vehicles. The car was also missing plates, which made Bo wonder if it was stolen.
“Are you okay, Jazlyn?” Bo asked, helping to collect the items from her bag.
She rubbed at her neck. “Yeah. Thank you for sticking up for me. Who are those guys? They smell weird.”
Shayne took the bag from Bo and put his large hand on her shoulder. “Lynxes,” he said darkly.
Bo nodded and gave them a quick run-down of the situation. “I’m sorry that you got caught in the middle,” Bo said to Jazlyn.
“It’s not your fault. They’re bastards for what they’re trying to do to your mate. If you need our pack’s help, you just call.”
Shayne nodded solemnly and turned his sister away from them and resumed their walk.
Bo called his house immediately and talked to Peter, making sure he was on alert. Then he called Teller and told him about the new vehicle, which made his friend shout obscenities loud enough that he had to pull the phone from his ear.
Shaking out the worry that settled in his gut, Bo and Michael walked to the deli. “She’s your truemate,” Michael said, as they leaned against the counter and waited for their sandwiches.
“It doesn’t matter,” Bo said, cracking the lid on a soda.
“The fuck it doesn’t. You know you’re the only one who can break the promise.”
“Of course I’m going to do that,” Bo said irritably. “I mean, it doesn’t matter after she’s free. She needs a male of worth.”
Michael put a hand on Bo’s shoulder. “You are a male of worth.”
“I’m going to lose my ability to shift in a few years. What kind of mate would I be? I wouldn’t even be able to help her if she was in trouble on a hunt. I’d be sitting home with the non-shifters, cut down before my prime. What kind of life would that be for her?”
“I think you should let her make that decision.”
Bo shrugged, grabbing for his wrapped sandwich. He was afraid to think about offering her the chance to be his truemate. Because if he never told her the truth about his feelings for her, then he never had to face her rejection. And that rejection would be more than he could bear.
He finished his sandwich, and with Michael’s help, he completed the restoration within two hours and headed home. He had some vacation time saved up, and he’d already cleared it with Jason to take time off. He wasn’t sure what he needed to do to break the blood-debt, and Reika wasn’t inclined to tell him what it was. He knew that she was trying to protect him.
Reika was twitchy enough about innocents being harmed in abstract, so he chose not to tell her about running into the lynxes on the street. He didn’t want to tell her that her fears were coming true.
He brought home groceries and helped Reika make dinner. He asked her about her life, but she had grown quieter as dinner progressed and began answering his questions with no more than one or two words. He could practically feel her pulling away from him, and it made him ache.
That night she slept with him on the couch again, which confused him. And aroused the hell out of him. Why she insisted on cuddling up to him, even though he coveted it, didn’t make sense to him. He was certain she was looking for a way get away from him and strike out on her own, but he couldn’t let that happen.
The next few days passed much the same. The lynxes didn’t show up again, but Bo knew they were most likely just licking their wounds for a re-group. It grew more and more difficult to keep his wolf at bay around her. Every morning he woke to her in his arms, her sweet scent surrounding him. And then darkness came, and she would stretch out with him, her smaller form against him, her lush body pressed close. He’d slept well since she’d been there, but he wasn’t sure exactly what it was about her that calmed his aches.
Monday night, his phone roused him from sleep. He dug it out of his pocket and
“Are you okay, Jazlyn?” Bo asked, helping to collect the items from her bag.
She rubbed at her neck. “Yeah. Thank you for sticking up for me. Who are those guys? They smell weird.”
Shayne took the bag from Bo and put his large hand on her shoulder. “Lynxes,” he said darkly.
Bo nodded and gave them a quick run-down of the situation. “I’m sorry that you got caught in the middle,” Bo said to Jazlyn.
“It’s not your fault. They’re bastards for what they’re trying to do to your mate. If you need our pack’s help, you just call.”
Shayne nodded solemnly and turned his sister away from them and resumed their walk.
Bo called his house immediately and talked to Peter, making sure he was on alert. Then he called Teller and told him about the new vehicle, which made his friend shout obscenities loud enough that he had to pull the phone from his ear.
Shaking out the worry that settled in his gut, Bo and Michael walked to the deli. “She’s your truemate,” Michael said, as they leaned against the counter and waited for their sandwiches.
“It doesn’t matter,” Bo said, cracking the lid on a soda.
“The fuck it doesn’t. You know you’re the only one who can break the promise.”
“Of course I’m going to do that,” Bo said irritably. “I mean, it doesn’t matter after she’s free. She needs a male of worth.”
Michael put a hand on Bo’s shoulder. “You are a male of worth.”
“I’m going to lose my ability to shift in a few years. What kind of mate would I be? I wouldn’t even be able to help her if she was in trouble on a hunt. I’d be sitting home with the non-shifters, cut down before my prime. What kind of life would that be for her?”
“I think you should let her make that decision.”
Bo shrugged, grabbing for his wrapped sandwich. He was afraid to think about offering her the chance to be his truemate. Because if he never told her the truth about his feelings for her, then he never had to face her rejection. And that rejection would be more than he could bear.
He finished his sandwich, and with Michael’s help, he completed the restoration within two hours and headed home. He had some vacation time saved up, and he’d already cleared it with Jason to take time off. He wasn’t sure what he needed to do to break the blood-debt, and Reika wasn’t inclined to tell him what it was. He knew that she was trying to protect him.
Reika was twitchy enough about innocents being harmed in abstract, so he chose not to tell her about running into the lynxes on the street. He didn’t want to tell her that her fears were coming true.
He brought home groceries and helped Reika make dinner. He asked her about her life, but she had grown quieter as dinner progressed and began answering his questions with no more than one or two words. He could practically feel her pulling away from him, and it made him ache.
That night she slept with him on the couch again, which confused him. And aroused the hell out of him. Why she insisted on cuddling up to him, even though he coveted it, didn’t make sense to him. He was certain she was looking for a way get away from him and strike out on her own, but he couldn’t let that happen.
The next few days passed much the same. The lynxes didn’t show up again, but Bo knew they were most likely just licking their wounds for a re-group. It grew more and more difficult to keep his wolf at bay around her. Every morning he woke to her in his arms, her sweet scent surrounding him. And then darkness came, and she would stretch out with him, her smaller form against him, her lush body pressed close. He’d slept well since she’d been there, but he wasn’t sure exactly what it was about her that calmed his aches.
Monday night, his phone roused him from sleep. He dug it out of his pocket and
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