Taming his Mate (Black Hills Wolves, #8)(3)

He stalked to the edge of the porch and paused on the last step. “Some hunters from Collins have been snooping around after Marston. I found traces of a human trail near the pack’s territory earlier tonight when I ran the borders. Be sure to keep your doors locked and don’t venture into the woods alone until this shit is sorted out.”

With his warning delivered, he stepped off the porch onto the dewy grass, the dampness tickling between his toes. Her faint sniffle reached his ears, and he forced himself not to race back to comfort her. Instead, he worked on steadying his thrumming pulse. Pushing past low-hanging branches, he slipped into a dense copse of trees behind her house and halted long enough to hear the slam of her screen door. Tilting his head to the side, he waited for the flip of her backdoor lock. At the low click, he continued on his way home to another morning spent in his lonely bed without his mate.





Chapter Two





Kate swallowed a mouthful of beer and attempted to drown out the noise around her. As the only hole-in-the-wall bar in the shifter town of Los Lobos, the Den was packed to capacity tonight. And not a single person in the overcrowded bar garnered a speck of her interest. That is, no one except the man across the bar standing beside a pool table.

She peeked over her shoulder, and her grip tightened on her beer bottle. She gritted her teeth as Tanya, the perky, blonde skank of the pack, smiled and clung to Stephen’s arm while he spoke to his friend, Wes. Apparently, it hadn’t taken Stephen too long to move on to his next conquest. Not once had he bothered to look in her direction since she’d entered the bar an hour before.

What did she expect? She’d all but begged him on bended knee to leave her alone.

Of course, she hadn’t anticipated he would jump to the next piece of ass so soon, or that seeing him with another woman would sting as much.

But it did, damn it.

Irritated with him, herself, and the whole damn world, she rolled her eyes, faced the bar, and jumped when she noticed Gee standing in front of her. For a big man, he damn sure moved with stealth. He stared down at her, a frown tugging at his mouth. His penetrating gaze speared her where she sat.

“When are you going to do yourself a favor and just accept the man?”

Kate’s mouth dropped open. The large, Native American Bear shifter was friendly enough, but he wasn’t one to typically initiate conversation.

She picked at the label on her beer. “It would never work, Gee.”

He threw his bar towel over his shoulder and rested his tanned forearms against the edge of the bar. “Because you’re too stubborn.”

“I have my reasons.”

“Your reasons are stupid.” He scowled. “You’re not the first it’s happened to, you know.”

Her head snapped up, and she searched his dark brown eyes. No one knew of her inability to shift. Not even her brother, Jace. She’d gone out of her way to hide it from her family and pack since puberty when she’d learned of her affliction. For years, she’d used excuse after excuse to not shift in the company of her pack. Most, her family included, chalked it up to her being a bit out of the ordinary and desiring privacy. Thankfully, they’d all let her be and never questioned her weirdness. But it seemed Gee had guessed her secret.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She shook her head. “How about another beer?”

“It’s not as uncommon as you think. Many before you have suffered the same, and oftentimes there is a solution.”

“And when there isn’t one?”

He grunted, straightened to his full height, and snatched the towel from his shoulder. “Look, I understand your reservations, but those days are long gone, little girl. Drew wouldn’t allow that kind of intolerance in his pack. Besides, I have a feeling you can. Have you spoken to Stephen about it?”

“Stephen? Why the crap would I tell him? It’s not any of his business.” She would’ve snorted if she wasn’t in such a foul mood.

“Don’t be such an ass. The man would do anything to help you.” Gee plunked a fresh beer in front of her and then lumbered off to serve other patrons crowded at the bar as if the two of them hadn’t spoken at all.

The somber, loner bear might have been her friend, but damn it if Kate didn’t want to punch him in the face for the pep talk.

She’d tried any and everything under the sun to shift, but nothing had worked. As far as she knew, her parents and brother had never experienced any complications shifting. Hell, if she and Jace didn’t look alike, she’d wonder if she hadn’t been abandoned on their parents’ doorstep in a basket.

It had been a cold slap of reality the day she’d accepted she would never shift. And it was definitely something she didn’t plan on burdening Stephen with.

A bump to her shoulder pulled her from her depressing thoughts, and she glanced to her right. Jace stood beside her with a protective arm wrapped around his new human mate, Michelle.

“Hey, sis.” He placed a kiss on the top of Kate’s head then glanced around the bar. “Where’s Stephen?”

“What am I, his keeper?” She rolled her eyes. He cut her a sharp look, and she jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “He’s busy tonight.”

Jace scanned the bar and frowned when his gaze landed on his friend. “Huh. I’m going to step over and say hello.”