Page 28 of Wolf Desired
“And your wolf?” Rafe asked, as Tiernan dressed.
“He’s under control,” Tiernan assured him, then approached Artemis. She was caught up in her gear, struggling to untangle herself.
Tiernan squatted before her and held the harness. After a moment’s hesitation, she leaned her hand on his shoulder for balance and extricated herself. “Thanks. I guess I’m still a bit shaken.”
“Understandable,” Tiernan said, throwing her a smile. She returned Tiernan’s smile and took a deep breath, one she clearly needed.
They both fed off of one another in a positive manner. That female was the answer to the scout’s problems. Yet another reason not to get involved with her.
“The offer is still open, Artemis,” Rafe said. “Jason and you can switch places.”
“While I appreciate the offer, you need to steer clear of me and my problems, or Graves will come down on you too.”
She was worried about him? That’s not how life worked. Males protected the females. Not the other way around. “I can handle Graves.”
She glanced at Tiernan, who began picking up her gear for her. That beautiful smile of hers widened before she returned her attention to Rafe. “I know you can, just like I can handle Kingsley.”
Rafe could handle Graves, but he wasn’t convinced she could handle Kingsley. “These shifters don’t want to be here, paired with humans, let alone a female.”
She slammed the remaining gear to the ground and charged at him with so much fire his cock twitched.
“You think because I don’t have as much muscle as you that I can’t do the job?”
“I didn’t say that,” he said, struggling not to grin. She would take it the wrong way, but he loved her intensity, loved seeing her use her anger to fuel her.
“You didn’t have to say it. I can see it in your face. You’rethinkingit.”
He thought of what Kingsley could do to her.Woulddo to her if given the chance. “I think you’re capable. For a human. But some of the other shifters don’t approve of you being here. I’m just telling you the reality, Artemis. You’re in over your head with Kingsley.”
“I’ve been told that before, by men far scarier than Kingsley.” She grabbed her towel and water bottle and headed down the road toward the dorm. Even in the dirty jeans and thick black sweater she wore, she was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen.
“I should go with her,” Tiernan said, with a desperate look in his eyes that surfaced when she left. Artemis settled his wolf. It was natural for him to want to be with her, but she had just stated she wanted to be left alone.
“How old are you, Tiernan?” Maddox asked, trying to distract the scout.
“Thirty, but no one in my family ever went feral before, if that’s where you’re taking this conversation.”
“It doesn’t follow family lines, though alphas are more prone. Your last name is Greyson, which makes you part of the alpha line in your pack,” Maddox pointed out.
As Artemis turned down the bend in the path, out of sight, Tiernan finally turned his full attention to Rafe. “I won’t do anything to risk the treaty.”
“Never said you would.”
“You sent Maddox after me. I wasn’t going up there to hurt Brock.”
“Lie to the humans if you must, Tiernan, but not me.”
“I’m not lying. Mostly. I don’t know what I was thinking when I shifted and headed up there.”
“You weren’t thinking. That’s the problem. You reacted to what your wolf saw as a threat. You let him influence your actions, even if you were still in control. Attacking another shifter in the open like that, in front of Graves no less, could have been disastrous. We’re here for more than learning how to get along with the humans. We’re here to prove ourselves. To show the humans we arecivilized,” Rafe practically spat the word out. Being forced to go through this training was insulting, but he would not fail his alpha.
“We’re not the first shifters to work with the DSA. There are two from Damien Black’s pack on a mission now,” Tiernan said.
“I’ve heard. That’s a unique op from what I was told. Two shifters basically working together undercover with backup support from DSA agents. It’s not the same. The DSA wants to make hybrid teams, humans and shifters working side-by-side when they go up against anti-shifters. Both sides have a vested interest in getting rid of the anti-shifters. This is the pilot program. If we screw it up, we might as well tear up the treaty and prepare for more attacks from the anti-shifters. This program is a lousy five weeks, Tiernan. You should be able to control your wolf that long.”
“You’re right,” Tiernan said, blowing out a breath. “I should be able to. But there are times when I don’t remember everything.” Tiernan thrust his hand through his hair. “I need to blood-bond, and Artemis is the only female my wolf has shown any interest in. And I genuinely like her, but I’m just not sure I know a lot about being a good mate. And explaining it all to a human—”
“Worry about blood-bonding and settling your wolf, then you can figure out the rest,” Rafe said.
