Savage Urges (The Phoenix Pack, #5)(16)

“Why ‘White Fang’?”

“You remember the movie, right? The wolf was fierce, morose, and a deadly fighter.”

“I guess Ryan does have a savage look about him. I have the feeling that’s part of why you’re so hot for him.”

Makenna frowned. “Who says I’m hot for him?” Madisyn just stared at her. “Okay, I’m hot for him.” She liked his hard, dangerous looks and his enigmatic nature. Mostly, though, it was his strength and air of self-possession that drew her. He seemed so solid and steadfast—wolf nip to someone who had never known stability, who had never been able to relax, who hadn’t felt safe in a very long time. “But I’m pretty sure that’s a one-way street.”

Grinning, Madisyn shook her head. “He looks at you like he wants to take a bite.”

Makenna blinked. “A good bite or a bad bite?”

“Depends how you define ‘bad.’”

“Honestly, I’m not sure I’d know what to do with him. I’ve never been around a guy as dominant as him before.” He wasn’t someone who could be handled. “Dominant males are tricky, domineering bastards. Even Colton can’t deny that.” The dominant bear—who was standing at the reception desk, totally eavesdropping—just shrugged, unoffended. They’d once had a short, casual fling, but they’d quickly realized they were better as friends, and there had never been any awkwardness between them. “Still . . . I know Ryan doesn’t talk much, but when he does”—she shivered—“I honestly have to wonder if he could talk me into an orgasm.”

Madisyn laughed. “You know, I’ve heard that the quiet ones are always the most vocal in bed. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to let him take that bite he seems to want.”

Maybe. Maybe not. But Makenna doubted she’d be put into a position where she had to decide. She was a loner, which meant he automatically wouldn’t trust her around him or his pack. Once he’d won over Zac, she’d likely never see him again. Although the Phoenix wolves seemed genuinely intent on helping with the Remy situation, there was a distinct possibility that they were simply trying to impress Zac and use it to gain his trust. Time would tell.

In the meantime . . . where was the damn chocolate?





CHAPTER FIVE





Eating dinner at the long oak table in the kitchen of Phoenix Pack territory, Taryn informed the rest of the pack of all that they had heard and seen at the shelter. Only four were absent: Roni and Marcus, who were on Mercury territory, and Gabe and Hope, a mated pair that was guarding the gate.

Taryn’s expression was pained even though her mate was soothingly massaging her nape. “I have to say, I’m seriously ashamed of myself right now. Whenever I thought the term ‘lone shifters,’ I thought ‘hired guns.’ It never occurred to me just how hard it must be for them, or all the different kind of reasons that drive shifters to become loners. It’s not always a choice.”

Jaime stroked the ugly, loudly purring ginger cat on her lap. “And not all of them have had the luck to get a place in a shelter.”

Their resident cook, mother hen, and Rhett’s mate, Grace, spoke as she fed chocolate pudding to her infant daughter in the highchair. “The shifters working there are good people for doing what they do.”

“Think of what it must cost per person to clothe, clean, and feed the residents,” said Jaime. “The animal sanctuary I work at is hard to keep running; it must be way harder to run the shelter.”

“What’s the interior like?” Lydia, Cam’s mate, asked.

Jaime fed some scraps of meat to her cat. “I would have expected a shelter to feel melancholy and hopeless. It didn’t, though. There’s warmth and comfort there. But also a hint of sadness. It was in the eyes of some of the residents. It made me wonder what they’d been through.”

Taryn looked at Grace. “It was absolutely heartbreaking seeing little kids there. Some were just babies—one of them was so little, I think he might have been born there.”

Scooping more dessert onto the spoon, Grace said, “I don’t want to even imagine how hard it would be to have to live in a shelter with my Lilah. Even though the shelter sounds like a good place, it would still be a sad situation for anyone.”

“Not sadder than being on the streets.” Jaime sighed. “It’s horrible to think that Zac was once in that situation. I wonder how he ended up at the shelter.”

Trick, an enforcer, pushed his empty plate aside. “Considering all that’s going on, wouldn’t it be better to bring him here, out of Remy’s reach?”

Taryn shook her head sadly. “I wish I could, but he doesn’t feel safe with us yet. And I think Trey’s right, parting him from Makenna might be hard. I was pretty suspicious of her and her motives at first, but I totally misjudged her. Dawn said she’s been there since she was a kid. I’m guessing that she’s changed her name because she doesn’t want to be found.”

Ryan grunted his agreement.

Dominic, another enforcer, lounged in his chair with his arms crossed behind his head. “I’m looking forward to meeting Zac. Bring him here for a visit.”

“He won’t come,” said Taryn. “Not yet. He knows we’d prefer to have him here for his own safety; he won’t trust us not to force him to stay.”