Dawn brightened. “That’s fantastic news!”

Madisyn did a little clap, but her smile was strained. “Zac, that’s great! And totally the right decision.”

Doubt crossed his face. “Yeah.”

Makenna put an arm around his shoulders. “Don’t second-guess yourself. I know you think it’s selfish because it could bring your old pack to their doorstep, but it’s not. Being there for each other is a pack thing. The Phoenix wolves consider you one of theirs. Ryan won’t let anything happen to you.”

Zac nodded. “I know. I trust him.”

She smiled. “I’m proud of you. It’s not easy to trust another person when you’ve been betrayed by those who are meant to look out for you.” Trusting Dawn and Madisyn had been hard for her in the beginning, but they had earned that trust with their kindness and patience. The truth was that she also trusted Ryan. She just didn’t trust the situation. She didn’t trust that smashing the barriers between them would reveal anything other than that Ryan was not her mate. Then what? He’d leave her life, and she’d likely never see him again.

Her chest tightened at just the thought. But if it turned out that they weren’t mates, it was exactly what would happen. Her wolf didn’t worry about that; she saw him as a permanent fixture. But Makenna knew how loyal Ryan was. He could view choosing another female over his mate as betrayal . . . and there was a chance that Makenna simply wasn’t his mate.

It would be fair to say that that didn’t mean Ryan would leave her. There was the whole imprinting option. But she knew from her research into his family that his extremely unhappy parents had imprinted on each other, that they’d always had a turbulent relationship. Such a thing could make a person determined to wait for their true mate, couldn’t it? And she just couldn’t shake the feeling that his true mate simply wasn’t her.

Ryan entered the shelter with Jaime and Dominic close behind, and his eyes immediately found Makenna near the reception desk, talking with Dawn and Colton. His wolf bared his teeth at the male, and Ryan struggled not to do the same. He crossed to Makenna, sliding into her personal space and dropping a kiss onto her mouth. Yes, he was marking his territory, but so fucking what. He didn’t spare Colton a glance. The guy was insignificant, and he needed to know it.

Makenna smiled, recognizing the possessive gesture for what it was. “My day is improving.” She gave Jaime and Dominic a quick greeting. “Zac told me he’s accepted his place in your pack. You must be thrilled.”

Ryan narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean, your day is improving? What happened?”

She sighed. “Remy, the bastard, is . . . well, being a bastard.”

Dawn briefly explained the situation before adding, “The residents who were fired are upset. If more sponsors pull out, we’ll have a real problem on our hands.”

Ryan seriously wanted to gut Remy. “He wants you to feel unsafe and vulnerable so that you’ll fall in line and seek his protection.” Colton nodded his agreement, but Ryan ignored him.

“Well, it’s working,” said Dawn. “And it has the residents fretting. Don’t forget that some are in hiding. They worry that if Remy discovers their identities, he could contact the people they’re hiding from.”

Makenna pursed her lips. “I don’t think we’d have to worry about that. For one thing, they don’t leave the shelter. For another, he’s clearly trying to be subtle. If he exposed those seeking sanctuary, several shifters would come knocking. A load of trouble hitting the shelter—a place that’s never had any real trouble before—all at one time wouldn’t be subtle. It would look suspicious.”

Taking a steadying breath, Dawn nodded. “That’s true. But I think some still want to leave.”

“If they decide to leave, where will they go?” Jaime asked.

“The foxes will probably agree to join the relatives they’ve been gradually getting to know,” said Makenna. “The bear cub might do the same with his godparents. As for the other three . . . I know an Alpha who might willingly take them in on a temporary basis.”

“If at any point they choose to leave, they can stay with us until the Remy situation has been resolved,” said Ryan.

Makenna’s brows flew up. “Seriously?”

“Do I ever joke?”

“Not on purpose.”

“You’d really be prepared to do that, Ryan?” asked Dawn. “Why? They’re not your problem.”

“It would be the right thing to do. And it would help Makenna. I don’t like it when she’s stressed.”

Makenna’s breath caught at his matter-of-fact words. He put so much time and energy into helping her . . . and she might not even be his mate. Could anyone blame her for not wanting to lose him, for not being in any rush to crash through barriers that might just lead to him disappearing from her life?

Dominic turned to him with a grin. “Aw, dude, I didn’t know you had a romantic streak.”

Romantic? Ryan scowled. “I’m being honest, not romantic.”

Jaime patted his upper arm. “But admitting something so sweet is romantic.”

Ryan grunted. Turning back to Dawn, he said bluntly, “Do you want the help or not?”

“Now that’s the Ryan we know and love.” Dominic chuckled.

“There are other ways we can help,” said Jaime. “We can find you more sponsors. Have you set up an online sponsor form?”