CHAPTER SIX

 

Friday one week later

 

It had been the most amazing week of her life. Shana was so happy that she practically walked on air. She'd always known that special someone had been missing but she'd had no idea how wonderful her life could be when she found him. Now that she did, she couldn't imagine her life without Dane in it.

They had spent the weekend on pack lands and she'd discovered what it meant to be a beta. Members of the pack had come to him with issues and he'd settled them with calm, practical solutions without having to involve the alpha. It was obvious that he was loved and respected among his pack mates.

The envious looks she received from a few of the female shifters made her wish she hadn't asked him not to introduce her as his mate yet. Although his possessive manner, narrow-eyed glare, and warning growl whenever an unmated male got too close to her might have said more than a public announcement anyway.

Both in human and wolf form, Dane had romped and played with the pack children who all seemed to adore him. She'd teased him afterward and he'd told her that he'd like to have a half dozen cubs of his own to spoil. Shana had laughingly informed him that they would have to have some serious negotiations about that.

Monday night she introduced him to Cindy. The pair had hit it off and her irrepressible friend had warned him that she'd skin him alive if he hurt Shana. That protective comment had instantly endeared her to the shifter. Dane assured her that both he and his wolf appreciated the sentiment even if it wasn't needed.

Tuesday he'd introduced her to his brother, the freaking Supreme Alpha wolf shifter of the US, and his wife. Reece Lassiter looked as fierce and intimidating as his title implied until his intense turquoise eyes were directed at his wife. Then the look of absolute adoration that shown on his handsome face revealed just how deeply he loved his mate.

Jolie and Shana had laughed over the mistaken identity at the art show, but her husband had not found it amusing that anyone had thought his mate belonged to another man. He'd even given his younger brother the evil eye and threatened to kick his ass if it happened again. His wife had lightly smacked his head and told him to behave.

Oddly enough, he did.

Jolie mentioned that she loved Cindy's paintings and was disappointed that she hadn't had time to view them. Shana was happy to arrange a private viewing with her friend which thrilled both Jolie and Cindy. All in all, it was a lovely evening and she had enjoyed meeting his family and discovered that his brother really wasn't that intimidating after all.

Aside from work, she and Dane spent every possible moment together, talking about anything and everything. She told him about her father's penchant for infidelity that had led to her mother drinking herself to death. In turn, he shared details about his tragic childhood and happier times after the alpha had adopted him.

No subject was taboo and he now knew more about her than anyone alive.

Dane continued to spoil her. He had a basket of blueberries and a carafe of gourmet coffee delivered to her office every morning. They either met for lunch or he brought take out to her if she was too busy to leave. After work, they had dinner out or ordered something from room service if she was tired.

He was still staying in the hotel suite and had actually put his penthouse on the market. When she'd asked him why, his response had melted her heart all over again. Because the suite was permeated with her scent and that made it feel like home to him whereas the penthouse still held the scent of his ex-wife and had never felt like a home.

Friday morning Dane reluctantly flew to California on pack business in his brother's stead since Jolie was so near her due date and Reece refused to leave her. When Shana arrived at her office, the berries and coffee were waiting and lunch was delivered from her favorite restaurant. He was still taking care of her from the other side of the continent.

She knew that she couldn't have loved him more and when he got back she was going to tell him that she wanted to be his mate. Unfortunately, she received devastating news that afternoon that would shatter her dreams of happily ever after. Shana went home and cried out her heartbreak to her two best friends.

Nothing they did or said could give her any solace. In light of what she had learned, she had no choice but to walk away from Dane. It was the right thing to do. The only decent thing she could do. The problem was that she knew she'd never have the strength to do it. Which meant she had to force him to stay away from her.

And she knew exactly how to accomplish it.

 

***

 

Dane was exhausted and as irritable as his wolf. He'd been separated from his mate for two days over absolute bullshit. Two packs were threatening to go to war because one alpha's son had mated with the other alpha's daughter without their permission. His brother would have smashed the stubborn alpha's heads together and told them to fight it out.

His approach was more tactful.

After speaking to all the parties involved separately, Dane gathered them together and informed them of their good fortune. As the heirs to their respective alpha's, the young couple's marriage would serve to combine both packs into one making it one of the largest and most powerful in the country.

The father's had liked the sound of that although they had both expressed doubts that their rebellious offspring should be given control of their packs. That had prompted Dane to congratulate both men on raising their heirs to be strong enough to stand up for what they believed in even if it meant going against their alphas to do it.

And he may have mentioned that the pair would surely produce cubs to be reckoned with. That had sealed the deal. The formerly furious alphas had insisted on having a mating ceremony the next night and requested that Dane honor them by officiating. Given that he'd backed himself into the corner, he had reluctantly agreed.

After the ceremony and the celebratory dinner came the traditional hunt which his wolf had enjoyed. Rabbits were exceedingly tasty, after all. It had been after midnight when he'd boarded his brother's private jet and headed for home. He'd been severely disappointed to discover that Shana had opted to spend the night in her condo.

Exhausted and disgruntled, he stripped off his clothes, climbed into his empty bed and buried his face in her pillow. A tired smile curved his lips as he drifted off to sleep, his mate's scent wrapping him in a blanket of peace.

Several hours later, he woke to the sound of his phone pinging that he had received a text. Fully expecting to see a message from Shana, he got the shock of his life. The image showed a picture of a wedding invitation for his mate and the asshat that had cheated on her. Why the hell would anyone send him that?

He didn't recognize the number it came from, but the message beneath it sounded a hell of a lot like something Cindy De Suza would say. Do something to stop this or I'll skin your furry ass and mount your hide on the wall! It had to be from Cindy but it made no sense. Shana wasn't marrying the other man.

She was his mate.

She'd never betray him like this.

A call to her phone went straight to voicemail, as did the second call. Frustrated, he called the mystery texter and got Cindy's voicemail. Opening the text again, he saw that the wedding had been planned for today and it was supposed to take place in fifteen minutes. If this was a joke he was going to wring her neck.

But if it wasn't…

A howl of fury ripped from his chest as he leaped from the bed, snatched on his clothes and raced out the door.

 

***

 

Lawrence had confessed on Friday that he hadn't canceled any of the wedding plans as he'd promised. He'd been afraid that his mate would find out and know that he'd been bluffing. He had planned to show up at the church, explain to the guests that the wedding had been called off and invite everyone to the reception to thank them for coming.

He'd also admitted that he was footing the bill for the entire thing as a peace offering.

Instead of chewing him out, Shana had suggested they go ahead and get married as planned. Cindy had a fit and Lawrence had tried to dissuade her, but her mind was made up. Her former fiancé had told her the only way he'd be able to stay away from his mate was if he married her and the same held true for Shana.

Marrying Lawrence was her only recourse.

And his as well.

So there they stood, in front of a congregation packed full of friends and family who'd come to celebrate their joyous union. Except the bride and groom were both miserable even though they did their best to hide it. Cindy wasn't even trying to hide her disgust as the scowl on her face attested.

"If anyone has any reason why the bride and groom should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace," the minister intoned solemnly.

Shana held her breath, some tiny part of her hoping against hope that the impossible would happen. That Dane would come storming in and demand the ceremony be stopped. That her wolf in shining armor would carry her off and they would live happily ever after. But even if he did, she still couldn't be the mate that he needed.

"Stop," a masculine voice rang out pleadingly through the tomb-like atmosphere. "Please stop." Every head turned and shocked gasps echoed through the sanctuary. A man seated near the back rose to his feet, big, blonde and broken-hearted. "Don't do this to me. To us. You're my mate and I love you."

A sob of pure happiness threatened to choke Shana. Tears welled in her eyes and she squeezed Lawrence's cold, clammy hand. His dazed eyes met hers and she gave him a brilliant smile. "Mates belong together," she said softly.

"She's right," the wolf shifter confirmed as he walked down the aisle toward them. "We do belong together. And this time, I'm never letting you go."

"Bratcher," Lawrence breathed brokenly as he was engulfed in an embrace.

More shocked gasps filled the room.

Shana bounced up and down happily and cheered, "Yes!"

Cindy threw the bouquet in the air and shouted, "Jesus be praised! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"What the hell is going on?" Shana's father thundered from the front pew as the mates turned to face the grinning bride wearing ridiculously happy expressions.

 

***

 

Dane flung the double doors open with a bang and entered the church as wild and untamed as the wolf inside of him. The sight of his mate in the process of marrying another man pushed him past all reason. He was functioning on primal instinct alone as he stalked down the aisle toward Shana.

The shocked gasps and exclamations from the congregation, barely registered as she stared back at him in wide-eyed disbelief. What did register was the wolf shifter at the altar stepping protectively in front of the groom. He snarled and flashed fang at the other shifter in warning and scooped his mate into his arms.

"This woman is mine," the guttural roar resonated through the cavernous room. That said, he stalked back outside and headed straight for the limo parked in front of the church. Dane placed her gently into the back, threw a wad of Benjamin's to the driver and climbed in behind the wheel.

"Dane, unlock the damn door," Shana demanded from the back seat as she yanked on the door handle. "Let me out!"

"You are my mate," he growled, the sound more animal than human. Having her with him appeased his wolf somewhat, but the pain and anguish at her betrayal fed the compulsion to maim and destroy in both man and beast.

"I'm not a possession," she accused angrily. "You can't just kidnap me like this."

"Watch me," he said with a smile that bordered on feral and closed the window that separated them. Yeah, he could still hear her pleading with him to take her back but there was no way in hell that was happening. He was keeping her with him until she admitted the truth, that they belonged together.

Because he just couldn't live without her.

Throughout the long drive, his phone kept vibrating with an angry insistence that assured him the caller was his brother. Knowing that Reece wouldn't stop calling until he answered, he snatched it out of his pocket and snarled, "What?"

"What the fuck have you done?" His brother snarled right back. "Jesus, Dane, I've got the district attorney, the mayor and the governor calling me demanding your head on a platter."

"Let 'em try to take it," he bit out as he parked the car and got out.

"You kidnapped a woman in front of hundreds of witnesses," was roared into his ear.

"I claimed what's mine," he growled and crushed the phone, dropping the pieces at his feet.

"You've lost your mind," Shana said in disbelief when he opened her door.

"No. I found my backbone," he countered and scooped her into his arms.

 

***

 

Reece tried to call his brother back and when he got an out of service message he knew the idiot had broken the phone. Son of a bitch! He put his fist through a wall to vent his fury. Of all the times for his brother to grow a set, why did it have to be like this? He was almost as proud as he was pissed.

"Reece, punching the walls won't help," his mate said gently as she slid her arms around him from behind.

He turned and held her as close as her baby bump would allow. "He's losing it, sunshine."

He was so not in the mood to deal with this right now. Not while his wife was pregnant and did not need anything to upset her. She'd almost died when she went into premature labor with their first born so you're damn right he was being overly protective of her. His mate and cubs were his whole world.

"Okay, stop and think this through," Jolie encouraged. "You know Dane better than anyone. Where would he take her?"

That was easy. Dane would want to isolate himself with his mate until he could win her over. "The cabin." It was on pack land, protected from the outside world and remote enough that he wouldn't encounter pack members. He grabbed his phone and called the head of his pack's security team. "Garret, we have a problem."

"No shit, dude," the shifter confirmed. "Dane blew in a few minutes ago with a woman. She's scared, Alpha. We tracked the scent of her fear to his cabin."

Awesome. At least he knew where they were. "Get close enough that he's aware of your presence, but stay far enough away not to present a threat," he commanded. "Dane's in a mating frenzy." Which meant that his wolf would perceive any unmated male that came near his mate as a threat and attack without provocation.

"Oh, he knows we're here," his pack mate assured him. "He's emitting some heavy duty mojo because of it."

"What kind of mojo?" Reece demanded.

"Alpha power," the other man explained solemnly. "I can feel it from a hundred yards out."

The alpha power was an innate form of energy that only a select few purebred alphas possessed. They could emit short bursts of it to force an entire pack of wolves into submission if they got out of control. It was very rare and extremely powerful. And if Dane lost control it could be deadly.

Mother fucking hell.

This was all their bitch of a mother's fault. If she hadn't warped their psyche's this shit wouldn't be happening. Being pimped out to pedophiles by your own mother had a tendency to fuck with a child's head. Reece had become a vicious creature filled with rage and a ruthless determination to never be subject to anyone else's control.

Which is how he had become the most powerful alpha in the country.

His brother was a completely different story. Dane had been born an alpha, but he had suppressed his wolf's natural inclinations in the vain hope that their mother would love him if he was obedient. He had actually believed the sick bitch when she'd told him that he wasn't loveable and he never would be.

Combine that shit with his brother's kind heart and generous spirit and what you got was a chivalrous prick who refused to embrace his destiny. Dane went out of his way to take care of others as a true alpha should and their adoptive father had known that he should have been his successor.

So had Reece.

When Dane had refused to step up and accept his full potential, their father had named him pack alpha. Reece ruled with an iron paw and the respect he commanded was rooted in fear. But the pack loved his brother, though the idiot couldn't see it, and would blindly follow his lead without question.

It looked like the time had finally come to settle the matter once and for all.

This situation with his brother was long overdue. And it wasn't like he had a choice. As the pack alpha, it was his responsibility to rein Dane back in, even if he had to bare fangs and claws to do it. Jesus. Jolie was going to be pissed, but there was nothing else that he could do if his brother provoked a confrontation.

"Fall back and give him some breathing room," he commanded heavily. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"I'm going with you," his wife said as he'd expected.

"Sunshine, Dane is almost rogue right now and it won't take much to push him over the edge," he pointed out. "I don't want you anywhere near him until he's in his right mind again."

"Oh, please," she scoffed. "Dane would never hurt me and you know it."

"But he is going to hurt me and I don't want you to see it," he said seriously and hugged her tight.

"Oh, hell no," his wife growled and pushed him away. She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "I'm going, Reece, so stop arguing and get your ass in gear."

Goddamn, he loved it when she got feisty.

No amount of arguing could make her stay behind and he couldn't bring himself to lock her in the penthouse, so thirty minutes later, Jolie was by his side when the helicopter touched down. The cabin sat in a large clearing and appeared deserted. Reece could sense the presence of his pack waiting in the surrounding woods.

His mate walked past him toward the cabin and he caught her arm to hold her back. His brother stepped out on the porch and a wave of pure energy slammed into Reece, causing him to stagger backward. His hold on Jolie loosened and she slipped out of his grasp to march right up to his brother, completely fearless.

"Dane, you and I are going to have a come to Jesus talk after I make sure your mate is all right," she warned as she walked right past him and into the cabin.

***

Jolie found the other woman sitting in a chair in front of the fireplace, her eyes huge and unfocused. She was dressed in Dane's sweatpants and t-shirt and her hair was still damp as if she'd recently showered. She lowered herself into the chair beside her and saw that Shana looked like she was in shock and scared half to death.

After what she had done, Jolie wasn't feeling all that charitable toward her right then. She reached out and grasped her cold hand and dazed pale green eyes met hers. "Shana, I know this is scary, but you have to get hold of your fear," she said sternly. "Dane's wolf is reacting to it and it's just making the situation worse."

"We're surrounded by wolves," she said just above a whisper.

"They're here for your protection," she assured her.

"But I don't need it," the other woman said as a tear slid down her cheek. "Dane would never hurt me. He told me the howls I heard meant that the wolves were here to watch him and that the alpha was coming. He swore he wouldn't let anyone take me away from him. I'm terrified that they're going to hurt him."

Jolie's brow crinkled before she said, "You're afraid for Dane?"

"Of course I am," she insisted in anguish. "He's going to be punished for loving me and I don't even deserve him."

"You love him," she said in astonishment.

"So much it's tearing me apart," Shana confessed miserably.

"Then you have to tell him," she urged.

"I can't," she denied in a broken whisper. "I can't be his mate. It wouldn't be fair to him."

"What's not fair is letting him think you don't love him," she countered unsympathetically. "Letting him believe that his mate rejected him is the cruelest thing you can do."

"I know he's hurting now, but…"

"But nothing," Jolie interrupted bluntly. "He'll always hurt unless he goes rogue and has to be put down. There is no walking away from a mate bond. I've tried and it's a living hell." The sound of an unholy roar caused her heart to stop. "Oh, God. They're going to fight. Stop him, Shana. For God's sake, stop this before it's too late!"

 

***

 

"Get the fuck out of here, Reece," Dane growled in an ominous tone.

His brother was already sporting fangs and claws and from the way his eyes were glowing reddish gold, he wasn't far from rogue. Reece stopped twenty feet from the porch and held both hands up in surrender."I'm not here to take her, Dane," he denied. "I just want to talk. This isn't the way to handle a mate and you know it."

"I won't lose her," his brother insisted stubbornly.

"You will if you keep scaring her," he pointed out and lowered his hands. "I can smell her fear and I know it's making your wolf batshit crazy."

"She's not afraid of me," he denied in a snarl.

"She's scared of something," he insisted since the stench of fear was almost overwhelming. "You need to find out what it is and fix it so she's not afraid. Prove to your mate that she has nothing to fear."

"I know how to take care of my mate," his brother snarled and jumped off of the porch to face him in an aggressive stance that had Reece's wolf rising to the challenge. "I took care of your mate when you wouldn't."

"And I thank God for that every day," Reece confessed as he forced his wolf back down. "Now it's my turn to repay the favor. Let me talk to your mate."

"No."

"Dammit, Dane, you can't just keep her here against her will," he insisted. "If she doesn't want to stay then you have to let her go."

"She's my mate," he snarled aggressively.

Yeah, talking was not going to resolve this situation. Reece knew what he had to do and it was gonna hurt like a mother fucker. He prepared himself for the fight of his life and prayed it didn't cost him his life. He said the one thing guaranteed to make his brother lose control. "She doesn't love you."

An unholy roar rent the air as his brother dove at him, shifting in mid-air. Reece was prepared for it and shifted as well. The two massive wolves collided with a vicious snarl that echoed through the clearing and into the distance. The battle was going to be bloody and he hoped like hell that they both survived it.

 

***

 

Shana raced out the door of the cabin and stared at the scene before her in astonishment. Two massive wolves, one white, the other black, were locked in an epic battle. They slashed at each other viciously with teeth and claws until blood coated both their bodies. She clapped a hand over her mouth to hold back a scream of sheer horror.

Her cuddly wolf wasn't the playful creature that she adored. This was a ferocious beast intent on the complete annihilation of his opponent. The fierce snarls and growls were a far cry from the sweet howls and playful barks she'd heard before. Neither wolf was willing to back down and this was obviously a fight to the death.

Dane was hurt and bleeding. He was fighting with the brother that he loved. And he was doing it for her. Her horrified gaze saw the white wolf sink its teeth into the black wolf's neck and forcefully slam it to the ground. Then those powerful jaws shook his opponent like a poodle with a stuffed toy.

The black wolf heaved a heavy breath and went limp beneath him.

The mournful howl of dozens of wolves filled the air.

Jolie screamed in agony.

Shana didn't even think.

She just ran.

Her feet carried her directly into the fray and she grasped the back of the white wolf's neck with hands that trembled and pulled hard. She had to stop him before he killed his brother. If it wasn't already too late. The last thing she expected was to see those lethal blood coated fangs coming for her own throat.

Time stood still in that instant.

Because she knew with unshakable certainty that Dane would not hurt her. She was his fated mate and he loved her to the point of madness. He would kill for her. Die for her. Protect her with his life. And she wanted nothing more than to be his mate. So she stood perfectly still and whispered the word that would set him free.

The one word that would bind them for eternity.

"Mate."

***

The wolf was a seething mass of rage and fury. His mate had rejected him and the pain was unbearable. He wanted to kill, eviscerate and destroy everything in his path. He had warned his pack mates to stay away for their own protection and they had wisely remained out of sight. But they were still there in the distance, waiting.

His brother had not heeded the warning. The alpha backed down from no one. When it came to his mate, neither did he. His human was strong. Stronger than most. The tight rein that he kept on him proved that. But when his brother dared to speak the unthinkable, his human willingly relinquished control to the beast.

Control that he eagerly accepted.

With a roar of rage and anguish, he sprang into action and attacked his brother. The alpha accepted the challenge and the battle was on. The wolf knew that his alpha would not back down. That this would be a fight to the death. He could die and end his suffering or he could win and continue to fight for his mate.

The wolf chose to live.

His brother lunged for his side and he took the opening. He sank his teeth into the other wolf's neck and forced him to the ground. His human knew the alpha would not stay down and was screaming at him not to kill their brother. So the wolf shook him fiercely, giving him the choice to surrender or die.

Surprisingly, the alpha remained limp in his grasp, conceding defeat. His pack mates mournful howls filled the air, his brother's mate screamed her anguish. They thought their alpha was dead. No one had ever defeated him before and many had tried. His human would have never let him challenge their brother had it not been for their mate.

Just as he released the alpha, something grasped the back of his neck and pulled forcefully. Expecting to face another attack, he whirled around with a vicious snarl and fangs poised to rip the interloper's throat out. The pale green eyes of his mate filled his vision as his jaws encircled her fragile neck.

"NO!" His human screamed in terror.

A beautiful smile covered her face as she said the sweetest word he'd ever heard. The word that freed his soul from agony and washed every vestige of his pain away. "Mate."

Jaw locked in place, his body slammed forcefully into her smaller frame. As they fell, his paws elongated, shifting into human hands that curved behind her, cradling her back and head from making contact with the ground. Shielding her body with the strength of his as his forelegs took the brunt of their weight.

Carefully, so very carefully, he pulled his head back and inspected her neck for injury. Not even a scratch marred her perfect skin, but she lay still beneath him, eyes closed and unmoving. Fearful that he had harmed their mate, the wolf returned control to his panicking human.

***

Dane shifted back to his human form from a crouched position atop his mate. His heart was in his throat, fear shredding him from the inside out. Shana lay beneath him as beautiful as ever with a smile on her lips. His hands slid anxiously over her neck and shoulders, searching for injury, streaking her with blood.

Seeing blood on her made him panic even more because she wasn't moving. Jesus Christ, why wasn't she moving? He was afraid to move her and risk further injury. Eyes of palest crystal green opened and the absolute trust shining in them took his breath away. "I knew you wouldn't hurt me."

A shuddering breath escaped his heaving chest and he gathered her into his arms for a fierce hug. He rained tender kisses across her face and hair, his hands gently stroking her body. "Never," he vowed brokenly. "I could never hurt you."

"But you're hurt," his mate said anxiously as she pulled away to inspect his bloody chest and arms.

Dane rose to his feet and pulled her up to stand beside him. "My wounds are almost healed," he assured her. "All I need is a shower."

A pair of folded sweatpants hit him in the chest before a weary voice said, "Little brother, you are a pain in my ass." They turned to see Reece sitting on the edge of the porch with his wife cradled gently in his lap. His brother was wearing a pair of sweatpants but from the waist up he was streaked with blood and looked exhausted.

Exactly like Dane felt.

"I'm so sorry," Shana said nervously. "Are you all right, Alpha?"

His brother laughed and replied, "Shana, your mate is alpha now."

"The hell I am," Dane barked in denial.

"Tell them that," Reece said seriously and nodded behind him.

He turned around and stared at the scene before him in shock. The clearing and the woods beyond were filled with his pack mates. Even the cubs were there. Every last one of them knelt down before him and lowered their head. It was a show of respect and submission reserved for an alpha and not to be taken lightly.

He looked back at his brother who was kneeling before him in his human form. Jolie knelt beside him, both of them with their heads down. Turning his wild-eyed gaze on his mate he saw her staring back at him with a bewildered expression. With no other recourse, Dane threw his head back and howled his acceptance.

The sound of his pack's joyful howls joined his. When the last sound died out, he announced, "Tonight we'll have a mating ceremony and welcome my mate to the pack." Barks of agreement filled the air before the wolves disappeared into the woods. He scowled at his brother and threatened, "I ought to kick your ass for this."

"You already did that," Reece said in amusement as he rose to his feet and gently lifted his mate. "It was worth every ache and pain. This has been a long time coming, little brother."

"I always thought father was blowing smoke up my ass," he admitted.

"Not likely," the former alpha denied as he hugged him fiercely.

"Congratulations, Dane," Jolie said with a warm smile before she poked a finger in his chest. "If you had seriously hurt my mate I'd be kicking your ass right now."

***

"Can someone please tell me what just happened?" Shana asked in obvious confusion.

That earned a laugh from the other woman. "Dane just beat Reece in mortal combat," she pointed out. "My mate has never been defeated. No one has even come close to taking him down before. But his brother did it. To keep you."

"He damn sure did," Reece agreed as he slid an arm around his wife. His other hand gently caressed her rounded middle as if he were touching their unborn child. A knot of pain filled Shana's throat and she had to look away from the tender moment.

"Hey," Dane said as he lifted her chin up until their eyes met. "Are you all right, beauty?"

He was so perceptive to her every mood and now wasn't the time for that conversation. So she nodded her head and forced a watery smile to her lips. "I'm just so glad that you're both okay." He pulled her into his arms and just held her. It felt so good, so right, that she wrapped her arms around him and held on tight.

"So am I," Jolie said with feeling.

"All right, let's get the explanations over with so you two can get on with the mating," Reece said with a huge grin and shot his brother a wicked wink.

"Amen to that, brother," her soon to be mate agreed and placed a kiss atop her head. Dane sat down on the edge of the porch and lifted Shana onto his lap. "I told you that Reece and I were adopted but what I didn't tell you is that we're both bastards with different fathers."

"Our mother was an evil bitch and if she knew who are father's were, she never admitted it," Reece chimed in. "So we know nothing of our heritage other than we're wolf shifters."

"I've been able to shift since I was a baby, but Reece wasn't able to until he was thirteen," Dane explained. "Our adopted father told us it was because both my parents were wolves while Reece had a human father."

"Which makes him a purebred and me a mongrel," the older brother joked. "Our father always believed that Dane's biological father was a very powerful purebred shifter because the kid can do things that no regular wolf shifter can."

"Like what?" Shana asked curiously.

"Like when he went for your throat earlier," his brother explained. "His paws turned into human hands while he was in wolf form."

She gasped and looked up at her mate in surprise because she'd never heard of such a thing before. "I couldn't let you hit the ground," Dane said with a shrug. "Paws are not made for catching."

"Yeah, he's always shrugged it off as if it were no big deal," the former alpha derided. "But this time the whole pack felt the power you're packing. I gotta tell ya little brother, that was impressive as hell. You almost put me on my ass."

"That was my intention," he responded dryly.

"Power?" Jolie asked with a frown.

"It's something very rare that only a select few purebred alphas can do," her mate explained. "They emit a burst of raw energy that can knock a wolf off of its feet or calm an entire pack. He did it when we got here which is how you managed to get away from me."

"So that strange buzzing sensation that I felt was a burst of alpha power?" Jolie queried.

"Had to be," Shana confirmed. "I'd been experiencing the same thing since we got here and it freaked me out."

"I'm sorry, beauty," Dane said ruefully and trailed his fingertips down her cheek. "I was warning the pack to stay away. I didn't know it would affect you."

"I would have been fine if I'd known what it was," she assured him. "It had every hair on my body standing on end."

"I'll bet," Reece said in amusement. "In any event, our father always claimed that Dane would be the strongest alpha our pack had ever produced. The kid always denied it… until now."

"I had my reasons," her mate insisted.

"You didn't want to fight me for the position," the older brother deduced.

"Did you ever consider I just didn't want it?" He asked dryly.

"Whatever the reason, the job's yours now, little brother," Reece said as he gently lifted his mate in his arms. "I'm going to retire and spend the rest of my days spoiling my mate and cubs."

"I like the sound of that," Jolie agreed as he carried her toward the helicopter.

"We'll see you at the ceremony," Reece called over his shoulder before he climbed inside.

Once they were alone, her conscience just wouldn't let her wait a minute longer so Shana blurted out, "I can't have children."

He blinked at her and asked, "What?"

"I found out Friday afternoon," she confessed brokenly. "I can't have children, Dane and that's not fair to you. I know how much you love them and…"

"Shana, it doesn't matter to me if you can have children or not," he assured her solemnly. "I'm adopted and nothing would please me more than to adopt children of my own."

"Do you really mean that?" She asked tremulously.

"Of course I do. Wait. Is that why you rejected me?" He asked in astonishment and she nodded her affirmation. "You were going to marry that asshat because you can't have my children?"

"Yes," she whispered brokenly.

"It wasn't because you don't love me?"

"No!" She exclaimed and was horrified that he'd thought such a thing. "It's because I love you too much."

***

Dane's composure broke. His mate had just fucking wrecked him. Tears filled his eyes and a sob tore from his chest. Shana looked completely appalled and he framed her beautiful face with both hands. "You love me?" He asked brokenly.

"Yes."

"You really love me?" He asked in awe.

"I really, really do," she confessed with a tremulous smile.

"Beauty, no one has ever loved me," he admitted shamefully. "Until you."

"Of course they have," she countered.

He shook his head, the golden eyes solemn and filled with pain. "My own mother didn't love me. Neither did my wife," he confessed. "You're the first woman who has ever said those words to me."

Tears slid down her cheeks as she vowed, "You'll hear them every day for the rest of our lives, Dane. I love you, mate of mine. I love you, love you, love you."

"Jesus," he whispered brokenly and rested his forehead against hers, his arms tightening around her possessively. "I love you with all that I am, my beauty, now and forever."