Yet Riley had other options. Other pack alphas and alphas-in-waiting wanted her, and not only on this coast and in this country. She had no lack of available suitors.
If only she was interested in any of them.
An image of Kraft sleeping in his bed popped into her thoughts, his square jaw and stubborn nose, those dark eyes that flashed to red when they viewed her. She couldn’t help remembering all that incredible power in his large, muscled frame. He made her feel small, and that didn’t often happen, her berserker such a large presence within her mind.
Physically, he fit her ideal image of a mate. Mentally? She didn’t know. He had intelligence and savvy, but she wondered if he might be a bit too predatory for even a berserker. Though she did like the way his wolf looked, surprisingly large and powerful, built to handle a strong lycan—
Oh my God. I’m daydreaming about a vampire while my enemy gathers closer. I’m an idiot.
She let out a low growl of warning, and everyone stopped moving.
The kitten on her shoulder dug his claws into her, reminding her of his presence.
Freddy blinked. “Is that a cat?”
His friend, a bully and a sadist Wildridge soldier named Mark, grinned. “You bring a snack home with you?”
I don’t like that one.Paz hissed at him, which Mark found hilarious.
“Come,” Freddy cajoled. “Let’s walk and chat before I meet with Jack. We’ve heard some off-putting stories about you and the Torn-Fang dires. And you and some sorcerers tearing up the bazaar? Not good, Riley.”
He sounded a little too smug, and she studied him, searching for signs of guilt. “What do you know about the Torn-Fang pack?”
“Only that they’ve been attacked by Crimson Claw dires. And that your pack has also killed several mages from the Rainier guild. It’s almost as if you’re trying to start a pack war.”
“Where’s my alpha?” Riley asked, not giving Freddy any more of her time.
“Hey, bitch, mind your manners,” Mark ordered. He made the mistake of grabbing her arm.
Dropping her bag at the same time, Riley twisted, putting him in a wristlock, and kicked his feet out from under him, slamming him into the cold, hard ground while the kitten remained glued to her shoulder. “Touch me again and lose that hand, asshole.”
Mark didn’t have the sense to be alarmed, laughing while she twisted his wrist and jerked the shoulder joint, a loud crack attesting that something in him had broken.
His Wildridge cohorts growled.
“Let him go.” Freddy’s icy order did nothing but heat her up.
“Make me, Freddy,” she snarled, daring the Wildridge dick to hit her with those fists by his sides.
“That’s Fredrick, you bitch.” Ugh. A crazy spark lit his eyes. The ass looked turned on by all the violence.
Yes, yes. Fight!The kitten clung to her arm, his fur standing on end as he tried to look bigger while facing off against seven of the Wildridge pack, eight counting the one on the ground, still held immobile by her wristlock. It would take such a short, quick stomp to his face to break his nose and maybe his jaw. Then a pop and his shoulder would be out of the socket.
“Do it,” Freddy taunted. “I dare you.”
“Riley,there you are,” Max said loudly as two dozen soldiers from the pack rushed out to greet her. All in direwolf fighting form, they quickly surrounded the Wildridge dires. At least five more of their people arrived in trace, all as men and women and carrying silver-tipped weapons. Max came in his human form, with Uncle Jack and their beta following behind, deep in conversation.
“Ivan and my mom look forward to seeing you,” Max said, emphasizing that their other berserker was home.
“I haven’t seen Ivan in forever.” Riley dropped Mark’s wrist as if it burned. She turned her back on Freddy—a definite insult—and picked up her bag, then joined her cousin while her alpha and beta greeted the insufferable Wildridge alpha-in-waiting.
“Come on,” Max urged and pulled her with him. “What’s with the cat?”
“It’s a long story.” She dragged Shadow off her shoulder, unzipped her duffel a bit, and stuck him there.
He promptly sat and stared around him, likely interested by the flurry of activity in town.
She frowned as dires ran around, looking scattered.
