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  Chapter 13

  (Ash and Liddick)

  Liddick hadn’t slept all night. Visions of Ash swam through his mind, keeping him from even the hope of any rest. His lion was restless, demanding he go upstairs and claim what was theirs, but that wasn’t going to happen for two reasons. One, he wasn’t going to force Ash into anything, because from what he’d heard, she and her pack had had enough of males trying to force them into things, and two, his little mate was ferocious! Even if he wanted to force anything, Ash wasn’t the type to permit it. No, she was fierce, all angry brown eyes and dark scowl. He grinned at the memory of her running from him. The memory had adrenaline suddenly pumping through his veins. She’d fought hard, completely unaware that the harder she fought, the more he wanted her. Damn, I’m a lucky man!

  Ash showing up now felt like a gift, and not just in the ‘I’ve finally found my mate’ way. No, he certainly needed this, but the pack needed it too. In the years that Wren had been absent, he and his brothers had struggled. Shirking his responsibilities to his brothers, and his place among them, Wren had spent several years in the wilds of British Columbia with three Alpha wolves. Each of the men were meant to lead a pack, yet each had chosen to attempt a new existence. They’d formed a pack of the strongest, most virile male shifters, Alphas all, with the exception of Wren, the lone lion shifter, the lone Apex. For years they’d stayed in their animal forms, fighting, hunting, and surviving. They’d been dissatisfied with the dictates put upon them by birthright. They’d wanted to see what would happen if they gave in to their animals, let their beasts have control. The result? Barron Kane, Delano Bowden, Gray Kincaid, and Wren Prime were the strongest, fiercest, most feared shifters in North America. When their animals had the need to fight, they’d fought each other, which meant they’d fought the best. Their abilities in battle, stealth, agility, and prowess had been more then honed, they’d been perfected. Their senses were off the charts. They could see further and in less light, they could hear even the slightest rustle at great distances. They became the perfect killing machines, but it hadn’t been enough. When Wren finally came back to his brothers, he’d been unaware of the fact that their father had passed in his absence. Liddick had had a difficult time keeping his brothers in line. There had been many battles for dominance, mostly between himself and Lux, but he’d always come out on top. Instead of claiming Apex though, as was his right, he declared himself Beta and waited for Wren’s return.

  It had been a difficult existence. With no Apex, no father, and no mates, it had left Liddick and the rest of his brothers feeling out of place, which was compounded by the fact that their species was already rare. Mountain lion shifters were on the cusp of extinction. Hell, even African Lions were now more prevalent in the States than mountain lions. He and his brothers had been lost. Then, Wren had returned. He’d whipped them into shape, taken his place as Apex, and the pack had settled into a routine. It had felt better, but something was still off. Liddick knew he and the rest of his brothers feared that dwindling mountain lion numbers were the result of a lack of mates, or rather the mountain lions' inability to find mates. The appearance of Ryka and her women had changed all that.

  “Here!” Cason shoved a plate stacked high with pancakes into his chest, jerking him from his reverie.

  “What’s your problem?” he growled at his angry brother.

  “Nothing,” Cason snapped, “but you could help with breakfast seeing as your mate is one of the females we’ll be feeding.”

  Oh! So that’s it. Cason was pissed because he hadn’t been stricken, he hadn’t found his mate.

  Liddick took the plate and turned toward the table, but stopped. “Kenna’s young, bro. Maybe in a year or two…”

  “Stop,” Cason growled, turning to scowl at his brother as he pointed the spatula in his hand at Liddick’s chest. “Just shut up! I don’t want to hear another fucking word about it.”

  His other brothers, who were helping prepare breakfast, had all gone silent and were watching the exchange. Finally, Wren offered, “Cason, you’re the youngest.”

  “I’m twenty-two,” Cason snapped. “I’m not a fucking cub!”

  “No, you’re not.” Wren agreed. “But look at me! I’m thirty years old, and I’ve just found Ryka! You can’t expect it to happen overnight, brother! Hell, Liddick and Lux are older than you by four and six years! You just gotta…” He plowed a hand through his hair. “Just don’t lose hope. She’s out there, man. If anything, this—what’s happened for us—should bolster you. Let it give you hope.”

  Cason was shaking his head, so Liddick cleared his throat and offered, “I never thought it’d happen for me, brother. I never thought I’d find her, and it took so fucking long that I started thinking I didn’t deserve her, and that’s why she wasn’t showing up. And I waited… I waited so fucking long for Ash, and then when she finally shows up she’s all fiery and fighty and beautiful…and…and perfect! I didn’t think it was going to happen for me, man. I didn’t think I was good enough. Why do you think I acted the way I did? Why do you think I chased all the girls and threw all the parties? I was fucking desperate, and not just to find her! I was desperate to hide from my lion the fact that I’d failed in finding us what we needed. I was feeding him pitiful substitutes, but he was never fooled. I was never fooled. But now she’s here, and cheesy as it fucking sounds, everything is right in my world!”

  “Bro,” Cason cut in with a smile in his words. “She doesn’t even like you. In fact, I think she outright hates you!”

  Liddick blew out a breath. “She may not like me much right now, but she will. That gives me and my cat a purpose, and if I gotta spend every single day for the rest of my life chasing her down until she loves me, then that’s what I’m gonna do, because she is going to love me! She’s my one, and your one is out there too. Don’t give up on that.”

  ***

  Ash and the rest of the girls stood silently on the stairs. They’d been on their way down to breakfast when they’d heard Cason snap that he wasn’t, “a fucking cub”. The girls had all stopped their descent and were debating going back upstairs to let the brothers finish their argument when Ryka halted them to listen to what Wren had to say. Ash hadn’t expected Liddick to chime in too, but when he did, his words sucked the wind from her like a punch to the gut.

  From her spot in the hall, Ash felt her heart seize at the truth she heard in his words. She was different than the rest of the girls. She wasn’t a soft heart like Seven, she lacked the youthful naivety of Kenna, and she wasn’t a leader like Ryka. No, she was a fighter. A fighter who wanted desperately to be a lover. Though she wasn’t gentle like Seven, she had a bad habit of loving too fully. It had burned her in the past, but it wasn’t something she could seem to break away from.

  At Liddick’s declaration, Kenna’s sighed, “Awwwww!” had all the girls whipping their heads in her direction. Ash’s eyes went wide as she leaned her head forward with a silent, “What in the fuck are you doing?”

  It was too late, though. Suddenly, there were throats clearing in the kitchen and the sound of lots of movement. Wren poked his head out into the hall, his eyes only for Ryka. “Morning, beauties. Hope you’re hungry.”

  Ash followed Ryka, Kenna, and Seven as they shuffled into the kitchen. There was food piled high and steaming on several plates dotting the table. The guys were shuffling around doing various things, but her eyes instantly went to Liddick. His back was to her as he rinsed something in the sink, but she felt compelled to say something to him. Not just because of what she’d heard, but because even from across the room she could see that red had crept up his neck and settled high on his cheekbones. She stood staring at him, wondering what she should say, when Seven nudged her with her shoulder and jerked her head toward Liddick.

  “I KNOW!” Ash mouthed angrily, and made her way slowly toward Liddick. He was rinsing dishes while the rest of the guys went to settle themselves at the table to give the two some privacy.

&nb
sp; Ash kept her voice low. “I…I don’t hate you, Liddick.” In fact, it was getting hard for her to steer clear of him as she’d initially intended. He was so damn gorgeous it was deflating, and he’d tried really hard at dinner last night to be doting like Lux. She grinned at the memory, but her grin faltered when Liddick’s hands stilled and he turned his head to look at her.

  “I just…I don’t know you.” She shrugged and fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. “Yesterday when we got here you were pretty disappointed that we weren’t,” she dropped her hem to make air quotes, “the girls that Jesup had lined up.” She didn’t want to admit that she’d been checking him out when they’d first arrived, but when she’d heard him say they had ‘girls’ lined up for the night she had gotten offended. “Then you were stricken, and everything happened so fast. Everything is still happening so fast.”

  Liddick’s eyes hardened as he looked at her. “You’re not my second choice, Ash. That wasn’t disappointment you heard yesterday. I choose you. I choose you every goddamn time! I’m assuming you heard what I told Cason just now?”

  She nodded and met his eyes.

  “I meant every word. I’ve waited so fucking long…”

  “Wait!” She help up her hands, then dropped them to rub her thighs. “Can you not say that again?” She glanced over her shoulder at everyone else and lowered her voice. “When you say shit like that, you make me feel guilty. You’re trying to give me something I’m not ready to accept yet. Can you just…wait until I’m ready?”

  A sad smile touched his lips. “Are you kidding?”

  Ash’s brows snapped into a frown, and she opened her mouth to respond, when Liddick cut her off. “Now that I’ve found you, Ash, I’ll wait forever if I have to. If it takes days, weeks, months, or years, I’m holding on.”

  She nodded and went to turn away, but Liddick caught her arm.

  “Do you hear me, Ash?”

  Her eyes collided with his as he dipped his head lower, until there was only a mere breath between them as his eyes bore into hers. “I’m holding on.”

  The way he said it wasn’t like a promise, or even a threat. It sounded reverent, like a vow. Ash held his eyes.

  “O-KAY,” Jesup bellowed from the table, breaking Liddick’s hold on her. Ash turned to face the table, and had to admit that a small part of her wanted to smash Jesup in the face for ruining her moment with Liddick.

  “Ryka’s the Alphena, Kenna’s the baby, Seven is the soft heart, and Ash is what?” Jesup grinned at her. “The badass?”

  “No.” Ash crossed her arms and lifted her head haughtily, shaking her ponytail out behind her as she turned to face the table. “I’m the cute one.”

  The girls all smiled. They’d heard Ash say it a thousand times, but to watch Liddick’s beaming smile at the proclamation was priceless.

  “Yes,” Ash heard Liddick agree from behind her a moment before his large hands settled on her hips and his breath fanned against her neck. “Yes, you are.”

  Lux cleared his throat. “All due respect, Ash, I’d like to disagree.”

  She couldn’t concentrate though, and frankly she didn’t give a damn. All her attention was on Liddick’s hands on her hips, his big body brushing against her back as he stepped closer.

  Seven groaned and rolled her eyes, slapping Lux’s chest before turning to him with a giggle. “Let her have it. She really, really likes being the cute one.”

  Lux shrugged a massive shoulder and leaned in, whispering something into Seven’s ear, earning him a peal of laughter before she threw an arm around his neck in a quick hug that surprised the other girls.

  Unable to help herself, Ash leaned back into the wall of Liddick’s chest and watched their packs. It was odd how comfortable they all seemed to be with each other already. She glanced at Seven, who was beaming at Lux. Kenna was smiling too as she watched Cason pile pancakes onto her plate. When her eyes slid to Ryka though, she was studying the scene with a worried look. Flicking a glance to Wren, Ash watched him watching Ryka. He had the same intensity in his eyes that Liddick’s held whenever he looked at her, or Lux’s whenever he looked at Seven. Glancing back at Ryka, Ash knew that she and Wren’s mating would be more difficult. There were politics to consider, and Ryka’s ever-present fear for the rest of the girls. It made Ash feel bad. She’d been giving Liddick a hard time, but honestly, the only thing standing between them was choice. It wasn’t the same for Ryka and Wren. They had their packs to consider, and Ryka had the added fear of that prick Marill coming for them. It was the same worry that made it difficult for Ash to let her guard down, because if Marill came and Ryka asked her to run with the rest of them, Ash knew she would. She owed a lot to Ryka, and there wasn’t anything she’d be able to deny her Phena, even if it cost Ash her mate. Swallowing hard, she stepped away from Liddick, ignoring the scent of his disappointment as she made her way to the table and settled into the same place she’d sat the night before. Best to not get too attached until Ryka told her their plan.

  Chapter 14

  (Ryka and Wren)

  Breakfast was a lengthy affair. All of the girls sat in the same spots they’d had the night before at dinner. Even after her quiet admission to Liddick, Ash kept her spot between Ryka and Seven. Liddick tried to hide it, but Ryka could tell he was wounded by it, and it worried her. Wren had said Liddick would give Ash time, and Liddick had confirmed it with his vow this morning, but still… Ryka found that she constantly had to remind herself that they didn’t even know these men. She was cautious of getting too attached, of being reeled in and missing something.

  Several conversations were going at once, and when she peeked up, Wren’s eyes were on her. Tilting her head to the side in an indication she’d like to speak with him alone, she stood and stepped out into the hallway.

  “You okay?” Wren asked, stepping into the hall with her. “You didn’t eat much breakfast.”

  She clamped a hand over her belly, surprised that he’d noticed. “Uhh, fine. Just not hungry is all.” She didn’t know why she even made the attempt. Shifters could smell lies, but they could also smell emotions. Wren would have to know that her loss of appetite was due to nerves. “So, what’s the plan?” she asked, tilting her head back to look up at him. “Is there a plan?”

  “Yes. We won’t go hunting, we’ll wait for trouble to come to us. I intend to keep you here.”

  Her delicate brows snapped into a frown.

  “Wait.” He held up a hand. “I’m not forcing myself on you, Ryka, and I’ll be damned if this Marill and his wolves try to either. What I’m offering you is a place to stay where you’ll all be together and safe. Don’t be selfish. Think of your pack and their needs before you turn down what we’re offering here.”

  “I wasn’t turning anything down,” she snapped angrily, annoyed that he’d just assumed she was being selfish. “You don’t know me! So don’t pretend to!”

  “I wasn’t. I was just saying that you need to think about all the girls and not just what you want…or don’t want, as the case may be.”

  Annoyed, she took a step closer. “Again, you don’t know me! You don’t know what it is I do or do not want, and you sure as hell don’t know that every single thing I’ve done since Marill declared his desire for Kenna, and his intention to give Seven to Larsen, has all been on behalf of those women in there.” She jabbed her finger toward the kitchen. “I wanted to speak with you in private so that we, as the Alphas, could come up with the best scenario for our respective packs. But I don’t need you trying to step into any kind of role for me and my sisters. You may be an Alpha, or Apex, or whatever the hell you call it, but You. Are. Not. Our. Alpha!”

  “I’m not trying to be,” Wren snarled, taking a step closer now himself until he was towering over Ryka. “I’m trying to help you out!”

  “Well, you insulting my character isn’t helping.”

  “I didn’t!”

  Ryka lifted up on her toes to get closer to Wren and poked him in the chest.
“You did!”

  “Well, I don’t want you to leave! You’re my mate, and it’s my job to protect you. I can’t do that if you’re not here.”

  She shook her head and lowered back to her feet, taking a step back. “Don’t say that word.”

  “What? Mate? I am your mate, Ryka. It can’t be denied. It won’t be.”

  “Like hell!” She turned away, but Wren caught her arm and spun her back to him.

  “You WILL call me mate!” he declared on a vicious rumble.

  “I won’t call you shit,” Ryka challenged. “And I won’t be bullied!” She jerked her arm out of his hold. “And don’t you ever touch me in anger!”

  Wren’s sneer faltered as he jerked back. “Ryka, I wasn’t…”

  God, there was something about the way he said her name, something that made her actually feel bad for him.

  “I would never bully you into anything,” he continued, the anger from moments earlier fading rapidly. “I’d never force you into anything. I don’t want you to think that’s what’s happening here.” He stepped closer and reached for her, but stopped before touching her. “I don’t want your submission. I just want you to see me for who I am.”

  Ryka’s eyes lost some of their heat as they slid from his hands to his eyes and she asked quietly, “And what’s that?”

  “I’m just a man who’s trying to make his girl fall for him.”

  Her heart throbbed once, and a little inner voice cooed, Awwww! “And just how do you plan on doing that?” she asked, genuinely curious.

  “I’m going to touch your heart,” he stated severely. “Without ever laying a finger on you.”