Reese crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the room. “The damn place looks like a holding cell.”

Inside, his wolf prowled, pacing back and forth as the minutes ticked by. The National Circle hadn’t arrived, but he smelled them nearby. Their scents made his beast uneasy.

So many strong wolves near his mate… Sure, most were mated, but that didn’t mean he liked dominant, single wolves around Jane.

He balled his fists until his knuckles turned white and Jane glanced at him.

“What’s going on? Are you okay? Are you worried?”

“Not worried.” He shrugged. “Not exactly,” he grumbled.

And he wasn’t worried exactly. They’d come to the National Healing Center to discuss her father’s treatment and condition. After ten months of near-constant updates from Jane, Reese was certain they weren’t about to receive any surprises.

Still, he wasn’t about to be honest and tell his mate he wanted to claim her right here so the scent of their sex was thick in the air when the National Circle arrived.

The chair he occupied seemed as if it could handle their combined weight. Maybe he could get her to ride him. That way she wouldn’t get rug burn. See? He was possessive, but he still wanted to take care of her.

“You can tell me, you know,” she leaned against him, nuzzling his bicep, which calmed his wolf a little. It liked having more of his scent on her. “Whatever’s on your mind, I’ll listen.”

Reese grunted. “I’m fine.”

Jane propped her chin on his arm and stared up at him. “You don’t seem fine.”

Reese snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her—and her chair—closer. “I said I’m fine.”

Her lips slowly curled at the corners, a knowing smile creeping across her face and a light filling her blue eyes. “You don’t have anything to prove to them. You know that, right?”

“Huh?” He narrowed his eyes.

“You’ve claimed me. Thoroughly. Repeatedly. I’m yours. Just because these guys are the National Circle—“

Reese grunted. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Again, he sure as hell wasn’t going to admit shit.

“Uh-huh.” Jane rose from her seat and planted herself firmly on his lap, plump ass on one thigh as she gave him her weight. The warm, soft feel of her skin against his was enough to send a surge of need to his cock.

“Better?” she purred and wiggled her ass.

Temptress.

“I’d be better if you were naked.” He grinned. “But I can live with this for now.”

She lowered her head, her sweet feminine scent filling his lungs, and he tilted his face up to meet her.

Naturally, their potential kiss was interrupted when the metal door in front of them swung open and banged against the wall. Three men prowled into the room, their power like a bulldozer crushing everything in front of them.

Each man was tall, broad, and—as much as he hated to admit it—handsome. They each had their own scars, visible testimonies of their past battles. Reese tightened his grip on Jane’s waist and settled her more firmly on his lap. His mate was going nowhere. She sure as hell wasn’t getting any closer to those assholes.

The tallest of them flashed a smile, his gaze flicking to where Reese’s hand rested on Jane’s lap.

Reese’s wolf snarled, lips curled, and a low growl rumbled through him. He was torn between dragging Jane away and moving her aside so he could challenge the other wolf. His beast voted for the challenge. It wanted to prove its dominance. They were alpha, dammit.

Instead, he breathed deeply and sought a calm that seemed just out of reach. This meeting was for Jane, for their combined pack. He gripped her harder, spreading his fingers wide to express his claim.

“You two look cozy,” the tallest spoke again. His long-ish dark hair framed his angular face and his green eyes appeared more amused than Reese liked.

Reese gritted his teeth and swallowed the urge to snarl. He didn’t want another wolf commenting on his connection to his mate.

Jane nudged his shoulder. “Jealousy is an ugly color on you.”

Reese grunted.

Another man, the brawny brunet with a light peppering of stubble on his cheeks, raised his eyebrows. “A feisty one, too. We should have known.”

The asshole laughed, too, and Reese resisted the urge to punch him in the throat. Barely.

“Are we going to discuss Lance or not?” Reese forced the words past gritted teeth.

“Oh, we are. We’re just waiting on—“

The door swung open and a short woman with grey cropped hair bustled into the room. “Hello, hello, I’m Healer Amelia.”

She padded over to them and Reese expected his wolf to snarl an objection. He figured the beast wouldn’t want a stranger approaching them in a strange place, but it didn’t make a peep.

Healer Amelia cupped Jane’s cheeks, a wide smile on her face. “You look just like your mother, but you have your father’s strength.” The older woman clucked her tongue. “Beautiful, beautiful.”

The healer left them and he exchanged a look with Jane.

What the hell?

Healer Amelia took a seat behind a nearby desk. She flipped open a manila folder and grabbed the glasses that hung from the lanyard around her neck, perching them low on her nose.

That was when Reese realized the National Circle had somehow stiffened and straightened further. As if she scared the strongest wolves in North America.

Jane gnawed on her lower lip, her anxious gaze drifting to Reese while they waited for this woman to do…whatever she was there to do.

Finally, the old woman spoke. “Were you three behaving yourselves?” She didn’t look up, not bothering to give the National Circle her full attention.

“Yes,” the third man, a Chris Hemsworth lookalike, mumbled.

“I sincerely doubt it.” The woman sniffed, those clipped words causing the National Circle to twitch.

She was stern and short with the National Circle but spoke with a soft and calming tone when she focused on him and Jane. “Your name’s Jane, correct? And you’re her mate, Reese?”

Jane nodded and shifted in Reese’s lap, a squirming that would normally make his dick hard. This time, it made his wolf growl at how uncomfortable this situation made his mate.

Reese copied Jane’s nod, ready to get his mate away from here.

“Good, good,” the older woman clapped her hands. “Now, we have a few things to discuss.”

One of the National Circle wolves opened his mouth, but the woman held up a finger, silencing him before he made a sound. “When I want your opinion, I’ll give it to you.”

Reese blinked and shook his head. Then he shifted his attention from the woman to the other wolves and back again. “I’m sorry, but aren’t you three the big, bad National Circle? No offense, but you’re letting her talk to you like this?”

The wolf closest to the door shrugged. “She’s scarier than us.”

The Thor lookalike nodded. “She has our mothers’ phone numbers and she’s not afraid to use them.”

Reese chuckled with that answer. Well, chuckled until the healer’s dagger-like eyes met his.

“Are you done?” She glared at him.

Reese winced much like the National Circle and found himself cowed for the first time in his adult life. By a healer who looked older than his own grandmother. “Yes, ma’am. Sorry for the interruption.”

“Right.” She cleared her throat. “As you know, Lance has undergone a lot of physical therapy and very painful treatments while purging the poison from his system. It’s obviously taken a while, but I feel confident he is healed.”

Jane’s breath caught and she whispered, “That’s wonderful.”

Healer Amelia nodded, gaze softening. “It is. He’s weaker than you may remember, and he’s undergone quite a few physical changes. The wear and tear on his body from long-term poisoning has left behind some lasting effects.”

Jane vibrated with tension, and Reese stroked her back, palm sliding up and down her spine. “I understand. When can he come home?”

The healer gave her a soft smile, a mixture of expressions sliding across her features. An alternating hint of happiness and sadness all at once. “He could go home today. The question is…does he want to?”