Page 5 of Kodiak's Heart

They weren’t for him.

Though he knew any of them would accept him as mate, it wouldn’t be a bond built on anything other than necessity. God help him, but he wanted more than that, though he’d never admit it to anyone but himself. Hell, he’d learned from the master that the pack came first. He’d never questioned it. Until Jaeda Blackstone had arrived.

He’d dealt with the blow of his father’s murder, helping his brothers as they’d raged in grief. And he’d questioned. How had his father been captured? It made no sense. Matthew Holloway had been an alpha among alphas. Having a liger shifter bring their father’s body home after the hunting party had tortured and killed him had nearly crippled them. The carefully planned attacks that had occurred during the wake of his death had finished the job.

The weight of being the new alpha was heavy on Laramie’s shoulders. He still felt the loss of every pack member killed during those raids. Though the focus had been on their women, many a man had been killed trying to protect the females.

Rage burned through that pain now that he knew the elders of their den had looked him in the eyes and lied to his face. Not a single one of them had come forward to speak to their alpha about what they’d suspected, a betrayal from within the pack. Or about what they hid—female survivors, the very lifeblood of the pack. It was a betrayal he’d never forget. Especially now that the pack knew it was one of their elders who’d betrayed them to begin with.

“Laramie!” The snap in Koby’s voice pulled Laramie from his thoughts.

“You okay?” Holt asked. Leave it to the former Marine to pick up on nuances Laramie’s brothers missed. It made Holt a valued member of their inner circle. He might be a new addition, one that Tah, the head of the feline pride, teased Laramie about stealing, but Holt belonged with them. He fit so seamlessly it was as if he’d always been one of them.

“I’m good. Just need some air.” Laramie rolled his shoulders as he moved toward the door then turned as several of his brothers rose to follow him. “By myself. I’m sure you guys can manage to entertain yourselves for the rest of the night. I’m going to do a quick walk-by of the cabins then check along the perimeter of the national park.”

“Brock and I were over there earlier,” Matthias said. “We haven’t gone over the trail to the east if you want to head that way.”

“I’ll do that,” Laramie agreed then stretched and opened the door. He’d taken a handful of steps when Jemma slammed into him. He knew she’d seen him there, knew this was part of whatever plan she had to get him to choose her as a mate. The youngest of the survivors was still in her teens, though she made sure everyone knew she was old enough to take a mate. Something about her rubbed Laramie the wrong way. Out of the four remaining women, she was the last one he’d choose.

“Oh, Laramie, I didn’t see you.”

He caught her hands and held them away from his body afraid the girl might actually try to grope him as she ran her hands over him as if searching for injury.

“You should watch where you’re going,” he snapped. “You could hurt yourself.”

“Not me.” She leaned in with a giggle and practically purred at him. “I can take things a little rough.”

“There you are.” Sidia, Koby’s mate, came around the corner, her eyes snapping fire at Jemma. “I told you to stay with the others. What do you think you’re doing up here?”

Laramie eased Jemma farther away from him, urging her closer to Sidia, who practically vibrated with anger.

“I didn’t want to stay down there. It’s stuffy in that room. Besides, I wanted to see our alpha.” She preened up at him, probably thinking she looked flirtatious. All Laramie saw was calculation. She had no chance in hell with him.

“Jemma, you’re to listen to Sidia and Jaeda. It’s for your safety,” Laramie reprimanded.

She tried to worm her way close to him again. “But I’m safe with you. I trust you completely. I’d do anything to please you.”

“Then obey Sidia,” he grunted as he stepped away, moving down the hall toward the main entryway and the door to fresh air. He heard Sidia’s angry tone followed by a growl from Jemma. He had little doubt Sidia would put the other woman in her place. Hopefully, before Koby heard the girl and chose to do it for his mate.

Laramie stepped out into the night and immediately his shoulders relaxed as the air whispered over his skin and the sounds of the woods surrounding their home filled the air. He headed toward the east, taking his time as his senses acclimated with the night. There was a hum to the air, a heavy blanket of humidity that foreshadowed the promise of rain. And something else. He couldn’t put a name to it, had no idea when or where, but something stirred the animal inside him. It was as if man and beast both waited for something.

He paused at the arch of the curve in the road that led to the cabins when headlights flashed in the distance. Most of his pack had already come to swear fealty then left, heading back to homes and lives that kept going no matter what their pack endured. He had no idea who was coming. He stood in the center of the road, feet planted firmly, arms crossed over his chest as he waited. The wind ripped at his hair as the SUV came into view.

The driver hit the brakes, but never once jerked the wheel. A woman. She started to open the door, making the light come on briefly before she shut it, glancing into the backseat. It had been only a moment, but it was plenty long enough for him to note the sun-kissed blonde curls tousled around a face that screamed perfection right down to the pale, blue eyes. Another might not be able to note as much so quickly, but he was bear. Alpha.

When she glanced back toward him then pushed the door open, he caught his breath then inhaled deeply as her scent tickled his nose. Human. Bear. And something more. Something illusive that teased his senses. He fought his bear’s growl. Fought the need to walk to her and jerk her against him. Instead, he stood quietly, watching as she made her way to the front of the white four-door and faced him across the glow of the headlights.

“Laramie?” His name tumbled from her lips and had his cock standing in reply as her husky tone seemed to wrap around him and stroke his flesh to life. “Laramie Holloway?”

He nodded, probably seeming arrogant when the reality was she’d robbed him of his voice. She was pure feminine perfection, and he was afraid of what might leave his lips if he opened them to speak to her.

“I’ve come to ask for your help,” she whispered, casting a quick glance over her shoulder toward the vehicle. “For your protection. Will you protect me?”

“Say it,” he rasped and noted the flare as her eyes widened. Christ, what was he doing? Did he really want her to say the words of the mating ritual? His bear growled yes, but thankfully, the man was stronger.

He inhaled again. He knew that scent. Had smelled variations of it on the other Blackstones. Each sibling had a different scent, but there was an underlying similarity other shifters could pick up on. Jaeda, Sidia, and Xandra were all at the lodge behind him. Only one other Blackstone’s scent could be on the woman.

“Malachi,” he growled and wanted to howl in denial that the woman before him could already be mated to another.

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