“You’re so beautiful,” Goldie gushed, sounding like an ordinary kid for a change. “Can I pet you?”
Sloane gave a sharp bark, and Goldie unleashed herself upon her fluffy target with skritches and snuggles and kisses that made me envious that Sloane’s mere existence sparked that type of unbridled happiness.
The commotion brought Liam jogging over, and he froze when he set eyes on Sloane.
“Beautiful,” he breathed, then cleared his throat. “For a giant dog, I mean.”
“Maybe step back,” I advised Goldie, releasing Rían to grip her shoulders and scoop her onto my hip.
A growl revved up the back of Sloane’s throat, and she leapt at Liam, snapping at his neck. But he caught her around the middle, squeezing her against his chest, and pinned her so she couldn’t bite him while he nuzzled into her fur.
“Who’s a good girl,” he cooed at her. “You are. You’re the good girl. Sloane’s thebestestgirl.”
Rage burned in her eyes, a promise of retribution, but she was stuck.
For better or worse, Liam was now her maguri. She couldn’t hurt him without just cause, or she would forfeit her place within the clan. Just like an alpha could command with his voice, betas also held some ability. A dominance that lesser dominant shifters recognized and respected, even when it resulted in agrown wolf with sharp teeth being cradled in the arms of a man whose shoes wouldn’t know what hit them come morning. And that was if she was feeling merciful.
Sometimes shoes got filled with a hot, steaming pile of, well,that, instead.
“That was averybad idea.” Rían folded his arms across his chest. “You know that, right?”
“This big baby?” Liam rained kisses on her quivering snout. “She’s a lamb.”
“I would say it was nice knowing you, Liam, but I haven’t known you for long, and it hasn’t been all that great for me, honestly.” I was only half kidding. “I hope you can sleep with one eye open. For the rest of your life.”
With a hard kick of her hind legs, Sloane shoved Liam back enough to wriggle free. As soon as her paws hit the ground, she bolted through the house and out the front door she must have left cracked for her escape. Which only spurred Liam on to chase after her.
“He’s in big trouble,” Goldie told us primly, sliding down my leg. “I can tell.”
Not until her feet touched down did it truly register. I had held her. On reflex. Without asking permission first. And she hadn’t batted an eye.
Until I met the Walshes, I had believed my packmates had beaten the instinct to touch others out of me. I couldn’t shake off a lifetime of conditioning in a matter of days, and I still waffled on whether others would cringe from my outstretched hand, but I was listening more to my inner voice and less to the outer ones that had hammered doubt into my mind for so long.
“You are wise beyond your years.” I laughed under my breath. “Go show me the slide again.”
“Ana?” She took one step. “I know you’re trying to get rid of me to talk about grownup stuff, but that’s okay. I’ll call us even if you promise to go down the fireman’s pole with me next time.”
“How can I turn down a bargain like that?”
As soon as she was back with Fayne, Rían reclaimed my hand, ignoring the chill in my fingers, and guided me out of the house. The sidewalks were empty, meaning Sloane had led Liam on a merry chase. I found I was glad for the chance to be alone with Rían, a rare occurrence with so much demand for his time.
“Aside from the kidnapping, arrows, and my cousin, how are you enjoying your time with us?”
“I feel like I’m living in a bubble,” I confessed, struggling to explain how the sameness of Brentwood had insulated me from the worst of the fallout with the Sartoris. So far. “Like one sharp poke could burst this new life wide open.”
“What will you do if Mercer wins the challenge?”
As much as it would hurt, I had made up my mind. “Cut ties with the pack.”
“What will you do if Sartori doesn’t lose?”
The words were harder this time. The strength of his hand in mine, the certainty he would never wield it against me, reassured me I had made the right decision. “Cut ties with the pack.”
A hitch in his stride was the only indication Rían gave that he had heard me, which made me wish I had the guts to joke about whether his offer to join his clan was still good. But I couldn’t muster up the courage.
“When did you make up your mind?”
“It’s been coming on slowly ever since I met you.” I hadn’t wanted to admit that, even to myself, but the truth wouldn’t change even if I didn’t acknowledge it. “The breaking point for me was the sentinels almost killing Sloane and then Carmichael severing her pack bond to finish the job.”
