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  “Mason’s not in the building, and Cooper is going to stay behind the bar. You think you can take me, then go for it. This is your chance. Put up or shut up.”

  “Kelly, I don’t think this is a good idea,” said Cooper.

  Marla’s lips turned up in a sneer. “You should listen to him before you get hurt.”

  “Actually, I’m more worried about Kelly hurting you.” Cooper shrugged.

  “Really? You think she can hurt me?” Marla wrinkled her nose.

  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Cooper pulled out his wallet and pulled several bills out. “I’ve got a hundred dollars that says Kelly’s going to mop the floor with Marla.”

  Someone laughed. “A human against a wolf shifter? There’s no way a human will win. You’re on.”

  Kelly ignored the betting going on around her. She focused on Marla because she knew from experience Marla would strike when she wasn’t looking.

  Marla swung her hand at Kelly’s head.

  Kelly threw her arm up to block the swing and with her other hand, punched Marla’s nose. Before Marla could recover, Kelly kicked her in the chest, knocking her on the ground.

  Archibald shoved his way through the crowd. “How dare you attack my daughter.” He grabbed Kelly’s arm. “You obviously don’t know your place and need to be taught a lesson, you stupid human.”

  Kelly didn’t hesitate. She kneed him as hard as she could in his groin.

  Archibald gasped and paled. He let go of her of her arm. His face scrunched into a deep frown and tears rolled down his cheeks. He fell to the floor and curled up into a fetal position.

  Kelly wasn’t even sure if he was breathing. She backed several steps away from him.

  Draven suddenly appeared beside her. “I can’t leave you alone even for a minute.”

  She shrugged. “They started it. I just finished it.”

  “Add this to the list of things we need to talk about.” He brushed his hand against her cheek before he turned his attention to the crowed. “If anyone attacks Kelly Hayes, he or she will answer to me.”

  Darius Perrow, Archibald’s son, stepped forward. “She’s just a human female in the pack, and pack law says female humans are nothing but toys for the wolves. And now that she’s returned, I for one, can’t wait to start teaching her the duties of that status.”

  Several growls erupted around Kelly. Draven’s was the loudest. He stepped in front of her. “There is no such pack law.”

  “Alpha Lars made the law just before she ran away from the pack. But now she’s back I’m planning to have the fun I was denied.”

  “I am the alpha. The laws that Lars made are no longer in effect. All humans in the pack are protected. You will obey my laws and decisions or you can leave the pack. If you or anyone else touches a single hair on my mate’s head, I will kill you.”

  Several gasps echoed through the building.

  Even Kelly was stunned by his public declaration that she was his mate. All she could do was stare at Draven.

  Darius stepped sideways and glared at her. “A human can’t be an alpha’s mate. Alpha Lars—”

  “—is dead.” Draven cut in. “His laws are null and void. From this day forward, no one is allowed to used Lars’ laws against any member of the pack or in any way. Does everyone understand?” he grabbed Kelly’s hand and pulled her against him. “Take your father and sister and leave. Your presence is no longer wanted.”

  Darius tilted his head to expose his neck to Draven, but his eyes blazed with hatred. “Yes alpha,” he said through clenched teeth.

  Kelly looked around the room. Most faces were friendly. Some had a stunned look, and several openly glared at her and Draven. She knew this wasn’t over.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Draven watched Kelly bite her bottom lip as she stretched the fingers on her right hand. He was more proud of her than he wanted to admit but was also worried for her safety. She was lucky. If she hadn’t taken Archibald by surprise, he could have hurt her and probably would have just for fun.

  Tonight showed him the Perrows were more of a problem than he originally thought. They preferred keeping the old alpha’s sick ways instead of growing and changing for the better. They were dangerous and not just to the pack, but to his mate too.

  His mate.

  He had longed to find her and start a family, but as the years passed he started giving up hope.

  And then fate brought her to him.

  She was beautiful, stubborn, and brave. He wanted her more than anyone or anything in the world. But he knew if he bit her to claim her, he would put a monster inside her. A monster that would kill her as it tried ripping its way out of her body, just like it did to…

  For an instant he saw her laying in a pool of blood. Her blood. Her glassy eyes stared at him, accusing him of killing her.

  But they weren’t Kelly’s brown eyes staring at him but not seeing him.

  The eyes were a vivid blue.

  Lori.

  You will kill her just like you killed me, whispered the ghost from his past. A ghost that was never too far from him.

  Ours. We protect, growled his wolf. Mate strong.

  The only way we can protect her from us is not to claim her. He felt the beast bristled at the thought of not claiming their mate, but it didn’t matter. He would not put a monster into Kelly. The chance of her dying was too great. A human marriage would be the only way to have her in his life, and he realized he would always have to protect her from those who would try to take her away from him.

  He noticed Kelly was watching him. Everyone in the room was staring at him.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked. Her voice sounded strange, almost forced.

  “I was just wondering where you learned those moves you used.” Draven glanced at Cooper who was looking from Kelly to him.

  “Hey, don’t blame me. I only showed her how to use a knife. Mason’s the one who gave her boxing lessons.” Cooper put his hands up in the air.

  “Knives. Boxing.” Kelly’s mom, Sara, shook her head. she turned to her mate. “And what did you contribute to this?”

  Pops shrugged. “Some basic defense moves. When she moved away to college, I asked Dragon to continue the lessons and to teach her how to use a gun. She needed to be able to protect herself.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Sara’s eyes turned black with a bright brown halo as her wolf moved closer to the surface. “She’s my daughter, Harvey Edward Hayes! My baby girl. Not some warrior going off to battle.”

  “I did it because she is my daughter too. She doesn’t have a wolf to protect her. Yes, one of us could have put one in her, but that wasn’t our right. That belongs to her mate. But after Justin Lars tried to bite her so he could watch her turn, I knew something had to be done, and I did what I thought would be best for our daughter.” Pops walked over to his mate and wrapped his arms around her. “You and your wolf were learning to trust each other. I figured you had enough on your plate to deal with, that’s why I didn’t tell you. Why don’t we go back to the party and let these two talk?”

  “I understand why you did it, but I’m still mad at you.” Sara slapped at Pops’ hands.

  “I know my beautiful she-wolf. Just think about how much fun it will be when we make up later tonight.” He maneuvered her out of the office.

  Cooper looked at Draven than at Kelly. He raised an eyebrow.

  Kelly knew what he was asking. “I will be okay.”

  He nodded and left the room.

  “They’re protective of you,” said Draven when he and Kelly were finally alone.

  “Just a bit. The last few years have been hard for all of us, but it’s what I had to do to keep them from being hurt trying to protect me.”

  Mate strong and loyal. Draven’s wolf pushed forward, wanting a closer look at their mate.

  Draven was beginning to realize it too. “Your family’s had some problems with Lars.”

  Kelly nodded. “You could say that.�
�� She noticed Draven didn’t give Lars a title.

  “What happened?”

  “Lars had a huge hatred of humans which was odd since Justin’s mother was human.”

  Draven raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t know that. Is she still alive?”

  “No.” She bit her bottom lip.

  “How does this effect your family?” Draven crossed his arms. He really wanted to pull her to him and explore her curves, and he almost did when she bit her bottom lip.

  “Lars decided to punish Pops for bring home a couple of humans by taking mom and me away from him. The fight that night was horrible. That was the night mom’s wolf was born.” Kelly became quiet. She didn’t tell him how Cooper’s wolf turned into a beast to protect her while Mason and Pops fought Lars and his buddies.

  “What’s with Justin attacking you?”

  Kelly could hear the hard anger in his voice. “It happened in high school. He decided he wanted to see what happened to a human when they were bitten. I was the one he picked to be the subject of his experiment. I got lucky. Mason and Moose stopped him before he could bite me. After that I started learning how to protect myself.” Kelly saw his eyes just before he turned away from her. She knew his wolf was close to the surface. “I know we’re mates.”

  Draven heard her softly spoken words, and he knew she was waiting for him to say something but he couldn’t. He couldn’t even turn around and look at her. His wolf wanted to kill everyone who had tried to hurt her. Draven struggled to keep his wolf under control, but he felt that control slipping.

  He heard Kelly stand up and walk to the door.

  “Where are you going?” He turned around.

  She slowly turned around and looked at him. Sorrow and defeat filled in her eyes. “I understand. I promise I will stay out of your way until I can make some arrangements.” She opened the door.

  “Kelly, wait.” He took a step toward her. “Yes, we are mates. But claiming you is complicated.”

  “It’s only complicated if you make it complicated. If I had wanted a protector, I could have gotten that from any of Mason or Cooper’s friends, but that’s not what I want.” Kelly fought the need to cry. “I know what a true mating is. I saw it every day with my own eyes. That’s what I want. A true mating and everything that goes with it.”

  Draven shook his head. “I can’t claim you because…” His phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket. “What is it?”

  Kelly could hear the thumps of the bass guitar while Draven listened to the caller.

  “I’ll be there in a few minutes.” He ended the call and put the phone back into his pocket. “I have to go. Have Mason or Cooper take you home.”

  She watched him walk away. Her mate didn’t want to claim her. Her mate didn’t want her, and it was because of someone named Lori. It was the only reason that made sense. Her bottom lip quivered. “Draven?”

  “We’ll talk later.” He opened the door.

  “Lori must have been very special to you.”

  Her soft spoke words caused him to stop. Slowly he turned around and looked at her. Her blank stare didn’t match the pain and hurt rolling off of her.

  “I’m sorry you lost her. I hope one day you find some peace about what happened to her, and you get a second chance at happiness.” She tossed him his jacket, and turned, giving him her back.

  Draven’s wolf howled and fought to get to their mate, but Draven clamped down on the monster. How did she know Lori’s name? He frowned. He had to have spoken her name, that’s why they were staring at him earlier.

  Fix this. Fix our mate.

  His wolf made it sound so simple, but Draven didn’t have a clue how to fix it. He couldn’t use brute strength to fix this problem, and he couldn’t claim her. He did the only thing he could but probably shouldn’t. He left.

  The click of the door closing might as well have been a stake going through Kelly’s heart. It felt like it had shattered into a million pieces. She had found her mate, and he didn’t want her. Her mate rejected her.

  She wanted to hide from everyone, but she couldn’t stay in the office. Sooner or later someone would come looking for her…for them, but when they found her alone there would be questions. She didn’t want to see anyone, and she definitely didn’t want to answer a bunch of questions.

  There was one good thing.

  She had her car.

  ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

  Kelly set the car alarm as she climbed the stairs to the porched that wrapped completely around the log cabin. She stopped and looked around the woods that surrounded her, not that she could see much in the dark.

  Her heart ached. All the way home she had cried. Now she felt numb.

  Tomorrow she would face the pack and sooner or later Draven. But for now, she just wanted to go inside and hide in her bed under the blankets.

  She bit her bottom lip.

  His not wanting her, hurt more than she wanted to admit. But then what alpha wanted to be saddled with a human mate and the possibility of children who could never shift.

  And then there was this Lori person.

  Kelly felt like the booby prize in a twisted mating game. The prize you got because you participated, not because you wanted it.

  Kelly unlocked the door and pushed it open. She started to go in when she spotted a folded piece of white paper laying on the floor just outside the door’s path.

  She glanced outside. She didn’t see anything, but that didn’t mean a wolf or two weren’t somewhere in the trees, watching her. Closing the door, and picked up the paper.

  A frown marred her forehead as she unfolded the paper. As she read the scribbled note, the frown disappeared.

  YOUR MINE. I’M COMING FOR YOU.

  Her eyes widened and then narrowed as she reread the note. She started to crumple into a ball, but stopped. She smoothed out the wrinkles and refolded it.

  She was tired of the jerks who thought she belonged to them, and Martin Oakson was one of the biggest jerks she had ever met with the exception of Justin Lars. He was probably the all-time biggest jerk.

  Her body shook with anger.

  She was angry about the jerks who thought they could make her do whatever they wanted, and she was angry her mate didn’t want her. The irony wasn’t lost on her.

  Kelly dropped the note onto the kitchen table and went to her bedroom. She was too emotionally drained to deal with anything else tonight. Tomorrow would be arriving soon enough. She would deal with everyone when she showed up for her evening shift. Until then, everything could just wait.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Kelly picked up the empty shot glasses and wiped the bar, making the water rings disappear. It didn’t matter how many napkins or coasters she put down in front of the customers, some just refused to put their drinks on them. She rinsed out the glasses and put them into the plastic glass crate by the sink.

  “Can I get another one?” Moose held up his empty bottle.

  “Just a sec.” Kelly washed and dried her hands. She grabbed another beer out of the cooler, and opened it before she set it in front of him.

  Moose handed her the empty bottle. “I hear congratulations are in order.”

  Kelly plastered a smile on her face. “Thanks.”

  “Be careful. You’ve upset a lot of she-wolves who wanted to be the female alpha.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.” She threw away the empty bottle and went to the register to add the beer to Moose’s tab. When she turned back around, Moose was already talking to the man sitting next to him.

  She glanced around the bar. Everyone was either talking to someone or staring at their phones. With a little luck, she would have a few minutes before she had to get someone another drink.

  Kelly sighed.

  Maybe for a few minutes she wouldn’t have to force a smile as she accepted the congratulations for a mating she would never have because the alpha was a jerk.

  Her thoughts drifted back to Draven. She sensed he wanted
her as much as she wanted him, but for some reason he didn’t want to claim her. Why was he afraid of putting a monster inside her? She almost rolled her eyes. Surely he had seen the beasts in her family? Heck, Cooper’s wolf was a real monster, and it was slowly eating away his control. She noticed the beast staring out of his eyes more than she remembered it used to when he was in high school. She worried about her brother. He needed to find his mate before it was too late.

  Was Draven worried she would be upset? Or was he actually worried about her well-being?

  And then there was the Lori person.

  Who was she? What hold did she have over him. How deep were his feelings for this person?

  So many questions and not enough answers.

  She and Draven needed to sit down and talk, but the longer he stayed away and ignored her text, the angrier she grew.

  The door opened and several people walked in and sat down at the tables. Not even a minute later, the door opened again and more people entered.

  The evening crowd was starting to grow. The good thing about being busy was she wouldn’t have time to do a lot of thinking, but continuing to accept the congratulations was not going to be fun, especially with how things were left between her and Draven.

  ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

  Kelly was ready to pull her hair out. For the last two hours she had served drinks, and answered questions as best she could about her and Draven.

  She was exhausted both mentally and physically.

  She glanced at her phone. Six hours and he still hadn’t answered her text, but who was counting? She thought about sending him another one, but she didn’t want to appear anything like the pushy she-wolves.

  Yet the achy emptiness was getting stronger with each passing minutes.

  She needed to hear his voice.

  No, that wasn’t right.

  She was desperate to hear his voice.

  Kelly put away her phone. No way was she sending him another text. He needed to reach out to her. This relationship was not going to be one-sided. She wanted a man who cared about her and loved her as much as she cared and loved him.