Hunter's Heart (Alpha Pack #4)(44)

In truth, he'd been shutting off his awareness of their connection, afraid of being inundated with her scorn. Her anger. But her words encouraged him. Opening his senses tentatively, he found the golden bond stretched between them, thrumming with life. Some anxiety threaded through her emotions as she struggled with her wolf.

But much stronger was her affection for him, growing steadily into a richer connection. Every minute, she was falling deeper for him, and it both surprised him and took his breath away.

"Yes," he whispered. "I can tell. I feel the same way."

"Give me time to accept my wolf?"

"Anything you need." Quickly he rinsed away the evidence of their loving. Stepping out of the shower, he grabbed two towels and handed her one. As they dried off, an idea occurred to him and he grew excited. "How about we go for a run tomorrow, in our wolf forms?"

"I don't know . . ." Her brown eyes were worried.

Through their bond, he sensed her fear of the physical pain and hurried to reassure her. "The first shift hurts like a bitch, but it's never like that again, I promise. The more practiced you get, it's like breathing. And when you let your wolf out to run, the rush is like nothing you've ever experienced."

"Really?" She began to show some genuine interest.

Letting his towel fall to the floor, he pulled her to him. "Yes. We'll be together, too. It'll be fun, you'll see."

She bit her lip. "All right, you've talked me into it."

He gave her a sound kiss. "You won't be sorry."

"What about the creature that's out there, and the white wolf?"

"We'll keep an eye out and be cautious." He thought about the other wolf. "I don't think the white wolf meant to harm you when she pushed you."

"She did a good job of it anyway, even if it was an accident."

"She led me to you, after you shifted and were in pain," he said thoughtfully. "I think maybe she was trying to protect you the other day."

"From the creature?"

"It makes sense."

"But what's she doing here in the first place? If she's a shifter, why doesn't she simply approach the compound and request entry?"

"I don't know. But I have a feeling we'll find out, sooner or later."

"You're probably right."

Padding around Ryon's place, they took their time getting dressed. Daria enjoyed picking out his clothes, which consisted of a pair of soft, worn jeans, shitkickers, and a snug black T-shirt with a swirly gold pattern embossed on it that she claimed set off his blond hair. He rolled his eyes, but let her have her way. Whatever turned her on was fine by him.

Daria had brought over a pair of snug jeans and a button-up plaid shirt with a brown pattern that went well with her coloring. She looked like a yummy piece of chocolate, and shook her head, grinning, when he told her that she would make a tasty dessert.

Once he and Daria were dressed, they met the others at the hangar where they would take three SUVs to the Grizzly. Everyone was going except for Nick and Micah, and of course Zan and Phoenix, who were still on vacation.

As usual, Ryon took the wheel and motioned for Daria to ride shotgun. Jax, Kira, Aric, and Rowan climbed into the back.

"Do you have your own car?" Daria asked as he pulled out, leading the caravan.

He glanced at her. "I've got a new Challenger, red with black stripes."

"Nice," she said. "I prefer the old ones, though."

"Me, too, but old muscle cars are for people who have a lot of time to tinker with maintenance, and I'm not that handy in the garage."

"You'll have to show it to me sometime."

"I will."

The six of them chattered all the way to the Grizzly, Ryon's friends asking Daria about herself. They were especially curious about her job, and thought it was cool that she studied real-life wolves. They stayed away from the subject of her being turned into a shifter, however, and for that he was grateful. He was working on getting her to embrace that side of herself, and didn't need them stressing her out.

The bar was hopping when they arrived, but not too crowded. Ryon and the other guys found an unoccupied corner and pushed several tables together to give them plenty of room, then seated their ladies and elbowed in. Ryon sat beside his mate and put an arm around her, pleased when she leaned into him comfortably. After watching three of his friends pair off and being nagged by envy for months, it was awesome to have his own woman at his side.

After ordering a round of drinks, they settled in, laughing and talking to those in their immediate vicinity. Ryon couldn't keep the smile off his face. His friends seemed to genuinely like Daria, and were very welcoming, making sure she was included in the conversation. She, in turn, got along well with them. Especially Blue and Noah, both of whom she seemed to be a bit sweet on. He wasn't bothered, though. He and his wolf knew Daria belonged to them.

They had a great time, eating, drinking, and making merry as one hour became two, then three. The evening out was a hit-until two seedy-looking men approached their table. The newcomers zeroed in on Kalen, eyes narrowed. Not everyone noticed them at first. But Ryon did, and he set the nacho he'd been munching on down on his plate, wiping his hands. Then he scooted his chair back a little, ready to spring into action if he needed to.