Page 37 of Bear Facts

The wolves gave way before him, but they didn’t disperse.

Shane stuck close to Freya. “I won’t let them hurt you, trust me,” he said rapidly, as though he expected Freya to panic. “Neither will my family.”

“You’re not Lupine.” Packs didn’t like outsiders interfering with their business. They must really hate having Shifters from other species telling them what to do.

“Doesn’t matter,” Shane said. “Shiftertown dynamics are a little bit different. Graham’s wolves need to learn that.”

As they neared the growling Lupines, Graham’s shout came clearly to them. “The fuck you tell me my decisions.”

Leo had decided to confront Graham, though he couldn’t quite look Graham in the eye. “It’s pack law.” He jerked a thumb at the gathered wolves. “I say the mate-claim is good. If she turns it down, then you need to declare her fair game for everyone else. We need mates—you know we do. And cubs.”

Freya heated with anger, the dominance she’d felt when she’d defied Leo flaring again. Once upon a time, a female who was declared fair game could be claimed by anyone in the pack, sometimes several at a time. She would be expected to bear cubs with different fathers for the good of the gene pool. That had been before females had decided that they’d had enough of being used as incubators at asshole males’ pleasure and rebelled.

Shane stood solidly in front of Freya. “This isn’t the wild, dickhead,” he told Leo. “We’re not half-feral, scratching for a living in the desert.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Leo’s eyes bore the red tinge of an enraged wolf—one who was still working off a dose of tranq. “We’ve been penned up here against our will. The only way we’ll tolerate it is if we get to have mates. She’s one of us.” He thrust a forefinger at Freya. “The mate-claim stands. Or else.”

Graham towered over him. “Don’t you ever give me an ultimatum, scumbag. I’m your leader, and my decisions are final.”

While Leo flinched under Graham’s admonishment, his stance retained defiance. He’d push for the claim, Freya realized in dismay, and if he won enough support among the Lupines, Graham would be hard-pressed to keep control. Even Eric, who watched with a calm that belied his power, couldn’t stand against frenzied Shifters.

The best thing Freya could do was get out of here. She was good at slipping away unnoticed, fleeing before anyone realized she’d gone. Maybe she’d contact Althea again, apologize for the screwup, and see if she could get near the woman to continue her quest to find Rolf.

She could even take a job with Althea herself and hide behind hardened mercenaries with weapons for a while. Of course, she’d have to deal with the creepy Feline called Ewan, but there was only one of him versus the fifty-plus Lupines in this Shiftertown.

Shane ruined Freya’s plans for vanishing by drawing her to his side and planting his arm around her waist.

“Before you start a rebellion, Lupine, I’m going to put an end to all of this.” Shane’s hold tightened on Freya as the wolves, including Graham, turned to him in annoyance.

Shane let his voice ring out. “Freya McHugh, under the light of the Father God and before witnesses, I claim you as mate!”

Freya rocked on her heels, her breath deserting her. She instantly opened her mouth to tell Shane he was crazy, but all that escaped her throat was a dry wheeze.

Shane grinned down at her then at the stunned crowd. “I bet you all saw that coming. Am I right?”

Chapter Twelve

No one moved, no one spoke. Shane’s family, the Lupines, and Graham all regarded Shane in shock, but he didn’t know why they should be surprised.

As soon as he’d said the words, something inside him clicked. This was right.

Freya faltered under his touch, as though she might crumple to the ground, but a quick glance showed him that she was in no danger at all of passing out. Freya glared up at Shane, her golden wolf eyes sparkling in fury.

Well, why shouldn’t Shane mate-claim her? The Goddess looked out for Shifters, even in their captivity, plus all the shit that had happened to them over the centuries. She made sure they found their true mates, formed mate bonds, and everything else. Right?

Freya’s scent with its gingery bite slipped through him, as though the wolf in her reached to the bear inside Shane. Freya the human might want to rip him apart, but Freya’s wolf responded with a tiny flare of mating frenzy. If wolves purred, Freya’s would be doing it.

At the edge of his awareness, Shane heard Leo spluttering. “He can’t … Not right …”

“Shut it,” Graham said. “He can do what he wants, even if he’s a fucking bear.”

Shane quieted, directing his words to Freya alone. “You don’t have to answer now.”

“Oh, you’re letting me have a choice?” Freya widened her eyes. “How nice of you.”

“Seriously.” Shane gently squeezed her shoulder. “Take your time. In the meantime, my claim keeps everyone off your back.”

Freya wriggled out from under his hand. “You mean everyone except you.”

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