Savage Urges (The Phoenix Pack #5) - Suzanne Wright Page 0,8

Zac. It’s good to meet you both. I’m Taryn, Alpha female of the Phoenix Pack.” It wasn’t said with superiority, just as a statement of fact.

Makenna had heard plenty about Taryn. Mostly that she was plain insane. Makenna could respect that.

“This is my mate, Trey. And these are our Betas, Jaime and Dante.”

The strongly built Alpha male inclined his head at Zac before narrowing his arctic-blue eyes suspiciously at Makenna. Jaime, a tall brunette with mischievous eyes, gave Zac a little wave and offered Makenna a guarded smile. Her mate nodded at the kid before studying Makenna intently. Ryan . . . well, he was staring at her again with a crease between his brows.

He looked so indomitable and remote. Again, it should have been off-putting. But his supreme masculinity caused a carnal hunger to slowly begin trickling through her. That hunger intensified as his masculine scent swirled around her like a blanket; it seemed to somehow stand out from the others.

Ryan turned his attention to Zac. His frown didn’t ease. “I’m Ryan.”

Shifting closer to Makenna so their thighs touched, Zac regarded him as warily as he did the others. “You don’t look like my dad.”

“You do.” Something in Ryan’s chest tightened as he watched the teenager’s gaze dance around them, as if assuring himself of all possible escape routes. “We won’t force you to come with us,” he promised the teen. Although, up until that point, he had thought about it. He wanted Zac somewhere safe.

As Ryan slid his gaze to Makenna, he noticed the “just fucking try it” glint in her eyes. Yeah, she knew his instinct was to whisk the kid away. And she was prepared to fight for Zac. His wolf loved that fierceness; he wanted to bite her.

She looked just as quirky yet stylish today in colorful bangles, a cropped denim jacket, bold neon-orange top, and low-rise jeans—flashing a diamond navel piercing that had a thin silver chain looped through it. His cock, which had been rock hard since her scent had wrapped around him, throbbed almost painfully. Maybe his wolf’s idea to bite her wasn’t so bad.

“We just want to talk to you, get to know you,” Taryn assured Zac. “Is that okay?”

Zac shrugged one shoulder. “I guess.”

All five Phoenix wolves settled on the ground, and Makenna suspected they were hoping to seem less intimidating to him.

Jaime gave Zac a friendly smile. “How old are you?”

He slanted a look at Makenna before replying, “Fourteen.”

Jaime’s brows arched. “Really? You look older than that.”

“Why did you leave your pack?” Trey asked Zac.

He stiffened and his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. “I’m not going back there.”

Makenna placed a reassuring hand on Zac’s arm as they locked gazes. “Hey, no one will make you. I’ll kill anyone who tries.”

Ryan believed that. She was the image of serenity when she turned back to him and his pack mates, but that wild glint still lurked in her eyes. Her comment and fierce tone might have scared another juvenile, but Zac seemed reassured. He obviously felt safe with Makenna. “I have no intention of taking you anywhere against your will,” Ryan assured him. “And I would never force you to go back there.”

Zac didn’t appear totally convinced, but he nodded once. Ryan took a moment to study him, taking in his appearance. The kid didn’t look like a loner. His clothes were decent, he was clean, and he didn’t appear undernourished. The people at the shelter had obviously been taking good care of him. “I brought you something.”

Zac’s eyes widened at the object that Ryan pulled out of his pocket. “A cell phone?”

“The number of every Phoenix wolf is stored in there. If you need anything, if something happens and you need help, you call one of us.”

“But . . . you don’t know me.”

“We’re going to fix that.”

Slowly, Zac reached out and took the phone. “Um, thanks.”

“I have to say,” said Jaime, “I didn’t know there was a shelter for loners. Where is it?”

“Not far from here,” Makenna replied. “The end of Maverick Avenue, near the old church.”

Trey’s brows lifted. “That’s a rough area.”

Dante tilted his head as he looked at Makenna. “Where are you from?” He’d spoken casually, but his eyes were sharp. Assessing. Searching.

She was dealing with an interrogator, Makenna knew. “I’ve lived in a lot of places.”

“What do you do for a living?”

“If you mean am I a hired killer, no.”

A growl threatened to rumble up Ryan’s chest. He didn’t like Dante’s tone