His Purrfect Mate Read online

  Fear jolted Shannon when she realized what he’d said. The knowledge that he might have to fight another werewolf left her feeling stark terror.

  No one inside the room spoke to protest his announcement.

  “Good.” Anton sighed. “It’s official. I’m the temporary alpha.” He hesitated. “Temporary. That’s the key word here. Dad will get past this and I’ll concede the title back to him. We need to show a strong front for the pack. It’s imperative they know everything will remain the same and it hasn’t weakened us in any way.”

  The blond cleared his throat. “What about her, Anton? No disrespect, but it’s going to cause waves with some that you’ve marked the enemy.” The guy bit his lip. “I heard you say she can’t shift and she’s mainly human, but as an enforcer, it’s my job to point out all possible problems.”

  Von stepped forward. “If it becomes a point of contention with our pack, or outside challengers who believe there’s the possibility of taking the alpha position here, I’ll step up. We’ve already discussed that scenario if Dad needed to step down, which has now happened. Its fine, Kane. One of us will lead the Harris Pack. I highly doubt anyone would want to challenge all my brothers, and that’s what they would be up against.” He met Anton’s stare. “I phoned Grady while you and Shannon were changing clothes. He’s willing to fight to help us hold the pack. We’re totally united.”

  “I never doubted that.” Anton addressed the blond. “Kane, I want you and your men to spread word that everything is taken care of and there’s no cause for alarm. Perhaps it would be better if you just told them we’re sharing the alpha position while our father recovers. Make sure everyone knows the entire Harris family…” He paused to glance back at Brand. “Are you united with us?”

  Brand grinned. “You know I love a good fight. I’ve always got your backs.”

  Anton chuckled. “I knew that but I didn’t want to speak for you.” He faced Kane again. “You heard him. If they feel stupid enough to think it’s a good time to challenge for lead position in the pack, it will be the last thing they ever do.”

  Kane grinned. “You have the support of your enforcers.” He shot a glance at the other men. “I can speak for them, since they know I’ll kill them otherwise.”

  A few of the men chuckled.

  Anton grew serious. “I hate to do this during mating heat but for the time being, we double up in teams. We have no idea how this news will affect outsiders and there’s plenty of them in town. No one goes anywhere without someone to defend their back.”

  “Shit,” Rave groaned, walking back into the room. “Only on patrol, right?”

  “No.” Anton shook his head. “They may use the heat, feeling it’s a perfect time to attack. Pair up at all times.”

  “No,” Braden groaned. “Anything but that.”

  Rave suddenly laughed. “What’s wrong, Braden? Are you afraid to have a witness around to see how little you know about females? I’ll pair up with you. I’ll be more than happy to give you advice if you’re doing something wrong.”

  Shannon tugged on Anton’s hand. He looked down at her. “Does that mean what I think it does? I…” Her cheeks flamed with heat and her voice lowered. “I’m not having sex with someone else inside a room with us. I can’t.”

  He pulled her against his side and laughed. “Not in the same room but they’ll be close enough that we can look out for each other if someone shows up to attack.”

  “You both can stay at my house,” Von offered. “I’ve got enough bedrooms and I’ve got a hell of a security system. I paired up with Debbie for mating heat, and you know she won’t cause any problems over Shannon’s bloodlines.”

  Kane chuckled. “Debbie, huh? That’s brave.”

  Von shrugged. “I have no interest in mating her, and we all know she’s already set on mating someone else. I like her. She’s fun and easy to get along with.”

  “You know Parker won’t be happy about it.”

  “Then he shouldn’t have run away. He’s spending his heat with someone else, since he’s not here with her. Debbie is my friend, and if he won’t take care of her, I will. She’s too vulnerable at this moment to trust any other male not to take advantage of the heat to mate her. She’s safe with me.”

  Kane’s humor vanished. “That’s true. She’s too sweet and attractive. I know a dozen males who’d try to seduce her into a mating and I’d hate to see them die when Parker finally grabs a clue. He’d kill any man who claimed her.”

  Shannon glanced up at Anton for clarification. He sighed. “You’ll like Debbie. She’s a half-breed. Some werewolves are old school and believe mating half-breeds taints the pack. Parker’s family convinced him that mating her would ruin their precious heritage, and the moron left to avoid his feelings for her.”

  Rave cleared his throat. “I hate to break this up, but I’m starting to suffer from the heat. I feel aggressive as hell and I have a woman waiting at my place. Let’s partner up and assign schedules. In another half hour, if I’m not fucking someone, there’s going to be a fight.”

  Kane laughed. “Let’s get down to business then. I’m not fucking you, man.”

  “You’d be the bitch, not me.” Rave winked. “And you’re so not my type.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Anton watched Shannon study his brother’s guestroom and it took everything he had not to lunge at her, pin her to the bed, and tear off her clothes. His dick throbbed painfully, trapped inside his pants, aching to sink into her hot, tight body. He held back a snarl.

  “You’re not scenting strongly of need anymore.”

  She peered out the window at the view of the woods, her back to him. “I guess the hormones they gave me aren’t going to have any lasting effects on me. I’ll probably never go into heat that strongly again.” She turned with a smile. “Isn’t that great news? I’m almost normal again. I’m still achy and turned on but it’s not a mindless need now.”

  Would I be a bastard if I disagreed? I want you hot. I’d give anything to have you burning under me again, clawing at me, unable to get enough. He kept those thoughts to himself. “I need you.”

  Her gaze dropped to his groin and her eyes widened. “You’re in heat now. How could I not notice that before? You’re as hard as a rock.”

  “Yeah.” He had to leash his beast when it tried to spring forward. The wolf inside him howled for Shannon. Sweat broke out all over his body and he started to breathe heavily. He worried about scaring her. “My control is slipping.” He winced at the harsh tone of his voice.

  She reached for her shirt. “Do we have condoms? We might want to use them just in case you can’t stop from biting me again. We’ve taken a lot of risks in the past few hours.”

  The memory of feeling her without them made him want to lie. Nothing had ever been as good as his bare cock riding her hot, sleek pussy as it squeezed around him. He’d always worn protection during the heat, never trusted a woman not to tempt him into mating her when his defenses were down, but Shannon wasn’t just any woman. He wanted to keep her. He wanted to spill his seed deep inside her while biting into her flesh to bind them together forever.

  “They’re inside the nightstand. Von always keeps them stocked in all the guestrooms. He entertains out-of-town werewolves when Dad invites them here.”

  She removed her shirt, tossed it onto the chair in the corner, and his fists clenched at the sight of her soft, pale breasts. Her nipples probably reacted from the chill of the room instead of needing him as much as he did her. He watched her open the drawer, remove a box and set it on the edge of the nightstand. She tortured him by slowly baring every inch of her body for him to drool over. He swallowed fast, figuring she wouldn’t find it sexy. His fangs elongated inside his mouth to press against the inside of his lower lip.

  Shannon hesitated to peer at him with such innocence that he really felt like a bastard when all he wanted to do was bend her over and fuck her until his knees collapsed. A growl erupted. Her eyes widened an