Echoes of Fire (The Mercury Pack #4)(60)

Like an aversion to mating, maybe. But Madisyn didn’t say that aloud.

“And don’t think I never caught you sneaking Bracken admiring looks. You were cool and subtle about it, but I see all. You avoided him without being obvious about it. Didn’t even glance his way when he entered a room. Didn’t engage him in conversation. Like you were determined to block out his existence. And whenever his attention drifted your way and you were unable to ignore it, you dealt with the situation by poking at him. Of course, he poked right back. And I used to wonder if you both wanted to do a different kind of poking but were fighting it.”

Thinking the female was entirely too perceptive, Madisyn just said, “Hmm.”

“It was more than that, though, wasn’t it? You were both subconsciously fighting whatever pull you felt toward each other. Fighting the bond. I’m not sure why Bracken had doubts about mating, but I can guess what yours are.”

Shaya twisted in her seat to face Madisyn as she continued. “I just want you to hear from me that Nick and I would never try and take away your independence. We lead; we don’t bully. And I get that living on pack territory would be hard when you’re used to privacy, but people will respect your boundaries. If you tell them you want them to call before they show up at your lodge, they will. If you tell them you don’t want them showing up at all, they won’t.”

Madisyn must have looked a little skeptical, because Shaya touched her hand reassuringly.

“We’re shifters. We’re territorial, so no one understands better than we do how important boundaries are,” continued Shaya. “This isn’t me trying to convince you to move here—that’s between you and Bracken. I just wanted to assure you that you can be part of a pack and still have your own rules.”

Madisyn opened her mouth to speak, but then a dark shadow loomed over them.

Bracken glanced between the two females. “This looks serious. I told you, Shaya, no serious talks.”

“It wasn’t meant to be serious,” Shaya said. “It was meant to just be light and reassuring. I don’t know what happened.”

The redhead looked so stressed that Madisyn had to laugh. “We’re fine,” she told Bracken.

He snorted. “I don’t care if she’s fine; she’s Nick’s problem—”

“Hey!” whined Shaya.

“—I just want to know if you’re fine.”

Madisyn smiled. “I am, thank you.”

Bracken bent down and planted a kiss on her mouth. “Good.” With a quick cautioning look at Shaya, he returned to the football game.

Taryn put a hand to her chest. “He’s so sweetly protective. What makes it so much cuter is that you don’t even need him to be.”

Curled tightly around Frankie, Trick spoke to Shaya. “Are we still all going for a run in our animal forms later?”

Frankie’s eyes widened in interest. “I’d like that. My wolf hasn’t been on a run on this territory before.”

“I’ll pass,” said Madisyn. “My cat isn’t used to running with others. Especially on unfamiliar land.”

Trick shrugged. “Yeah, but you know what they say, Madisyn: When in Rome . . .”

Frankie’s brows lifted. “What, visit the pope?”

Trick’s lips thinned. “It’s just a turn of phrase.”

“Yeah, and it’s stupid,” Frankie huffed when he rolled his eyes at her.

Dawn came toward them with a garbage bag. “Shaya, Willow wants you for something—she didn’t say what.”

The redhead stood with a sigh. “She probably wants me to tell her she can have something that her father already told her she can’t.”

Dawn shook the garbage bag. “Any empty cups or plates?” People chucked their trash in the bag and thanked her. As she reached Madisyn, she whispered in her ear, “Kathy’s being remarkably sweet, singing your praises to everyone, but I’m not buying it.”

“I wish I could say I don’t think she’s up to something,” began Madisyn, voice equally quiet, “but I’d be lying.”

As Dawn disappeared, Makenna plonked herself in the spot Shaya had vacated and asked, “What were you two whispering about?”

“Nothing interesting,” said Madisyn truthfully.

Makenna cocked her head. “You doing okay?”

“The whole thing’s been a lot more laid-back than I’d expected.” She lowered her voice as she added, “I just don’t like that everyone’s watching me and Bracken so closely.” It made her nerves raw and agitated her cat.

“You know, when you first told me that he was your mate, I was stunned. Couldn’t really imagine you two together because you’d always acted so ambivalently toward the other. But seeing you together here . . . I don’t know, you just fit. It looks right. Natural. And I just love the way he looks at you.”

“Like he’s imagining spanking my ass?” Madisyn quipped.

Makenna chuckled. “No. It’s like . . . I don’t know how to explain it. When he looks around, he’s not really focusing on things or people. He’s taking everything in, and he’s not missing a thing, but it’s more like someone computing data. Then he looks at you, and it’s like a laser focus. Every bit of his attention centers on you. He sees you, feels something when he looks at you. I really, really love that. I love that you have that.”