Page 81 of Secret Shifters Next Door

Blayne sat forward, frowning. “But he would have smelled them. If they were within a half mile, he would have smelled them.”

Tate nodded. “Yeah, that’s what he thought. Miles said that even when they were right there on top of him, he couldn’t catch their scent. They’ve figured out some way to mask it. The way deer hunters stand over campfire smoke to cover their scent. I have no idea how they did it. He’d be dead if he hadn’t already been shifted. There were three of them, and they pumped two more bullets into him before he ripped off one of their arms with his teeth.”

Ripped his arm off? I felt my gorge rise and swallowed hard. The thought of it was horrible. The other horrible thing was that the hunters had been so close to my house––right out there in the backyard.

“We need a plan of attack. We have to go after these fucks right now. As soon as possible,” Tate said.

He sounded off kilter. Probably from the shock of seeing Miles almost die. I didn’t want him to go off halfcocked and end up with a silver bullet between his eyes. Blayne and Steff looked like they were thinking the same thing I was.

I put a hand on Tate’s arm. “Tate, you haven’t been yourself lately. I don’t want you guys running off and getting killed because you weren’t being careful.”

He glared at me. “I know what I’m doing. Don’t tell me my business,” he snapped.

I jabbed my finger into his chest. “Right there. You just made my point for me. You’ve been on edge for days.”

Steff stood. “Bro, she’s right. What the hell’s going on with you? I don’t even live with you, and I can see you’re wound so tight you’re about to pop.”

Blayne nodded. “Yeah, man. You’ve always been the most chill out of all of us. This?” He gestured toward Tate. “This isn’t you.”

Tate huffed a breath out his nose, like a bull. At first, he looked like he was going to argue, but his face fell after a few seconds. His shoulders slumped, and he tilted his head back to look at the ceiling.

After a moment, he looked back at us. “It’s you, Harley. I’m starting to go feral. I need to claim you, and I’m holding back. It’s starting to break me.”

Steff and Blayne both looked uncomfortable with the admission. I was surprised. I hadn’t realized he’d been struggling so much with it. Then my mind went back to the hickeys he’d left on my body over the last few weeks. The bite on my shoulder the last time we’d had sex. It started to make sense. He’d been forcing himself not to claim me all this time, and it was damn near driving him mad.

“I don’t want to hurt you. I’m not sure what might happen if I do it. Something could happen to the baby or you. I don’t know anyone who’s ever claimed someone while they were pregnant.” He sighed. “We haven’t even talked about the fact that Emily’s curse is going to change you into a shifter when I claim you,and what the hell might happen with that. It’s too much to even consider doing it. Not until the baby is born at the very least.”

With everything that had happened over the last week or so, I hadn’t even had much time to think about that part of it. Being turned into a magical creature? It was kind of appealing in an idealistic-teenage-fantasy sort of way. But it was also terrifying. Like standing on a cliff and staring out into the void.

“Tate,” I said, “I don’t think you have until December. Look at yourself.”

He sliced his hand through the air like a knife. “No. This is non-negotiable.”

Heat rose in my cheeks. He was making decisions that included me, but wasn’t taking my thoughts into account. Nothing pissed me off more than that.

“Listen, this isn’t just about what you want. I get to have a say in my life, too,” I said. “Plus, I don’t want to see you in pain. I don’t want you putting yourself or anyone else in danger because you’re going feral and can’t think straight. It’s for the best, and I’m ready. You need to claim me.”

Steff still looked uncomfortable. “I think she’s right.”

“Me, too,” Blayne added.

Tate looked beyond angry at all three of us. “What are you talking about? Harley, what if I claim you and something bad happens to the baby? How can you… shit, how can I live with myself if that happened?”

“I have the necklace Emily gave me. I won’t take it off. I know she meant it to protect me. I’m sure it will protect the baby.”

Tate, unmoved, shook his head. “No, not happening. I’m not giving you my bite. Too much could go wrong.”

I couldn’t be there anymore. He wasn’t listening to reason, and I needed to get out of the room to cool off. I stood, but before I walked away, I pinned him with my gaze. “You’re being selfish. You need to think about your pack and your family. If you aren’tat your best, if you’re too stressed or preoccupied with the desire to claim me, then you’re putting all of us at risk. Miles almost died. What if Steff dies next time because you were too slow? What if…” My breath caught in my throat, but I pushed forward. “What if the hunters kill Mariah or Jordyn because you’ve gone feral and can’t do anything to help them? You need to think long and hard about whetherthatis somethingyoucan live with?” Without waiting for his answer, I stomped out of the room.

THIRTY-FIVE

TATE

My anger rose as I watched Harley leave the room. It wasn’t directed at her. It was at myself, it was at Emily, it was at the hunters and Luis. Everything was fucked up, and I couldn’t get my head to stop spinning to make a good plan. I stood and paced the room, trying to expend some extra energy.

Blayne shook his head in exasperation. “Tate, dude, you have to admit Harley has a point. We’re going into battle with these hunters, and you are definitely not at peak performance. You see that, don’t you?”

I heard him and bit down on my tongue to keep my mouth shut. I didn’t want to spout some retort at him without thinking. I needed time to think, but shit kept happening that prevented that.

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