The tension in the air between them made dinner an uneasy event. Tex had tried to make small talk but he found himself drifting into his own thoughts. The scent of her next to him, yet out of reach, made him want to pull her close. Temptation to touch her was there but he denied himself that pleasure. She was hiding something and he needed to know what it was before they could move forward. Mating might solidify things between them, giving him a clear insight, but he would prefer to learn more from her directly—to discover the truth before they went down the road of no return.

“I guess the time has come.” She dried the last dish and set it in the counter before turning back to him. “Where do you want me to start?”

“I’ve been trying to think of a way to put you at ease and slowly work the conversation to it, but there’s no easy way.” He set his beer bottle aside and came to stand in front of her. “Every time Lucy’s name is mentioned, your muscles go stiff and you shut down, blocking me out.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Really?” He brought his hands up to her shoulders, gently rubbing small circles along her tight muscles. “Relax. Nothing you tell me is going to have me running out the door. We can face whatever it is together.”

Together. That sounded better than he expected it to. All his life, he had been alone and now he had a mate to spend the rest of his days with. It was a change and would take time to adjust to. Still, there was something exciting about it, too. He just wasn’t sure if she felt the same way. What did she think of this whole mating business? There were times she seemed open to it while the next second, she closed him out.

“Just because you don’t run, doesn’t mean you’re actually here. Someone can be physically present without being there mentally or emotionally.”

“I’m here for you, Carleen, always and in every way.” He stopped rubbing her shoulders and drew her close. Hugging her to him, he ran his hands down her back. The way she spoke of someone mentally checking out made him wonder if he was wrong about Lucy being dead. Maybe she wasn’t physically dead, but rather a shell of her former self. “This secret is tearing you apart and there’s no reason to carry this burden by yourself.”

“It’s a weight Thorn carries, too. He blames himself. It was his job to protect her and he failed, but he doesn’t know I’m just as responsible.” She let out a sigh and leaned against his chest. “Lucy…we left her…”

“Who’s Lucy?”

“My sister…our sister…Lee’s mate.” Her body shook with unshed tears.

“Shit!” He squeezed her tighter to him. “Carleen—”

“I knew it would change things. Thorn knew it would cost us a place in another clan. He wanted to forget, pretend Lucy wasn’t our sister, but I can’t and now I cost Thorn his chance.” She pulled back from him but with the counter behind her, there was nowhere for her to go.

“Bullshit.” He dropped his arms away from her but didn’t move, instead leaning back enough to look down at her. “This didn’t cost you or him anything, nor did it change things.”

“But—”

“Listen for a minute.” The urge to hold her again was there but he kept his arms at his side, giving her space. “Lee’s the Alpha of the Mississippi Tigers and while we don’t believe he’s as bad as some other Alphas, he’s still an issue. One that we’ll have to deal with in the future, which puts your sister at risk. My comment wasn’t out of anger, just concern for Lucy.”

“Thorn says she’s already dead, that she’s not our sister anymore.” Tears swam in her eyes. “She’s not the same but she’s still my sister. I knew what he was like and I still…”

“Still what?” He pressed her when she fell silent.

“Encouraged her to embrace her mate.” She slipped past him and walked toward the window in the living room. “My parents’ mating was anything but happy. There was no romance or love. They hated each other. To him, Mom was too weak and Dad acted like an asshole more often than not, making it clear he hated being stuck in the mating. They could barely say two civil words to each other. Every time one of them spoke, it always ended up in a fight. They accepted the mating because it was better than the alternative.”

He made his way into the living room and came to stand a few feet behind her. She appeared to be staring out the window, yet he didn’t believe she was seeing anything out there. Her vision was filled with memories of her parents. How did this tie in with Lucy and Lee? He wasn’t sure, but he’d let her tell the story at her own pace.

“I had just turned eighteen and while I was terrified I’d end up with a mating like my parents, I wanted it over. I wanted to find him so I knew what I had to deal with. The suspense of it was killing me. I wanted a mating filled with love and romance or at the very least, one in which we could stand each other without abuse. When Lucy found out she was to be Lee’s mate, I started to lose hope I could even have that. She was the oldest, and being mated to Lee meant she would follow in our parents’ footsteps.”

She turned to him. “Then he started courting her. He was a different man. He was sweet, brought her flowers, had a special dinner for her. The change wasn’t just with her, but everyone. She voiced concerns about the age difference. Lee was thirty-one and Lucy was nineteen. Mom brushed them off, telling her not to worry. With our lifespan, it’s not the same as it is for humans. A few days later, when Lucy and I were alone, she told me that wasn’t her only fear. The night before, Lee had grabbed her hard enough to leave bruises and she was terrified the change wouldn’t last. She didn’t want to be at his mercy and she was willing to take…”

“Suicide?” He was able to keep his voice flat but he was still surprised. Mating brought their beasts closer to the surface and the longer things continued without completing the mating, the worse things would become. It sounded like Lucy and Lee had discovered they were mates after only a couple of days. She must’ve had enough control over her beast in the beginning in order to consider the alternative, showing how terrified she was of the prospect of mating with Lee.

“She was always very vocal about the fact that she didn’t want to live with a mate like our father. I was envious of her devotion to her beliefs because I didn’t think I was strong enough to take my own life. A life of misery had to be better than no life.” She took a sidestep and dropped down onto the recliner near the window. “I talked her out of it. I wanted to believe Lee had changed. More than that, I was selfish. I didn’t want to lose my sister, my best friend.”

“It’s not your fault.” He crouched in front of the chair and took her hands in his. “If she truly wanted to, you couldn’t have stopped her.”

“The next day he forced her to complete the mating and she was gone. No more late night talks, no more morning runs. Everything changed. I guess I hadn’t expected that, but for a while things were okay. Slowly he started cutting her off from us, breaking her will more every day. Now she’s just a shell of her former self. She’s there physically, but other than that, my sister is gone.”

“How long have they been mated?” His chest tightened as he waited for her answer. Was it too late to save her?

“Four years.” The answer came out on little more than a whisper. If he hadn’t been a shifter, he wouldn’t have even heard it.

“Fuck!” Too much time had passed to ensure Lucy could survive the death of her mate, especially if her will was indeed broken. “Does Ty know?”

“No!” Her body jerked and she stared into his eyes. “No…don’t…we can’t.”

“Come here.” He crossed the room and pulled her to her feet, then sat in a chair and tugged her down onto his lap. “I can’t allow him to authorize a team to go to Mississippi without this information. He wanted to go after Lee because of the issues in Connecticut, but he didn’t because you and Thorn had just arrived. Lee’s guard would have been up and the death toll would have increased. Instead, Ty used this time to try to convince Lee committing to Tabitha was the right thing to do, but he’s unwilling. You understand Tabitha’s rule has to be complete for the future to change.”

“Connecticut? What issue?”

“Heidi’s brother, Harry, came for her after her mate died. She committed herself to David and the clan, but Harry wasn’t willing to accept that. He attempted to attack Victoria. Before he could, David stepped in. Harry was killed in order to protect Victoria and the clan.” He ran his hand down her back, trying to keep her calm. “Harry’s visit proved one thing—the Mississippi Tigers are a threat. They’re against Tabitha and everything she stands for. You know that already.”

“Not everyone.”

“You’re right, but those in charge are and that makes them a threat. Not just to Tabitha and the future she’s trying to create but to everyone who supports the change. Lee’s already made his intentions clear. He’s not going to stand by while his kind commits to her and he’ll do whatever he can to destroy those who support her.” Needing more contact, he slipped his hand under the back of her sweater. There was nothing sexual about it; he did it to comfort his beast. Skin to skin contact would ease the anxiety rising within him, but would also help push back the tension within her.

“I knew there would be a war before we had peace but I hadn’t considered the cost.” She tucked her hair behind her ear and sighed. “I knew many would die but what I didn’t know was how high the personal price would be. A selfish part of me wonders if it’s worth it. Then I look at you and I know it is.”

Not knowing what to say to that, he remained silent. He had those same moments where he questioned everything they were doing. In the end, there was no other alternative. They had to push forward and make a safer world for themselves. They could no longer allow Alphas like Avery to remain in command and abuse clan members.

“When is the cost too great to justify the cause? Lucy…Thorn…you. It’s too much.”

“I know.” He tipped his head to press his lips to the top of her head. “I wish I could tell you everything will be fine—”

“You can’t. I know as well as you do that Lucy is going to die. She might be the first, but she won’t be the last. How long before I lose you and Thorn?” Her body shook and silent tears rolled down her face. “I don’t know if I can take it.”

“You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for.” He reached up and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I’ll do everything I can to keep you and those you care about safe.”

“By putting yourself in more danger.” She pulled out of his embrace and rose from his lap. “That’s just it, I don’t want to lose you either. The tightness in my chest at the very thought scares me because I don’t know you. The fear of losing you is all because of this mating desire and my tigress. What if we can’t stand each other? How can I dread losing you when I don’t even know if I can live with you?”

“Mates are compatible on every level. We complete each other.”

“You’ve never been around two mates who hate each other, have you?” She stood in front of him, watching him closely for a moment. Before he had a chance to reply, she added, “My parents hated each other with every fiber of their beings. Anger was like a beating pulse in our house. If it’s the same for us, I shouldn’t care if you’re killed helping Tabitha and Ty. Yet, I do.”

“It’s not going to be the same for us.” He forced himself to stay in the chair instead of going to her like he wanted to. She needed space and he’d respect that. “I’ve seen enough torture and hatred in my past. I refuse to have my future filled with it. We’re going to have the happiness we both want and deserve.”

“You can’t be sure of that.”

“Really?” He rose and before she could step farther away from him, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her tight against him. “Our beasts bring our mates to us and they’re responsible for the sexual desire, but the rest is just us.”

“What do you mean?” Her voice was low and seductive, making him want to do so much more than just hold her.

“The desire to protect you is all me.”

“You’re an Alpha. You want to protect those under you. Once again, it’s natural.” She tried to reason, but he shook his head.

“You’re not mine, meaning not part of my clan…at least not yet. This impulse to protect you shouldn’t be there but it is, because you’re mine. You’re my mate, not because my tiger demands it. There’s something between us, something that urges me on. When I touch you…” He slipped his fingers under the back of her sweater, teasing along the top of her slacks. “You have to feel that.”

“It’s the mating desire. It has to be. It couldn’t be anything else. You don’t know me.”

“It’s more than that. As Alpha of my clan, I feel the connections with my members. The mating desire is different.”

“You can feel their mating desires?” Her brows knitted together in confusion. “I thought it was shared only between those mated.”

“A strong Alpha with control over his clan will feel it. It’s not the same as what they’re going through, but there’re pieces that come through the connection. I can feel if they let it go for so long that their beasts are rising, and it’s my duty to step in to make sure that doesn’t happen.” His lips curled into a smile before he chuckled. “The first time, it was shocking, but it’s incredible to see them to come together. It reminded me why I’m committed to what we’re doing and it reaffirmed that I did the right thing when I agreed to take over the clan.”

“How did you come to take over? I mean, I’ve heard rumors. Lee didn’t like talk of other clans, so I never knew the truth. Did you really go back by yourself to kill Avery and save your clan?”

“No.” Her question brought up images of Avery’s final moments, pulling him away from reality. The next moments would send him spiraling back to the past, and he knew he should step away from her but he couldn’t. Their touch would pull her down with him but as the darkness filled his vision, he frozen in place, unable to do anything. Physically he was still in Alaska, standing in one of the guest cabins with his hands around Carleen, but he couldn’t see any of that. His vision filled with darkness and even without the chill in the air or the musty, blood filled scent that lingered, he knew he’d returned to the tunnels. They’d since been filled in and closed up, so they no longer ran under Manetka Resort, but they remained alive in his memories.

“Get the hell out of the way or I’ll shoot you. I won’t stand here while he hurts anyone.” Jinx’s words brought Tex to his side.

“Summer is his sister,” he explained to Jinx before looking at Ben. “We’ll save her if you get out of the way. Come with us and get her out of there yourself.” He wanted Ben to make the decision himself, to choose to fight back and save his sister and everyone else from the horrors occurring so close by. Before Ben could make the decision, Styx reached forward, snatched the boy’s gun away from him, and pushed him aside.

“We don’t have time for your games.”

“Cover me.” Jinx pulled the door open, and a flood of screams poured out. A woman lay stretched out on the table, blood everywhere. “Step away from the woman!”

“What the fuck!” Avery glanced to the door, an instrument resembling a scalpel in his hand. “How did you get in here?”

“Tex…” Through the haze of his memory, he could hear Carleen calling to him but the memory wouldn’t let him go.

“Through the door.” He stood next to Jinx, and the others who had come with him flanked them. He knew some of them had their doubts about his presence, but as Avery’s jaw dropped, he knew he had done the right thing. He needed to be there, and he needed Avery to know who had led them there. “Years ago, before you beat the will out of me, I told you someday someone would stop you. Well, that day has come and I’m one of the people who plan to stop you.”

“Boy, you don’t stand a chance.” Avery’s laughter sliced through the stillness in the air and clawed at Tex, making him angrier.

“Not alone, but as a whole we do.”

“Where did you find them? They must be a bunch of solitary shifters, because no Alpha would dare take me on.” The cockiness was clear in Avery’s tone as it was anytime someone made the slightest move against him.

“I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of meeting. I’m Jinx, the West Virginia Alpha, and this is Ty, Alpha of the Alaskan Tigers.” Jinx tipped his head to Ty, standing on the other side of him. “One Alpha might not, but Ty and I are nothing like the others. We’ll fight for what’s right, no matter the cost. Now, I told you once to step away from the woman.”

“What do you think this will accomplish?” Avery lowered the scalpel before shoving it into the woman’s chest.

“Fuck.” Tex trained his gun on Avery, ready to shoot, but he was too late. Jinx had already squeezed the trigger, the first of many shots that rang out.