“Finally. Some peace.” She walked inside, grabbed a vase out of a kitchen cabinet to set the flowers in, then rushed to the couch and sprawled into it.
She covered her face with a pillow, and though he wanted to interrogate her about all this mating talk, he couldn’t deny a valuable opportunity to learn more about her.
The homey cottage had a small kitchen overlooking her living area. Beyond it he saw a short hallway and two doors. One for her bathroom and one for her bedroom, he saw as he explored. The home felt like a hunting cabin built with extra amenities. Rich colors of fabrics and decor, vibrant and lush, meshed well with the dark brown wood all around. Instead of feeling hemmed in, he felt warm and protected. Small yet cozy, the cabin fit her.
But would it fit her future mate?
Angered all over again, he rejoined her. “You must be thrilled with so many lycans dying to challenge for the right to win your affection.”
She tossed the pillow and snorted. “Yeah, right.”
“You are not so different from other females after all. Done in by false flattery and gifts.” He glanced at the flowers needing water on her kitchen table. The sweet smell of roses suited the place. Suited her.
“Screw off, Kraft.” She threw her forearm over her eyes, blocking him out. “You have no idea what this is like.”
“What? Strange males competing for your affection? Begging to be noticed?”
“They want to be noticed by the berserker. Not by me.”
“What?”
She moved her arm aside and glared at him. “No one knowsme.No onewantsto know me. They want a berserker for a mate. They want the power and status it brings to their packs. They want tough Riley. Killer Riley. They don’t want me.”
He slowly sat on the coffee table next to her, not wanting her to stop talking. “Who is the real you if not the berserker?” He wanted to understand.
“I’m a lycan and a woman. No, not human. But I’m not a tough-as-nails brawler all the time either. I like kittens.” She sighed when she spotted Paz in the corner, all tucked and sitting like a sphinx as he watched her melt down. “I like flowers. Roses are my favorite.”
Kraft made a mental note.
“I have to protect everyone all the time. Sometimes I want to be the one protected, you know?”
He didn’t, because Kraft had been born to protect himself and his clan. The furious beast that lived inside him had been created for just that purpose. Though he lived in a clan with five other vampires, they all had that same objective to defend the clan. Most vampires lived to only protect themselves first, kin second. But those Kraft dwelled with were like him, protecting clan first, self last.
Riley was like him too, so he understood that aspect of her. But this issue about wanting comfort and protection from another, it felt a lot like what he’d been told mates wanted. Females wanted the strength and power of a vampire for security, and while procreating, vampires treated their mates like the most valuable creatures on the planet.
His eyes narrowed. Was this Riley’s way of saying she wanted him for a mate?
His dick grew hard, and he studied her, no less enchanted with her strong features, pretty eyes, and powerful frame. Her breasts intrigued him, so soft in contrast to her toned muscle.
He shifted on the table, uncomfortably aroused.
“This competition to be your mate. What is this about?”
She sighed. “The wolves battle each other or me, if I allow it. The last wolf standing gets to challenge me to a final fight. Winner chooses his or her mate.”
“I don’t understand.”
She sat up and hugged her knees to her chest. “When the crescent moon appears in the sky, any male who applies to the alpha may challenge me to fight. If I favor him, I’ll say yes and give him the chance to pin me. If he wins, he can declare himself my mate. And that’s that, no need for an ultimate challenge.”
“Ultimate challenge?”
“When they fight each other until only one dire is left standing,” she explained. “But I’m stronger than all of them. Well, maybe except for Ivan or one or two of the older alphas, who aren’t even here. There’s no one here I want. So they’ll end up fighting each other. Losers can’t challenge for me. Once there’s only one dire left, I’ll fight him. If I lose, he wins me. If I win, I can decide what to do about mating. But if I don’t choose him, we have to do the challenge all over again until I’m stuck with someone. Then we’re declared mates the following full moon.”
“What if you don’t like the one who defeats you?”
“It won’t matter. He’ll be my mate until I get strong enough to pin him under an official challenge to sunder the courtship. Lycans do have our own version of divorce, but it’s pretty rare. It usually only happens if the mating isn’t a good one.” She shrugged. “There doesn’t have to be love and affection to produce young.”
“Ah, yes, progeny. That’s what this is really about isn’t it?”
