‘Goddamnit, Nick,’ Samantha hissed.
Mallory blinked rapidly. ‘What? No! No, he definitely doesn’t think that.’
Nick was nodding. ‘Now it makes sense.’
‘You have it all wrong.’ Mallory shook her head.
‘I don’t.’ He smiled sadly. ‘I get it now.’
‘But…’
‘Has he shifted in front of you before now?’ he asked.
Their session in the gym flashed in her mind. ‘Uh…’
‘I knew it! That proves how much he cares about you.’ Nick leaned forward. ‘Uncle Alex shapeshifts when it’s the full moon, which is what the rest of us do, but he also does it when his emotions are high.Veryhigh. He was scared for you, and maybe angry, too. That’s why his wolf took over.’
‘That part might be true,’ Mallory said gently. ‘But the rest isn’t. It can’t be.’
‘It has to be.’ Nick glanced at Samantha. ‘There are lots of problems during the full moon when werewolves are in love but they’ve not yet staked an official claim on their partners. Right, Sam? Didn’t that McTavish beta almost kill the Bradley kid because he thought that he was threatening that female werewolf? And isn’t he now officially mated to her? Even whenI was kidnapped Uncle Alex didn’t go full wolf – usually only part of him goes furry when he’s upset. But he’s gone full wolf for Mallory and that can only mean he wants her as First Mate.’ He whistled. ‘Wantis probably the wrong word. Heneedsher as First Mate.’
Mallory expected Samantha to tell Nick that he’d got it all wrong, but she didn’t. She simply exhaled loudly. ‘He was planning to tell you at your flat today,’ she said to Mallory.
Boris, who’d been silent until now, chuckled. ‘I knew it!’
‘In fact he was supposed to tell you before today,’ Samantha continued. ‘There were lots of times when he was supposed to tell you.’ She exchanged glances with the other MacTire werewolves and they all nodded encouragingly. ‘Until you came along, I’d have confidently said that the only person Alex has ever been afraid of was his father, but he’s much more afraid of you than he was of that old bastard.’
‘I’m a squib,’ Mallory whispered.
‘A squib who he’s in love with but who he doesn’t believe feels the same way. And a squib who regularly puts herself in harm’s way.’
‘I’m very careful!’
‘I’m sure you are, but that doesn’t stop Alexander being terrified that something might happen to you.’
Boris nudged Mallory. ‘It won’t be so bad once you’re his actual mate. You’ll have the protection of his name so clients like Longchamps will be more respectful. And Alexander will be more relaxed. So will his inner wolf.’
Mallory stared at him. ‘Wh-what?’
Boris grinned at the werewolves. ‘She’s in love with your guy but she can’t admit it because she’s supposed to be helping him find a mate. She thinks it would be unprofessional to nominate herself for that position. And she doesn’t think he really wants her.’
‘Of course he wants her,’ Nick said. ‘I should have seen it before now.’
‘None of this would have happened if the two of you had spoken more honestly to each other,’ Samantha muttered.
Hannah intervened. ‘You’ve never been in love, Samantha. You’ve never felt the fear that you’ll be rejected by the only person in the world who makes everything right.’
Mallory’s mouth was wide open as her gaze travelled from face to face. ‘This is all my fault,’ she said, horrified. ‘It’s my fault he’s here and suffering so much.’
Samantha frowned. ‘Whoa. No, that’s not—’ She was interrupted by the door opening to reveal the doctor who’d been working on Alex.
Mallory started to tremble. She stumbled to her feet, as did everyone else. When the doctor smiled and said, ‘He’s okay,’ her knees buckled and she sat down, gulping in air.Oh thank God. Thank everything and everyone.
‘It’s going to be a long road to recovery,’ the doctor warned. ‘He’s not completely out of the woods yet. He’ll be weak for a long time, and silver is still poisoning his blood. He’ll need several transfusions and he’s going to experience a lot of pain. But he will be okay.’
‘As long as he’s not attacked by any revenge-seeking vampires in the near future,’ Boris said as a casual aside.
Mallory stiffened then nodded at him. She would fix this; she had to.
