Brink Of Passion (Alpine Woods Shifters) by Sondrae Bennett Page B

through the door, but it hadn’t been the easy acceptance she’d shown. Here she was, in a new place, with people she’d never met before, and being abandoned to boot. But there was no glare of resentment. No frown of disproval.
    “Max…” His cousin’s voice penetrated his contemplations. He turned towards his advisors as the elevator doors closed behind his mate. Perhaps her easy acceptance had to do with her brother being a Premier. Or maybe it was her personality. From the very beginning, he’d thought she could take care of herself.
    “Max,” Tyler tried again. Max pushed thoughts of Laurie to the back of his mind.
    “Okay, what’s this important issue that can’t wait?” He tried not to be gruff, but the sharpness crept into his tone anyway. He wanted to be with Laurie. Surely, whatever issue had arisen could have waited until morning.
    “It’s Ryan. It’s not good.”
    With those five words, they had Max’s full attention.
    *****
    “Your apartment is on the top floor,” Leah explained as they left the group and strolled toward the elevator.
    “Don’t we need keys or something?”
    “There’s a code to access the floor. See.” She demonstrated on the panel. “The top floor is not accessible without an authorized number. The other floors all have multiple apartments, so there are keys for those, but yours takes up the whole floor.”
    “What’s the code?”
    “Everyone has their own. We’ll have to get you one. Each code grants access to authorized floors and areas. Of course, all members of The Family have full access to the building, including your apartment, but we don’t intrude on your privacy.” The way she said it made Laurie’s neck itch, as if the woman needed her importance understood.
    “Are you one of his advisors?” Laurie asked. During their car ride, Max had mentioned his family and discussed some of the politics in the pack, like how the leadership operated more as a monarchy than a democracy. The details were still unclear to her, like how Max had taken over despite having an older brother, and how their children wouldn’t necessarily lead if there was a more dominant child among his cousins and brother’s children. But she figured she’d get the hang of the details eventually. She couldn’t remember him mentioning a female cousin among his officers, though. Wait, not officers. She shook her head. That was how Alpine Woods referred to the Premier’s advisors. What had Max called his? Oh yes, his Counsel.
    “Oh no, I leave that to the others. I’m more of a mothering figure in the leap. My mate and I keep our ears to the ground for Max, so to speak. The leap trusts us with things they don’t want to bother the others with.”
    Something about the woman bothered Laurie, but she couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was. Leah appeared friendly and caring, but almost as if she acted purely for recognition and accolades.
    Rubbing her tired eyes, Laurie gave herself a mental slap. She was tired. And grouchy for having been ditched, even though she knew that wasn’t what happened. Taking it out on Max’s cousin was neither fair nor kind. After all, Leah was essentially her family now, too. Resolutely, Laurie stared straight ahead at the metal doors and determined to converse with her chatty companion without biting her head off.
    “So you’re mated?”
    “Yep, high school sweethearts. Everyone wanted to date him, but since the beginning he’s only had eyes for me. You’ll meet him tomorrow, I’m sure. Probably at breakfast, which is served in the restaurant downstairs for leap members from six to ten. It doesn’t open to the public until lunch. Every apartment has its own kitchen, of course, but Max feels it’s important for the leap to…” Her words trailed off, causing Laurie to glance in her direction.
    A smile still curved her face, but it held a brittleness that hadn’t been there before. It faltered a bit before Leah plastered it back in place.
    “Are