Shifted Love Volume 1 - Fiona Davenport Page 0,42

combined fluids filled my nostrils, and my canines pushed against my gums. “Are you ready for my mark?”

“Yes,” she agreed, turning her cheek into the pillow and baring her neck for me.

I licked over the spot I was going to bite, circling my tongue over her soft skin. Fur brushed against my skin, my wolf close to the surface. “Mine,” I growled before sinking my teeth into her flesh. A surge of power roared through my system, leaving a sense of complete peace in its wake. With my mate’s shoulder baring my mark, my soul was finally complete. Dropping down on the mattress next to Larissa, I pulled her close and crashed my mouth over hers. Her hands gripped the back of my head, and my dick went hard again.

A message from my beta crashed into my head, and I ripped my mouth from hers and groaned “Fuck, baby. The last thing I want to do is leave this bed, but Zeke just let me know there’s trouble.”

She rubbed her cheek against my chest as she tilted her head to look into my eyes. “Huh?”

“Telepathy, remember?” I tapped my temple.

She grinned up at me. “I might’ve jumped right into being your fated mate, but the telepathic message thing is going to take some getting used to.”

That was understandable since it had taken me a bit to get used to hearing my pack members’ voices inside my head when I became alpha.

8

Kace

Zeke and Allegra were waiting for us on the front porch of the pack house. Larissa rushed over to her friend and threw her arms around her while I held my hand out to my beta. “How bad is it?”

“It could be worse.” Zeke shrugged his shoulders as he shook my hand. “But it could also be better since this grumbling shouldn’t have started in the first place.”

“How many of them listened to Heather’s bullshit?” I asked as Larissa sidled up next to me.

She tilted her head back to look up at me. “Can’t you just use telepathy to find out?”

“Telepathy?” Allegra gasped, her eyes going wide with shock before she turned to glare at Zeke. “I think you skipped a part of my shifter education. Have you been able to read my mind this whole time?”

“Whole time?” Larissa giggled, leaning into my side. “You’ve only known him for like twenty-four hours.”

“Like you can talk,” Allegra snorted, jerking her thumb in my direction. “You’ve known him for way less than that.”

Larissa nodded. “Yeah, that’s fair.”

Acutely aware of the fact that my pack was waiting inside for us, I interjected, “To answer the original question before you two completely lose track of this conversation...I never use my telepathic skill against pack members unless someone’s life hangs in the balance. It would be a violation of their privacy, and I wouldn’t do that to people who trust me.”

“You’re such a good man.” Larissa went up on her toes to press a kiss to my cheek.

Zeke nodded. “That’s a big part of why he’s the alpha.”

“I’m not too good to crack some heads together when needed, something certain pack members apparently need a reminder of,” I growled, and my wolf raked his claws at the thought of anyone talking shit about our mate—let alone someone who should’ve had her back since she was mine. “Thanks for getting everyone here for the meeting. I won’t let this shit fester and destroy us from the inside out.”

“Whatever you need, I’ve got your back,” Zeke promised.

“No, we’ve got your back,” Allegra corrected with a grin. “My ride or die status with Larissa goes for you too now.”

“Although it goes without saying, I have your back, too,” Larissa added, lacing her fingers through mine. “So let’s get in there and face whatever’s waiting for us like the team that we are.”

From the day I’d taken over the role as alpha—hell, even before then—I’d been confident in my ability to lead. But I’d never felt more invincible than I did while walking into the pack house with my mate at my side. Heads turned our way as we strode through the room. I led her to the big, stone fireplace and turned to face my pack. Holding our hands in the air, I announced, “This is Larissa, my fated mate. Every one of you should already be well aware of this, but I expect you to treat her with the same respect you would me.”

There were a lot of confused expressions and nods, with the exception of six