Page 38 of Bear Facts

Shane couldn’t stop his grin. “I’ll try to restrain myself.”

It would be hard, he already knew. Mate frenzy bubbled up inside him, the primal call to take his lady into his arms and let them both go crazy. The instinctive need to reproduce, released as soon as the mate-claim was made and accepted, pounded through him with brutal suddenness.

But he’d leave her alone. Leo had driven her away with his mate-claim, and Shane wasn’t like that asshole.

Freya studied Graham, Leo, and the angry Lupines behind them with her head up, her mouth set in a firm line. She turned to survey Shane’s family, who’d spread out in a defensive formation between the wolves and Freya.

Waves of her frustration, fear, and anger slapped at Shane, but Freya was resilient. She drew herself up and faced him.

“All right,” she said firmly. “I’ll take your offer of sanctuary while I think about your mate-claim.”

Shane acknowledged a bite of disappointment that she didn’t accept right away. His intent had been to give her space to be safe and decide what she would do, without Graham, Leo, or even his own family messing with her. The fact that the mate-claim got his bear excited was just a side effect. Right?

Freya’s tone brooked no argument. Leo started to object anyway, but Graham turned around and decked him on the jaw.

“You had your chance,” Graham growled as Leo rubbed his face. “Now shut up and go home.”

Leo snarled, but Graham had pulled that punch. Leo would have been on the ground, unconscious, otherwise.

Leo shot Shane a vicious look. Shane expected him to say something like This isn’t over, but Leo turned and marched away in silence, pretending it was his choice to go.

About half the Lupines fell into step with him. The others lingered, probably deciding that continuing to support Leo was no longer worth it.

Good. Maybe the pack would pound sense into the idiot, and Eric wouldn’t have to send Shane and other trackers to intervene again.

Nell somehow managed to draw Freya from Shane. “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s go inside. I’m getting tired of all this testosterone.”

Freya’s defiance lightened under Nell’s touch. Shane’s mom knew how to give aid without condescension.

Shane had to let them go. Of course, he would—Freya needed peace and quiet, not Shane hovering over her badgering her to accept his mate-claim. He’d give her all the space she needed. Wouldn’t he? he directed at his bear.

The bear in him growled in sullen response.

“Shane.” Eric gave Shane a minute tilt of his head. He wanted a word.

Shane watched Nell guide Freya into the house. Did Freya glance back longingly at Shane? Thank him with her beautiful eyes for his intervention?

No, she did not. She strode next to Nell and through the kitchen door without so much as acknowledging Shane’s existence.

Misty went to Graham and wrapped her hands around his flame-tattooed bicep. It was almost comical how rapidly Graham unwound when he looked down at her. The man was stupidly in love with his mate, the lucky bastard.

Shane ignored Brody’s knowing grin as well as Cormac’s understanding one and joined Eric.

“Yeah, boss?” Shane kept up a light tone. Never admit he was serious about that mate-claim, nope, not Shane.

Instead of answering, Eric started off in his nonchalant amble toward his own house, and Shane could only follow.

He hoped no one else was home at Eric’s. It would be easier to explain his motives without a bunch of Felines watching him with wide-eyed interest.

No such luck. As soon as Eric opened the door, Shane saw them all waiting inside. No one had done anything as blatant as stare out the window, but Shane knew the entire Warden family was very aware of what had just transpired.

Iona, Eric’s mate, with dark hair and light blue eyes, sat cross-legged on the couch, their cub, Callum, on her lap. Callum, at two, had his mother’s eyes and black hair and his father’s unruffled demeanor.

Iona was a panther, a black leopard, while Eric’s Feline form was snow leopard. Callum could already shift into the cutest coal-black cub the world ever saw. They’d all been surprised he’d done it so soon, since he had some human blood, but Shifter cubs were unpredictable. At the moment, Callum’s pudgy limbs were human shaped, while he watched Shane with cool blue eyes.

Next to them on the couch was a small girl, Amanda, who had Cassidy’s face and Diego’s eyes. She waved a happy hello to Shane, and he fist-bumped her in return.

“Good thinking, Shane.” Iona exuded warm approval. “Was that my sweatshirt your new mate is wearing?”

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