Page 139 of Smoke and Lure

As he passed her, she picked up on two very distinct scents on him.They weren’t combined, but they complemented each other.Knowing what it meant worked in her favor.

As she shut the front door of the house, it amazed her that as long as the Fang Warrior shadowed and protected her from her greatest threat, they hadn’t exchanged more than a few nods of greeting and thanks.

She moved a few steps away from him, then turned and met the fiercely stoic Lupine’s gaze.For a moment, she felt uneasy, not because she thought Faolan would try something while they were in her home alone together.No.

One thing she had learned while Faolan guarded her was that the Warrior leader was honorable.Regardless of his feelings for Minsi, the she-wolf who had made herself Morlie’s enemy, Faolan was vigilant.He had always maintained a wide circle of protection around her.

In this moment, if she had waited until Rudie arrived before speaking with Faolan, it would have provided her with some emotional support.Hell, she could have gone next door to the Pack Beta’s home and had her friends, Lovel and Amira, be with her when she met the imperious wolf-shifter.

However, she was the claimed mate of the Omega Pack Alpha, and she didn’t have a reason to feel dread about anyone.Hell, it was the main reason she’d asked Conri to contact Faolan.

“I asked you here, Faolan, because I need your advice.”

The Fang Warrior leader cocked up a single brow, high and his furry, wolf ears perked up then angled forward toward her, but he remained silent.Waiting.

She swallowed as she slipped her hands into her back pockets.They had begun to tremble some, and she didn’t want the perceptive male to see it and think she was afraid in any way.She wasn’t, and he’d be able to scent the truth of that on her.

But shaky hands still weren’t a good look.

“I plan to challenge Minsi.”

If she expected him to explode with a few ‘what the fuck’s or ‘have you lost your goddamn mind’s or even ‘you must be the stupidest female ever to shift.’

However, none of those things happened.The granite-expressioned Lupine folded his arms over his chest, stared her up and down, then grinned.

He fuckin’ grinned, which made him all the more menacing with his top canines revealed and pressing into his bottom lip.

Her heart thumped at the sight.

Yup, he thinks I’m going to die and is picturing my glorious death.

Morlie swallowed again, so hard she thought she’d choke on her tongue.“I know you're probably thinking this is a stupid idea.Hell, Rudie will most likely back you up when she arrives.”

Warmth spread through her body and a tingling sensation like mysterious fingers running along her, as if checking her well-being.

Damn it, Chanin was sensing her anxiety.Her mate was too far away to communicate his thoughts or ask why her heart was beating faster, but he could sense her emotions through their bond.

She took a few deep breaths and forced her pulse to settle.

“It’s not stupid.It’s brave.”

What?She frowned and stared at the male before her, waiting for Faolan to give her a smartass comment.

“You think so?In what way?”she asked when he fell silent again.

Faolan shrugged a shoulder, and his ears flicked.“Simple.Minsi won’t expect it.If you want to beat an opponent, it is best to throw them off from the start.”

She shoved a hand over her short coils.“You don’t think I’m crazy?”

He arched the opposite brow and tipped his head in a way that only canines would do.

She wanted to smile because it was a man standing before her, for the most part, but all she could see in his expression and stance was a wolf.

Morlie waved her hands before her.“Forget I asked that.I know this is insane.”

“Why do this now?”

“What do you mean?Why not now?”Morlie paced in a tight circle.“The tension between Minsi and I has dragged on too long.”

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