The Wolf's Surrender - By Kendra Leigh Castle Page 0,31

already shown himself to be surly, difficult, and rude, a part of her was glad he seemed determined to keep up his role of protector.

She felt safe with him. And right now, with everything in her life shifting beneath her feet, that counted for a lot.

Kenyon opened his mouth to say something, but Bane cut him off neatly before he began. “She’ll be protected,” Bane said, eyes fixed on Kenyon. “The details will be worked out today. But this is our pack, our people’s territory. Careful how much you question a Lunari, Kenyon. He’s hunted far more frightening things than you.”

Kenyon didn’t look happy about it, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he stepped forward to take Mia’s hand and, to her surprise, give a small bow. “It was nice meeting you, Mia. Anything you need, I’m at your service. I won’t be far.”

She smiled at him, charmed, despite what sounded a lot like a low growl from Jenner’s direction. Kenyon seemed genuinely sweet, Mia decided as she watched dimples wink in his cheeks, and there was no question he was handsome. Unfortunately, he was nowhere near as interesting to her as the werewolf who glared daggers at him all the way out the door.

An awkward silence descended over the room as the door shut behind Kenyon.

“Asshole,” muttered Jenner. Mia widened her eyes at him.

“What is wrong with you?” she said. “He seemed nice enough.”

When neither Jenner nor Bane bothered to answer her, she decided it was time to remove herself from the raging testosterone still filling the room, lingering in the air like invisible fog...or a foul odor.

“Okay,” she said. “I’m going to go sit on the porch and get some air. If I scream, I’d appreciate it if one of you came out to check on me. Thanks.”

Shaking her head over the idiocy of men, which supernatural powers apparently did nothing to cure, Mia headed out the door.

Chapter 7

“You and I need to talk,” Bane said as soon as the door closed behind Mia.

“So talk,” Jenner said. He was already regretting his assertion that Mia was staying with him. Hadn’t he worked this all out in his head when he’d been in the garage? Except that had been before that cocky little Silverback walked in and started making eyes at her. When that had happened, the rational, planning ahead part of Jenner’s brain seemed to have shut down completely.

And now here he was, about to suffer a dressing down from one very pissed off Alpha. Jenner knew the look on Bane’s face, all too well. He ought to feel good about the warning he knew was coming, should be glad that there was now no chance at all of Mia becoming his.

Of course, that would be a lot easier if he wasn’t still envisioning punching the smile off of Kenyon Chase’s face.

“I think Mia asked the right question, actually. Except she was too nice about the way she phrased it, so I’ll give it a try. What crawled up your ass and died, Jenner?” Bane began to pace the room restlessly, more comfortable in motion than he was still.

Jenner, just the opposite, settled back into a chair and watched Bane make the circuit around the couch, in front of the windows, around the other chair, and back again.

“Nothing’s wrong, except that next time I’d like a little warning before you bring the crown prince of the Silverback into my house.”

Bane shot a glare at him. “Crown prince my ass.”

“Please,” Jenner grunted. “Young, pretty and cocky. He’s got hereditary werewolf written all over him, and you know as well as I do that with the Silverback, that equals power.”

Bane stopped and shoved a hand through his unruly hair, looking as though he was praying to the ceiling for guidance. “Not everyone works the way we do, Jenner. Kenyon is going to be the Alpha one day. He seems like a reasonable, thoughtful man.”

“I bet he spends an hour in the bathroom every morning doing his hair.”

Bane’s lips quirked. “Maybe. But I would rather not start a war with him, and potentially his whole pack, just because you decide you don’t want him touching your stuff. Which, by the way, Mia D’Alessandro is not.”

“Didn’t say she was,” Jenner muttered as Bane resumed pacing.

“You didn’t have to say it,” Bane replied. “I think the growling did that for you.”

Uncomfortable as he recalled that particular (and satisfying) moment of weakness, Jenner lifted a hand to rub at the tense cords of muscle that