“To be fair,” said Trick, pausing in the demolishing of his cereal, “it’s a little different since he mated her.”

Dante looked about to say something but was distracted by the entrance of Ryan, Dominic, Tao and Trey. Ryan acknowledged her with a grunt, Dominic with a teeny nod, and Tao with a fierce scowl.

“Yes it is a fabulous morning and yes I did have an amazing sleep, thank you,” she said to them sweetly.

Just for the hell of it, Trey delivered a sharp nip to her bottom lip before taking a seat at the table with the others. Inwardly he frowned at this strange primal urge that he had to be close to her and touch her. Naturally he ignored it, but his irritation remained. Trey hadn’t hungered for touch for a long time and he didn’t like the idea that that might be changing.

He hadn’t been too pleased when he woke up to find himself alone. He’d originally hoped to taste her this morning since o*al s*x had been out of the question last night while she was battling his dominance so hard. He hadn’t been able to pin her down to taste her and he certainly hadn’t been interested in risking sliding his dick between those snapping teeth. Damn if their battles for dominance hadn’t been the hottest thing ever though.

Dante leaned back in his seat, smiling at Trey. “So…how come you didn’t mark her?”

Low laughs filled the room but Trey just ignored them. Okay he’d probably gone a little too far, but he simply liked the look of his mark on Taryn’s flesh. Once he’d gotten passed that annoyance with himself for his urge to do it, he hadn’t held himself back.

“Poor girl looks like she had a fight with a vampire. Oh and you, Taryn, damn you can curse. What did she call you at one point, Trey? Oh that was it. A motherfucking ass-licking sod of a cock-sucking goddamn bitch.” Grace and Lydia laughed.

“I’m an expressive person,” she said with an innocent shrug.

“I especially liked the part when she threatened to slice your c*ck off in your sleep if you didn’t stop spanking her. So where did she mark you?”

Trey knew the question was rhetorical. Females tended to mark their males around the groin and obviously Dante figured that was the case with Taryn. Rather than correct him, he allowed him to think that. He wasn’t sure why she hadn’t marked him. Oh she’d nipped him and scratched him a few times through the night, but it had only ever been in retaliation and it was never deep enough to even draw blood, let alone mark.

His wolf didn’t like it, and Trey was pretty sure that her wolf wouldn’t be too pleased about it either. Maybe she would do it when the battles for dominance had eased, he mused. He didn’t bother asking himself why he even gave a shit. This mating stuff f**ked with the brain.

“How does it feel to have a female who won’t bow down to you?” Dante’s grin was roguish.

Trey returned the grin. “It makes life interesting.” Very interesting.

“I don’t know how you can f**k a Warner,” snarled Kirk.

An unnerving growl filled the sudden silence and Taryn’s wolf began pacing and releasing a growl of her own as if to back up her mate.

Trey’s entire focus was on a fidgety Kirk. “Don’t. Insult. Taryn. Again.” Just like last night, the very idea of anyone insulting her made his blood boil.

Keeping his head bowed, Kirk rose from his seat and stalked out of the kitchen. Brock gave Trey an apologetic smile and then followed after his son.

“You’re right,” Taryn said to Grace who was taking Kirk’s now vacant seat, “he is an a**hole.”

“We’ll be leaving here in a couple of hours to head to the meeting with the Mediator,” Trey told her. “In the meantime I’ll be in my office, but there’ll be plenty of people around if you need anything.”

Yeah, all of whom are hoping I die a painful death very soon. “I wouldn’t have pictured you as the type to have an office.”

“I have investments in a number of different businesses and I like to keep an eye on them. Feel free to wander round or whatever.”

“I will once I’ve been for a run.”

The eagerness in her voice surprised him. “You still have that need even though you’re latent?”

“My wolf gets restless and uncomfortable if I don’t. She still craves that feeling of being free, the kind that comes from running with other wolves.” Although these wolves were only temporarily her pack, her wolf wasn’t affected by that.

Trey couldn’t imagine how difficult it would be to be latent. He wasn’t sure who would have gone crazy first, him or his wolf. The fact that Taryn was not only sane, but free of bitterness and hatefulness demonstrated just how strong a person she was.

As he sat sipping the remainder of his coffee, he watched her chewing on a piece of bacon. Such a simple sight and yet he couldn’t move his eyes from her. There was such an effortless sensuality to her movements. Each one was graceful, almost fluid. The way she chewed her food and licked that carnal mouth had his c*ck so hard he could probably hammer nails with it.

Dante’s eyes were helplessly glued to her – something which Trey wasn’t pleased about, but couldn’t blame him for. Even his enforcers seemed to begrudgingly admire her innate grace. She really was the most sensual creature he had ever seen. The fact that she was totally without vanity and completely oblivious to how provocative she was only increased her attraction. She was truly nothing like any of the women he had been with in the past.

“Trey?!”

Definitely nothing like the female who was currently heading toward the kitchen. Once, he had f**ked the woman once and yet ever since that night four years ago Selma had acted as though she had rights to him. He’d kind of hoped that she would have moved on by now, but apparently the universe thought it would be more fun this way.

“An ex?” Taryn was surprised at just how much the idea irked her.

“For her to be an ex, there would’ve been some kind of relationship to begin with.”

“In other words, she’s someone you used to f**k?”

“I like to think of her as more of a mistake.”

“Trey, is it true?” demanded Selma as she stomped inside with Hope at her side. Instantly Selma’s nostrils flared as she took in the other scents in the room. Her head whipped round to face Taryn. Trey watched as Taryn smiled warmly at her, but there was something dark in that smile, something that warned Selma to be very careful.

Taryn cocked her head at the females. Oh Lydia hadn’t been kidding when she said they were living tributes to Barbie complete with peroxide blonde hair, fake tan and an overabundance of make-up. The taller of the two lowered her eyes at the sight of Taryn, but Trey’s ‘mistake’ was mightily pissed. Good.

Selma’s focus quickly returned to him. “You mated her? You actually mated her?”

“Why are you so surprised? I told each of you about my plan at our last pack meeting.”

“Yeah but I never thought you’d really do it! She’s a Warner. And I just…I thought that you and me would mate.”

Several snorts snatched Trey’s attention. He watched as Dante, his enforcers, Grace and Lydia all exchanged glances that said Selma was obviously delusional.

Selma planted her hands on her hips. “Aren’t you going to introduce me?”

Trey held his hand out invitingly to Taryn. Smiling, she crossed the room and let him pull her onto his lap. “Taryn, Selma. Selma, Taryn.”

“Oh I’m just Selma to you now?”

She was only ever just Selma to him. Of course he had known that she was hoping he’d mate her and she would have the position of Alpha female. He hadn’t known that she thought she had a chance.

Taryn rolled her eyes. “I suppose this is the part where you enlighten me about how you’re his ex – perhaps even the love of his life – and then I’m supposed to feel insanely jealous. Sorry, but it’s just too early in the morning for me to muster that kind of response. Maybe you should try again later.” Though that wasn’t to say that Taryn wasn’t tempted to slap her purely for having touched Trey – as idiotic as that was.

“Seriously, Trey, you can’t honestly have mated her. She’s not even your type. I mean she’s thin. And mouthy. And small. Even her boobs are on the small side.”

“I have nice feet.”

“You’re not his type!”

“You mean because I can read and write?”

Selma flushed and stamped her foot. “Trey? Trey?”

Finally he spared the whining woman a glance. He’d only been half-listening to the conversation as he’d been too busy nuzzling Taryn’s neck, breathing in her exotic scent. As he licked over his claiming mark, a tremor ran through her.

Taryn gave him a sideways glance. “Trey, you really shouldn’t do that unless you want me to jump you while we have an audience.” The ass licked it again.

“Hello!” barked Selma, waving. She was a picture of jealousy.

“Oh sorry, did you say something?” asked Taryn innocently.

The ringing of Trey’s cell phone cut off whatever Selma had been about to say. Seeing that the caller was Ryan, he brought both him and Taryn to their feet. “I’ll be back in a minute.” With one last lick to his mark, he released her, relishing the flush on her cheeks, and left the room to take the call in private.

As if Selma wasn’t staring at her with utter hatred in her eyes and obviously planning her murder, Taryn leaned against the counter as she tackled her last slice of bacon.

“I feel sorry for Trey being stuck with you, even if it’s only for a few months. Seriously, Dante, what was he thinking mating a Warner?”

“You wouldn’t have liked her no matter who she was and we all know why.”

“Oh come on, Dante, if what I’ve heard is right then she’s latent for God’s sake.” God, the woman sounded like Brodie.

Taryn sighed. “You know, I really wish people would stop talking about my latency like it’s the second coming of Christ. I’m not the only latent shifter.”

Selma gave her a pitying look. “You have to admit that a latent couldn’t manage being an Alpha Female.”

“I suppose you would do a much better job.”

“Yes, I would. Even if this mating was real, it wouldn’t have lasted long. Once Trey and his wolf began to realize just how weak their mate is, their interest in you would have swiftly dwindled. They’d have gone looking for a female wolf who can complement them and their strength. And when that happened, I’d have been waiting.”

Trey was just ending the call when the sound of a loud crash hit his ears and had him cursing in surprise. He raced into the kitchen and stared, confounded, at the vision before him. Selma was very ungracefully splayed out on the floor after obviously having smacked her head against the wall, if the trail of blood was anything to go by. Everyone at the table had risen from their seat and was staring down at her, wide-eyed. And Taryn…well she was leaning against the counter calmly biting into a slice of bacon as if there wasn’t a woman moaning and bleeding all over the floor.

“What the hell happened?” he demanded. Taryn’s expression was perfectly serene when she peered up at him.

“She fell.”

The sound of muffled laughter had his attention returning to the table to find Dante, Grace, Lydia, Cam and Rhett chuckling so hard they were shaking. Although the others were silent, none of them – not even Hope – had been able to hold back an amused grin.

Taryn sighed. “I think I’ll go on that run now. Grace, that breakfast was excellent.” She then made her way around a moaning Selma, pointedly ignoring her. “Close your mouth, Trey, or you’ll catch flies.”

Still totally bemused and also a little horny as a result of her alpha vibes pulsating around her, Trey stared after her as she pranced out of the room humming a tune he didn’t recognise.

“Taryn’s one mean bitch,” said Dante approvingly.

“Trey, look what she did to me!” whined Selma.

He didn’t want to. “Dante, Tao, you coming?” Both rose from the table and thanked Grace before following him out of the room. “What was all that about anyway?”

“Just Selma being her usual irritating self,” replied Dante. “You should’ve seen the way Taryn picked her up and slung her at the wall. It was awesome.”

Tao nodded his agreement, albeit reluctantly. “That female’s freakishly strong for her size.”

Oh Trey already knew that from their battles last night. His lips curved into a smile as he imagined battling with her all over again tonight.

Taryn was in a better mood after her short run. The cold breeze on her face combined with the familiar scents of the forest had left her feeling refreshed and settled her wolf. Only then had she began to wander through the maze of tunnels to familiarise herself with what would be her home for the next few months. Three hours later Taryn was in the doorway of the living area, gaping.

A wander around had confirmed that not one inch of the place was anything but spectacular. There were four floors and each one of them featured dozens of en-suite bedrooms, a small kitchenette, and a laundry room. On the fourth floor where Trey, Dante and the enforcers slept was – in addition to a laundry room – a pool room, a game room, an office, the huge amazing kitchen and a large living area. The blend of modern and antique furnishings was a feature throughout the entire place, never once clashing.

She was nothing short of awed and had found something to gasp at in each and every room. But this room…whoa. The audio-visual system was state of the art, the decorative swirly carvings on the main wall were amazing, the many armchairs all looked comfy enough to sleep on, but it was the item in the center of the living area that had her attention. Is it a bed? Is it a sofa? The freaking thing looked more like a giant cushion.