Chapter 102
Theo
The forest feels different when you’re exchanging familiar pines for the unknown cedar, hemlock, and
spruce of the mountain regions. The sizable group of lives I’m responsible for does nothing to reduce the
tightening of my senses or the vigilance of my wolf.
Every snapped twig, every shift in the wind, every ripple in the river beside us presses against my eardrums
sharper, louder. I look over my charges, doing a silent head count. The third I’ve done since we crossed the
border of the pack lands.
The juveniles have, surprisingly, been behaving themselves.
The wolves can feel the danger, my wolf says. They are helping to keep them calm.
Thank the gods for small mercies.
I move at the front edge of our cluster, keeping pace with Marcus while scanning the tree line. The group
stretches behind us in a loose formation with the enforcers along the edges and behind.
My wolf is restless. We’re too exposed.
“Nothing we can do about it. We just need to keep moving. It’s far more dangerous to take breaks, and I
want to get us across the canyon before we break for the night.
And if we’re attacked?
We can head for the grass field. In our wolf form, we should be able to camouflage and make our way out
of immediate danger..
“I can hear you planning extra escape routes,” Marcus mutters beside me.
“Someone has to be prepared,” I shoot back.
He huffs, but there’s no real bite to it.
Behind us, Kiara’s voice cuts through the tension like a blade.
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Chapter 102
“You know,” she says casually, “you could just ask her out and end everyone’s suffering.”
don’t have to turn to know who she’s talking to.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Sebastian replies flatly.
I snort.
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“Are we talking about Quinley?” I ask, glancing over my shoulder.
Kiara grins, eyes sparkling despite everything. “The very one.”
Sebastian’s expression doesn’t change, but his shoulders go a fraction tighter. “Whatever this is, you can
drop it. There’s no point.”
I raise a brow. “Becuase your going to finally choose whether you’re going to leave her alone or make your
move?”
He hesitates for half a second-just enough to surprise me-then exhales sharply.
“Because I’m smart enough to know a bad idea when I see it. I won’t lie, I want to fuck her,” he says bluntly. “But I doubt Kade would take kindly to me playing with his cousin without any real commitment.”
A few heads turn at that, followed by a few chuckles. Sex isn’t a taboo topic for shifters. In fact, sexual touch is just as much a need as social touch, especially when our wolves reach maturity.
My wolf lets out a low, amused rumble. Honest male.
“He’s not wrong,” Kiara says thoughtfully. “Kade will wear your balls if you go fixing to put that
community dick anywhere near her.”
“Hey,” Sebastian protested half heartedly.
He’s never made it a point to hide his active libido.
I tilt my head, considering. Kade and Quin grew up together and were more like siblings than cousins. He was also overprotective of her and did his best to keep her away from anyone he thought wouldn’t be good for her. This included the males who were more interested in a quick fling then ones looking to take a
female seriously.
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Chapter 102
“You’ve got a point,” I admit. “Kade would lose his mind.”
Exactly,” Sebastian says.
“But,” I continue, “Quinley’s a grown woman. As long as you lay it all out there, it’s her choice.
Submissives like to have fun too.”
Kiara nods enthusiastically. “Thank you. Finally, someone with sense.”
Sebastian looks unconvinced. “That doesn’t make it a good idea. Sure, submissives like to have fun, but
they’re more delicate than dominants, and I don’t have the emotional capacity to be so attentive to a
female like that.”
Kiara rolls her eyes. “Oh, please. Watching you fight your attraction to her is getting vicariously frustrating.
And how would you know what Quin needs? She’s her own person, not just a submissive.”
That earns a few quiet grunts of support from the group.
Sebastian’s jaw tightens. “Unlike you, I don’t have any problem with self-control,” he says. “I don’t need to
approach everyone I’m attracted to.”
I hum a noncommittal sound at his bullshit.
“But there’s a difference between thinking someone’s attractive and being obsessed with them for two
Nyears,” Marcus interjects.
“I’m not obsessed.”
A snort comes from somewhere behind us.
We all turn.
One of the juveniles, Kenny, freezes under Sebastian’s stare
“Got something to say?” Sebastian asks.
“Yes, you are,” the kid mutters. “Into Quin, I mean. Everyone can tell. It’s getting kind of pathetic. You’d be
punching way above your weight class with her anyway, so I can get why you’re scared to say anything.”
Kiara whistles ironically.
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Chapter 102
“Well, shit,” Marcus laughs. “Tell him like it is, why don’t you?”
Sebastian shoots him a look that could cut steel.
The kid immediately looks down, but I can still hear the silent laughter in his scent.
My wolf huffs. That pup will be a handful.
I glance at Sebastian again, studying him.
He’s not completely wrong for feeling reserved.
Shifters don’t handle relationships the same way humans do. There’s always the possibility-no, the
certainty-that a true mate could appear at any time. And when that happens, everything else burns away.
Whoever is there will step aside because the pull of a true mate is too strong. Imprinting is the only
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