Page 78 of Bitten Shifter

“I know.” His arms tighten around me. “But please humour me. I need to hold you. I don’t like seeing you frightened.”

Heat rushes to my cheeks as I groan in embarrassment. “I’m not frightened.” Despite myself, I relax against him, my head resting on his solid chest. “Fine. What is going to happen?”

“It’s not us who are in a conundrum,” Merrick says, his voice low and steady. “The human government, however, is going to have a problem.” He cuddles me closer, but there’s a flicker of sadness in his eyes.

My stomach twists. “What is wrong?”

He hesitates, his jaw tightening. “I read your medical file. At fifteen, the human government sterilised you,” he says, his tone sharp with disbelief and grief.

I shrug, brushing it off. “Yeah, it happens. They do it to everyone with faulty DNA. They sterilised a lot of us. They didn’t know I was a magic user.”

“You kept your magic hidden.”

“Yeah.” I pause, choosing my words carefully. “It didn’t show up until later, until after I was sterilised. I always thought it was stress-induced. I never told anyone. I kept it a secret for over thirty years, so this”—I gesture towards the summons—“didn’t happen. That Magic Hunter at the warehouse, the one who tried to help me, knew what I could do. He said he could taste my magic.”

I glare at Riker. “And now you guys know. Oh, and the entire Ministry of Magic, apparently. What do they want?” I ask, eyeing the envelope as though it might explode. “I’m not touching that.”

“It’s safe. My magic staff checked it thoroughly,” Merrick assures me.

Reluctantly, I pull the spiky-feeling envelope towards me. The magic pricks at my skin, but I break the seal and extract the heavy parchment.

“Dear Mrs Winters,” I read aloud, then glance at Merrick. “Look at that. I’ve been upgraded.”

He kisses the top of my head. “Yeah, you have been upgraded, little mate.”

“Without my consent.”

“Hospital thing,” he says with a shrug.

“Uh-huh. Hospital thing.” I shake my head and skim the letter. “This feels like I’m getting an invitation to Hogwarts.”

“Not quite as exciting,” Merrick replies dryly.

“They want to speak to me. In person.” I look up at him. “Are we going?” I’m certainly not going by myself.

“As soon as we deal with Human First, we will.”

I fiddle with the edge of the parchment. “And… the Ministry of Magic—will they make me stay with them?” The thought sends a shiver down my spine.

“They can’t. You are no longer human. You’re a shifter—part of our society. Your magic changes nothing. You are my mate, and they wouldn’t dare harm a single hair on your head.” Merrick plucks the letter from my hands and sets it aside.

Riker gestures to the wall of screens. “All right, technomancer. Do your thing.”

I arch an eyebrow. “I’m not some performing puppy, Riker. And I’ve already stated my terms—I will help, but only if I come too.”

I lock eyes with Merrick, neither of us backing down.

“Fine.” Merrick’s voice cuts through the tension, gruff. “You can come, but only under my direct supervision.” His eyes narrow, the weight of his alpha authority pressing down. “You stay by my side. No arguments.”

Riker leans back in his chair, smirking. “Under the thumb already, Alpha Prime? Impressive.” His gaze flicks to me. “You are such a troublemaker. We will need to double the strike teams to keep you out of trouble.”

I shrug, unrepentant. “Maybe. But I’m still going, aren’t I? Can I please have a laptop?”

“Yes, of course. Riker, grab the laptop, please,” Merrick asks.

Riker rolls his eyes but obliges, muttering something about ‘high-maintenance technomancers’ under his breath.

I sigh. I don’t want to leave Merrick’s warmth and the shelter of his arms. He lets out a low, gruff sound—half growl, half protest—as I reluctantly slide off his lap and settle back into my chair. The loss of his touch is immediate and unsettling.

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