Page 73 of The Enforcers: NOAH

Tristan was standing in the shadow of the cabin. When Terin got out, he walked out into the sunlight, staring at her like he was seeing a ghost.

Terin took one look at Tristan and put her hand over her mouth, her eyes filling with tears. Rafe was there just behind her, rubbing her back gently, his touch supporting her.

“Terin?” Tristan said. She nodded wordlessly.

He just kept staring at her. “You don’t remember me, do you?” he said.

She shook her head. “But you’re…familiar, somehow.” She gave a surprised laugh. “You smell familiar.”

He smiled. It was the first real smile Mina had seen on his face. “Can I…would it be okay if I hug you?”

She nodded, and he came forward and enfolded her gently in his arms, as if he was afraid she might break.

Mina had to look away from their intense emotion. Rafe stood a few feet away, watching Terin, a small smile on his face. He looked hard and tough—a brawler like Noah—but Mina saw him dash his hand roughly across his eyes.

Huh. He was a softy inside like Noah, too.

There was a creak of wood, and someone settled on the steps next to Mina. She looked up to see the chestnut-haired man.

“Hey,” he said. “I’m Jesse, Negotiator of the Silverlake pack. And you look really nervous.”

Mina tried to laugh, but she didn’t quite make it. “Is it that obvious?”

“Well, actually, I can smell it, but humans kinda freak out a little when they hear stuff like that, so I usually don’t say it,” he said. “Don’t be scared. We don’t bite. Hardly ever.”

That shouldn’t have been reassuring, but somehow it was.

“So how are you doing?” Jesse asked, looking at her like he really wanted to hear the answer.

“I’ve only known about shifters two days, so I’m still wrapping my head around the whole thing,” Mina admitted. “Truthfully, it still seems kind of surreal.”

She turned on the step and faced him. “Flynn and the others told me you were captured and put into some kind of lab with them. I don’t know the details, but Noah said the video made him sick, so I’m sure I don’t want to.”

Jesse nodded, his eyes growing dark and flecked with gold. Mina said, “I don’t mean to bring up anything painful. All I’m trying to say is, you know firsthand what would happen to my son if those horrible, evil men ever found him.”

Jesse nodded again. The gold flecks started to fade.

Mina said, “So here’s the real deal. I don’t entirely understand your rules, and to be honest, I’m not happy about this whole tribal thing where I agree to be claimed and follow my husband around and obey whatever alpha he pledges to.”

Jesse tilted his head in acknowledgement. “I can understand that.”

“But what I can tell you,” she said, “is that I’d walk on broken glass to keep my son safe. So if I have to bow down to some ego-inflated alpha and beg him to take us into his territory, I will. But you’re not splitting us up. If anyone tries to take Brock away from me, I’ll kill them with my bare hands. Even if they are a wolf.”

By the time she was done, Jesse was grinning. “Jace is going to like you,” he said. “So’s Emma. I think you’ll do fine.”

Mina felt herself sagging with relief. “Really?” she said. It couldn’t be that easy. “Isn’t there some kind of secret werewolf ritual I have to do?”

Jesse said, “There is a ceremony, but I promise, there’s no human sacrifice or ritual devouring of our enemies’ vital organs. The only animal sacrifices are the pigs and cows for the ribs and steaks we eat afterward.”

“Oh,” Mina said. “Well, good.”

She hesitated. “What about Noah?” she asked. “I think he thinks Jace doesn’t want him.”

Jesse sighed. “Noah’s a little bit of a difficulty. You know about his past…problems?”

Mina nodded. “You all don’t trust him anymore. You think he’s unreliable and too likely to be compromised in the field.”

Jesse looked surprised. “Is that what he said?”

Mina nodded.

“Fuck,” Jesse said. “Well, it’s not that so much. There’s plenty of jobs he could have. It’s more for your protection. If he’s bonded to you—or thinks he has—and you don’t want him for a mate, he could start obsessing over you. Jace wouldn’t put up with him pressuring you or harassing you, and he doesn’t want to bond Noah to the pack and then have to deal with that.”

“What if I did want him for a mate?” Mina said.

“Well, if you really have feelings for each other, that would make the whole thing a hell of a lot easier on everyone. But in the end it’s Jace’s call, not mine.”

Mina nodded. They were back to licking Jace Monroe’s boots. Although, if this man was one of his best friends, maybe he wasn’t as much of a pecker as she’d been afraid he was.

She was about to ask Jesse more about him, when there was a commotion in the woods just outside the perimeter of the clearing.

Jesse was on his feet at once, his hand going to the small of his back where Mina could now see a handgun stuck in the waistband of his jeans. Rafe did the same, and Terin turned and snarled, her eyes going gold.

Jasmin walked out of the forest, half escorting, half dragging a skinny blond man. His shirt was partially shredded, and deep parallel scratches ran across one side of his chest.

Holy freaking freaktards. It was Robbie.