Page 5 of Wolf Unleashed
He knelt before her and stared into her face, the flecks of gold in her eyes nearly impossible to see. Her eye color seemed to change with her emotions. . . like with some shifters.
“I don’t think you imagined the sensation. Understanding it is the true challenge though. Perhaps blood-bonding Maddox will help you get a handle on whatever you’ve been feeling.”
Her hand caressed his arm. Tiernan had blood-bonded her first, and yet, they couldn’t feel each other through the bond, and no one understood why. He was sure the bond existed, even if it was so weak that they couldn’t feel one another. But it worried him.
“I’ve only ever heard of wolves emerging during puberty, when they force the first shift, on their terms, not the shifters’. Maybe your wolf, if that’s what you’re feeling, needed help from a blood-bond and it’s only a matter of time before she emerges.”
“I guess it’s possible,” Alyssa said.
He hated how confused she looked. Tiernan cupped her chin until she lifted her eyes. Hazel eyes that always had such fire looked lost. “We’ll figure this out. Just remember you’re not alone. You have me and Rafe.”
“I’m not sure of that. Rafe has to stay here, and if my being human is a problem for his father, then I’ll have to leave.”
“Rafe will find a way to convince him to let us stay.”
“How? By telling him I’m part shifter? I doubt Rafe will do that when he doesn’t believe me.”
“You don’t have to prove anything to anyone, Alyssa. Especially not us. We love you for who you are. If you turn out to be part-shifter, then fine. If not, then again, fine. As for Soren, my guess is he hasn’t had cause to trust many humans. Few shifters have. Just because he’s in favor of the treaty doesn’t mean he wants a human living in his pack. The pack is where shifters feel safest, and your presence disrupts that. At least until they get to know you. Give Rafe time to work on him.”
“I guess,” she said, as she rose from the bed and wandered around the cabin, restless.
Since Maddox had been arrested, she hadn’t been sleeping well, often waking from nightmares. “It’s quiet here. Cleaner than those crappy motels. Maybe you’ll sleep well tonight.”
“Maybe. If Rafe returns.”
Tiernan returned the picture to the mantel. “I don’t expect we’ll see him until tomorrow. His father will want a full briefing, and then—”
“You can say it. There’s the matter of me. He’ll want to keep Rafe away from me.”
Tiernan slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her in to his embrace. “What’s bothering you? Beyond not knowing where Maddox is. I’ve seen you stand up to Graves, Agent Gallagher, and all the shifters back at the DSA’s training facility. But now you’re sullen like you’ve given up. That’s not like you.”
“I can handle shifters, even ones who hate me.”
“I don’t think Soren hates you. But he sees you as a risk to his pack and his legacy. Rafe is his only remaining son.”
“I don’t mean Soren.”
Tiernan held her tighter. “Is this about your father?”
She nodded and swallowed hard. “He’s not going to give up until he has me, Tiernan.” She stepped into his embrace. “I can’t—won’t—risk you and Rafe.”
“We’ll fight to protect you.”
“That’s what I mean. You’ll be outnumbered. He has the weight of the WSSO behind him, which includes more than a battery of scientists, researchers, and mercenaries. He has judges, police, politicians, and a bunch of other people on his side. Humans who support him because they believe shifters are unnatural and have no place in society. If you think the SEV virus was bad, I can assure you, it’s just the beginning. My father doesn’t give up.”
Tiernan had never met her father, but Woodrow Monroe had a reputation among shifters as being ruthless and dedicated to his mission. The type that would sacrifice anything for his cause, including his daughter. That’s what made the man so dangerous; he had no boundaries he wouldn’t cross.
“You still don’t get it, do you?” Tiernan asked. “We fight for pack, for mates, especially blood-bonded ones. We’d gladly die to protect what is ours, and you are ours, my Alyssa.”
She rested her head against his chest but said nothing, which worried him. Alyssa wasn’t one to sit idly by and let others fight her battles. He only hoped whatever she was planning, it involved him, Rafe, and Maddox. Because blond-bond or not, Tiernan wasn’t going to let her fight this battle alone.
* * *
RAFE
“Woodrow Monroe’s daughter.TheWoodrow Monroe?” Soren said, rising from the high-back leather chair in his office.
“I can’t image there are many humans with that name,” Rafe replied.
