Page 74 of Into the Lion's Den (Secrets of the Northland Shifters)

And that problem had been there long before she'd discovered my secret. It was far, far worse than that.

Ever since Melanie had vocalized my worst fear—spoken the wordmateout loud—my body had felt too big for my skin. I was antsy as fuck. Shifting and running weren't enough anymore to dispatch the mating urges.

The only thing that worked now was physically tearing things apart. And even that was only a short-term fix.

Nearly two hours later, I walked through the lodge’s front door, looking for a fight. But the place was eerily quiet.

I expected to see bored guests waiting for better weather. Perhaps even roofers in the dining room. But there was no one.

I took out my phone to call Sam when I saw Angel’s second text:Come To The Old Barn As Soon As You Get Back.

The old barn? Now what had gone wrong?

I hopped back in the Jeep and punched the gas, taking the long way around until the paved road connected with the dirt one that led to the property's original homestead.

Three commercial vans were parked outside the barn and, behind them, our two tractors with the hay wagons attached. For some reason, our largest tents were set on top of the wagon beds, and they were decorated with battery-operated lights.

I swung out of the Jeep and immediately heard nineteen-seventies classic rock coming from inside the barn.

When I reached the doorway, I wasn’t exactly sure what I was seeing. The barn was awash in a golden glow. There were a dozen tables set with white linen and a buffet table along the right-hand wall.

A band was playing in the corner where Sarah had once cowered behind the bales of straw, and nearly a hundred strangers were dancing. The two people at the center of the floor had a cameraman circling them.

“Took you long enough,” Angel said, slipping in alongside me. “At least you’re dressed appropriately.”

I looked down at my charcoal gray suit and buttoned the front. “What the hell is going on?”

“Sarah had a contingency plan all along. She’s obviously been working on it for weeks.”

I glanced around the wide-open space, looking for her. My eye caught on a chocolate fondue station. “Sarah did all this?”

“Behind your back,” Angel said, his tone teasing.

Because she knew I’d tell her no.

“I like how she handles our alpha,” Angel said.

I gave him the side-eye, my hands balling into fists. “She doesn’t handle me.”

“But you’d like her to, right?” He arched a brow. “You’re going to make her your mate.”

“Fuck off, Angel.” Those kind of jokes weren't funny and made everything that much harder to ignore.

“Awww," he said. "Methinks my alpha doth protest too much.”

I shut him up with a glare. “Me becoming alpha has brought enough changes, don’t you think? A mating would only intensify things, and none of you need me snarling around the lodge, lashing out at every perceived attack.”

“Would it really be so different than it is now?” Angel asked, still joking.

Joking because—yes—it would. And Angel knew it too. A mating would make me ten times worse. Nobody needed that.

I clenched my teeth then searched the room again, looking for Sarah. “Where the fuck is she?”

“No idea,” Angel said, and I could tell by his smirk that my question had only solidified his faith in his prediction. “No one’s seen her.”

My gaze swung back to Angel as my chest squeezed painfully. “So shedidleave.”

He shrugged. “Don’t know.”

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