Page 30 of An Unending Claim

His wolf seemed drawn to her gaze, and when he focused on her there was a deep longing, but it was mixed with anger. These two had so much baggage between them that I honestly wasn’t sure they’d be able to make it work. And that was assuming Savannah had any interest in trying in the first place.

Asher’s wolf took a step in our direction but stopped when Savannah shifted and plopped down next to me. He observed her silently for a beat, then shifted as well, but directed his attention to his Alpha. His lips quirked, and I knew he was about to say something that would only piss Nathan off, so I jumped in. “Out enjoying the sunshine?”

“Rowan wanted to explore the lands a little more now that they are back to stay,” Emerald explained as she dropped down and leaned back against a large boulder by the water, placing her hands behind her head. “I wanted to spend some time with my friend so I tagged along.” She shrugged. “Joss”—she lifted her chin toward the last wolf, who was smaller than the others, white with chocolate ears and paws and violet eyes—“came along because she thinks we’re awesome. Then we bumped into Savannah’s wolf out for a run and she joined us.”

Joss shifted and practically skipped over to sit by Emerald. “Celine is the tiger,” Joss piped up in a cheerful tone. “She’s Camilla’s half-sister, but we don’t hold it against her.”

I’d heard about Jax’s former fiancée. Asher and Tanner were the only two people with whom Nathan discussed issues that were private to a pack member. And he certainly wouldn’t speak negatively about his pack mates unless it pertained to a specific issue, and still not to anyone but them.

So I’d been surprised when he’d told me about Camilla, and even more shocked when he expressed his irritation at her actions and confessed that he didn’t particularly like her as a person. I’d asked him why he’d shared these things with me and he’d stared at me in that intense way that made me want to squirm, then said, “You are my mate and her Alpha female.” Then he’d turned back to the breakfast he’d been making for me, as if it was just that simple.

The stag shifted and I smiled when I recognized Kellan. “I was starting to think I’d imagined seeing you outside of KBO,” I teased. He practically lived in his office and lab. After he’d fallen asleep at his desk one too many times, Nathan had ordered a couch to be put in his office, since his suggestions that Kellan go home at night fell on deaf ears.

“If I didn’t get some exercise, my stag would have busted through the doors at KBO, and I’m not sure Nathan would give me another lab.”

Nathan grunted in agreement with Kellan’s assumption. Except I knew better. He would have lectured Kellan, probably have him shaking in his boots by the time Nathan was done. Then he would have found him another space, with the understanding that it couldn’t happen again.

There was an easiness about the group that I hadn’t expected. I wasn’t sure how much of the story about Geoff had gotten out because I knew it was only a matter of time. How would they feel about me then?

“I notice you didn’t travel in your wolf form, Rowan,” Nathan observed.

His comment reminded me that Rowan had been human, a powerful witch, but still human. She and Jax were true mates, so when their bond snapped fully into place, the spirit of her wolf that had always been inside her took power from Jax and formed into flesh and blood, giving Rowan the ability to shift. Having been born with my animal, I couldn’t imagine how weird that would be. And it wasn’t as if she were latent—without the true mate bond being one hundred percent complete, she would never have known she carried that essence of her wolf.

Rowan’s cheeks turned pink and her mate chuffed, for which he received a shove. Except I doubted he even felt it. She was as small as he was big. “Well, Emerald can’t shift, so—”

“Don’t lie to me, Rowan.” I was surprised when I looked at Nathan and saw him smirking, rather than angry or reproachful.

I understood his amusement when Emerald leaned over and whispered to me, “Rowan can always tell when someone is lying. It’s incredibly annoying. But it’s hilarious how much it drives her nuts that she can’t lie to her Alpha.”

Rowan huffed and glared at Emerald as she crossed her arms over her chest. Then she looked at Nathan again. “Fine. I haven’t really figured all of that out yet.”

“Your wolf wants out,” Nathan stated. “You’re feeling out of sync and that frightens you, but it’s simply because your wolf is new to this world. She wants to bond with Jax’s wolf. I promise, if you give her some time with him, you’ll start to feel whole again.”

Rowan studied him intensely for a long, awkward minute. “Okay,” she finally replied. The big wolf nuzzled her neck and she laughed, then stared into his eyes for a bit as if they were silently talking. Then she said, “Yeah, babe. I promise.”

Being fully mated, I knew the two of them could somewhat communicate, but it seemed almost like they could read each other’s minds. I glanced back at Nathan and he was watching me with a wary expression, but I didn’t want to ask him about it right then, in front of everyone.

“Anyway.” Emerald shaded her eyes as she turned them toward Asher, who was leaning on a nearby tree. “So you know what’s up with the rest of us. Not sure what he’s doing here.”

It was a blatant lie, and she didn’t bother to act innocent, despite her words. She was trying to get a reaction out of Asher. Emerald had a knack for sizing people up, but Asher was almost as good at hiding behind a mask as Nathan, and he gave her nothing.

“Being an obnoxious stalker,” Savannah said so quietly that only Nathan and I could hear her.

Although, the others could hear the timbre of her voice and knew she’d said something. Asher’s jaw hardened, making me wonder for a second if he’d heard her. But I had a feeling it was more about her speaking to me because I knew she preferred not to interact with him at all.

There was tension for about thirty seconds until Celine shifted and strolled over to sit next to Joss, giving me a warm smile. “It’s great to meet you. Gilly tells me you are a passionate Yankees fan.”

I nodded and grinned in response. “Diehard. Born a fan, and I’ll die a fan.”

Celine’s smile dimmed, but her light green eyes twinkled with merriment. “I wish we could be friends. I mean, you’re my Alpha female, but…” She shook her head dejectedly.

I was confused, but when Nathan’s lips quirked as he watched the exchange, it dawned on me.

I gasped. “No!”

Celine sighed and turned to show me her shoulder. There was a dark red tattoo of the Red Sox logo on her tan skin. “My mom is from Boston. I didn’t move here to live with my dad until I was fifteen. I was born a fan, and I’ll die a fan.”

I placed my hand on my chest in an over dramatic gesture. “I’m so sorry for you. How can you live like that?”

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