Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 81808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 409(@200wpm)___ 327(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
After a moment, Justin glanced away.
“I’m sorry about that.” Cole smiled at me. “I would never mean to embarrass you.”
But it wasn’t embarrassing, and his display of dominance over Justin made my pulse quicken. At heart, I was a primal creature, and the challenge, though small, added to the bigger picture of who Cole was. And he was not subordinate to Justin, that was crystal clear, no matter where Justin stood in the hierarchy of the pack.
My breath caught, and I was probably blushing, which, horribly, happened on occasion, even as old as I was. No doubt my pupils were dilated too as I stared at something I wanted.
“Huh.” Cole gave me a grin that told me he was enjoying my reaction to him. “Your scent changed, did you know?”
Now I was embarrassed, and suddenly the floor had all my interest.
“Stop. Look at me.”
But there was no way.
“Mere,” he husked, and my shortened name sounded the best it ever had. “Now.”
My eyes met his, and he held my gaze.
“I can feel this down deep, you understand?”
I did, because I felt the same way. I’d been attracted to other men before, of course, but this felt strange. Different, and more. There was a pull under my skin that I wanted to surrender to, so I nodded in reply.
“Now,” Cole began, his attention back on his cousin, “so you know, I don’t just want to see Merritt occasionally or spend a bit of time with him. I want something much more. And if you were aware of your beast, you’d know exactly what I’m talking about.”
Justin frowned, clearly confused.
“Also, for the record—you talk a lot, Justin, but you let yourself get distracted by questions and things that don’t matter when you shouldn’t.”
“The hell is that supposed to mean?”
“If you want something, you act. Just because you’re the alpha’s son doesn’t mean we all defer to you.”
“You’re not allowed to go near anything of mine.”
“I promise you, Merritt Baker is not yours. Not at all.”
“Are you serious?”
Not wanting to stand there like an idiot while they talked about me as though I wasn’t there, I took my plate, grabbed a napkin, and left them to return to Narah.
“What was that about?” she asked when I took a seat beside her. “Things look a bit tense between my son and my nephew.”
“I have no idea.”
Her brows furrowed. “I so wish, as cousins, they were closer, but with the way the succession went, I suspect it can’t be helped.”
I nodded, and was about to ask what she meant when she spoke again.
“Oh, Merritt, excuse me a moment, won’t you?” She got up to go speak to someone across the room.
Once she was gone, I noticed the woman sitting on my right, and when I smiled at her, she leaned close.
“I just love your restaurant. I’ve been several times.”
“Thank you, I appreciate that.”
“I’m Narah’s sister, Oonagh. I’m visiting from Santa Monica for the winter.”
“I would think you’d want to winter there and come here in the summer.”
“I know, but I miss the seasons.”
I shot her a look like she was nuts, and she laughed.
“Why’re you really here?” I asked.
“Abel has a number of visits with other packs planned, and my sister is hoping to find me a mate.”
“Do you want a mate?”
“I don’t know, and what a refreshing question. You’re not a wolf, are you?”
“No, ma’am, I’m not.”
“I figured not, as you don’t have all of our same obsession with mating.”
“They just always want to expand the pack.”
“I know, and it’s smothering. My brother is an alpha, and he’s the same way.”
“Does he want you mated as well?”
“Oh yes, but as his and his mate’s matchmaking efforts have not been well received, he’s at least leaving it up to nature. I mean, I’m not going to have children at this point. I’m too old and—”
“You’re not too old if you want to be a mother, ma’am, but that’s your choice, no one else’s.”
“Well, it’s lovely that you think like that, and please call me Oonagh.”
I nodded.
“So, do you want to know?”
“Know what?”
“What the issue was with the succession?”
“I would very much like to know.”
She leaned even closer to me. “Well, Cole, who you just met and who Justin can’t stand, his father, Anson, was alpha of this pack, but when he was killed, Cole was too young to lead, so Abel stepped up.”
“He wasn’t given the title of regent or steward?”
“Oh, I’ve only ever heard steward used, but no. Abel pronounced himself alpha, and then, after a time, named his and Narah’s son, Justin, as successor.”
“How can he do that?”
“Because by that time, Cole wasn’t going to say anything about it.”
“And why is that?”
“It had been years, and you know, after a time, it takes a challenge to undo whatever an alpha has put in place.”
“Yes, but Abel wasn’t really the alpha.”