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He grinned. “Perks of having a bigger pack. We have other people to stand watch now.”
“People you trust?”
Flint nodded. “Although most didn’t care one way or the other about our various banishments, not everyone agreed with the previous pack alphas’ decisions. And we’ve used our alpha command to force the truth from each wolf, one by one.”
“That sounds exhausting.”
Flint’s smile faltered. “It is. But it’s worth it to know who we can trust. Gage has already exiled over a dozen wolves.”
I rolled over and pulled the pillow onto my head. “It’s too early to talk about pack politics.”
Flint’s muffled laugh reached my ears, but his hands drifted down, caressing my arm through the fabric, and then sliding down to my hip. There, his fingers teased along the hem of my shirt before sliding beneath it.
My body instantly heated with desire, but I couldn’t override decades of cultural conditioning that Gage was now my mate. No matter how angry I was with him, I wouldn’t violate our mating bond like that. There would be no sexy fun times until we figured out where things stood now.
I rolled over, putting my head on the pillow, and Flint’s fingers paused near my belly button when he saw my expression.
My lips parted, and I was just about to apologize when his head tilted as though he’d heard something.
Through the mate bond, Gage had sensed we were in bed together. If he’d also sensed my arousal just now… My heart raced despite myself.
Flint’s gaze sharpened as he glanced toward the bedroom door, the room’s only entrance. We both froze as the doorknob turned.
Chapter 33
Freya
Flint and I both tensed when the bedroom door opened. I braced myself to face Gage.
Instead, Heath appeared, wearing nothing but low-slung jeans. He was barefoot, and I noticed a leaf in his hair. He must have just returned from a run.
“It’s good to hear you two having fun,” Heath smiled.
My pulse slowed down and weariness descended, though I’d just awakened. Now I had to deal with Heath’s reaction to Gage’s mark on my body.
Heath paused at the threshold, his hand still on the doorknob. Hesitation filled his eyes, and his smile slowly fell when I yawned.
“Did you run with Gage?” Flint asked.
Heath nodded. “He’s an idiot.”
My jaw fell open. Heath and Gage always seemed to be on the same side. I quickly sat up in the bed, regarding Heath a little more closely. As he prowled toward the bed, every line of his body screamed ‘predator.’
I froze, at war with my instincts. My sense of survival, attuned to Ironwood for over twenty years, told me not to draw the dangerous alpha’s attention, while my wolf came to life at the word ‘run’ — she was feeling playful and wanted to make him chase us as he’d done once before. And, as a woman whoappreciated sexy, shirtless men, I couldn’t deny that heat surged through me as I watched him approach.
Heath had just apologized and asked for a second chance, but that was before Gage claimed me. I could only hope that Flint was right about everything, otherwise I’d missed my one chance with the playful but confusing alpha.
Just like at the start of my heat, Heath perched at the foot of the bed, far from me and Flint, as if he didn’t want to intrude, but couldn’t help but come closer.
“He told me you rejected him,” Heath said. “Which means he must have done something truly stupid.”
I narrowed my eyes, searching his face. Was this some kind of trick? Was he going to report back what I said to Gage?
No matter. I’d already told Gage how pissed I was, and he could feel it through the mate bond. Nothing I said to Heath should surprise Gage.
“He bit me without asking,” I growled.
Heath nodded. “Like I said, he’s an idiot.” He laid a hand on the bed between us. “But he does care about you, Freya. And he sent me here with a message.”
