Page 59 of An Unexpected Claim

What the hell is happening right now?My panther retreated a fraction and I shoved her forward again.Don’t you dare.

“Please?” he cajoled.

My girl dropped back inside me and forced me to the surface.Traitor!I shouted at her. She ignored me, not at all interested in what I wanted.

The abrupt shift caught me off guard and as soon as my bones and muscle had fused back together, leaving me in human form, I lost my balance and tumbled out of the tree.

“Peyton!” Nathan shouted.

Before he could catch me, I landed gracefully on the ground. I was a cat after all. Even in human form shifters shared a lot of the characteristics of their animals. Nathan looked stunned and I took the opportunity to run. I needed time to figure out how to deal with his bullshit before the unavoidable confrontation. I barely made it a single step when an arm banded around my waist, jerking me to a stop like the cartoons that are hooked by a cane and pulled off stage.

He didn’t say a word, he just tossed me over his shoulder and stalked in the direction of the house. I started to protest, but he slapped my ass hard enough for the pain to steal my breath a little. “Stop doing that!” I gasped when I could inhale again.

He repeated the action on my other butt cheek and barked, “Quiet!”

My mouth snapped shut and I let him take me back to the cabin without further comment.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Nathan

What the fuck had I done in my life to be saddled with Peyton as a mate?

Is this the universe’s idea of a joke?

I’d only been gone a few hours and when I came home to take Peyton on a run, what did I find? No Peyton. No note. Just a pile of clothes by the back door.

Like the last time, worry over her safety washed over me and ignited the simmering anger at her flagrant disobedience. Did the woman have no fucking regard for the fact that she was in the crosshairs of a serial killer?

I picked up the other two scents as soon as I stepped outside. Emerald and Samantha. The fact that she hadn’t gone out alone should have soothed some of my ire, but I was just too fucking pissed to be placated. I shifted, not caring that it shredded my clothes, then my wolf stood still and focused, his mind probing through the pack until he latched onto Samantha. As I’d suspected, she was in wolf form. It was a little easier to connect with members of my pack in their animal form once I’d shifted into my wolf. I paid attention to what she was seeing, and it only took a few seconds to recognize their location and the direction they were headed. I knew every inch of my pack’s land.

My wolf grunted in irritation and took off to a spot where we would cut them off. They weren’t far from the cabin, but my temper had been unleashed to its fullest extent and I was being ruled by it. When we brought them to a sudden halt a few minutes later, I sent Samantha on her way with a command from her alpha, then Peyton wisely encouraged Emerald to leave while I stared coldly at the both of them.

Then, after turning to lead her home, my wolf froze when her scent grew weak. In all honesty, I was kind of impressed to find her up in that tree, but at that moment, it was just another thing that stood between Peyton and my wrath.

Her panther’s interest and desire hadn’t escaped my notice, so I decided to throw a Hail Mary. I shifted and convinced her panther to change. However, I hadn’t expected Peyton to lose her balance and fall. My heart stopped as images of her broken body on the ground filled my mind. I ran to catch her but found myself standing in astonishment when she landed with the grace and agility of a cat.

Sadly for Peyton, that scare just added to the storm brewing inside me.

I’d had enough, so when she attempted to run, I threw her over my shoulder. If she’d only stayed quiet and given me the walk to calm down…Instead, she poked at me and I lost my temper. Not that she didn’t deserve the spanking, but it irritated me yet again, that I didn’t have complete control over myself.

Now that Peyton and I were mating and she was staying, I was determined to stop allowing her to get under my skin. How she’d accomplished it when I’d spent two millennia mastering self-control was beyond me. My best guess was the mate thing, but the electricity between us would surely fizzle eventually.

Once we were in the living room, I dropped her into her favorite recliner and began to pace in front of her.

“Nathan—”

“Shut it, Peyton,” I snarled. “I swear to all that is holy, if you talk right now, I will lose my shit. And your ass will pay the price.”

She closed her mouth and sat back in her seat, but her expression made it very clear that she was silently cursing me.

“I don’t understand how this happened again. What did you not understand about our last discussion on your safety and leaving the house alone?”

When she didn’t answer, I stopped in front of her and waited with a deep frown.

“Oh, can I speak now?” she asked sweetly.

My eyes narrowed in warning, but I gestured for her to go on before crossing my arms over my chest.

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