Total pages in book: 122
Estimated words: 116662 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 583(@200wpm)___ 467(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116662 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 583(@200wpm)___ 467(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
Nazra wasn’t evil or anything. It was just that she would naturally have felt the urge to punish, challenge, or at the very least threaten Quinley for trying to “steal” Zaire from her. An urge that she had bottled up for nine years—that would only have made it worse. She would be highly unlikely to not finally act on it once Alpha.
Quinley sighed. “It’s funny how so many people never believed Zaire’s my true mate … yet she was not among them. It would surely have suited her to feel I was full of shit, but she didn’t close her mind to my claim. She called me a liar. She never meant it, though.”
“No, it was always a taunt to provoke you, not a claim she truly believed,” Raya agreed. “I wonder how Zaire will react to you leaving the pride and mating someone else.”
Quinley blinked. “Well, I mean … I’m sure he’ll feel some relief at knowing I’d be out of his orbit.”
Raya hummed. “Maybe.”
“How he’ll feel or behave isn’t what’s important,” Quinley upheld.
Adaline eyed her carefully. “You really have fully let go of him, haven’t you?”
“It was that or break,” Quinley told her, hearing her voice harden. “No person will ever break me, least of all him.”
CHAPTER THREE
Stood in a crowded hallway of his old apartment complex, Isaiah couldn’t help but smile at the sight of three Russian male wolverines blustering and shouting in their usual melodramatic way. He couldn’t hear much of what was being said, thanks to the music blasting, but he suspected they were again complaining that their great-niece Aurora hadn’t been given a Russian name.
Balancing a paper plate on one hand, Isaiah bit into his chicken wing. Pride events, especially parties, usually took place at the Tavern—their main hangout. But Bree and Alex had decided to throw an apartment-block party in order to celebrate the birth of their daughter. Isaiah suspected it was because the very anti-people Alex could then close himself in his apartment once his social battery ran out.
People were everywhere—the hallways, the open apartments, the stairwells, even the elevator. In fact, one of his fellow enforcers was manning a makeshift bar in the latter.
Some danced. Some drank. Some talked. Some chomped on finger foods.
Laughter regularly floated throughout the space, a balm to the pride’s heart. It had recently suffered a few hits. One member had had to be executed, another was ostracized, and a third had temporarily gone to stay with family to heal from a breakup. As such, the birth of the baby wolverine had given some much needed light to the pride.
Unlike most breeds of shifter, pallas cats typically didn’t claim territories. They did, however, live close together. There was strength in numbers, after all.
The pride owned not only three apartment complexes—including this one—but a nearby cul-de-sac and every business on both sides of the closest street.
His Alpha, Tate Devereaux, had reserved one of the other apartment buildings for lone shifters only, hoping to help with the growing problem of homeless loners. Such people were regularly targeted due to being without protection. All Tate’s tenants had his protection.
Catching movement in his peripheral vision, Isaiah looked to see his fellow enforcer Deke approaching. Clinging to the tall male’s broad back was his mate, Bailey, her silver hair looking exceptionally striking while pressed against Deke’s short black strands.
Isaiah felt his brow crease, even as amusement pricked at him. “There a reason you’re all the way up there?”
“Of course,” she replied simply, but no explanation was given. Not a surprise. This particular black mamba did not live to please others. In fact, she set out to drive them insane … which made her an unlikely partner for someone as intolerant as Deke, but they fit in ways few people would have foreseen.
Isaiah’s cat tended to glower at the newly mated couple, envious at what they had. Tonight, though, the feline did nothing—he was busy brooding, having withdrawn to a corner of Isaiah’s mind.
Deke knocked back some of his beer. “Any progress with FindYourMatch.com?” he asked Isaiah.
Bailey’s dark deep-set eyes lit with interest. “Ooh, yeah, what’s going on with that?”
“I was sent the names of three possible matches,” Isaiah told them. “Each has what you’d call a basic profile and a photograph on the website, so I checked them out.”
“And?” pressed Bailey, impatient.
“One stood out for me.” Isaiah tore a strip of meat from his chicken wing and chewed it fast. “I had River do a little digging, but he couldn’t find more info on her than I already know.”
“What kind of shifter is she?” Deke asked.
Isaiah felt his mouth bow up. “A breed that will never fear pallas cats, so I knew I wouldn’t have to worry that she’d care what I am. I contacted her. We exchanged a few messages. She’s agreed to meet with me.”