Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 68126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
“Shit, about the liquor distributor,” Zeke groaned, running his hand through his hair.
“Don’t worry about it.” Kace waved off his concern. “If I can’t go over there myself today, I’ll just ask Tane to do it instead. Spending time with your mate is more important than that small issue.”
“It was important enough to interrupt my dinner and football game last night,” Zeke grumbled, giving me a squeeze. “But I’m not going to complain because it led me to Allegra—the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“Hello, Allegra. I’m Kace Lowell,” he introduced himself with a grin.
I wasn’t sure what the etiquette was in this situation, so I returned his smile and replied, “Thanks, it’s nice to meet you.”
“Welcome to the Timber Ridge Pack.” Kace gripped my upper arms as he brushed the briefest of kisses across my forehead. He started to pull away, but then his hold on me tightened. “Your scent.”
I was starting to wonder what the heck was going on when Zeke wrapped his arm around my back and growled, “You might be my alpha, but I’ll still find a way to take you down if you don’t move away from my mate.”
Kace nodded and took a step back, holding his hands up, palms facing us. “Sorry, there’s something about Allegra’s scent that’s gotten my wolf’s attention.”
Zeke shoved me behind his back, and I peeked around his shoulder to keep an eye on what was happening between him and his alpha. “Stop smelling my mate.”
“You know I can’t just turn this off.” Kace tapped his nose. “And I didn’t mean that I thought she was mine or—”
“She’s nobody’s but mine.” Zeke’s body tensed, and I pressed my hands against his back in the hope that it would calm him.
Kace walked over to the recliner and sat down, and I felt some of the stiffness in Zeke’s body ease under my fingertips. He shifted me to his side—the one farthest away from Kace—and led me to the couch. Dropping down on the cushion at the far end, he pulled me onto his lap and wrapped his arms around my chest. His possessiveness was incredibly flattering...and turned me on.
It was difficult for me to focus on talking when Zeke’s hard on was poking into my buttcheek, but I lifted my head and looked at Kace to remind myself we weren’t alone.
“I’m well aware that she’s your mate, Zeke. Your scent is all over her.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. His dark eyes shone with sincerity. “I’m your alpha and best friend. Your happiness is important to me, and I’d never do anything to interfere with your mating. You know I wouldn’t.”
Zeke’s hold on me tightened as he grumbled, “I do, but your wolf’s reaction to her scent is confusing.”
“It is,” Kace agreed with a nod. His attention shifted to me. “Do you have any sisters? Maybe it’s a family connection he’s sensing.”
I shook my head. “Nope, I’m an only child. My parents are too, so I don’t have any female cousins either.”
“I’m not sure what it could be then.” Kace grimaced as he shrugged.
“Maybe it’s one of your best friends,” Zeke suggested. “Since you live with them, a trace of their scent would be embedded in your skin.”
“Roommates? That could be it,” Kace agreed.
“I’m not sure about all that,” I drawled, my lips curving up in a tiny grin as I tried to picture this bossy man with either of my friends. Although it would be cool if my friends found shifters of their own, I couldn’t see it because Kace would butt heads with Larissa and steamroll over Calliope. “I mean, my best friends and I do share a dorm room. But from what I understand, I can’t tell them about shifters so I’m not sure how this is all going to work. We’ve known each other since kindergarten, and it’s going to be difficult to keep the truth from them when they’re really good at telling when I’m lying. Not that I have much practice at it since they’ve always been a part of any trouble I’ve gotten into growing up.”
Zeke chuckled and pressed a kiss against my neck. “What my mate is trying to say is that she’d like permission to tell her best friends about us.”
“I’ll consider the request,” Kace conceded. “After she’s had the chance to settle in a little and learn about life in the pack and what it means to be mated to my beta.”
I twisted my neck to stare at Zeke. “Beta?”
“It just means I’m Kace’s second in command,” Zeke explained, his hand stroking down my back in a soothing gesture.
“I thought you were the sheriff?”
“Many betas tend to be in law enforcement,” Kace added. “It’s one of those shifter things you’ll learn over time.”
“Adjusting to pack life and the shifter world is nothing you need to worry about. I’ll be with you every step of the way, sweetheart,” Zeke swore as he stared into my eyes.