Page 7 of His Lucky Moon Mate

Lovely.

“When was the last time you ate?” Binder asked.

Shannon ignored him as the doors to the room they’d been approaching swung open revealing a very tall, black-haired man with eyes the colors of glaciers. Might as well have been for all the warmth they showed when he gazed upon her.

“Come inside,” the male growled before turning away from them.

“Yes, Alpha,” Binder said, his tone reverent.

Either the male was a total oaf, or he was so damned confident in himself he gave his back to others as a sort offeck offto the world. Shannon wondered which as she stepped into his office, then she noted the monstrous Wolves standing on either side of his desk and she knew. The Alpha of the Macconwood Pack was powerful and cunning. He gave her his back to show he did not fear her, and yet he had a Guard more than ready to defend should the need arise.

Binder averted his gaze and tilted his head to the side, baring his throat as he placed his large hand on the small of Shannon’s back. She thought he was guiding her ahead of him, but the male sidestepped so his body was slightly in front of hers. Something all the Wolves in the room noted. He led Shannon to a seat and nodded for her to take it while remaining beside her, yet still slightly in front.

Had she paid more attention in her lessons about Shifters on the Earth realm Shannon might have understood more about his strange behavior, but as it stood, things were about as clear as mud. She waited for someone to speak, but it was a few long, drawn out minutes before the Alpha addressed her.

“Six months,” he growled.

“P-pardon?” she asked.

“You have been squatting on Pack territory for six months?—”

“Actually, it’s more like nine. You see, it took us a while to set up, and all,” she corrected, cursing herself for her bloody obsessive need to be right.

“Irrelevant,” Binder spoke up.

“What was that?” Rafe Maccon, Alpha of the Macconwood Pack, asked Binder eyebrows raised.

“If we were unaware of their inhabiting our land, then it is irrelevant to this discussion, Alpha.”

“Is that so? Well then, why don’t you tell all of us what your interpretation of Supernatural Law and what the Shifter Council’s doctrines would mandate we do in this instance?”

Binder nodded, took a moment to collect his thoughts, then he started speaking. He explained before Shannon could who she was, who her father was, and what went down as far as he understood it. She had to hand it to the lawyer, he listened with a very astute ear. Quick minded and with a silver tongue, he told his Alpha everything, and yet, Shannon could not help but feel as though he were protecting her for some reason.

Odd. Very odd.

Chapter 4

“To summarize, you are saying Miss O’Doyle here had no knowledge of her father’s subterfuge and refusal to cooperate?” Rafe asked.

“That’s correct,” Binder replied carefully.

“You realize the danger she, or her father, has put us all in, don’t you? Having a group of Fae and other supes in our lands without going through the proper channels creates all sorts of nightmares, the least of which are not the political implications!”

“Maccon City does seem to draw more than its fair share of supes,” Seff, the Pack Beta, added.

“Don’t you know why?” Shannon asked, eyes flitting to each male in the room in turn.

“Why do you think that is, Miss O’Doyle?” Rafe asked.

“Well, first you’ve got your ley lines which normally would only attract supernatural beings of this realm. But Maccon City sits squarely over one of the fewveil breaksbetween realms. Your ley lines line up with ley lines in dozens of universes, thereby attracting well I guess just everything,” she said with a shrug, stunning all the men present into a moment of a silence.

Binder was now an official member of the Macconwood Pack, having emigrated to the states from the UK with his family when he was a small child. But there had been a very long probationary period. Still, he was an avid reader, and autobiographical accounts and histories of the area were two of his favorite topics. Crescent Moon Books, a local bookstore half-owned by one of his boss’ mates, had an occult section just for supes that had some of the best. And yet, none of the books he read said anything about the possibility ofveil breaksor ley lines.

After his sister, Eira, came to work at the local hospital as an ER doc, Binder decided he might as well make a go of living in Maccon City, too. It was a bit far from where the folks had settled in Brooklyn Heights, but close enough for their monthly dinners and holidays.

Still, even with his law degree and a prominent place with the law firm owned by two of the Alpha’s own Wolf Guards, Binder felt slightly flustered as he addressed Rafe. Maybe it was because he could hear the racing heartbeat of the sweet, soft female sitting beside him, worrying her lip with her teeth. Shannon did not trust him, or any of them. Not yet. And while he did not blame her, it was making his Wolf agitated.

“And now, her father is missing, is that right?”

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