Shared for Love (Kagan Wolves) (12 page)

She gazed out the window, a despondent look on her face. “I can’t claim Alex as mine.”

He frowned. “Why? You love him.”

She pressed the heels of her palms to her eyes. “Don’t worry about it. Just let it go.”

“I can’t. You’re my friend and my pack mate. Tell me.”

“No.” She dropped her hands. “You can’t fix this, Ethan. So don’t bother trying.”

“Quinn wants you, doesn’t he?” It was the only logical reason he could come up with.

A sharp nod answered him.

He cursed. The look of possession in Quinn’s eyes combined with the aggressiveness he’d shown toward Alex told Ethan everything he needed to know. “Quinn knows you’re sleeping with Alex and threatened to hurt him.”

“Yes.” She started the vehicle, threw it into Drive and peeled out. “But don’t confront him. It’ll only set him off. For the time being, he’s giving me space as long as I don’t go to Alex. Quinn wants me to come to him willingly.”

“No. That’s not going to work. Wait until next month, and I’ll bless your union. If Quinn thinks to start anything, he’ll suffer. I won’t allow it, even if I have to hurt—”

“Stop!” She cut him a quick glare before focusing on the road. “You will not hurt Quinn. You will not talk to him. You won’t even go near him. You’re going to keep your nose out of my business. Got it?”

“For now I will, but if he—”

She slammed on the brakes, then popped the locks. “Get out. You can walk the rest of the way home. This conversation is over.”

Instead of her attitude angering him, he chuckled. She’d always had a fire brewing just beneath her calm exterior. He hoped Alex could cool her temper. “For tonight only, it is. We’ll talk more soon.”

He slipped from her vehicle and made his way home. Part of him hoped Hannah and Noah were still there, but he knew it’d be best if they weren’t. Once he studied the photos Maria had taken, he had some calls to make. He only hoped involving humans in his problems wouldn’t damn his pack.

Or their species.

Chapter Thirteen

The public office for Kagan Industries used to be the living room of a house belonging to one of their older shifters. Hannah’s pack had converted his Georgian-revival style home into their headquarters. The place, with its large two-level front porch set off with massive columns, dominated the street. An English-style garden complete with a small pond, fantastical statues, and brick-lined walkways added to the image of sophistication.

Little of their work was conducted in the building, however. It sat inside the human town that bordered their pack lands. Too many of their pack mates who held positions within the company had to stay out of the public eye, but human society demanded certain norms. A physical address for their conglomerate of businesses was one of them.

The second-floor room, which overlooked the pond, belonged to the graphic design team. Hannah met with packaging engineers there and some of the artists who developed their ads. By no means did she work alone. None of the shifters did. The multibillion-dollar company that had their hands in many businesses was a community effort. She loved being a part of it, even if she was the only person from her group who ever met with their suppliers and had to deal with the hassles that came with it.

She turned in a slow circle and surveyed the front office. The large oak desk greeted those who entered. A high-back sofa and a couple of Queen Anne chairs offered a spot to wait, while floor-to-ceiling windows draped with lace curtains bathed the space in a warm, soothing light. It was beautiful. Too bad she wouldn’t see it again, at least not as member of Kagan Industries.

Her long weary sigh betrayed her mood. She didn’t want to quit.

The side door leading from the patio opened. Nic strode in. Dressed in black slacks, a white button-down shirt and a tie, he’d slipped into the role of businessman with ease upon returning to shifter life. He’d also stepped into the position of alpha without missing a beat, despite the animosity he’d been dealing with from outside packs. Many didn’t approve of his bond to Riley, his human mate, nor did they believe the babies she carried were his. The members of the Kagan pack knew the truth. According to Nic, he didn’t need anybody else’s acceptance.

Nic yanked the tie from his hair, releasing the ponytail he’d worn. Black strands brushed his shoulders. He ran a hand through his hair, then glanced from where she stood in the middle of the room to the boxes at her feet. His brows pinched. “Where are you taking that stuff?”

“Back to the house.” She still lived in her family’s home, while Nic had moved into Riley’s after mating her.

“Why? Don’t you like working from here?”

“I do.” She looked out the windows. While still a day away, the pull of the full moon tugged at her. Her skin itched, and her body burned. She wanted to rip her clothes off, shift into her wolf and run. “It’s just that tomorrow night I mature. I won’t be a member of the pack after that. I figured I should start moving my stuff out.”

Nic grumbled and stormed closer. He grabbed one of the boxes, carried it to the sofa, and dropped it on the cushions.

“You are not quitting. Don’t think about it. I’ve got some European chocolate company coming next week. They’re bringing a new candy bar to the States, and you need to meet with them about their wrappers.” He glared at her. “I am not discussing the pros and cons of color choices. Blue is freaking blue to me.”

She grinned. “I love you, Nic. I also love working here, but this is a Kagan business, run by Kagan pack members. Once I mate Ethan, I won’t—”

Nic crossed his arms over his chest. “You will always be a Kagan. I don’t give a shit who you mate. When you die, your wolf returns to our pack. To me.”

Not unless Ethan soul-bonded to her. Then, she’d belong unequivocally to his. The likelihood of that happening was slim. Few males took the ultimate step of binding their mates to them, guaranteeing their souls remained linked in life and death. Even being true mates didn’t always justify the risk in many males’ eyes. If their female died, so did they. It made it too convenient for their enemies to kill them.

It wasn’t only alphas who had to worry about holding on to their positions. The hierarchy of the pack was always in flux. It was odd when she thought about it. Their communal bond was strong. They’d do anything for each other, yet they constantly rearranged their ranking to gain the top spots. Their animal sides demanded it. Power was everything in their world.

How many times had she heard that?

She focused on Nic’s left hand. The wide platinum wedding band on his finger offered another perspective. Strength might dictate their pack roles, but it wasn’t the most important thing. Love was.

Nic dropped his arms and stepped forward. “Does he plan to soul-bond to you?”

Her heart raced. She couldn’t quite decide if excitement or fear sped it. The idea of being tied to Ethan for eternity should’ve made her happy. She’d fallen in love with him sometime between when he first made her smile and kissing him. So why wasn’t she thrilled with the possibility of forever?

Because I met Noah.

Soul-bonding to Ethan would cut him out of her eternity. She bit the inside of her cheek. Or would it? True mates always found their way back to each other, even if it was in another life.
Or in heaven. And Noah claims to be my true mate.

What did that make Ethan? She would’ve sworn he was hers.

“Well?” Nic prompted.

She shrugged, letting the confusing thoughts go for the moment. “How would I know what he plans? If I had to guess, I’d say he won’t soul-bond to me. Few males do.”

He studied her for so long, a drop of sweat trickled down her spine. She held his gaze, never wavering, but the intensity in his eyes stripped her raw. He sensed something wasn’t quite right with her, but she refused to offer him any clues. She couldn’t, even if she wanted to get his advice. Ethan had told her to keep their secret.

Nic broke their mini-standoff by cracking his jaw. “He’s possessive of you.”

Satisfaction whipped through her. “Is that so?”

“Yeah. I told him I hadn’t planned to take any advice or help from him in something as important as my family, but your conversation with Sean changed my mind.”

She stepped forward and rested her hand against his arm. “I’m glad you did.”

“He had some good suggestions. I won’t be signing the ones taking Sean and Jenna’s rights away, but blocking the loopholes others might use was my main goal. I was mostly concerned about what the Shifter Council might do once our kids are born and it becomes obvious they’re shifters.”

“The pack will support you. So will Ethan and I.”

He covered her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I know.”

“So”—she caught her lower lip between her teeth to stop her grin—“what did Ethan say to convince you he wants to mate me?” Not that Nic had said Ethan would. Being possessive wasn’t the same thing.

“It wasn’t so much what Ethan said, but what Quinn told me.”

She waited for him to elaborate. He only watched her with a knowing smile on his face. “And that was?”

“He said Ethan looked at you as if he wanted to devour you.”

She didn’t bother trying to hide her satisfaction. “Did he now?”

“Yeah. So I happened to mention that several of my dominants had been fighting recently over who would be the lucky one to end up in your bed tomorrow night. Ethan immediately said none would, but I reminded him that you wouldn’t be able to resist their advances, not with the pull of the moon revving you up. He warned me if anyone touched you, they’d regret it. Then he stormed off.”

Nic gave a small shake of his head. “He wants you, and if you go to him tomorrow night, he’ll make you his. Just be sure he’s the male you truly want before things go any further. A male like Ethan won’t relent once he decides you belong to him, and if he’s not your true mate, you’ll come to regret being with him.”

“And how can I be certain? There’s no instant sign that the person we’re with is our true mate. Look at Sean and Jenna. It took them years to figure it out.”

Nic pressed a fist to his chest. “You feel it here. Call it peace or love, but you come to understand the depth of it once you find it, so does your wolf. Eventually, anyway. Then a flip switches inside you and you become one with your primal side. Some of us just make the connection sooner than others.”

He dropped his hand. “And some of us are too damn impatient to wait for our perfect match to cross our path before jumping into a mate bond. Make sure you’re not one of them and you’re with Ethan for love and not the alpha female position you think he can secure for you.”

“I’m with Ethan because I want him. He’s mine. Maybe that’s possession. Maybe it’s love.” She shrugged. “I don’t know the answer. I just have to trust in myself. That’s how life works. You make choices, then live with them, and I’ve decided I won’t let Ethan slip through my fingers.”

“I suppose you’re right, but this choice of yours to quit?” He picked up the last two boxes she’d packed and dropped them on the sofa with the first. “Is the wrong one. In fact, I can guarantee you’ll still be working here next week.”

She smirked. “Can you now? And how are going to pull that off?”

He matched her smile. “If you won’t stay on as a Kagan, I’ll hire you.”

“Umm…I already get a salary, and the point isn’t that I don’t get enough money. It’s that Kagans should be making the decisions. If I screw up, somebody might claim I did it intentionally. Things could escalate, and before you know it, we might have a pack war on our hands.”

“There’s always that possibility. I doubt it would happen. You’re good at what you do, but I was thinking along the lines of something different.”

“And that would be?”

“I’ll hire you as the manager of the new logging and lumber business I bought. Seems they recently contracted the sawmill owned by the Tanner pack to do some work for them. Having you in charge will be perfect since I don’t necessarily want to toss a Kagan pack member to the wolves.”

She shook her head. “Does Ethan know you dug your hands into his pack’s affairs?”

“Not yet. I’m sure he’ll learn of it soon.” He raised his hands. “Don’t worry. I didn’t do it to control his pack or anything. Despite the debt the mill is in, it has the potential to do quite well, and the contract I signed leaves all day-to-day stuff in the manager’s hands. It was purely a business decision.”

“One that’ll help out Ethan’s pack.” While not in a poverty state, they struggled. The wealth they’d amassed under the previous alpha’s rule had been lost to one poor business investment after another.

He gave her hair an affectionate tug, the same way he used to when they were kids. “Or one that’ll help my sister’s new pack.”

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “I love you, Nic.”

He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight. “And I love you. Remember, we don’t need to abide by tradition. The strict boundaries packs follow are ridiculous. There is no reason why our packs can’t interact more. We’re not completely ruled by our animals.”

“There are good reasons for the separation. We’re territorial and don’t like sharing our space with the humans, let alone the times when other shifters visit. We tolerate it only if they have a good reason for being on our land.”

“True, and keeping our loved ones close is a damn good reason in my book.”

The front door opened before she could respond. Every inch of her body came alive with the first whiff of the shifter who’d entered. She turned and found Noah in the entryway. No flash of recognition or need showed on his face. He didn’t even look at her. His gaze focused on Nic.

“Good afternoon, Nic.”

“It is.” Nic placed his body between her and Noah. “So, what brings you out here?”

“I came to see Hannah. I have business to discuss with her.”

Nic moved to the side and crossed his arms over his chest. “Good ahead, then.”

One corner of Noah’s mouth rose. He shifted his gaze to her. Lust didn’t show in his eyes. Amusement did. Her curiosity spiked, but he didn’t give her any other clue as to the reason behind it. He turned his attention to Nic. “It’s private, actually. I have a proposition to discuss with her.”

“And that would be?”

The annoyance in her brother’s voice was clear. He didn’t appreciate games.

“I plan on opening a flower shop. I want Hannah to create a logo for me.”

“Hannah is not a freelance artist. If you want graphic work done then—”

“I’d love to discuss it with you.” She stepped in front of Nic and let him see the warning in her expression not to start anything. He narrowed his eyes. It wasn’t the best confirmation that he’d back off, but she took it anyway. She faced Noah. “Come up to my office. Nic was just leaving anyway.”

“Wonderful.” Noah closed the door behind him. “Lead the way.”

“Call me when you leave, Hannah. I’m running to the—”

“Good-bye, Nic. I’ll lock up. Don’t worry about me. I’m a big girl.”

She headed to the hallway and climbed the stairs without looking to see if Noah would follow. His gaze bored into her, setting her on fire. She quickened her steps before it became obvious what his presence did to her.

Noah settled into step with her once they reached the upper level. “Thank you for seeing me, Miss Kagan. I know you’re busy.”

“You’re welcome. Besides Nic, I’m the only one here at the moment. Everyone else left early to get ready for the full moon tomorrow.” She opened the door to her office. “We have a day of celebrations planned starting with the wedding of one of our—”

Noah kicked the door closed and yanked her close. She gasped. His mouth was on hers a moment later. He kissed her hard, nipping at her lips and demanding her passion. She gave it, needing him as much as he did her. He twined his tongue with hers and ran his hands over her back, pulling her flush against him. His hard muscles pressed against her, and the growing evidence of his arousal sparked an equal need within her, but guilt rose. She didn’t know if it was appropriate to give in to it without Ethan.

She turned her head, breaking their kiss. “What are you doing here?”