She scoffed at his offer. "Love don't pay the rent, baby. Only cold hard cash."
He gaped, his expression one of total offense as he held his hand over his heart as if she'd wounded him. "You really turning mercenary on your favorite older brother?"
"No. I would never do that to Alain."
"Ouch!" Dev shook his hand as if he'd burned it. "Bearswan got 'tude."
Laughing, she stepped out to give him a quick hug. "Don't worry, big bro, your secret's safe with me so long as you don't annoy me too much."
He tightened his arms around her and held her close. "You know I love you, sis."
"I love you too." And she did. In spite of their disagreements and quarrels, her family meant everything to her. Stepping away, she turned to glance one last time at Fang. Most likely she'd never see him again. A common occurrence really for their clientele and yet for some reason this time that thought hurt deep inside her.
I have lost what three brain cells I have. . . . Bear, get your butt back to work and forget about him.
Fang stood up as he saw the pack leaving the bar. Vane was the first to reach him.
"Here." Vane tossed him his backpack, then handed him a bag of something sweet and rich. "The bearswan wanted to make sure you got that for Anya. She said there was something in there for you too."
That shocked him completely. No one ever gave him gifts. "For me?"
Vane shrugged. "I don't understand bear thought processes. Most days I barely understand ours."
Fang had to give him that-he didn't understand it either. He tucked the sack into his backpack as the rest of the wolves took up their bikes and headed out. They were silent the entire way back to the bayou where they'd made camp for their females to deliver their pups in peace and protection.
As soon as they'd returned, their father met them in his wolf form. Markus shifted into a human just to sneer at them.
"What took you women so long to return?"
As Fang opened his mouth to smart off, Vane shot him a warning glare. "I toured the clinic and have the contact information should any of our females require help."
Markus curled his lip. Even though he'd sent them there, he had to be an asshole. "In my day we let the wolfswans incapable of birthing our young die."
Fang snorted. "Then it's a good thing we're in the twenty-first century and not the Dark Ages, isn't it?"
Vane shook his head while their father growled at him as if about to attack.
This time Fang refused to back down. "Try it, old man," he said, using a term he knew infuriated his father since Katagaria despised their human natures. "And I'll rip out your throat and usher in a new age of leadership to this pack."
He could see the desire in Markus's eyes to press the issue, but his sire wolf knew what he did. In a fight, Fang would win.
His father wasn't the same wolf who'd killed his own brother to be Regis of their pack. He was weak with age and knew that he didn't have many more years left before either Fang or Vane took over.
One way or another.
Fang preferred it to be over the old man's dead body. But other arrangements would work for him too.
It was another reason their sire hated them. He knew his prime was past and they were only coming into their own.
Markus narrowed his gaze threateningly. "One day, whelp, you're going to cross me and your brother won't be here to stop me from killing you. When that day comes, you better pray for salvation."
Fang's look turned evil. "I don't need salvation. There's not a wolf here I couldn't wipe my ass on. You know it. I know it and most important, they all know it."
Vane arched a brow at his comment as if taunting him to prove those words.
Fang gave him a lopsided grin. "You don't count, brother. I think more of you than to even try."
Markus raked them with a repugnant twist to his lips. "You both sicken me."