She debated. Alphas were protective of their packs. Kee and Conor had both taught her pack meant family, and as their leader, Rory was like their kingly father. But I’m Rory’s mate and as such, his first priority. If not me, then definitely our child. But still, she didn’t really know Rory. Yes they had amazing sex and yes she was pregnant with his baby, but…
“Shay…” His tone said he was willing to push until she told him the whole.
Shay weighed her response. Conor had said she and Rory needed to work together. Then she remembered how easily he’d dismissed her concerns about Ashley, and it tilted the scales against Rory. “Nothing you need to be concerned about,” she finally muttered.
“I don’t believe you.”
She arched one brow. “Sounds like a personal problem to me.”
Rory glared at her, his face slowly building to a fine red color. Shay met his stare calmly. She’d tell him when she was good and ready, and not a minute before.
He took a deep breath. “Shay, mates don’t withhold information from each other.”
“Really? It’s my understanding that mates take each other’s concerns seriously.” She shrugged. “Guess we were both wrong.” Shay rose and looked down at him. “Since it looks like I’m staying, I’m going to go unpack…in our room.”
He grabbed her hand as she walked past, pulling her to a halt. “I don’t know what the problem is, but I promise, one day you’ll trust me.”
Shay tugged until he released her. “Maybe. But will you trust me in return?” At the moment she didn’t think so. Their staring contested lasted a long while. Finally Shay turned away and walked off with her head held high.
Despite Conor’s warning, she had a brain. She was more than capable of handling things herself. It wasn’t in her nature to ask for help. She’d figure out who the threat was and bring Rory in only when absolutely necessary.
WHAT THE HELL’S her problem?
Rory watched his mate stalk away from him, bemused at how such a tender moment between the two of them could have turned into such a disaster. Pregnancy hormones must be kicking in. Let it go.
A minute later he charged up the stairs.
When he topped the rise, he found Shay contemplating one of the extra bedrooms. “If you prefer that room, I’ll be happy to move all our things in there. Might be a little cramped…”
She flicked an annoyed look over her shoulder. “I’m checking out the storage. I doubt you have enough space in your room for both of our clothing.”
“Our room,” he emphasized, making sure Shay was clear on that point. “And think again. I prepared.” He turned the knob and pushed opened the bedroom door with his hip.
“All the furniture is new. The dresser and nightstand on the right side of the bed are yours. I also cleared out half the closet. If you need more space, let me know and I’ll move more of my stuff to another room.”
As she shoved past him into the room, Rory took in the antique-looking cherry wood set he’d purchased. It had a low-profile, king-size sleigh bed, eight-drawer dresser, and five-drawer chest, which should be more than enough for them, but if not, there was still the empty two-drawer cedar chest designed for comforters. Being a shifter, with his naturally high body temperature, he never used heavy covers.
He noted Shay preparing to lift her suitcase onto the bed and gently nudged her out of the way. “I’ll get this and the other one. I don’t want you straining yourself.”
She snorted but stepped out of the way.
As Shay unpacked, Rory tried to define what he was feeling. It was like all the random dots that made up his life were finally connected into one big, glorious picture. His mate was here, in their room, taking her first major step to settle in to their life together.
“We need to call the pack together to celebrate our mating and the coming of our young,” he said as he sat on the bed near where she worked.
Shay looked up from the contents of her suitcase, a frown on her face. “Will they?”
Confused, he asked, “Will they what?”
“Celebrate. The few members I’ve met so far didn’t seem all that joyous.”
He scowled, feeling his ire rise at MacDougal and even Caleb’s reaction to his desirable mate. “I’ll deal with Mac later on the proper respect due an alpha pair.”
Her hair fell forward when she bent over the luggage, and she shoved it back with a muttered curse before lifting a stack of folded cotton shirts and carrying them to the dresser. “And will Ashley be sitting in on this lecture?”
Baffled, he reminded Shay, “Ashley’s a child.”
Shay snorted. “That’s what you say.”
“Shay, Ashley’s getting close to the age where she’s old enough to be mated. She wants strong pups and a mate strong enough to protect her. It’s a survival instinct. I’m the most powerful wolf in the pack. It’s natural that she would make a play for me. All females do. Eventually she’ll realize I’m not interested and move on to someone who is.”
Shay’s eyes narrowed. “While your little glimpse into the animal kingdom was fascinating, I don’t like her. I don’t trust her, and I always trust my instincts.” She punctuated her words by slamming the drawer shut.
Rory glanced at the furniture and then back at his mate, not liking the way the heavy mirror was angled, especially after the way Shay’s wolf had banged into it earlier. He went to make sure it was still secure. He didn’t want it to come crashing down, but he wasn’t so distracted that he couldn’t feel the jump in his mate’s emotions through their bond.
He thought about their earlier discussion along with her recent comments, and it clicked. Turning to lean his body against the wall next to the mirror, he watched his mate closely. “I can include her in the talk, but she’s not the real problem. Is she, Shay?”
“You think?”
Hmm, snarky answer. Even without the mate bond he’d know she was irritated. What concerned him was the underlying hurt he sensed that agitated both wolf and man. Asking outright what the issue was wouldn’t help. She’d only clam up like she had about Conor. He thought for a moment…
“Talking to the females might not be a bad idea. You’re not only my mate but their alpha-fem. It would be a good time for you to lay out your expectations.”
“Yeah, like it doesn’t matter how many times you’ve fucked him in the past, the alpha’s mated now so keep your grubby paws off,” she muttered en route to the bed to gather more items.
He smiled. “I can’t believe you’re jealous of Ashley.”
She stopped to glare at him. “I’ll admit I didn’t like the way she rubbed all over you like a bitch in heat—”
“I told you it meant nothing. It’s something shifter females do.”
“But according to Shannon, you’ve fucked your way through half the pack.”
His smile died. “I never touched Ashley.” Is that what she thought, that he messed with children? The girl was barely out of school.
“I never said you did, but it’s obvious she wants her turn with the pack’s stud.” Her expression turned to one of disgust. “Of course, that’s what happens when you mate with dogs. Always have to watch for leftover shit.”
For the first time Rory considered things from Shay’s viewpoint. He’d gone ballistic, and all his men had done was look at Shay. How would he feel if they’d rubbed their aroused bodies against her as Ashley had done to him? “I’m a bloody fool.”
“Nice of you to finally notice.”
He caught her around the waist and tugged her against his body, wrapping his arms around her hips to hold her close. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” Suspicion was evident on her face and the way she held her body so stiff.