Page 27 of Make Me

In addition to being Elder Nicolai’s grandson, his father, Nik, was one of Sadara’s Delta’s. Which meant he was an easy choice on her mother’s list of potential consorts. He was a powerful tiger shifter, distantly related to Councilman Roland. He came from a line of powerful shifters, but that made him a cocky bastard who was constantly putting everyone around him down and boasting about his miniscule accomplishments. Cody never acted like that even though he was Alpha Heir to literally the largest wolf pack in the Realm. She had seen him with his pack and at the Academy. He never demanded special treatment like Alonzo did for simply existing even if Cody was a powerful wolf.

Alonzo was insufferable, and since Bethany had returned home a few weeks ago, he had upped his game. He thought he was being suave and charming, but he made her lioness’s hackles rise. Not that he would ever see that. Zack would have noticed something was wrong. He noticed everything about her, it seemed, even the things she tried to hide.

She didn’t bother to talk to Alonzo. She whipped around and marched away. Away from him, away from her mother, away from all of it. She walked along the path, lost in her swirling thoughts. Was there any point in trying to change her mother’s mind, or was she stuck in this hell till she took over as alpha?

If Sadara had her way, that wouldn’t be for another few decades, it seemed. Which would be fine if Sadara left Bethany alone and didn’t insist on meddling in her life.

“Rough day?”

The question had her jumping. Her cat hadn’t alerted her that she wasn’t alone. She looked up and found her feet had taken her to her and Cody’s spot. The shifter in question was sitting on the ground, his back to a tree as he whittled a piece of wood in his hands.

She huffed as she threw herself down next to him. “I don’t want to talk about it.” Not till she had it sorted out in her own head.

Cody looked like he wanted to pry, but she shot him a glare. He chuckled, turning back to the piece of wood in his hands.

Her body began to relax as she stared up at the sky. The leaves above her danced in the slight breeze, and Cody’s pine scent filled her nose. The silence was nice. She enjoyed their banter, although she would never admit that to him. Poking at him and his poking back soothed something in her lioness and kept her from going insane with the desire for her mate.

She snorted. Her mother’s plan was working. Well, kind of. This close to him, the mate pull rose inside her with a vengeance. Fucked if she stayed away and fucked if she stayed close.

Cody glanced her direction at her snort but looked away when she kept her eyes on the trees. She closed her eyelids halfway so she could peek at him without making it obvious she was staring. He focused on the piece of wood in his hands with a quiet determination as he coaxed a shape from the branch. Her breath caught as she watched his hands.

Her lioness purred at the thought of them on her body, and Bethany snapped her eyes closed. She couldn’t let her thoughts go down that path. It would make the pull harder to fight, and the next few years would be agony unless Sadara changed her mind. And she wouldn’t. Her mother would never agree to Cody as her mate, and without her mother’s blessing, she would have to directly challenge her mother to take over the pride. She didn’t want to do that. Those challenges always ended in bloodshed and sometimes even in death, and she didn’t see Sadara yielding.

A soft crunching of leaves had her eyes flying open. She sat up quickly as Cody set his knife and wood to the side. Seconds later, Alonzo stomped into view. Bethany let out a quiet groan that had Cody’s lips quirking.

“I thought I smelled dog.” Alonzo sneered at Cody.

Bethany leaped to her feet. “Watch your mouth,” she growled, her eyes flashing brighter as her lioness shifted closer to the surface. The mate pull caused her lioness to be even more protective.

“I know the Academy is intermixed,” Alonzo said, the corner of his mouth curled in a sneer. “But that doesn’t mean you have to sully yourself with other species, Beth.”

“Her name is Bethany,” Cody growled, his eyes bright with his wolf.

Fuck, she needed to end this. The alliance was already tentative enough without these two getting into it.

Bethany held up a hand to Cody, and he growled again but didn’t speak. “You should be very careful about what you say next, Alonzo. Cody is one of our best allies. You wouldn’t want it getting back to your father and my mother that you were insulting one of our oldest allies, would you?”

Instead of taking the warning and leaving as she expected him to, Alonzo’s sneer stayed on his face. “Best allies? The dogs are just convenient. We won’t have to sully our pride with them much longer.”

“What in the Realm are you talking about? Why don’t you leave the running of the pride to the adults who actually know something about the Realm.” Bethany rolled her eyes like Alonzo was stupid.

The male tiger did not like that, and a growl slipped through his lips.

Cody let out a louder growl behind her, and Bethany fought not to sigh in exasperation. Freaking males.

She squared up with Alonzo and let out her own growl, her cat rising inside her to push dominance into the growl. She was satisfied when Alonzo’s growl stopped; although by the anger that flared in his eyes, he was not happy that she forced his tiger to back off.

“What, are you his protector now?” He sneered at Cody behind her.

“Cody doesn’t need protection,” Bethany said. “I’m just preventing you from starting a fight you won’t win.”

Alonzo opened his mouth, but Bethany cut him off, slashing her hand in front of her. “A fight against me, not him. He would wipe the floor with you, but you forget yourself and the terms of our alliance. I would be well within my rights to step in, so shut up and get out of here.”

Alonzo looked like he wanted to say more but snapped his mouth shut. He took a few steps backward before his eyes lit up with an evil glint.

“I’ll see you at dinner tonight. I’ll tell your mother that I’m still interested. Even if you’ve sullied yourself with a wolf.”

Bethany’s growl followed him out of the clearing. Cody wrapped a hand around her arm and tugged her to face him. His brown eyes were bright gold with his wolf.

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