Page 35 of Mitchell's Untamed Mate

Michaela sighed loudly.“Well, now that this is settled, why don’t we go somewhere more comfortable?”

“Where?”he asked with a confused frown.

This time Michaela smiled.“Why, the Bearclaw estate, of course.Art, Lena, and Ty have been working on the plans.This will also give you a chance to see Ella for yourself.”

Mitchell nodded.His eyes moved back to Tracy.She was standing with her hands in her pockets and looking at the floor.It was then that he realized that she wasn’t wearing any shoes.

“What happened to your shoes?”he asked.

She looked up at him and shrugged.“I hate wearing shoes at the best of times.It seemed a waste to put on the slippers they tried to give me, in case....”

He tilted his head and studied her face when her voice faded.“In case....”

She huffed, pulled her hands out of her pockets, and waved them.“In case I needed to shift again.”

“Why would you need to do that here?”he asked.

This time she looked at him with an expression that was a cross between defiance and sadness.She lifted her chin slightly higher.He could see the conflict in her eyes before it was replaced with resignation.

“Because that’s what shifters do when their mate is in danger,” she snapped.

The silence was deafening.

“Well… now that the truth has come out, shall we take our leave and finish this somewhere a little more private?”Michaela suggested.

Mitchell nodded his silent agreement, too stunned to speak.He stared after Tracy as she strode to the door, yanked it open, and exited the room.He followed at a slower pace with Michaela falling behind.Outside the door, the man from earlier hovered anxiously along with five other men and women dressed in black suits.

He tuned out the cacophony of other voices around him.He couldn’t tear his eyes away from Tracy’s rigid back as she walked towards the magic doors.She impatiently jabbed at the button, her finger hitting it with a sharp tap.His lips twitched slightly in response to her mutinous expression.He shook his head as he replayed what she had just confessed through his mind.

Because that’s what shifters do when their mate is in danger.Mate…

He stopped a few feet from her and stared in shock.Mate… She thinks I’m her mate.

A hand against his lower back urged him forward when the metal doors opened, and he stumbled into the moving box.He turned so his back was to the shiny cold metal.Without thinking, he reached out and cupped Tracy’s icy fingers.She stiffened before relaxing and wrapping her fingers around his.

His eyes connected with Michaela’s in the reflection of the polished metal.He could see her curiosity reflected at him.Tracy was right.There were no guarantees in life.Whatever happened, he would deal with it—and continue to fight.

Chapter9

Hyder started when Lucien dropped to the ground beside him.He swore he would kill the cat-shifter if the man didn’t quit sneaking up on them.He opened his mouth to speak, but snapped it shut when Lucien shot him a warning glare and shook his head.

“Government.”

That single, hushed word caused his upper lip to curl.He glanced around for Carter and Bishop.There was no sign of them.He looked back at Lucien and raised an eyebrow.

“I already warned Bishop.Carter makes too much noise,” Lucien said.“The Black-clothes have the vehicles… and a human.”

“Shit!”This time Hyder did mutter the curse on the tip of his tongue.“How many did they find?”

Lucien shrugged.“As far as I could tell, just the one.It was with Tracy Bearclaw.The last I saw, she was trying to tear the Black-clothes apart.I told Bishop to meet us at the river.I saw trackers heading out earlier.It won’t take them long to pick up our scent.”

Hyder frowned.“What about Carter?”

Lucien shot him a sharp tooth grin.“I thought we could use the distraction.The warthog stinks.He’ll keep the trackers busy when they try to bring him in.”

If he had to sacrifice any of them to the government agents, he would have picked Carter as well.The warthog wasn’t the smartest of the lot of them, even if he was the strongest.The most they could do is lock the shifter up for a few weeks or until a bail was set.

Fortunately for the shifter, there wouldn’t be any of his prints or hair in the wolverine’s truck.He had swept it as clean as possible before he exited.Even so, there would be no trace of his identity even if they found a hair he had missed.His years of working for the military had given him a chance to purge any records of his existence.

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