Deacon had asked Eden out… and she saidyes.
Of courseshe would.A formidable female like her could have any male, so why would she lower her standards to anyone less than a leader?Lucian was good enough to fuck, but betas were pillars of the community.Deacon was a confident male, albeit he had more muscle than brains.Was he just toying with her as a means to get at Lucian, or did he see a strategic opportunity for a mate?Who better than a Councilwoman?Not only would he be the envy of all, but he would also have more power.Maybe he’d seen an opportunity to get Hamish his land back.
Either way, there wasn’t a damn thing Lucian could do about it.
We had a one-night stand.That doesn’t give me any right to confront her.We haven’t even slept together since then.
Not because he didn’t want to, but Montana’s warning about screwing up the pack’s relations with her had given him cold feet about the whole thing.
But now his cold feet were steaming up.Lucian’s primal urge to claim her burned through his veins.He didn’t just want to pleasure her until she cried out his name—he needed to mark her with his scent.
Just a little.
Not enough that anyone could detect it but him.Marking was a chemical reaction that occurred beneath the surface of their skin.Unlike the disgusting spraying habits of animals in the wild, Chitahs had the ability to push out a unique scent from every pore in their body—like their own personal brand of cologne.
When claiming a mate, the act was involuntary—a primal urge they couldn’t ignore.It happened in her presence, and sometimes they might rub their body against an object that also carried her scent—usually furniture.It was a way to mark her, to warn other males that she was claimed.Most Chitahs avoided a claimed female because that suitor was willing to challenge them in a fight to the death.
Lucian didn’t know what to do with the urge.It wouldn’t mean anything or lead anywhere, given their agreement, but he needed to somehow make her his, even if it didn’t count.
A despicable male like Deacon might use her, and that sharpened his anger.
Eden was fast-tracking her dating life because of her father, and now she had a beta showing interest.Unless an available Packmaster stepped forward, Deacon had a shot.
The thought of Deacon seducing her made Lucian’s fangs ache.
Unable to hide in the shadows any longer, he stalked across the grassy lawn, passing a bevy of gossiping women who stopped their conversation to look at him.Because of the onion he’d just eaten, he couldn’t scent their emotions to tell what they might be thinking.
When he reached Eden, he took her hand.“Come with me.”
I setmy empty wineglass on a table and joined Mercy by a tiki torch.“I was looking for you.It’s been so hectic, and everyone keeps trying to talk business with me when it’s my night off.”
She dabbed a napkin over a stain on her white capris.“I’m sorry.If I’d known that, we could’ve made a secret hand signal for you to call out for help.”
I chuckled and jutted my hip.“It’s all good.”
After pitching the wadded-up napkin into a wastebasket, Mercy grabbed a few crackers from a bowl and munched on them.“I was inside earlier, checkin’ on Cleo.”
“I saw her a little while ago making a plate of food.”
“Good.I told her to come down and fix herself a plate for supper.It’s not like she has to hang around or talk to anyone, but I feel sorry for her.She’s been through rough times and doesn’t trust anyone enough to come out.Maybe if she sees how friendly everyone is, she’ll be more comfortable.”
“It’s decent of you to take her in.”
“Well, sometimes strays come along and you gotta do what’s right.”
“Doesn’t she have family?”
Mercy crunched on another cracker.“We’re looking, but you know how that goes.People go missing all the time.There isn’t a database that tracks all that, so we’re doing the best we can.”
I nodded.There wasn’t much I could do in the way of searching that Tak didn’t already have access to himself.If he was reaching out to Councils across North America, they would accept his request for information.That’s what we did, among many other things.
Bear ambled up behind Mercy, hunched over, and wrapped his arms around her.“You look mighty pretty.”
She flashed a cheerful smile at me before twisting her head to face him.“You worked so hard today, and I’m gonna show you later on just how much I appreciate it.”
He blushed.“Honey, all I want to do is cuddle all night and save cleanup for tomorrow.”
After a soft kiss, Mercy said, “Go save me a seat by the grill.Your apron is officially retired for the rest of the night.I’ll cook the hamburgers if anyone wants more.”
