Trayis (VLG Series Book 11) Read online

  Trayis reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. “I have.”

  “Is she your mate?”

  Trayis sighed. “I don’t know.”

  Arlis frowned at that.

  “Sometimes with VampLycans, it takes time to sink in if we find our mate. It’s the fucking Vampire blood. The stronger it is, the more it can screw with the Lycan instincts.”

  “You just gave me a direct order over one of my pack. I take it you have feelings for Shay?”

  “Yes,” he admitted. “And you’d likely have a problem with some of them.”

  “Like?”

  “Like I want to beat the hell out of some of your pack for the way she’s been treated. I’d love five minutes alone with Tegan.”

  “That’s why you were throwing vibes at my table this morning…”

  “I’d have already tracked his ass down if he’d hurt her, Arlis. She doesn’t have a bruise on her, I checked, and that’s the only reason he’s still breathing. Your sentry or not.”

  Arlis had the nerve to smile smugly.

  “What’s so amusing? I just threatened one of yours with death.”

  “It’s just that Shay isn’t the woman I imagined you’d go for.”

  “You and me both, brother. She’s too damn soft and sweet. It makes me feel protective in ways I’ve never experienced before.” He remembered what had been said at breakfast. “I don’t see her as a pup, though. There’s nothing childlike about her. She’s sexy as hell.”

  “I’ll take your word for it. And not that you need it, but you have my permission.”

  Trayis frowned. “For what?”

  “To take her with you when you go home.”

  “Fuck!” He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck again. “I’m not ready for a mate!”

  “Neither was I when Ginny came into my life, but I realized she was mine. That worked out great.”

  “Did Darlene tell you that Shay tried to get ahold of you earlier? Not to change the subject, but shit went down today.”

  Arlis frowned. “Besides Tegan?”

  “Shay went to buy condoms off territory, since she thinks we should hide our relationship from everyone.”

  “Why would she hide it?”

  “Because she believes your damn pack will think less of me for being with her,” he snarled, angry all over again. “That’s beside the damn point. She ran into a fifteen-year-old Lycan kid at the human store. It turns out he’s her uncle.”

  Shocked, Arlis’s mouth fell opened. “What?”

  “Her grandparents weren’t just hanging out at that cabin doing nothing when you sent them away to keep Shay safe. They had a son they didn’t bother to inform you about. I remember you saying you didn’t kick them out of the pack until Shay was in her teens, after they tried to get her banished. The boy was born in your territory, and he would have been one of your pack.”

  “Why would they hide him from me?”

  “From what he told Shay, it seems his asshole parents told him you forced his big brother to mate a human, and they blame you for his death. Shay said the kid hates you for that, and her; he’s been fed a lot of the lies. His parents have made you out to be worse than that bastard Frank.”

  “Fuck.” Arlis growled. “That’s the pack they went to. Frank’s. I guess I’m not too surprised Mildred and Elvis hid the boy. I knew they hated me for protecting Shay, and they accused me of picking her over them. Every child should be celebrated. But why the hell didn’t Fred tell me about the boy when he took them in? He should have. He was still alive when they joined that pack. Then again, he had a soft heart for strays with sob stories. I can imagine Elvis and Mildred lied their asses off to gain his sympathy. Goddamn it!”

  “Shay’s worried you might have to hurt her uncle. She fears he’ll try to attack you because of the lies he’s been told.”

  “I’d never hurt a youth.”

  “I know that. She knows it, too. But it upset her enough to cry when she found out about him and realized how badly he’s been manipulated.”

  “Fuck. I’ll go to her cabin now to get all the details and assure her.”

  Trayis moved to block him. “She’s not at home.”

  “Where is she?”

  “Waiting for me in the trailer. She’s staying with me.”

  “Ah.”

  “I’ll bring her by at breakfast in the morning. Or do you want us in your office when it opens?”

  “Breakfast is fine. Eight.”

  “I remember.”

  Arlis stepped close and gripped his shoulders, holding his gaze. “I hope she’s yours, brother. I want you to be as happy as I am. A mate is a wonderful thing.”

  “I’m afraid, with my personality…”

  “I understand. There’s one thing I can tell you about Shay, though. She’s more human than Werewolf.”

  “I’ve figured that out.”

  “You won’t accidently overpower her if you pull what you did at breakfast this morning. She’d have felt your vibes, but she wouldn’t have buckled. Have her tell you about the assholes who’ve tried that shit with her.”

  His anger returned yet again. “I heard.”

  Arlis chuckled.

  “There’s not one thing funny about some of your pack trying to get her on her knees!”

  “That’s the thing, Trayis. Shay doesn’t feel the vibes as strongly as a Were does. She gets mad and starts yelling when they try to use them to overpower her. As a Were, she’s submissive…but as a human? She’s got more backbone than any I’ve ever met. That human blood of hers protects her from being cowered. Some believe she’s like her mother, but that’s not true. Layla was frail on the inside, as well as on the outside. Shay looks like her physically, but inside, Shay’s sturdy.”

  He let that information sink in. “I need to get back to her, now that everything here is settled.”

  “Thanks for coming.”

  “Always.” He hugged his brother and left.

  He nearly ran to the trailer, anxious to see Shay. He knocked, calling out to her. She must have been waiting near the door, maybe sitting in the chair beside it, since the locks slid back within seconds. He stepped inside, grabbed her around the waist as he entered, and slammed the door behind him. He slid the locks back into place to secure them.

  “Is everything okay?”

  He noticed the slight scent of fear and sweat on her, as if she’d been extremely nervous. “Frank is a prick, but he’s a terrified one now, with a new understanding of how close Arlis and I are. The other alphas stood with my brother, too. They made it damn clear that to attack this pack would be seen as an act of war against them all.”

  Her relief was evident. “Thank goodness.” She wrapped her arms around his neck.

  He lifted her higher into his arms and walked toward the bedroom. “I’m sorry that took so long. I wanted to stay until all of them were gone. You should have tried to nap.”

  “As if I could sleep. I was worried about another sneak attack. I kept wishing I’d packed my shotgun.”

  He halted in the hallway, his eyes widening. “Shotgun?”

  Her cheeks pinkened. “I can’t shift. Sylvia and Dean, my foster parents, bought it for me as a housewarming gift. You know, since I was determined to live alone.”

  “I like them already.” He continued into the small bedroom. “Can you shoot it?”

  “Of course. Dean took me out to practice on targets until I could hit anything I was aiming for.”

  He eased her down on her feet and kissed her forehead. “I bet you look cute as shit with a shotgun in your hands.”

  She shook her head, giving him an exasperated look. That was adorable, too.

  “I’m just being honest. Does it knock you on your ass when you fire it, doll?”

  “I know how to brace my legs, Trayis,” she said dryly.

  He kicked off his shoes and removed his shirt. “I want to see that sometime.”

  “You’re so weird.”

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