She was certain that Kirk, Selma, Hope and Greta wouldn’t be pleased about it and she suspected that Tao might not be so happy either. Even though he was reasonably friendly, he didn’t spend time with her the way he used to and envy wafted from him whenever she and Trey were together around him. He could very well decide that he wasn’t going to stick around and watch she and Trey be mated.

Taryn was quite sure that the others would be okay with her staying. Brock she couldn’t be too sure about because he didn’t talk much, but she suspected that if Tao threatened to leave and some of the others got upset then Brock would want her gone – which wasn’t going to happen no matter what any of them thought. God, this was nerve-wracking.

Sensing – no, feeling – Taryn’s anxiety, Trey took her hand and tugged her closer to his side. “You should all know that Taryn is now officially your Alpha female.”

“You’re staying?” asked Marcus, leaning forward in his seat, wide-eyed.

Rhett frowned at Taryn’s nod. “What about imprinting?”

Trey smiled crookedly. “We haven’t imprinted. We’ve bonded.” As he’d expected, Dante smiled smugly.

“Are you saying you’re true mates?” asked Trick. Surprisingly, he didn’t look all that shocked. “Well that explains a lot.”

“Oh that’s all we need,” griped Greta. “A midget with a sharp sarcastic tongue for an Alpha.”

Taryn sighed and smiled. “In a perfect world I would be taller, you would be alive, and chickens could cross the road without being the subject of a joke. Guess you’ll just have to deal.”

Tao puffed, shaking his head in disbelief. “Well that was the last thing I’d have expected. After what Trey said last night, I thought you’d have headed for the hills.” He flinched when Dante jammed his elbow into his ribs.

“We all knew he hadn’t really meant what he said,” Dante growled at Tao.

“Tell me this is a joke!” demanded Selma.

“For God’s sake, Trey, she’s latent,” said Kirk, red in the face. “And a Warner.”

“Your point being what exactly?” asked Dominic.

“I’m not bowing down to a Warner!”

“I’m not bowing down to a latent!” Selma practically screeched.

“Well I’m happy for you guys,” said Marcus, grinning.

“Me too,” said Ryan.

Dominic winked. “And me.”

Grace did a little jump. “Oh my God, this is great!” Most of the others nodded their agreement, smiling.

“How can you all accept her as your Alpha?” demanded Kirk, his gaze drilling into everyone.

Taryn sighed. “Kirk, if you’re going to act like an a**hole then go do it somewhere else.”

“I have the right to have an opinion!”

“Yeah, but I still have the right to think you’re a stupid prick.”

Panting like a raging bull, Kirk shook his head. “I can’t support this.” He stalked out of the room and was followed closely by Selma and Hope – although Hope seemed to be leaving just because Selma was.

Dante sank back into the chair with his hands clasped behind his head, looking kind of smug. “I said at the start that you two would imprint. When I saw you covered in bites I made the others a bet that you’d end up staying here. Unfortunately no one bet against me so then we just made bets on how soon imprinting would start. I was closest.”

“I was furthest,” admitted Trick. “I thought you would need to leave before Trey snapped out of his state of denial.”

“But it didn’t take long for me to see there was more to it than that. I’ve been wondering how long it’d take for you to realize that you’re true mates.”

Trey searched all their faces. “I take it this means none of you are opposed to this. Not that it’ll make any difference, but I’d prefer it if you were all good with it.”

Dante stood and then dropped to one knee, head bowed. Marcus copied the move. Then Ryan, Trick, Dominic, Grace, Lydia, Cam, Rhett, Tao, and finally Brock.

“No, guys, please don’t,” said Taryn. But they remained where they were like white knights and it freaked her out. “Come on, get up.” She nudged Trey. “Tell them to get up.”

“They’re acknowledging us as their Alpha pair, offering us their loyalty.”

“Well they can be loyal standing up.”

Trey turned to his grandmother who looked like a sulking child. “Greta?”

“This sort of thing wouldn’t have happened in my day,” said Greta. “When I met your grandfather we were both virgins. You can’t tell me she was one.”

Taryn smiled. “Well of course you were. It was expected back in 1465.”

“And it’s not natural how much…um…intimate relations you have. We might be shifters but we’re not animals. It’s disgusting.”

Trey groaned. “How about we skip the insults and just get to the point.”

“I’m not getting down on one knee,” she spat.

“But you accept this, we have your loyalty as your Alpha pair?” he pressed.

She gave him a tiny nod then hissed at Taryn. “But she’s still a hussy. And just you remember, hussy, he’s my grandson.” With that, she marched out of the room mumbling about latent wolves, sarcastic females and men who were led around by their penises.

“Right,” began Trey as he picked Taryn up, wrapping her legs around his waist, “then we’ll see you guys later because we have some celebratory sex to do.”

“Okay but, Taryn,” said Dominic, “if it doesn’t work out with him well…I’m no Fred Flinstone, but I sure can make your bed rock.” He chuckled at everyone’s groans.

Trey of course growled and then strode out of the living area with wide, determined strides.

“We’ve just done the deed twice outside!” she reminded him.

“You know I’m always good to go again when it comes to you, baby.”

“It’ll only ever be me from now on, got that?”

“Same goes for you. I told you, there’ll be no other cocks inside you but mine.”

“Glad we understand each other.”

Finally in the bedroom he literally dumped her on the bed and then tackled his fly. “I have a feeling the sex will be even better now that we’re partially bonded. Let’s find out.”

It turned out that it was even better. Trey had felt her pleasure, sensed as it rose, which had then intensified and amplified his own until he came so hard he almost passed out. What made it even better was that he not only knew but could feel that it was more than sex for her, could feel how much she cared for him.

He’d never thought of himself as a lovable person, and yet this amazing female actually loved him. She didn’t say it aloud for the same reason that she never begged – she feared being completely vulnerable to him. Similarly, he feared being completely vulnerable to her. He suspected that for as long as that fear existed for both of them, the bond wouldn’t be complete.

At one time he would have thought that wouldn’t be such a bad thing – if their relationship f**ked up and they separated it would be easier for both of them if they weren’t completely tied to one another. But he had no plans to ever let this female leave him, and he wanted all of her even as he feared giving her the same. Yeah that was bad and if he’d had a fully developed conscience then maybe he would have felt crap about it. Or maybe he would always be unapologetically selfish where Taryn was concerned. As he looked at her then lying beside him shuddering, panting and totally na**d, he figured that yeah he would.

Later that evening, they all decided to go for a run as a pack. Well, all except for Greta, Kirk, Selma and Hope who were still sulking. Taryn smiled at the feeling of the cool night air on her face as she accompanied the wolves as they loped through the woods, enjoying the sense of belonging and closeness that could only come from running with the pack. Eventually they reached a small clearing where some of the wolves lay down to relax.

The wolf with the salt and pepper fur – Dominic – had other ideas. Cautiously he approached the only jet black wolf – Tao – and bowed down, sticking his rear in the air and wagging his tail, inviting the black wolf to play. The second Tao got close, Dominic bounded away. They playfully growled and released high-pitched dog-like barks as they tussled and chased one another. A grey-black wolf with a white undercoat – Dante – quickly joined the fun, followed by two grey-brown-yellow wolves – Trick and Marcus.

There was a lot of mock fighting, shouldering one another, pouncing, ambushing, bumping bodies together, jaw wrestling, and attempting to grab each other by the scruff of the neck. From where she was lying on her side on the ground beside two white-grey wolves – Grace and Rhett – Taryn rolled her eyes at the sight of Cujo and another wolf peeing on rocks and trees. It was typical of Trey and Ryan to not join in the fun and, instead, spend the time leaving scent markers to warn away strange wolves. She doubted either of the oh-so-serious males even knew how to enjoy themselves.

It wasn’t long before said serious males trotted over to her. Ryan was beautiful as a wolf. His fur was predominantly black but his face, neck, and the insides of his ears were all a creamy blonde. His posture and tail was low as he approached and licked her jaw. Then he loped off, leaving her with Cujo who rubbed his cheeks against hers and then repeatedly licked her face. When she ran her fingers through his dense, coarse fur he settled down beside her to further enjoy the contact.

She couldn’t help smiling at the sight of her mate, her pack, her wolves – things she hadn’t really expected to ever have. Finally she had a place where she belonged, where she could be happy, and where she had the feeling that she ‘fit’. Now all she had to do was make sure that a**hole Darryl Coleman didn’t take it all away from her.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The one thing Taryn had always known would be annoying about being mated was that having such an intense connection to someone meant there were no secrets. Not that Taryn had any huge dark secrets or anything, but there were little itty bitty ones that she would have preferred to keep to herself.

Like this for example – Taryn had to come to love waking up with Trey’s big body practically cocooning her. It made her feel safe, sheltered, secure. It also made her feel a little dumb and feeble. She was an Alpha for God’s sake and yet she loved being cuddled and protected. It felt like a weakness. If Trey woke up now and tapped into what she was feeling, he would know that. By God, if he teased her about it she’d kick his balls so hard they ended up in his throat.

It was still hard getting her head around the fact that they were true mates. In fact, it wasn’t so much that. It was just the way everything seemed to have happened at once; realizing she loved him, hearing he cared about her, and then suddenly discovering that what she’d grown up believing was bullshit and that she and Trey were true mates – all in the space of twenty-four hours.

And now she was mated. Now she had that deep connection to someone that she had always dreamt of having – that every shifter dreamt of having. Casting a shadow over that, however, was the heavy sensation that was saddling her chest. Guilt. Guilt that she could be so happy to be wrong about Joey.

She had sensed that Trey wasn’t experiencing that guilt. Finding out that Taryn was his true mate had brought him nothing but masculine satisfaction and a sense of peace. She knew what she needed to do if she was to have that same peace, and she planned to do it after breakfast. The feel of him nuzzling her hair broke into her thoughts.

“Hey baby,” he greeted in a sleep-croaky voice. Without having to look, Trey had known she was awake. Just like he had known she enjoyed his body crowding her but would never admit it. Just like he had known she was feeling slightly guilty. “Do you wish I wasn’t your mate?” It startled him just how much it would pain him if she said yes.

Taryn shook her head. “No. Look deeper, behind the guilt. I’m happy about it, about you. Really, I am.”

He relaxed a little when he sensed it was the truth. “Then why the guilt?” It wasn’t an emotion he’d had an awful lot of experience with and it had never made much sense to him even when he did. It seemed dumb that you could feel a rush of happiness but that a negative emotion would be attached to it. Wasn’t happiness supposed to be just that, happiness?

“When I think about it, I’m not sure I know how to think about Joey without having guilt ruling me. Guilt that I should have been in that car and died in the accident with him and our mom’s, but didn’t. Guilt that I survived losing him when most people expected me not to. Guilt that I wasn’t spending every single day grieving him. Guilt that I could be attracted to other guys and still want to mate with somebody someday. Hell, when I lost my virginity I cried the whole time.” She twisted in Trey’s arms so that she was facing him. “And now I find out that this person had never been my true mate at all, and a part of me thinks I should be lamenting that. But I don’t. I can’t. It makes me feel guilty that I’m glad I was wrong.”

He sighed. “I get what you mean, but I can’t say I feel the same. I don’t feel any guilt whatsoever to know that Summer wasn’t my true mate. If that makes me a bad person, well, that’s because I am a bad person.”

“You’re not a bad person. You’re just an ass.” She smiled when he chuckled. “I’m sorry if I’m hurting you with the guilt thing. I don’t mean to.”