Page 3 of An Unexpected Claim

My panther vibrated excitedly, feeling my own anticipation heighten since I’d made my decision. She was clearly in favor of my choice.

“Peyton Dyer,” I responded as I placed a napkin beside each drink.

“Asher,” one of the other wolves piped up. He had thick brown hair and piercing blue eyes that were currently filled with playful laughter.

“Jase,” the other man said—a tall, dark-haired wolf with blue eyes and a leaner build than the other two.

“What time do you get off, beautiful?” Asher asked with a wiggle of his eyebrows. I couldn’t help chuckling. Especially when his blue orbs flashed a knowing look at his alpha and his smile turned a little wicked. “Never mind, I’ll just tell you when I’m going to get you—”

“Asher,” Nathan interrupted. One word, but it was loaded with alpha energy and aggression.

But instead of submitting like before, Asher winked at me and held his hands up in a surrender motion. “Well, I’ve got shit to do. Nathan, I won’t wait up for you. Nice to meet you, Peyton.” Then he grabbed Jase, who had been staring at me thoughtfully, by the arm and dragged him away from the table.

Confused by the exchange, I watched them leave until I couldn’t resist the pull of Nathan’s dedicated attention. I hadn’t noticed that I’d moved closer until I turned and found myself standing between his legs.

Up this close, I realized that the flashes in his eyes were subtle changes in the shape of his pupils, alerting me that his wolf hovered near the surface. It was unusual for a shifter and their animal to share the same eye color, but I sensed there was little about Nathan that was common or expected.

His wolf stared back at me with the same penetrating concentration as his human half. My panther nudged me, wanting to be freed to meet his wolf. When Nathan raised a single brown-blond brow, I guessed that the emerald color of my irises had begun to turn yellow-gold.

I felt a jolt when my panther pushed even harder, demanding to be released.

Damn, girl. Chill.I didn’t know what to make of her reaction. She’d never responded to another shifter like this.Seriously?I scolded her.A wolf?She sniffed with annoyance and backed off for the moment.

Someone called my name and broke the spell Nathan had me under. I glanced at one of my regular tables and waved to let them know I’d be right there. Nathan took hold of my arm and his hard look suggested I not leave yet. “What time?”

My skin burned where he touched it and I almost melted into a puddle on the floor when he glided his rough, calloused palm down to my hand.

It wouldn’t make a difference in my decision, but for some reason, I wanted him to answer a question for me first. “You forced your pack’s submission before, how come you didn’t when Asher needled you by flirting with me?”

Nathan’s mouth curved down and his brow furrowed.Whoa.With unreadable features, he was intimidating enough, but with clear displeasure in his expression, I imagined he terrified people.

Apparently, my panther and I had no real sense of self-preservation because we were both aroused by it. Nathan’s nose flared and his pupils dilated, the sliver of his irises turning molten, telling me he smelled my reaction; however, he answered my question.

“I didn’t force Asher’s or Jase’s submission. I warned them off, but they made the choice to show allegiance and respect. I would never require it.” He must have read the puzzlement on my face because he tilted his head and studied me. “This surprises you. Why?”

I wiped my expression of anything except the attraction consuming me. “Just curious,” I said, shrugging a shoulder. He looked as though he might argue, but I placed my hand on his bulging biceps—oh, damn. Every bit as hard as he looked—and locked eyes with him. “Midnight.”

He nodded and it amazed me that one single gesture conveyed so much. I felt as if I’d been commanded and caressed all at once. He clearly had no doubt I would come to him at the end of my shift.

Arrogant, yes, but not wrong.

With one last look at him, I returned to my job.

His eyes followed me everywhere throughout the night. Whenever I had the opportunity, I’d meet his heavy-lidded gaze, and the dark promise of passion in them had me wishing time would speed the fuck up.

Chapter Two

Nathan

I’d lived over two millennia and in all that time, I’d never encountered an attraction so powerful—almost uncontrollable.

As the alpha of the powerful Silver Lake Pack, the owner of a freelance black ops agency, and the head of the SCA—the Shifter Council that presided over the Americas—and the ISC—Interspecies Council—it was damn disconcerting.

But Peyton was sexy as hell, and the way she moved, the sound of her voice, everything about her was alluring, drawing me in. I’d considered the possibility that she might be a vampire or a siren, but when she’d come close enough for me to scent her, I’d immediately smelled her feline—a panther, if I had to guess. And I was rarely wrong. She even reminded me of her jungle cat with her sleek, toned build and her graceful, confident stature.

However, more important than her breed, there had been no mistaking the arousal effusing from her body. The first moment our eyes met, I’d felt something snap between us like a string tethering us together. One so taut it vibrated through my whole body and bounced around in my mind a couple of times. I didn’t understand the connection between us, nor did I care.

With the full moon approaching, the need to fuck grew more forceful, and I fully intended to sate my lust in Peyton’s body. My wolf brushed his fur under my skin and emitted a low rumble of approval.

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