Page 17 of What's Rogue Got To Do With It

"We haven't. But we do keep an eye on who comes and goes on our land.” His smile didn’t reach his eyes. "Especially rogues who forget their place."

My wolf snarked at his cruel words but I pursed my lips so his growl was just a rumble in my tummy. My mate had dealt with his guy before as they were on a first name basis so I’d let him handle it while the hostility was words only.

"I'm not on pack land.” Creven didn’t raise his voice. "This is neutral ground."

"Is it, though?" Daniel threw out his hands and did a 360. "Because I'm pretty sure everything on this side of Gladstonefalls under our protection.” He grinned, revealing yellowing teeth. “So rogues pay a toll."

I'd never witnessed a shake-down. During my years of running, most Alphas told me to leave. This public humiliation was on another level.

"How much?" Anger flared and I curled my hands into fists at the resignation in his voice. I moved to stand beside him.

"Let's see.”

Daniel pretended to calculate on his fingers, suggesting he was either making up a price or he couldn’t add. Maybe it was both but he was enjoying himself and I had to restrain myself and my wolf because both of us wanted to take a running jump and make him go splat.

"Call it two hundred dollars. Rogue tax."

"That's robbery.” Oops. I should have shut up.

Daniel's attention swiveled to me, and his nostrils flared.

"Another rogue or something that doesn’t belong.” He sniffed and spit, the saliva making a loud splat on the rough ground. I took that as a warning. “Worse than that. You’re without a pack. Are you two playing house somewhere?"

The mockery in his voice had my wolf seething and he made sure the guy could see him in my gaze. But Creven’s hand pulled me back

“Pay him," he murmured. "It's not worth the trouble."

But I couldn't allow this to happen and I loathed how no one else in the yard said anything and Daniel’s pack mates were grinning and enjoying him making fools of us.

“Hey.” All heads swiveled toward the newcomer “We have a problem."

A man in his sixties strode out of the demountable office. “Are these guys bothering you, Creven?” He ignored Daniel.

"Nothing we can't handle, Joe.”

"Uh-huh." Joe turned his attention to Daniel. “Are you here to sell something or just harass my customers?"

Judging by Daniel’s expression he wasn’t used to a human telling him what to do. "Stay out of it."

Joe laughed. “This ismybusiness. If you want to shake people down, do it somewhere else."

Daniel hesitated but if he caused a scene with a human, his Alpha would be on his ass. He might bleed him and dear old Daniel could lose his place in the hierarchy.

"This isn't over," he hissed at my mate.

"Yeah, it is.” Joe wasn’t messing about. "And if I see you harassing my customers again, I'll call the cops.”

With Daniel and his henchmen gone, we finished up. Neither of us wanted to stay in town so we headed home.

"Does that happen often?" I asked as we turned onto the dirt road leading to the cabin.

Creven’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Sometimes.”

This man who'd saved my life, who I adored, had to pay protection money to entitled pack wolves who viewed him as something to be scraped off their shoe. Neither of us deserved to be treated as a second-class citizen.

But when he arrived home, my mate busied himself preparing dinner. He rebuffed my efforts to discuss what had happened at the recycling yard. Living in the cabin, away from the rest of the world, it was easy to forget that other shifters wanted to hurt us.

And based on what Daniel had said, he was aware of where we lived. This cabin was a tiny piece of paradise and I didn’t want to be on the lookout for him and his cronies.

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