Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 113406 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 454(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113406 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 567(@200wpm)___ 454(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Stone just smiled at Nick, all amiable. The ex–Navy SEAL knew and happily stomped on every hot button the Alpha possessed. “I was just pointing out that the burgers are—”
“Biting the hand of the person who’ll choose your nursing home is not smart,” Nick told him as he stiffly flipped the burgers. Noticing the smirk on Marcus’s face, the Alpha sneered. “Laugh it up, Man-slut.”
Roni frowned at her brother. “Hey, we don’t call him that anymore.”
“Hold on a minute,” said Marcus, turning to his mate. “You used to call me that too?”
She shrugged. “Only in my head, so I figure it doesn’t count.”
“It totally counts.”
“Does not.”
“Does too.”
Not interested in listening to them argue, Bracken transferred both beer bottles to one hand and grabbed the bowl of pretzels from the table. He turned to walk away . . . and found himself face-to-face with Shiloh. It wasn’t often that she made eye contact with him—for two reasons. One, she was usually so engrossed in whatever game she was playing on her phone that it took her a moment to realize he was even there. Two, he got the feeling that the introverted feline avoided meeting people’s eyes because it discouraged them from trying to talk to her. But when she did make eye contact, it was never shyly—she did not blush, stutter, or fidget. No, she had a very bold stare that dared a person to lie.
When he’d first met her, she’d flicked him a bored look from under coppery-blonde bangs . . . and he’d smiled. She’d intrigued him that quickly. And the more she’d withstood his efforts to get her attention, the more he’d wanted it. The whole thing seemed trivial now.
“I heard about you and Madisyn. She’ll be good for you, so don’t fuck it up.” And then Shiloh nabbed a fork and ambled away. Huh.
Becoming very aware that silence had descended, he raised a brow at the people watching him . . . and suddenly, they all had something much more interesting to look at. With an inner snort, he headed for his mate. And frowned. Because she wasn’t on the sofa. Glancing around, he saw no sign of her. “Where’s Madisyn?” he asked Shaya.
The redhead blinked. “I don’t know. She was just here.”
Bracken once more swept his gaze around the groups of people. And another question formed in his head. “Where’s Kathy?”
Shaya jumped to her feet. “Shit.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Madisyn had known that if she headed into the main lodge, Kathy would likely follow and try to get her alone, so it didn’t surprise Madisyn to step out of the bathroom and find the woman waiting there. It also didn’t disappoint her because she had a few things to say to the old bitch.
Mouth tight, chin up, Kathy tried staring her down. Madisyn met her gaze boldly, itching to slice out her claws and rake them over the woman’s face just as her cat wanted.
“I’ll give it you,” Kathy began, “you handled that situation well.”
“You didn’t. You made a big mistake today. Not with me. I couldn’t care less how you feel about me. But Bracken cares. He cares about how his pack treats his mate, and you shit all over his feelings. And for what? Just because you’re bitter that a pallas cat once kicked your ass?”
Kathy waved a dismissive hand. “This isn’t about my past experience with your kind. This is about Bracken. If he’d brought home a mate who would be good for him, I’d have been so damn happy I’d have nearly cried. Because if anyone deserves happiness, it’s that wolf. You . . . I like you, Madisyn, I do.”
“Huh. Can’t say the same about you right now.”
“But I don’t think you’re what he needs.”
Bristling at that, Madisyn folded her arms. “Tell me, Kathy, what does he need?”
“Sensitivity. Compassion. Patience. Support. Someone who can bring him back to us. Back to life. We came so close to losing him. His heart was beating, but he wasn’t there. He wanted to die. You’re not the most sensitive or tolerant of people, Madisyn. I mean, look at you. You know your own mate is deeply wounded, but you’re making him work for this relationship. Making him move slowly.”
“It’s called building something, Kathy.”
“You could let him claim you. You could move onto his territory and become part of his pack. But no. You won’t. You care more about your independence than you do his soul.”
“I never said I wouldn’t allow him to claim me. I also never said I wouldn’t move here or join the pack. I just refuse to move too fast. And what would be the point in rushing it anyway? You can’t force a mating bond to snap into place.” In fact, rushing things could very well delay the process.
“Which I’m thankful for, because I truly don’t think you two are right for each other. He didn’t even want you until he realized you were mates.”