Bracken sat on the wooden steps of his porch, beer in hand. Light was draining from the sky, and shadows were slowly creeping his way, coating the shrubs and trees surrounding his lodge. The cool breeze danced over his skin, bringing with it the scents of pine, wet grass, and wildflowers.
Once upon a time, he’d preferred the noise and bustle of the main lodge, where the Alphas resided. Now, he liked his alone time. Preferred solitude. He had it right then. Apart from the sounds of leaves rustling, wings fluttering, and the creek burbling up ahead, it was otherwise quiet. Tranquil. Would have felt peaceful if such an emotion didn’t elude him.
Madisyn would like it here, he thought. She wouldn’t spoil the solitude; she’d share it with him.
His home had been a guest lodge up until four months ago. Before that, he’d lived in a smaller one that was situated in the middle of pack territory. As he’d sat inside those walls, drowning in rage and grief, he’d grown to hate the place. Sitting on his old porch overlooking the empty field hadn’t helped because it had mirrored exactly what he’d felt back then: empty.
It had been Shaya’s idea for Bracken to move to a different lodge, where he wouldn’t be surrounded by walls that were stained with grief. The change of scenery had helped a lot more than he’d expected. He hadn’t realized how much he’d dreaded going home until that place was no longer his home.
This lodge felt . . . clean. Fresh. Serene. Untainted.
It was also one of the most isolated of all the lodges, so he had all the privacy and space he needed. His pack still turned up whenever they felt like it, but not so often because it was such a trek for them.
Despite what Jesse believed, it wasn’t so bad for Bracken to have space from the pack. Not when they insisted on watching him so closely . . . as if he were a ticking time bomb. He understood it, since rationality wasn’t exactly his strong point these days. But he would never be better, and they just didn’t get it. He could still have a life, sure, and he might even find peace one day, but his soul would never get rid of that black stain. He hated that, because it meant going to Madisyn with that stain.
He wouldn’t have to worry about her trying to fix him, though. Not Madisyn. His pack mates, however, seemed to think they could bring back the old Bracken. That person had died with his family. He wasn’t coming back. Until they accepted it as Bracken had, he couldn’t feel the same ease in the pack that he once had. But he was no longer interested in roaming. His only interest was Madisyn.
Feeling restless, he thought about going for a run in his wolf form. The beast sniffed at the idea, too busy brooding. All his wolf wanted was to hunt down their mate. He was angry at Bracken for leaving her last night. It hadn’t been easy. The farther he’d driven from her house, the tenser and surlier Bracken had become. And the longer he’d stayed away, the more his stomach had twisted in knots.
He hadn’t been exaggerating when he warned her how much he’d hate being away from her. The only reason he wasn’t pacing restlessly was that the time that he planned to go see her was fast approaching. There was only so much space he could give her.
As he’d told her, he’d been heading on a downward spiral for a while. He hadn’t felt real most of the time. He’d felt more like an echo of a person. A person without hope or purpose. That had changed overnight, and it was drugging to once again feel those things. It had been so long since he’d craved something other than revenge. So long since he’d felt anything as intense as the possessiveness he’d experienced while gripping Madisyn’s skin between his teeth—and that was before he’d even realized she was his mate.
If he hadn’t felt the pull of the bond last night, he still would have made the decision to pursue her. Especially since the sort-of-friends lens he’d seen her through had fallen away the moment he thrust his tongue into her mouth. He hadn’t meant for things to go that far last night. He hadn’t meant to do anything other than pet the pain out of her. Somehow, he’d ended up with his fingers buried in her pussy and his teeth gripping her flesh so hard he tasted blood. If his phone hadn’t rung, snapping them out of the moment, he’d have fucked her right up against that wall.
Bracken suspected she’d find it hard to believe that he would have pursued her regardless of the mating bond. She hadn’t been wrong in the things she’d said. She wasn’t his type. She hadn’t been on his radar. And if it weren’t for the touch-hunger, their encounter wouldn’t have happened. At least not then.
However, she was missing something. Missing that he could have eased her pain and discomfort just by petting her. Things hadn’t gone so far because of the touch-hunger; they’d gone so far because a sexual chemistry he hadn’t previously acknowledged had sent them both nuclear. And maybe that would have happened sooner or later. He’d like to think so, because it was far too sad to think that he could have lived so close to his mate yet remained so utterly clueless about who she was to him.
Bracken flexed his back muscles, and the sting of the movement pulled at the rake marks on his back. His mouth curved. He suspected that if she hadn’t left such deep marks on him, she’d have chewed a huge chunk out of his ass for branding her. Yeah, okay, it had been a lapse of control on his part, just like she’d said. But he’d sure as shit never had such a lapse before. Never marked another female purposely or accidentally. It should have occurred to him straightaway that his urge to bite her meant something.
God, he was such a stupid prick.
Bracken drained the last of his bottle and plonked it on the step beside him. Despite the beer, despite brushing his teeth that morning, despite eating several times during the day, he could still taste her. It wasn’t real. He knew that. Just a sensory memory. But his wolf was pushing that memory at him, trying to chip away at his control so he’d go take what they both wanted. Pitting his strength against Bracken’s and—
His cell began to ring. He fished it out of his pocket and saw Nick’s name flashing on the screen. Bracken answered, “Yeah?”
“There’s something you should see,” said Nick. “Meet me at my office in the lodge.” The line went dead.
Bracken frowned at his phone. What was that about?
Standing, he pocketed his cell and then jogged to the main lodge, winding his way through a seemingly endless number of trees and sending small animals scurrying out of the way.
Bracken slowed his pace as he neared the rustic, timber-framed, three-story lodge. The lower level was made of large stones, and the building featured stunning glass dove windows. It had once been a private hunting lodge that Shaya and her human ex-Navy SEAL father frequented when she was younger. After buying the land as a surprise for her, Nick had had all the lodges restored and modernized.
Bracken climbed up the porch steps and headed inside. Warm and spacious with comfy furnishings, hardwood floors, and a rustic tone, the place had a very welcoming feeling. In the daytime, it was often a hub of activity—especially in the open layout of the living, dining, and kitchen areas. But people tended to return to their own homes a little after the main meal, so there was no one hanging around.
Passing the curved staircase on his way to Nick’s office, Bracken heard children’s laughter and the splash of water coming from upstairs. He suspected the pups were being bathed by either Nick’s mother, Kathy, or Shaya.
Reaching the Alpha’s office, Bracken found the door open. Nick wasn’t alone. Shaya, the Betas, Jesse, Zander, and the Head Enforcer, Eli, were all present. It was a surprise to see Derren, the Beta male, sitting in Nick’s leather chair behind the executive-style desk and working on the Alpha’s computer.
Nick tipped his chin in greeting. “Shut the door.”
Bracken did so. “Problem?”
“No. But our first step in working out which clan those sows came from is finding out who exactly they are. We have their first names, but that’s not enough. So we had Donovan hack into Mason Grant’s computer and download last night’s CCTV footage of the women’s restroom. I figured you’d want to see it.”
Bracken’s brows lifted. Striding farther into the room, he asked, “Have you watched it yet?”
Nick shook his head. “Derren’s scanning it. He hasn’t yet reached the part where Madisyn entered the restroom.”
“Nick said one of the bears clawed her face,” began Zander. “How bad?”
“They were barely grazes,” replied Bracken. “According to Grant, she was the only one standing when his security guy went to the restroom to check out the noise that someone reported.” He hadn’t yet shared with the pack that she was his mate.
“I heard that Madisyn’s a fierce fighter,” said Jesse. “Even so, I was kind of surprised to hear she overpowered three dominant female sows.”
“Maybe they were hammered,” suggested Eli.
Shaya arched a brow at the Head Enforcer, who was also Nick’s younger brother. “So if a female wins in an attack against three, her opponents must have been impaired in some way?”
Eli raised a hand. “I didn’t say that. But they’re bears, Shaya. Bears are a lot stronger than cats.”
“But they’re not faster,” Ally pointed out. “Or more agile. They couldn’t have been hammered anyway, because they drove to Madisyn’s house and lurked outside like weirdos.”
“But their thinking was impaired,” said Eli. “No shifter in their right mind would want to be on Bracken’s bad side. Yet they plowed that car into him.”
“Maybe they didn’t recognize him.” Ally shrugged. “Maybe they were so focused on Madisyn that they didn’t pay him any real attention. Whatever the case—”
The leather chair squeaked as Derren leaned forward. “Ah, here she is.”
Everyone gathered around the computer, eyes on the monitor. Bracken watched as Madisyn disappeared into one of the toilet stalls. The sight of her put his wolf on high alert. Minutes went by, but she didn’t reappear.
“She’s been in that stall for a while now,” said Eli. “Must be one hell of a shit she’s dropping.”
The restroom door opened, and three females strode inside.
“I’m guessing these are the hoe bags,” said Ally, the hint of a growl in her voice.
“Did you see that?” asked Shaya. “The blonde just locked the door. Bitch.”
When his little cat finally left the stall, Bracken leaned closer to the monitor. There was no audio, so he didn’t have a clue what was being said, and he couldn’t lip-read for shit. “Can anyone make out what they’re saying?”
“No, but Madisyn seems calm enough,” said Nick. “She doesn’t look worried, even though the bitches are definitely trying to provoke her. And yep, the redhead just sliced out her claws.”
Bracken narrowed his eyes as he focused on Madisyn. She didn’t brace herself to attack. Didn’t make any intimidating moves or use her posture to subtly exert her dominance. She just stood there. So it came as a shock when her fist suddenly connected with the redhead’s throat. And then the fun began.
He watched, rapt, as she proceeded to kick the sows’ asses. She was fast. Wicked fast. Didn’t even break a sweat. There was viciousness behind every punch, kick, and swipe of her claws. And then she shifted, and a gray blur pounced.
Derren jerked back from the screen. “Whoa.”
“Is that a pallas cat?” asked Jesse. “Fuck me, it is.”
As shocked as his friend, Bracken couldn’t help but wince as the cat wrapped herself around the ringleader’s face like a rabid squirrel on crack, clawing and biting without pity. He winced again when the cat shifted back to human, and Madisyn then sank her claws into the sow’s stomach. Jesus, she was merciless. And he didn’t find that a turnoff at all. If she weren’t his mate and already in his wolf’s sights, the animal would have locked on her after that display of viciousness.
Once the fight was finally over, she pulled on her clothes and—calm as you please, blood dotting her face—ambled to the door.
Derren paused the footage and sat back in his seat. “And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why you don’t mess with a pallas cat. Amazing how all that cuteness perverts into horror.”
“I didn’t see that coming,” said Shaya, shoving a hand into her red curls. “I thought Madisyn was a Canadian lynx.”
Nick’s brow furrowed. “I thought she was a caracal. Maybe even an ocelot. I definitely did not think she was one of those snuggly little death dealers.”
Eli chuckled. “To be fair, the breed won’t bother you if you don’t bother them.”
Bracken nodded. Private and relatively unsociable, pallas cats were happy to live and let live. But if you pissed them off, they would fuck your shit up. It didn’t matter if you were ten times bigger or stronger than they were. It didn’t matter if they were outnumbered—they wouldn’t give one hot shit. No, they’d strike without warning, turning from a cuddly creature into a furry ball of insanity. That was just how the little cat rolled.
You never startled them. You never cornered them. You never touched their food. And you never fed them after midnight.
“I tell ya, it’s going to be hard not to ask Madisyn to shift just so I can get an up-close look at her cat,” said Shaya. “I’ve only ever seen photos of her kind, and I adore how they manage to look constantly cranky. It only makes them cuter.”
Nick stared at his mate, incredulous. “You want an up-close look? Did you not see what the feline did in that restroom? She wrapped herself around that sow’s head like one of those things you see in the Alien movies.”
Shaya’s eyes lit up. “I know. It was awesome, right?”
Nick frowned. “Pallas cats are weird-looking.”
“But in a cute way,” Shaya insisted. “And that cuteness makes them easy to underestimate.”
That was true. If someone were to look at those large amber eyes, all that rich, long gray fur, the little black stripes across their cheeks, and the dark rings marking the bushy, black-tipped tail, they wouldn’t expect to find themselves dealing with a fierce creature that was one of the most vicious shifter breeds.
“I have to say, I love the way her thick fur has white tips that give it a frosted silvery look,” added Ally.
Shaya nodded, her face soft. “Don’t forget those small tufty ears and the little dark spots she has on her forehead like snow leopards. Ooh, and the little patches of white-cream fur on her chin, throat, and inner ears—”
“Oh my God, enough with how cute she is,” griped Nick. “I still say pallas cats are weird-looking.”
Jesse smiled at Nick. “You can at least respect how smart, elusive, and adaptable they are. They’re one of the oldest shifter breeds, but they’ve managed to immerse themselves so fully in the human world and blend so perfectly among them that humans don’t even know their breed exists. That’s no simple thing.”
Zander rubbed at his jaw. “I think there’s only one pallas pride in the whole of the United States.”
“The Olympus Pride,” said Bracken with a nod.
Zander’s brow lifted. “You’ve met them?”
“No, my dad once met their Alpha, Vinnie Devereaux.” Just thinking of his father gave Bracken a pang in his chest, but he went on, “My dad said he’d never seen a friendlier-looking guy in his life. Said Devereaux made him think of a laid-back, charming, ever-helpful town sheriff. The reality? The cat’s a ruthless, cunning bastard who could cause a bloodbath in a nunnery.”
“I’ve heard about Devereaux from Cain,” began Ally, “but I didn’t know he was a pallas cat. Just that he smuggles money through the antiques he sells in his store. The extremists don’t know he’s a shifter, so they use him for that. He then passes their info to Cain. Not that I’m saying Devereaux’s a good guy. Cain was clear that the Devereaux family was better off left alone. Maybe that’s the pride Madisyn came from. If so, it wouldn’t surprise me to hear she voluntarily left it.”
Bracken would certainly find out for sure later. He had many questions for his mate.
Jesse folded his arms. “You know, back to the subject of the sows, I originally thought that they’d lay low. But I’ve got the feeling that even though the sows hit back at her by mowing down Bracken, they may not easily walk away. She didn’t just piss all over their egos; she made a mess of the ringleader’s face.”
Zander gave a slow nod. “Every time the bitch looks in a mirror over the next week while she waits for the wounds to heal, she’ll remember what Madisyn did. It’ll become more and more of a fine idea to strike again.”
Instincts nipping at him, Bracken looked at the computer monitor and said, “Play it again, Derren.” He watched closely a second time as the bears confronted her, and he knew his suspicions were right. “Madisyn lied.”
“Lied?” echoed Shaya.
“There was more to it than a simple confrontation over some guy she was dancing with. I don’t see bitchiness or jealousy on the faces of any of the sows.” They looked serious. Sober, even. “This was about something else.”
“Like what?” asked Derren.
“I don’t know.” But Bracken would find out.
Nick scratched at his jaw. “You could be right. In any case, we need to know exactly who these bears are and what clan they’re from. I’ll ask Donovan if he can run the images through facial-recognition software. In the meantime, someone needs to talk to Madisyn and ask her what’s going on.”
“I’ll do it,” offered Eli.
“No,” said Bracken. “I will.” His tone was hard, insistent, and left no room for negotiation. His pack mates eyed him oddly.
“Something you want to tell us, Brack?” asked Nick, and it was clear that the Alpha suspected that Bracken was—at the very least—sleeping with Madisyn.
“She’s my mate.” His statement was followed by a shocked silence.
Shaya’s brows hit her hairline. “Your mate? Madisyn?”
“Yes,” he replied simply.
Derren pushed to his feet and tilted his head. “Are you sure? I mean, you’ve known each other for years, but you’ve never been anything but . . . well, I wouldn’t even say friends.”
“I’m sure.” Bracken crossed his arms over his chest. “We had an unguarded moment last night, and I felt the bond. I was in too much pain for it to take hold, though. My brain just couldn’t take the intensity of it right then.”
“Damn, this is big news, Brack,” said Zander. “How come you didn’t tell us before now?”
“I wanted to give Madisyn the chance to share it with Dawn and Makenna before Shaya shared it with Taryn. And don’t even try to tell me you could have kept it a secret,” he told Shaya.
The Alpha female tried to look offended. Then her shoulders sagged. “Okay, it wouldn’t have been easy, but I’d like to think I’d have kept it to myself.” Her mate snorted, so Shaya slapped his arm.
“Congratulations on finding your mate.” Zander clapped him on the back. “Have you claimed her yet?”
Bracken shook his head. “It won’t be easy to coax her into accepting my claim. Madisyn has more boundaries than most. And let’s face it, I’ll be hell to deal with. As a dominant female, she’ll find me a trial.”
Jesse snorted. “Madisyn can handle you just fine.”
Nodding, Shaya patted his arm. “It’ll all work out, Bracken. It has to. She’s yours.”
“Well, this explains why she was so quiet last night,” Ally mused. “I thought she was just shocked after seeing you get hit by the car. How are you planning to move forward?”
“Put in the time and effort to get to know her. Build something with her.” Make her feel secure and safe with him. “She wants to be certain I want her, not simply the mating bond.”
“That’s understandable.” Ally leaned into her mate as he draped an arm over her shoulders. “It would probably be different if you were dating her when you realized she was your mate. Then again, Madisyn’s as self-contained as her kind are renowned for being, so I don’t think it would have been simple either way.” Her face split into a smile. “Damn, we’re going to have a pallas cat in our pack. How awesome is that?”
Shaya looked just as excited. “Harley will be glad to hear she’s no longer the only feline.”
Eyes dancing with humor, Eli scratched behind his ear. “I gotta warn you, Bracken, my mom does not like pallas cats. Like at all. She got her ass kicked by one when she was younger. Well, that’s what Gran said. Mom swears she came out on top.”
Nick nodded. “She’s even got a nasty scar from the fight. I don’t think she’ll be happy to hear that she’ll need to welcome a pallas cat into our pack.” And he looked nothing but amused by that.
Bracken shrugged. “Kathy will just have to deal with it.”
“She will,” agreed Shaya. “Are you going to make an announcement to the others?”
“Yes.” By the time Jesse and Zander told their mates, the only people left to tell would be Roni, Marcus, Kathy, Caleb, Kent, and the pups. It was best to get it done in one fell swoop. “I’ll do it in the morning. First, I need to have a long conversation with my mate.”