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  Although it might kill him. He’d understand. It was cruel to tie her to him without giving her all the facts. Right now, he’d defeated Cole and he took care of her. In no way should she be forced to have a future with him without knowing what she was getting into.

  “I thought that part of this whole mating deal was that the universe picked the person who was supposed to stand by you for life.”

  He nodded. “That’s right.”

  “I’m not strong. I’m not brave. I’m always going to be flawed because I don’t have a wolf. But I’m loyal to a fault and I’d like to stand with you on this journey. Even if it means I hide behind your back half the time.”

  “Really?” He tried to ignore the choked sound of his voce. “You mean that?”

  “I do.”

  In two steps he was next to her. Picking her up off the ground he held her close to him, hugging her as tight as he dared without hurting her or making her injuries act up.

  “I’ve been alone such a long time.” He had to get control of his emotions before they overwhelmed him and his wolf, usually so calm and steady, was not helping him. “You are brave. Most people couldn’t have survived what you did here. You’re not broken. Don’t ever say that again. If I am nothing else, I’m strong. I’ll be strong for both of us if you need it. But you’re stronger than me in most of the ways that really count.”

  He had to put her down before he gave into the urge pulsating through his veins to lie her down on the bed and make love to her until they both couldn’t see straight. Besides, he was two seconds away from blubbering and then she’d think that not only was she mated to a shifter almost guaranteed to get her killed, but that he was also a wimp.

  Men might get to be emotional and touchy-feely these days, but when he was raised you didn’t do that.

  With a sigh, he put her back on her feet. She looked up at him as she scratched at her left her hand with her right one. Damn, he had to get control of himself. Scarlett needed his attention right now.

  “Come on, let’s go see this pack wielder.”

  Hand in hand, they walked from the room into the hallway. Turning down the stairs, he stopped abruptly. The thirty-some-odd wolves he’d left downstairs stood lined up in the front hallway of Cole’s house.

  He raised an eyebrow to stare at Todd. “What’s going on?”

  “I did what you said. I told them what a pack is supposed to be like.”

  Okay. He glanced at Scarlett and she raised her shoulders in a shrug. It seemed as if she was as confused as he was.

  “That’s good.” He paused. “Why is everyone still standing here?”

  Seamus spoke. “Where are y’all going now?”

  “To see the pack wielder.” He might as well be completely truthful with all of them. “I think there’s something wrong with what he’s doing to your women. This vitamin shot he gives them might actually be making them sick. Where I’m from, there is no such thing as a pack wielder.”

  Seamus furrowed his brow. “Really? You think he’s hurting the women?”

  There was some grumbling in the room. “I do. I want to know what’s in this so-called ‘vitamin’ injection.”

  Barge spoke up. “It’s supposed to make them potent.”

  “Do you mean fertile?”

  Barge nodded. Well, at least that was a little more information than he had. It still didn’t make sense. Why give it to Scarlett if none of them wanted to mate with her because of fear of her latency?

  “How many babies were born this year?”

  A wolf he didn’t know stepped forward. He couldn’t be more than twenty-five years old with brown hair and dark eyes. “I was the last baby born. I’m Marvin, by the way.”

  Michael tried to make note of that name. As a rule, he had a hard time remembering names. “You were?” He looked around the room. “Seems to me, guys, that the shot isn’t working that well.”

  Marvin spoke again. “Nero said it was going to take a while to work, but that ultimately it would double our numbers.”

  “See, that’s the problem.” Michael felt as if he could write a book on this subject at this point. “When you have a bad leader, things tend to go askew. That’s why we all have to make sure we always have a good one.”

  “Do you have a good one?” Barge’s face was so eager when he asked that question it made Michael grin. What must it be like to still view the world so brightly?

  “The best. My brother, Tristan, is a great leader.”

  Todd scratched his head. “How can you not be supreme Alpha?”

  “Believe it or not, Tristan makes my power seem like it’s nothing.”

  Next to him he saw Scarlett scowl. He’d have to ask her later what bothered her. “Okay, well Scarlett and I are going.” This was getting awkward and he wanted out of Cole’s house immediately.

  Todd smiled. “Then we’ll all go to the pack wielder.”

  Scarlett laughed and then covered her mouth with her hand. Still, her amber eyes danced with amusement.

  “You think this is funny?”

  She nodded, still keeping her hand over her mouth.

  It would be funny if it was happening to someone else. Only the fact that he had to deal with it kept his amusement factor down.

  “None of you work, is that correct?”

  Seamus spoke up. “No. As Scarlett said, the Betas and the latent wolves work. We now know that is not okay. But that’s how it’s worked before you came.”

  “So all of those folks are presumably at their jobs and the women are at this pack wielder’s, which means that the thirty of you want to come with me.”

  A thought occurred to him. “Anyone who apologizes to my mate can come. She’ll be waiting on the front steps.”

  Scarlett dropped her hand from her mouth. “Michael, I…”

  He tugged on her hand. “Humor me, Scarlett, it’ll make me feel better.”

  “They’re all going to apologize?”

  Every last one of them.

  Chapter 6

  SCARLETT sat pressed up against Michael in the back of Todd’s SUV. She was sure her mate would have been much happier in the front seat where he could have stretched out his long legs, but he had staunchly refused to leave her side. He’d even sat next to her while she had personally accepted thirty-two apologies for bad behavior.

  It was odd, watching these men who had either treated her like a servant or downright ignored her now approaching her with their eyes down and begging for her forgiveness. Truth was, she was happy to give it. Since Michael had arrived, she’d started to see that the whole pack was infected with bad ideas and the wrong teachings.

  Michael had spoken to his wolf silently in the hotel room and it hadn’t looked as if he’d berated it or put it down. If anything, he’d seemed to enjoy the conversation. Step one in fixing the pack problem might be to have everyone work on their internal relationship with his or her wolf. She shrugged, not that it would be her problem since she was leaving with Michael to go to Maine and maybe die, therefore never seeing any of these people again.

  She wasn’t sad about leaving New Orleans. It had never felt like home. Even though she didn’t remember her first years of life, she could remember the day she’d been carted off from her home five minutes after her parents’ funeral by a man she’d never met before who called himself Nero.

  He kept babbling on and on about things she didn’t understand. Wolves, shifters, destiny and pack—he’d confused her. She was three years old and her mom and dad were dead. He’d tried to explain. Her mother hadn’t been okay for her daddy. It hadn’t been okay that they’d married. Her daddy should have undone something. He hadn’t.

  But now they had to see if she was a wolf.

  That had seemed silly. Of course she wasn’t a wolf, she was a little girl. She’d stuck her thumb in her mouth.

  Scarlett blinked away the memory. When was the last time she’d thought about that? Over the years, things had become clearer. Nero hadn’t kill
ed her parents, but he hadn’t stopped the pack elders who had. Fortunately they were all dead now. No one who tried to run the New Orleans pack lived very long.

  Still, if things were going to get better, if everyone was going to listen to Michael, and start behaving the way their wolves apparently wanted them to, then she might have liked to stay around and see it.

  Turning to look at Michael, who had his eyes closed as he leaned his head against the back of the seat, she thanked whoever had decided she should be given to him. So far he’d been fair, brave and kind.

  But then they hadn’t gotten to Zack yet. What would he do to Zack? She narrowed her eyes. It might be okay if he killed Zack, she might actually like that. She almost gasped at the thought. What was the matter with her?

  If they were alone, she might have the courage to ask him. Todd, Barge and Seamus surrounded them—not to mention the two dozen or so cars that followed behind like they were in some kind of funeral procession. Where were they all going to park?

  Michael exhaled loudly and opened his eyes. He gazed at her through his wolf eyes. What did that mean? Why had they changed?

  Reaching up with her shaking hand, she touched the top of his eyelid. He blinked and smiled at her.

  “Why are your eyes wolf?”

  “Michael’s basically asleep.”

  She blinked. What? “I’m sorry?” Realization dawned on her like a light bulb going off. “Oh…you’re his wolf?”

  Having never had one of her own, she wasn’t sure exactly what to do.

  “That’s right.” He blinked twice. “Our boy is exhausted, but that’s what happens when he fights twice in two days and doesn’t eat.”

  She gasped. Oh god, she’d never thought about it. She was accustomed to not eating for long periods of time but the men, the male shifters, they required food and lots of it.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t even think of it.”

  The wolf speaking through Michael’s face smiled. “Now don’t trouble yourself, pretty lady. He’s a big boy. He can and should remember to eat.” Michael’s body shifted and he moved until his face was close to hers. Staring her straight in the eyes he spoke again. “I just have one question.”

  She swallowed. “Yes?”

  “Why are you hiding in there?”

  “What?”

  Michael blinked twice and grabbed his head, his eyes turning back to his brown depths.

  “What’s going on?”

  She stuttered. “I’m not sure. You were talking to me but it was your wolf.”

  “Was I?” He shook his head. “He hasn’t done that to me since I was a teenager. What did the old boy want?”

  “I’m not sure. It was confusing. Except he did point out that you haven’t been fed.”

  “Oh.” He laughed, a snicker, more than a hearty laugh. “That’s right. We can eat after I handle this and before I take care of Zack.”

  Todd turned around from the passenger seat up front. “Oh! Is Scarlett going to cook?”

  Michael narrowed his eyes. “She’s not anyone’s slave anymore.”

  Before she could stop herself, she put her hand on Michael’s arm. “No, it’s okay. I love to cook.”

  Her mate cocked his head to the side. “Really?”

  She smiled. This she could speak on easily. “I love it.”

  Todd nodded his head, still facing them. “She’s the best cook in New Orleans.”

  Her cheeks heated up. “Stop it. You don’t have to say that. He’s not going to beat you up again. You’ve apologized.”

  “That’s not necessarily true, sweetheart. I might beat Todd up again.”

  Michael’s eyes sparkled when he spoke and she realized he teased her. It was the first time anyone had ever done that. She wasn’t sure how she felt about it. The sensation was…odd.

  Todd wasn’t done. “Seriously, Michael, when we’re done with this, can we go back to Cole’s and let Scarlett cook everyone dinner?”

  She loved the idea. For some people cooking a meal was a task or something they dreaded, for her it was peace and order. And then if people actually liked what you made well then it was an accomplishment.

  “I’d love to.”

  She gasped, realizing she hadn’t asked Michael’s permission. Maybe he’d wanted to do something else, maybe he hated the idea. She looked down at the car floor.

  “If Scarlett loves the idea then that is what we’ll do.”

  She jerked her head up. “What would you like for lunch, Todd?”

  It would be a late lunch, so she’d make it big. The three shifters started arguing about what they wanted to eat and she sat back to enjoy the show.

  Michael took her hand. “Is that what you do for a job? You know, the career you have to have to pay for everyone else?”

  “That bar you were in yesterday? Floozies? I work there.” She shrugged. “It’s simple work, bar food, a little red beans and rice. Kind of dull actually. My dream is…”

  She stopped. The last thing she wanted to do was to start rambling off about nonsense to Michael. Not when they were making such progress to get to know one another. Not, she finally admitted to herself, when they were on their way to the pack wielder.

  Even if she wasn’t supposed to say or think things about the pack wielder ending her mate relationship anymore…

  But he was nodding and his expression was so honest and open, with his eyes wide and his grin infectious. “Your dream? Go on, tell me.”

  “Well, it’s not unique, everyone in New Orleans wants to own a restaurant. It’s like a condition for living here or something.”

  Michael rubbed his nose. “I can’t get you a restaurant here but I can get you one.”

  She gaped at him. “You can?”

  “When we get back home. Actually, it’s perfect. Well, perfect if you don’t mind cooking for thirty or forty really hungry shifters who will worship the ground you walk on. Oh and also whatever human guests show up at the hotel from time to time. They’re mostly gone now. It’s not safe to have them while we’re under constant attack.”

  She clapped her hands together. “I’m kind of confused by some of that, but if you mean that in Maine I can have a restaurant then you made my day, my week, oh, Michael, my whole life.”

  Without another thought, she squirmed around as she undid her seatbelt and threw her arms around him. Michael laughed and held her close. It was then she realized all the conversation in the car had ceased. Michael must have sensed it too as he gently let her go and looked at their three car mates.

  “What’s wrong, boys?”

  Todd smiled, this time with discernable sadness in his eyes. “Nothing, Michael. We’re here.”

  Barge pulled the car into it a spot and they all got out. Even as they did, Scarlett couldn’t help but dwell on the change of mood in the car. For a moment, she held eye contact with Todd, refusing to look away. She knew exactly what he was thinking. They didn’t want Michael to go. Things were getting better and if he left, what would they do?

  Finally, she looked down, not because she was feeling submissive or scared. No, because there wasn’t a thing she could do for Todd, Barge, Seamus, or any of the pack and it wasn’t because she resented them or held bitterness, which likely she did even if she didn’t want to dwell on it. There wasn’t a solution.

  Was there?

  As the array of cars they’d travelled with arrived and parked, Michael stared up at the building in front of them. The sign said “Mandy’s Candies”.

  She grinned. “Doesn’t look like a pack shop does it?”

  “I don’t know what a pack shop looks like. Back home, we all live together on an island so the very fact that you all live apart, visit each other, and come to a shop to visit someone called a wielder is new to me.” He looked down at her and her stomach flip-flopped. “Is the wielder Mandy?”

  “No, I’m not sure who Mandy is. It’s kind of just the name of the shop. The wielder is Joe.”

  Michael nodded. “Good t
o know.” He walked ahead a few steps before turning around to Todd again. “You’re in charge of her safety again.”

  Todd’s eyes brightened up. “Yes, Michael.”

  Her mate sauntered into the store, letting the door close behind him with a thud. Scarlett took a deep steadying breath. This was the first time she’d seen him move like that. Michael always seemed so focused, so determined in his stride. Just now he’d moved as if he were lazy and there was something about that deceptive sway that made her more nervous than any of her his earlier fights.

  Barge walked next to her and stood still. “Scarlett?”

  She looked at him. “Yes?”

  “I think Michael’s going to kill the wielder.”

  She gulped. “How do you know?”

  “There was just something about him right now that was different. Even when he took us down on the street, he acted less controlled. Right now, he seems more like an animal than a man.”

  She didn’t want him killing the wielder. Zack, maybe, but not the wielder. Fisting her hands at her side, she ran into the shop with Todd and Barge on her heels.

  “Michael,” she called out as she walked through the entranceway. No one stood in the front of the store. Glass candy containers lined the wall; the displays that showed kids happily eating various sugary creations were all in place. There were no telltale signs of struggle and yet she knew it wasn’t good that the place was empty. Michael hadn’t entered and just had a fast conversation.

  Sniffing the air, she followed his scent. Rounding the corner, she took the stairs leading to the basement of the store two at a time. Almost no buildings in New Orleans had lower floors because of the water level but this one did. She’d never known why, but it was where the wielder gave them their vitamin shots.

  She heard Michael’s growls before she made it down the stairs. “Michael!” She called his name again and he looked up.

  He had Joe by the neck dangling him in the air. Surrounding them were the ten female shifters who made up the pack. Five of them were latent, five could shift. They all stared at Michael, big eyed.

  “Don’t kill him. He’s not worth the effort.”