“No,” stated Nick, clearly panicked about the latter, being so overprotective.

Shaya huffed at her mate. “You said it yourself: it would have to be something that wouldn’t require your direct supervision. A salon wouldn’t create any hassle for you.”

“A club would be less hassle, though,” said Roni. “That wouldn’t require his supervision either.”

Nick latched onto that like it was a lifeline. “Yeah, a club would be simpler. It wouldn’t be something that requires Shaya to be out in public.” He turned to Harley. “You’d know how to run it, right?”

Harley shrugged. “Sure.” God, these females were good. They had Nick thinking the whole thing was his idea.

Nick nodded, satisfied, clearly feeling like he was back in control of the matter. “There. Simple. If we branch out, we start with a club.”

Shaya frowned. “But my idea—”

“No.”

“But—”

“No.”

Her shoulders fell. “There’s no way at all I can change your mind?”

“Not on this.”

Shaya released a long, suffering sigh. “I guess we could look into local clubs, see if any are for sale.”

Roni nodded, patting Shaya’s back soothingly. “Yeah. A salon could come later.”

When Nick bristled, Ally raised a hand at Roni. “Let’s not push Nick any further.” He grunted in approval.

“Shaya, look!” called out Cassidy. “Watch me skip!”

“I’m coming!” Shaya walked out, followed by Ally and Roni.

“I want to see the pups skipping,” Harley told Jesse.

His arm flexed around her. “You promise you won’t disappear up a tree?”

Harley rolled her eyes. “Promise.” She accepted his kiss and then slid out the patio door. The three adult females were on the porch, watching the pups attempt to skip and fail. “You girls are sheer goddesses.”

Shaya grinned. “Ain’t we, though?”

“Can I just say I’m so glad you returned Jesse’s claim,” Ally said to Harley. “You and Jesse might not be true mates, but you were meant for each other.”

Harley’s nose wrinkled. “That makes no sense.”

Ally elaborated. “The Jesse he was as a child—he was meant for the little girl who died. The Jesse he is now—he was meant for you.”

Her cat liked that idea, and Harley would like to think it was true.

“Dude, you’re not watching,” Cassidy complained to Shaya.

Blinking in surprise, Shaya chuckled. “Little girls don’t say ‘dude.’ I’m glad Willow didn’t hear you say it; she’d repeat it constantly.”

Cassidy waved a hand. “Nah, she’s too busy singing while she tries to skip.”

Harley frowned. “That sounds more like chanting than singing.” They all quieted and strove to listen to the pup . . . and Harley had to bite back a smile when she realized Willow was chanting “redrum” over and over.

Shaya gasped, wide-eyed. “Who let her watch The Shining?”

Eli looked at Jesse in mock disgust, but he was wearing a ghost of a smile. “You’re sickeningly happy right now, aren’t you?”

“Of course,” replied Jesse.

“It’s making me nauseous.”

“We’re all falling, one by one.” Bracken sighed. “First Nick. Then Derren. Now Jesse.”

Nick folded his arms. “Let’s just hope the next one who finds their mate doesn’t do it for a while. I don’t think I can cope with any more new members in one year.” His mouth twisted, and he was silent for a moment. “I was totally manipulated by my mate just now, wasn’t I?”

Derren’s mouth kicked up into a smile. “Yeah. The others were obviously in on it, but Shaya was clearly the ringleader.”

It had been fucking hilarious and had taken everything Jesse had not to laugh. Shaya was damn sneaky. But Jesse supposed that a submissive female mated to an Alpha would have to find alternative ways of getting what she wanted or she’d feel constantly oppressed.

Nick’s jaw tightened, and he glared at an unsuspecting Shaya through the window. “I’ll kill her.”

“For what it’s worth,” began Zander, “she is right about branching out.”

Nick snorted. “Whatever.”

After everyone left, Jesse and Harley spent the rest of the day alone. It was a day lazily spent lounging, snuggling, bathing, eating, and fucking. Later, they gave their animals freedom and let them run and play together. When it turned dark, the wolf padded back to the lodge with the cat clinging to his back and playfully biting at his ears. Happy.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The sound of a twig snapping brought Harley out of her book. Sitting comfortably on a tree branch, she listened harder . . . and heard light footsteps. Someone was coming. Someone who didn’t want to be sensed.

Jesse was currently guarding the perimeter of the territory and nowhere near their lodge. And since she’d left her cell on the kitchen counter, there was no way she could call for backup. So she remained absolutely still, straining each of her senses. She scented the prowler before they came into her line of vision. Motherfucker.

Harley watched as they halted a few feet away from the building and stood on their tiptoes, trying to peek through the windows without coming close. Then they started to creep toward the patio doors. She waited until just the right moment before she—in a short series of quick, fluid, silent movements—descended from the branch and landed directly in front of the prowler, who jerked back in surprise. Harley gave a mock smile. “Howdy.”