on his back, feeling a soft ache in his shoulder. "Why are you here? You're supposed to be in Los Angeles this week." Drew had recently been promoted - to a role that necessitated him roving around all the different cities under SnowDancer control and reporting back directly to the SnowDancer alpha, Hawke.
It was a needed responsibility.
Because as SnowDancer had learned in the snow-white chill of the previous winter, not every wolf was good. Not every wolf protected. The lesson had struck the pack deep in the heart, and they were still bleeding from it. But that pain hadn't stopped them from fixing it so it couldn't happen again.
Hence, Andrew's new position as Hawke's eyes and ears among those who might otherwise be overlooked. He led a small team of men and women who were known to be absolutely loyal to SnowDancer, people who would cut out their hearts rather than harm the innocent. They were all also quick to smile, easily made friends.
Drew, in particular, could get anyone to talk to him about anything. Which was why Riley had learned to be very wary of his younger brother's apparently guileless questions.
"I swapped with Kieran," Drew now said. "He wanted to avoid somebody in the den."
Riley knew precisely who the other soldier wanted to avoid. "He broke up with his latest girlfriend." The fact that Kieran was technically human, having been adopted into SnowDancer as a child, didn't seem to stop him from acting the part of a wolf on the prowl. "Woman's out for blood, from what I hear."
"I figured." The glint returned to his eye. "So, who was she?"
"I thought you knew?"
Drew scowled. "I know you got laid. It's only a matter of time before I sniff out the truth."
"Knock yourself out." He began to get up, then realized why his shoulder ached. Mercy had scratched him hard. It might've given a human male pause. It made Riley's wolf smile. Wearing her claw marks was a badge of honor - because it meant he'd driven her to such pleasure that she'd forgotten herself. If she'd been his lover in truth, he'd be showing them off.
But he didn't know what she was to him. Except the woman who made him hotter and angrier faster than any other. So he remained on his back, brutally aware that once would never be enough. Not even close. His gut tightened. "Go away, Drew. I'll get up in a little while."
"Hmm, he wants me to leave. Why?" Drew sipped his coffee. "Could it be because the little she-cat marked our esteemed lieutenant?"
Riley barely kept himself from reacting to the "she-cat" comment. He had no intention of hiding his entanglement with Mercy - she might be frustrating as hell, a royal pain in his ass, but she was also an incredibly strong, sexy woman, someone any male would be proud to call his lover. But he needed time to figure out how he was going to deal with it. The instant that thought formed, he heard Mercy's voice in his head, a fragment of memory from their many scuffles.
"Jesus, Riley, do you ever just react?"
"When necessary."
"When necessary." She mimicked his voice perfectly. "I'd call you Psy but I think that would be an insult to the Psy."
"I feel."
"But your feelings go through about ten different filters before you let them out." She flipped her hair, tied in a high tail, over a shoulder. "Doesn't bother me - except when you drive me insane with these plans." The word "plan" was about seven syllables long. "We'll deal with some situations as they arise. We don't need a color-coded flowchart."
He hadn't had a flowchart, of course. Mercy simply liked to jerk his chain as far as possible. "I think you need to go see Brenna," he said to Andrew when his brother remained seated. "Word is, she and Judd had a fight." Riley liked Judd, but the man was mated to his baby sister - Riley reserved the right to hassle him periodically. And use him as fodder to distract Drew. "She won't talk to me - go make sure he didn't push her around."
Drew left so fast, he created a breeze in his wake. Riley wondered if Judd would punch Drew for his unwanted - and entirely unnecessary - interference. "Serves him right," he muttered, rising and stealing the coffee his brother had left behind. Judd would cut off his arm before hurting Brenna. That was why he was still alive. Because while Riley wasn't