When He's An Alpha (The Olympus Pride #2) - Suzanne Wright Page 0,28

a play-fight. The bearcat sat up, cute as a button, and scratched at her ear. The snake raised her head and flicked out her tongue.

“We’re supposed to be watching a movie, so could you please go shift and put on some clothes?” Havana asked them.

The animals cast Tate and Luke a brief look before each heading to a pile of clothes. But then the bearcat’s long, ringed tail lashed out and whipped the mamba. The snake hissed and coiled to strike.

“No, I’m done with this,” Havana declared. “Go. Shift. Now.”

Tate’s body tightened at the dominant, no-nonsense way she took control. He’d seen her do it with her friends more than once. Watching her own her strength and step into her unofficial Alpha role was always a turn-on.

The animals both shot her a put-out “you’re no fun” look. It was as the bearcat turned that Tate noticed two puncture wounds on her back.

“Looks like the snake bit her,” he warned.

Havana waved that away. “She’ll be fine. Bearcat shifters have a peptide that can neutralize any snake venom.”

He blinked. “Really?”

“Yep. And don’t think Bailey’s mamba doesn’t take full advantage of that and bite the bearcat whenever she feels like it.” Havana walked into the kitchen.

Signaling for his brother to remain in the living area, Tate trailed after her. He found her standing at the counter, where bags of various snacks had been laid out. “Farrell told me that Sinclair wasn’t at his apartment.”

Her nose wrinkled. “He was long gone by the time Aspen, Camden, and your Head Enforcer arrived. Apparently, it was too much to hope that there’d be something at Sinclair’s place that would give us any clues as to where he might have gone or who hired him.”

“Farrell couldn’t find any photos there, so we don’t have a clue what Sinclair looks like.” Tate propped his hip against the counter. “My allies and contacts have been debriefed about everything. Only a few had heard a rumor about the auctions, but they weren’t convinced it was true until now. Unfortunately, none had info on Sinclair. There’s no record of him anywhere, so he either destroyed his paper trail or he isn’t using his real name. Many loners don’t.” He tilted his head. “Do you?”

She smiled. “Don’t start asking personal questions unless you want some tossed your way.”

He edged closer and persisted, “Is Havana Ramos your real name?”

“Is it true that you have no interest in ever mating?”

He frowned. “Where did you hear that?”

“You have a lot of gossipers in your pride. Some believe that little nugget of speculation is true; some don’t.”

Tate stared at her for a long moment, saying nothing. He really didn’t want to get into all that shit about Ashlynn’s betrayal and his mother’s death, so he did what he often did when someone asked him a question that he wasn’t comfortable answering. He didn’t lie, he just changed the subject. “Luke spoke to Dawn on the phone about the names of the loners Rupert gave you.”

Havana shot him a little smile but didn’t call him on his failure to answer her. “Yes, she did.”

“Luke also said Dawn claims one of the loners once stayed at her shelter.”

Havana sighed, her face falling. “Yeah. Keziah Crompton. She’s only fifteen. Dawn last saw her two weeks ago. She thought the girl just decided to leave—not all residents choose to stay long. I just hope she’s alive and we can somehow find her.”

Havana was surprised her hands didn’t shake as she tore open a bag of chips and poured them into a bowl. Having Tate so close—inhaling his scent with her every breath, feeling his body heat radiate against her, listening to that sensual voice that could talk a girl to orgasm—was hard on her senses. It was tougher still when she could feel his eyes boring into her, watching her too closely.

She cast him a sharp look. “Enough with the staring.”

“Stop being so beautiful, and I’ll stop staring. Maybe. Probably not. I like looking at you. And since I just got a tiny peek of your neon pink bra strap, I’m wondering if you’re wearing the matching panties. I recall peeling them off you on more than one occasion.”

She was not touching that comment. “Anyway, I spread the word throughout the building that it’s possible loners are being targeted. Corbin did the same at the rec center. Dawn is making the residents of the shelter aware of the situation.”

“My pride mates will inform the loners who work for our pride