At first, Maria had blamed herself for falling for tall, handsome Luis, but she knew now that if she hadn’t have run away with Luis willingly, he’d have kidnapped her. Miguel and his Shifters had dominated Maria’s little town, and there had been nothing her family or any of the other townspeople could do.

“Yeah, you keep going on that you don’t want anything to do with Shifters,” Broderick said. “But you live here, honey. You can’t be wriggling your ass at us and then telling us we can’t have any. Not when male Shifters are dying to mate.”

Maria shivered, and not from the breeze. She was too alone out here, the first houses of Shiftertown half a block away. If she tried to run, Broderick would be on her before she took two steps.

“Maybe someday,” Maria said. But not if she could help it. She had her plan, and she would be free.

“Maybe now.” Broderick grabbed her arm and leaned close, breathing into her face. Maria cringed back from the scent of stale beer. “Maria Ortega, I mate-claim you under the light of the mother goddess.”

Maria tried to break free, but his hand was strong. “There’s no moon tonight, and you have to do it in front of witnesses.” She knew that much.

Broderick’s grip bore down. “Then let’s go find us some witnesses.”

“Here’s one,” came a male growl.

Ellison appeared out of nowhere, a mass in the dark, reaching for Broderick. Ellison’s face was bruised, as though he’d been fighting, his hair a mess. He clamped one hand around Broderick’s neck and yanked him away from Maria.

“You heard me,” Broderick managed to say, even with Ellison’s fingers digging into his throat. “I claim this female in front of a witness.”

Ellison snarled, his eyes tinged with red. “Then I Challenge.”

Chapter Three

Ellison smelled Maria’s fear, a scent that spiraled his protectiveness—already high—skyward. He shook Broderick, hand still around the wolf’s throat.

Broderick wrenched himself free but kept to his feet, his Collar sparking as he came back at Ellison.

“Stop!” Maria shouted.

Broderick surprisingly obeyed, his eyes bloodshot with drink and anger. He was fairly high up in the other Shiftertown pack, the one Glory led, and he always behaved as though he had the weight of his pack behind him.

“You can’t touch her until the Challenge plays out,” Broderick said, rubbing his throat. “Off-limits.”

“Then I’ll play it out right now.”

“I name the time and place, as the Challenged.”

Ellison waited. Broderick looked Ellison up and down, keeping his sneer but with assessment in his eyes. Ellison’s pack might be small, but that didn’t mean Ellison had lesser power.

Maria stepped between them. Ellison sensed her panic, a primal fear that had been seared into her by the ferals who’d captured her. She was afraid of Shifters in general, but she bravely stood her ground now and held her hand out in a stopping motion to Broderick. “I can refuse the mate-claim. I know the rules.”

“You’re fair game, darling,” Broderick said. “You need a mate to protect you.”

“What I need is for both of you to leave me the hell alone!”

Broderick took a step toward her, but Ellison was around Maria with Shifter speed, blocking his path. “She refused. That’s the end.”

Broderick glared at Ellison, fists closing. “I’m taking this to Liam. He decides.”

“He knows Shifter law.”

“I know. He knows pack law too. When Andrea came here, the pack wouldn’t accept her until she had a mate. We didn’t need her running around making every male fight over her. The same thing applies now.”

“Not with a human. She’s not part of any pack.”

“Then what’s she doing here? She either follows Shifter law, or she leaves.”

Maria already had left. Not being stupid, she was walking swiftly across the vacant lot, heading for the street that would lead to where she lived with Sean and Andrea, Dylan and Glory.

Ellison turned his back on Broderick and strode after her. He heard Broderick mutter something behind him, but Broderick didn’t follow. Likely he was going back to the bar to either drown his troubles or whine at Liam.

Ellison quickened his footsteps to reach Maria. Broderick wasn’t wrong about male Shifters wanting to fight each other over her. Females were few and far between. Unmated, unprotected females, fewer still. Most of the males were more polite than Broderick, but just barely.

Ellison, who’d watched her across his street every day as she’d lived, first with Liam and family, then with Sean and family, had left her alone. Having heard the story of her rescue from the feral pack by Dylan, Ellison knew Maria was still hurting.

The feral Shifters, led by a Shifter called Miguel—had kept Maria like an animal. What they’d done to her exactly, Ellison wasn’t certain, and he’d never asked. She’d never talked about it, just as she’d never spoken about her time with her brother in El Paso. From what Liam had said, though, her brother had treated her as though she had some contagious disease.

Maria had never said a word in complaint. Ellison had watched her square her shoulders, learn English as well as she could, and work hard at any job she could get. She squared her shoulders now, in the white T-shirt she wore for her job at the bar, her black braid hanging down her back.

Ellison caught up to her as she walked down the middle of the quiet street. He knew Maria heard him coming—his boots clicked loudly on the asphalt—but she didn’t turn to greet him.

Other Shifters were out, sitting on dark porches or running as their animals in the common yards behind the houses, or doing other things in the shadows that made him growl. Shifters were calm on their home territories, but still dangerous.

“Don’t walk home alone,” Ellison said harshly. He was too raw with emotion to keep his voice gentle.

“I do as I please,” Maria said in a hard tone. Then her voice softened. “I’m sorry. I heard you were called home. Is Deni all right?”

“Yes.” The word jerked out. Ellison was still wound up from Deni’s relapse, and Broderick being an ass**le hadn’t helped calm him down.

“I’m really sorry.” Her mouth turned down, lovely plump red lips. “Thank you for stopping Broderick.”