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She shook her head. “Now.”
Nineteen
Messer
Killingthemwon’tsolvemy problems. Killing them won’t solve my problems. Killing them won’t solve…
Messer continued the mantra over and over, the same way she had been for days. Every time she had a suggestion, they shot it down without letting her finish a sentence. This wasn’t about following orders anymore. For the Elites she was forced on a team with, it was about killing. They were thirsty for the blood of shifters, with very little need for confirmation that their victims were actually the monsters they were hunting.
Their plan was ridiculous, and she wanted no part in it, but she didn’t have a choice. She had no authority. She could leave, could walk out, but they would track her down and drag her in to face off with her superiors. How that would play out, she wasn’t sure. They weren’t a government sanctioned academy. Messer doubted it would just be a debrief and a firing. It was the unknown that kept her in that fucking Pathfinder.
Until she could devise a plan, she’d have to go along with whatever the blood-thirsty bastards wanted.
Rex
Once they were in his room at the compound, Rex set Doc’s duffel on top of his dresser and busied himself by unpacking it. The majority of what she brought was for playtime, but he yanked open the top drawer and put the items in there before he put her clothes in the second drawer.
“Rex.”
He wanted to havethe conversationwith her. He wanted to explain about mates and Ol’ Ladies. He wanted to explain mating marks and property patches. His wolf was demanding him to get to it, but the fear of rejection had him procrastinating. Rex worried that her independent and scientific nature would balk at it.
“Rex.” This time his name was said with more impatience.
Get your shit together! You are a grown-ass man!Rex took a deep breath in through his nose and let it slowly out through his mouth, ignoring his whining wolf.
“Your breathing technique is not filling me with comfort and joy,” she bit out as she approached his side and grabbed his arm. Forcing him to face her, she looked up at him. “What is going on? What happened to all that arrogance you normally carry around?”
He frowned. “Arrogance?” He didn’t think he was arrogant.
Her beautiful blue eyes rolled. “Fine.Confidence. Where did it go?”
Rex couldn’t hold back the smile from forcing on his lips. “Once I tell you what I have to tell you, you’ll realize this is probably the most important conversation I’ve ever had to have in my life, aside from the conversation where I explained to Nevaeh how to incapacitate a man with only her thumb.”
Doc snorted. “That’s a pretty important conversation for a father to have with his daughter.”
Rex nodded and sighed. “Right?”
His heart started to race a bit as the seriousness of the situation finally sunk in. He was about to tell Doc that she was his mate.Holy shit. He found his mate, and she was there with him. They were amazing together, in his opinion, but what if she didn’t feel the same way? They were always told that human mates felt a pull, but what if his scientific-brained mate didn’t give in to it?Fuck. Rex could have the conversation and end up alone.
Suddenly, his face was in Doc’s hands, and she was forcing him to look up at her.Up? When did I sit down on the bed?
“Hey,” she said calmly but firmly. “Breathe with me. Come on, Fido. In.” She sucked in a breath through her nose, and he followed suit. They exhaled together slowly and repeated the process a few times. “Feel better?”
Staring into her eyes, he gave a nod and swallowed hard. “Yes. Thank you.”
“Good.” She straightened and put her hands to her hips. Glaring at him, she said, “Explain.”
Rex tried to figure out where to start.Mates? Ol’ Ladies? Which one?He looked to his wolf, like he could help him, but of course, his wolf just panted in reply.
“Rex,” she bit out.
“Okay! Okay. Fine. Uh… What do you want to know first? The MC culture version or the shifter version?”
“Well… start with the MC culture. I think I have a basic understanding, so prove or disprove it for me, then we can move on to the rest.”
Not for the first time, Rex was grateful for his mate and herjust the factsapproach to life. “Do you know what the term Ol’ Lady means?”
“I think so. It means they are the spouse of a member of the club, right?”
