“You never tried to fight that?”
“Ken and I did, for a while. But when my mom found out, we got an Alpha command from my dad forbidding it. I think she’s more afraid of losing Ken than anyone else. It’s her last link to her best friend, and it makes her a little crazy.”
“More crazy than the idea that a simple scratch could be fatal to her during training? Or that she was lost for hours in my pack because no one can mindlink her?” I asked, harsher than I intended. “If I’d known, I would have assigned a warrior to protect her.”
“And she would have beaten your ass for even suggesting it.” He laughed darkly.
“Not likely,” I muttered, but both my wolf and I knew that if she wanted to fight, we’d let her.
“There’s a fine line when telling Kennedy what to do. If she thinks you’re patronizing her, she’ll fight back**and then probably do whatever she can to spite you. Don’t shoot the messenger, but we can’t go against the order until I become Alpha. We’re all just biding our time until then. And Ken makes sure my mom doesn’t know we can’t find her sometimes. It’s her one bit of freedom, and I can’t take that away. She’s already lost too much. My parents are way overprotective of her. I’m lucky she’s here now, but part of that is because my parents got stuck at the summit since I found Rayna. We kind of lucked out. My mom’s been trying to figure out how to keep her from going away to college next fall. Kennedy doesn’t know that, and it would piss her off. If you haven’t noticed, she’s as much an Alpha as you or me.”
Ryker
“I’m definitely picking up that vibe,” I said, trying to keep the mood light despite the tension hanging between us. “But it makes sense if you and her are somehow connected. She’s an Alpha female, and honestly, they’re even more intense than we are.” I gave a small smile, knowing this was a lot of information**things I never thought he’d share with me.
Jeremiah chuckled. “Yeah, tell me about it. And of course, I’m mated to one. I’m pretty sure I’m going to be juggling a lot, especially if Ken decides to come back and live with the pack after college. That’s what Mom wants. She wants to be close to the business her mom started before she was even born.”
I shook my head with a grin. “Not happening, Jer-bear. Deal with it. She’s staying here. She’s Dark Moon Pack now.” I could feel my wolf’s possessiveness ripple through me, sharp and unmistakable.
Jeremiah raised an eyebrow. “We can’t say that just yet. We haven’t claimed her.”
Curiosity piqued, I found myself wondering what kind of business she was involved in, and my mind started racing with ideas about how we might be able to bring it here, into our territory.
“Then claim her, you f*cking moron,” I snapped, my voice low but firm. “She’s ours.”
He held up a hand. “She has her own plans, and we have to respect that.” As much as that thought twisted my stomach and churned my heart, I knew I had to be careful with her. Wolves would drop everything for their mate, but humans? I still wasn’t sure how that bond worked for them. Could she resist it in a way we couldn’t?
“Look who’s the sap now,” he teased.
I sighed, trying to focus. “Let’s just get to work. We’ll figure this out soon enough.”
At least now I had a bit more insight into her background, and I could respect that Jeremiah was trying to protect her while still honoring what she wanted. If she was even half as stubborn as she seemed, Jeremiah was right**we were all going to have our hands full. Honestly, the idea of her submitting to me was almost thrilling. Would she do it willingly, or would she fight me every step of the way? I had to shake the thought away quickly when Jeremiah gave me a sharp slap on the side of my head, catching me off guard just as my mind was wandering into dangerous territory. He didn’t need to see me half-hard, fantasizing about throwing her around. That was something I’d keep to myself.
We dove into training, and I lost myself in the rhythm of the fight. Jeremiah was a skilled opponent, making me work hard for every win. It was reassuring to know my sister would be safe with him around. If he fought this well in practice, he’d obliterate any threat to her without breaking a sweat.
He lunged at me, and I spun to evade, but he caught one arm around my waist. I was quick enough to keep his other arm from grabbing me, so we both stumbled, pulled in opposite directions. I aimed an elbow at his back, but he ducked and rolled away. Coming back at me, he grabbed my arm, trying to lock it behind my back. I twisted with the pull and caught him in a headlock. He didn’t hesitate, bending forward and throwing me over his shoulder**a move I’d never seen him pull before. My brain jolted in surprise, but I managed to twist midair and land on my feet. I still had him locked in a headlock, which forced him to fight blind, face down. We struggled for a minute before I finally released him so we could start again.
After we wrapped up training, I felt proud of myself for not getting too distracted by the hot blonde moving in my peripheral vision. Even though it was tempting, I kept her in sight the entire time. Her scent caught me off guard when the breeze shifted, giving Jeremiah a few easy holds.
Jeremiah and I walked over to the crowd watching Danny and Bennet sparring. They were practicing a capture technique designed to bring in prisoners unharmed**not out of kindness, but to keep them alive and defenseless for questioning. The idea was to inflict injuries that made the captives unable to fight back, making torture more effective.
Josh stepped forward and called Kennedy into the circle to spar. My wolf immediately perked up at her name, then instantly tensed with irritation. Why was he pulling her into the circle? I was growing tired of the emotional rollercoaster she was putting me through today. It was just another reason to keep her at arm’s length. And yet, I couldn’t stop myself from paying attention to her.
She looked shocked for a moment but then steeled herself with determination. She wasn’t backing down, even though she knew she was physically outmatched. Stubborn and proud**just like I thought. My wolf growled low in my chest, and my irritation only grew. Of course, Danny whined about wanting to roll around with her in the dirt, which sent my wolf’s annoyance through the roof. I barely managed to hold back a growl. I might have to physically remind him she was off limits before I really lost it.
Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I couldn’t resist teasing him. “Missed out last night, and you’re missing out again.”
He shot me a confused look.
“Are you purring? What are you, a cat?” I laughed, embarrassed for my wolf.
Jeremiah gave me a sideways glance, but I ignored it. “Even though you’re an idiot, she was in our arms last night, not his,” my wolf purred again.
I shrugged and taunted Danny, “Everyone’s fair game. You should’ve thought about that before you chose.”
Josh stood up, breaking the tension, and I immediately regretted opening my mouth as soon as he locked eyes with me. “Alpha, we haven’t seen you partner up today. Why don’t you step in?”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.