“And while you’re at it, tell us how you expect her to bear you the pups you need to succeed you as alpha,” Wesley added.
“She can’t. Human females are incompatible with shifters. Everyone knows this,” Graham said.
Stupid asses, couldn’t they smell she was already pregnant? And these clueless idiots were the people Rory counted on to help him lead the pack?
“Graham’s right. Humans are for fucking, not mating,” MacDougal stated.
“Et tu, Brutus?” Shay asked drily, unsurprised by the lack of support coming from Rory’s third. And she didn’t appreciate the lascivious look he gave her. Again Shannon was right on the money.
“MacDougal will be against the mating because with Rory mated, the chances of him ever becoming alpha grow slimmer and further away. He’ll go ballistic when he discovers you’re pregnant.”
“Maybe it’s time for some new blood. After all, his sister proved her unnaturalness, and Kian… Well, need I say more?” Graham stated sourly.
Oh shit, he did not go there. Rory’s going to blow a gasket, Shay thought and braced for impact.
It was the pack that erupted. People arguing for and against the mating. Shay only caught bits and pieces. They seemed divided on the issue of whether or not as alpha, Rory should be allowed to pick his own mate without interference, as his father and grandfather had. Others seemed disturbed that he’d chosen a human to mate with and not one of their own. Yet another group seemed to feel that this latest decision of Rory’s was proof that he needed to step aside and let someone more capable lead the pack.
The only person who seemed unaffected by the chaos was Caleb. He stood alert, intent, and bodyguard ready. Watching him, Shay doubted he missed a thing. He was aware of who was for and against Rory, and if anyone made the mistake of moving toward them, he was going to be there first.
They grew louder and louder. Some of the men broke into fights. Instantly Caleb was a shield in front of them. Shay stared around in amazement. Dang, Rory had said his pack was fucked-up, but this was beyond all comprehension. Good Lord, no wonder Shannon had decamped as soon as the opportunity became available.
“Enough!” Rory’s voice roared out.
Some of the women and men quieted, but a good bit continued their “discussion” as though he hadn’t spoken.
“I said, ENOUGH!” A wave of power shot out of him so strong Shay had to grab hold of him to keep her knees from buckling. Everyone else fell like dominoes, one after another, from the weakest to the strongest, until they were prostrate on the ground.
What the hell was he doing, and did she have that power too? It was a handy little trick.
“Shayla is my one, my true mate, given to me by the Creator. She already carries my cub in her womb.” He pointed to the council. “You will recognize my mating, or I’ll rip out your puny little spines and shove them down your whiny little throats.”
Well, that settled that, Shay thought.
“Impossible. True mates are a myth,” Graham unwisely responded as he pushed up to his knees.
“Are you calling me a liar?” Rory gently nudged Shay to the side and started toward Graham. One look at his face and Caleb and everyone else cleared out of his way.
“You owe me, old man,” Shay muttered as she dashed around in front of her furious mate.
“Shay, move!”
Shay held her hands out in a placating manner. “Now, Rory, I realize he’s a major pain in the ass, but you can’t kill him.”
“Aye, I can,” he said grimly as he stepped around her.
She darted back in front of him. Why didn’t the old fool run? Didn’t he realize how close to death he was?
“Don’t defend me, human. If I die, I die with honor having spoken the truth.”
“It’s not the truth, you fool. What kind of historian are you? Over in Refuge, the Ravens’ alpha found his true mate—a human—and his best friend, a bear-shifter, found his, another human female. Hell, even the Ravens’ beta found hers, a human male. Are you really that stupid that you don’t know any of this?” Shay huffed out, her efforts to physically restrain Rory having little impact.
There was a gasp from someone and some excited chatter among the group. Shay, being a little preoccupied, didn’t look to see what stirred them up this time. Her feet slid on the ground as Rory moved forward determinedly.
“Rory, stop, and I’ll do you right here and right now!” she cried out a bit desperately.
He halted. Molten gold eyes fixed on hers. “What?”
“Me, you, right here, right now. A BJ, my ass in the air, whatever you want. Just don’t do anything we’ll both regret later.”
The man cocked his head, but it was his wolf staring at her.
“Anything,” she tempted and brought her hands up to her breasts, lifting them as an offering. Damn people didn’t even want her as their leader and here she was, trying to protect one of them.
His gaze dropped to her puckered nipples, then past her to Graham.
“Uh-uh. Eyes on me, big boy,” Shay ordered and dropped a hand to cup his balls.
The pack seemed to be holding its collective breath, waiting to see what he would do.
Rory’s attention snapped back to her. She slid her hand up his shaft and gave it a firm squeeze.
“On your knees.”
Careful not to flash anyone, Shay did as directed. The sacrifices she made…
“Suck my cock.”
Shay undid the snap on his jeans and then hesitated with the zipper between her fingers. “The old man lives?”
He snarled. Being no fool, Shay narrowed her eyes and told him, “Not until I have your agreement.”
He visibly struggled—lust or angry retribution? Shay licked her lips, and the lust won, barely. Taking his abrupt nod as assent, Shay freed his cock and immediately deep throated him.
She heard someone say, “Damn.”
Another male groaned.
“Shit, she can be my mate.”
Like before, Shay felt her wolf preen at being the center of so much masculine attention. When her wolf tried lifting Shay’s butt in the air to present herself enticingly for mounting, Shay slapped her down. “Down, girl. We have a man, the strongest one here. I’m not giving the rest of them a glimpse of the goods.”
In retaliation the bitch blasted open the bond between her and Rory’s beast. His emotions swamped her, and Shay went from mildly aroused to burning hot as his anger-tinted desire washed over and through her. She moaned around his cock as her pussy caught fire. The scent of her need rose in the air like an aphrodisiac, and her traitorous wolf shimmied in delight. In a small portion of her mind, Shay was appalled. This wasn’t supposed to happen.
Lust boomeranged back and forth between them, amplifying with each round until it spilled out over the pack. Someone—Caleb?—howled. Then a chorus of howls broke out. It sounded as if the whole pack joined in.
Rory snatched Shay off him and flipped her over onto her knees in a dizzying rush, yanking her ass in the air even as her forearms hit the ground. She cried out as he plunged into her, pounding furiously. His clawed hands gripped her, pricking her skin through the denim while his heavy balls slapped continuously at her mound, spanking her clit. The erotic sounds of wet flesh smacking together filled the air. Guttural grunts sounded from Rory.
Shay heard herself pleading and egging him on. “More! More! Yes! Yes!”
She forgot about how exposed she was and who might be looking at her. All she knew was that this was her man, her mate, and he was claiming her in the most primal of manners in front of his pack. Announcing his possession and daring anyone to challenge it, challenge him.