she gets close. Her presence silences the voices. I’m distracted by our mate, and I don’t see her coming until it’s too late.
Raquel. She’s part of the pack, annoying and desperate. She walks around with her nose in the air, believing she’s better than all of us. Except for Kerian, of course, she loves him. She has flaming red hair and a model-like body. She does nothing for either of us.
“Kerian, Alpha, I wanted to bring you a casserole. I heard you have a female staying with you who needed your protection. It’s so nice of you to offer your home,” she says, looking at him sweetly.
“Raquel, she is not just anyone; she’s our mate,” Kerian says firmly, stepping out of the way so she can see us.
“Really?” she asks snidely.
“Really,” I say. My nose wrinkles at her offensive scent. “This is Ava, our mate.”
“Hello,” Ava says cautiously.
“Ava, how cute,” Raquel says, her eyes narrowing.
“Thank you for the food. We have plans, so we’ll have to cut this short.” Kerian hurries to take the dish from her.
“I was hoping we could run the property today together,” she steps close. Kerian is holding the pan between them as a shield. I see the panic on his face. He always claimed she was harmless, and now with our mate looking on, he can see what I have seen.
“That’s not going to happen,” Kerian says firmly.
“Kerian, please,” she begs.
“This is ridiculous,” Ava mutters. Her body is tense beside me.
“Sorry, Raquel. When we have time, we will all run together.” Kerian takes a step back when she advances.
“I thought it could be just the two of us,” she says, running her finger down his chest.
My humor at the situation flees when she touches him. She’s never gone that far. If she wants a reaction from Ava, she’s about to get one, as Ava moves quickly to Kerian. Even though Ava is human, she feels the pull on some level.
“I would advise you to remove your finger,” Ava says calmly, pointing at the offending finger. “He said no. As a woman who I’m sure at some point in her life said it and had it ignored, you should respect it. You heard him say I’m his mate. You still chose to hit on him in front of me. I call that a shit-stirrer. You want to cause shit. Even though I’m human, it doesn’t mean I can’t fight. This morning, I had an amazing orgasm while lying in a comfortable bed, riding River’s fingers. Don’t ruin my morning.” She again points at Raquel's finger, frozen on Kerian’s chest. “Take your fucking hand off, my mate.”
I have to adjust my hard-on. That was hot. I wish I had popcorn.
Raquel snatches her finger away quickly and steps back through the door. “Sorry to interrupt.” She looks at Kerian sadly before running away.
“I think she already chose,” Bishop whispers.
