Of course, all that changed when they’d hit their teens. His hormones had kicked in and she’d been forbidden to him. Their friendship had ended at that point, only followed by occasional run-ins that left her grieving for what might have been if he’d loved her back.

“I’m just late for work.”

He adjusted his hold on her hips. His long, strong fingers curved around the top of her ass and he dug his thumbs into her soft lower belly. More butterflies fluttered inside her stomach and she only hoped her scent wouldn’t change. The fantasies she’d had about Lorn over the years were kind of pathetic, in her opinion, since he’d never make love to her, but her body didn’t listen to reason. It just wanted what her heart did, the man in front of her.

He stared deeply into her eyes. “But the ceremony is about to begin. You have to patrol?”

She pressed her lips together, took a second to answer, then just decided to be blunt. “It’s not as if I was invited to join in the festivities.”

He didn’t seem to like her response because he scowled. “It’s almost evening. You shouldn’t be working in the dark.”

“It’s my second shift of the day. This one is only for a few hours. Poachers have been breaching our territory in the south sector. The weather has been nice enough that some of the more brazen idiots have felt the need to climb fences. I’ve been flashing the badge at them to make them leave. I just have to run a perimeter check in the section I was assigned and then come right back.”

His gaze lowered down her front to the necklace badge that hung between her breasts. “I wasn’t aware they made your job official. I just thought you patrolled close to home. You’re working near the fences?”

That hurt. He didn’t even attempt to keep tabs on her. “Yes. Veso thought I’d be more intimidating with a badge to scare trespassers off. Just shooting people would draw too much attention when someone reported them missing.” She forced a smile. “Plus, I’m not big on murder. I have no problems defending the clan but most of these jerks are just morons looking for a good time. They take off the instant I mention a five-year prison sentence for trespassing on protected land, and don’t return.”

“I don’t like you dealing with outsiders. They’re unstable and dangerous.”

It was almost sad how touched she was over his concern. “I can take care of myself.”

His gaze fixed on the shotgun. “With that?”

“Yes. I’m a decent shot, and it’s not the only weapon I have.”

He released her and stepped back. Heat seemed to infuse her from head to foot as those amazing eyes of his seemed to slowly study every inch of her. Pathetic, she reminded herself. He doesn’t want me. He never has and he never will.

He finally halted his visual examination when he gazed back into her eyes. “Where?”

“I have a gun holster on my ankle and a hunting knife along my back. It’s about as close to a sword as I can conceal.” She tilted her head to the side and shoved her hand into the opening of her loose shirt at her nape to grip the handle and ease it upward enough for him to see. She pushed it back into the sheath strapped onto her body. “I also trained with Veso.”

Anger lines appeared around his mouth. “I heard.”

“Yeah. He’s kind of a jerk but he’s an excellent instructor. All those bruises were worth it. I’m a skilled fighter now.”

“Bruises?” Lorn snarled.

It astonished her how he reacted.

“He hurt you?”

Lorn definitely seemed livid, and it wasn’t just the snarling that gave the emotion away. His eyes changed slightly as they began to eerily glow. With the gray irises, they appeared to almost turn white.

“I’m mostly human.” It was a reminder she was certain he didn’t need. No one in the clan would ever allow her to forget it. “He wasn’t purposely trying to hurt me. I deal with human men on patrol when they breach the fences. He wanted to make sure I was tough enough to win if they ever disarmed me in battle.”

“What else did he teach you?”

Chills ran up her spine and she sensed danger. Rage poured from him with enough force that even the hairs along her arms and at the back of her neck prickled. “Lorn?”

She peered up at him with curiosity, rather than fear. She didn’t believe for a second that he’d attack her, despite the menacing body language. He was a born predator, one of the deadliest in the clan, but they’d played together for years as children. There’d been plenty of times they’d argued but he’d never once swiped at her with his claws.

He turned his head and took a deep breath, expanding that impressive chest even more. He’d always been big, but in his teens, he’d packed on a lot of muscle. He finally looked back at her.

“You should go patrol.”

“Yeah.” She paused though. “Are you okay?” It wasn’t like him to express such a range of emotions. He was usually very calm and unreadable.

It was a bad idea, she knew better, but she still rested her hand on his blue shirt near his heart. Warmth from his body seeped through to her palm and fingers. “Is something wrong?” She’d braved doing something reckless like touching him only because they used to be very close. “You can still talk to me. Anything you say will stay between us.”

His big hand wrapped around the back of hers so fast she startled, and she expected him to tear it away from his chest. To touch a clan member who wasn’t family or a very close association wasn’t permitted—unless they had to grab you for some reason. Like to keep you from falling over if you walked into them, as Kira had. Decker had made that law. His touch had been warranted but hers hadn’t.

It was a surprise when he just clasped her hand to keep it in place.

It was stunning when he actually stepped closer and lowered his head to peer at her. “I’m under a lot of stress.”

“I’m certain the other clan leaders are aware that not everyone knew what Decker had planned. I can’t see them attacking us.”

“It’s more than that. My brother was ordered to go visit a Lycan pack last week, and while there, he found his mate. She’s handling some family matters first but then he’ll bring her here to claim.”

Her heart felt ripped out of her chest.