When Breanne saw her mate cuddling the tiny boy, her face turned soft.
Donal eyed her with professional interest. Lifemating upped the odds of a pregnancy, and Breanne would make a fine mother.
Now unencumbered, Margery pushed her hair out of her face and gave Bree an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, Bree. I didn’t intend to fall asleep.”
“You needed the rest.” Bree pushed the platter of cookies toward her. “Here, sugar-up before Tynan takes you on your run.”
Margery’s hand stopped halfway to the plate. “Tynan?”
“Yes, he’s your mentor.” Shay reached over Bree’s shoulder to snag himself a couple of cookies.
“No,” Margery snapped. “Absolutely not.”
Donal frowned. Why in the Hunter’s forest would the female not want his littermate? There could be no better wolf, no better mentor for her. For anyone.
Curious, he leaned forward. “What do you have against Tynan?”
Margery ignored the healer. Why should she speak to someone who openly disliked her? Even if he was God-called. Even if he made her hormones pick up each time she saw him.
He could still go take a long leap into an icy pond.
Instead, she told Shay, “Pick a different mentor. Please.”
“’Fraid not. Tynan is well experienced.” The alpha’s gaze held more amusement than sympathy. “Try not to kill him. The Cosantir frowns on that sort of behavior.”
Her anger and fear rose until her hands were starting to shake…and the alpha was making jokes?
When she turned to Tynan, she couldn’t see anything except his uniform shirt. His badge.
She tried to talk reason to the cold terror flooding her veins. The male had been nice. Polite. He’d rescued her from Roger. He wasn’t a Scythe.
Maybe he’d protest and tell the alpha that it was impossible to teach a cripple? That’s what her mentor in Rainier had done.
One more try. She forced a smile. “Tynan, I’m sure I’ll be fine with a less experienced mentor. I know you’re busy and—”
“Not that busy.” He brushed his fingertips over Artair’s round cheek. How could such big hands be so gentle? His clear blue gaze turned to her. “Training is something I enjoy, whether it’s inexperienced police officers or newly shifted cubs. And I haven’t had the joy of teaching cubs in a long time.”
“I’m not a cub,” she huffed.
“No, you’re not,” he murmured. The masculine appreciation in his eyes made her blink.
After handing Artair to Vicki, he turned back to Margery. “Let’s be off, lass. I’ll show you the portal here at the lodge. Donal, if you’d take our clothing to the Wild Hunt when you leave, I’ll show her that portal on our return. Take her bike, too.”
Donal hissed under his breath. “Sssst, do I look like a dwarf to be hauling your loads around?”
“Aye, now, and you have the right of it.” Tynan tilted his head. “I never noticed the resemblance before. Perhaps it’s a beard you should grow.”
The healer scowled…yet his lips quirked up. “Go on then. I’ll be here eating cookies while you’re out getting your fur soaked.”
“Then, my dear brother, don’t be whining to me when your arse grows fat.” As everyone burst into laughter, Tynan motioned for Margery to rise.
Damn, there was no way out. An alpha’s orders had to be obeyed.
As she rose to her feet, anger rose inside her as well. Toward the obstinate alpha.
Toward herself because her ankle was so tired she couldn’t conceal the hitch in her gait.
Toward stubborn mentors who wore a uniform—and made jokes that forced her to remember he wasn’t a Scythe guard.
Tynan led the way to the back of the lodge, turned left down a short hallway, past a laundry room, and finally to a small room at the end. “This is where you’ll strip, trawsfur, and take to the forest during pack runs.”
“Oh, joy. Pack runs,” she said under her breath. In the far corner, she started to remove her clothing.
He chuckled. “Yes, little wolf, pack runs.”
Oh Gods, how had she forgotten the keenness of shifter hearing? Holding her shirt and bra in one hand, she couldn’t seem to move. “I-I’m sorry.”
“Lass, you’re allowed to have feelings.” Tynan waited until she sat to pull off her socks before continuing, “Wolves usually look forward to the pack runs. The sense of being part of something is fulfilling. It’s rough when we don’t have our brothers and sisters nearby.”
His voice held a note that spoke of loneliness.
Surprised, she looked up. And kept looking. Dear Goddess…
He’d removed his uniform shirt. One foot on the bench, he was unlacing his boot. His body was made for strength and power, from his corded neck to thick pectoral muscles to a ridged abdomen. His chest held a light brown scattering of hair, and his fair skin was lightly tanned—all over.
She… How could she possibly want to touch someone so much even when he scared her?
When he stripped off his jeans, his shaft lay, long and thick, in front of heavy testicles. And it was impossible not to look.
Ignoring her gaze, he pointed to the wall shelves. “Normally, you’d leave your clothing there, but today, we’ll pile everything on the bench so Donal knows what to take.”
Shifters weren’t body-conscious, she told herself, even as she felt her breasts jiggle as if to draw attention to how big they were. Too big.
Did males like big breasts? He had big hands. What would they— Why was she even thinking like this? Her cheeks blazed with heat. Hurriedly, she finished stripping. Moving to the bench to stack her clothing tidily, she felt his gaze on her bare bottom.
How could a female walk normally when a male—a commanding male like this one—was looking at her?
“Come over here and memorize this.” Standing to one side of the door so she could see, he slowly punched in a lock code and waited for her nod. The door unlocked, and he opened it, waiting for her to walk through.
She stepped outside, the ground cold beneath her bare feet. The rain clouds had moved on, leaving patchy blue sky above. The setting sun slanted redly through the trees.
Turning in a circle, she saw only tall, thick underbrush and conifers. No one would be able to glimpse a shifter changing forms. “This is nice.”
“Aye. Thick brush.” His blue eyes lit with laughter. “Any curious human would have to go on hands and knees to get through.”
A snort of amusement escaped her as she imagined Scythe guards crawling head-to-butt in a long line along the tiny animal track. “What now?”
“We’ll go catch some dinner and stay out long enough to let you get a feel for the landmarks.”
He’d undoubtedly watch to see how badly she did. Well, if he was like her first mentor, the lesson wouldn’t last long.
His gaze held hers as if he could see her doubts. “Shift, please.”
As Margery trawsfurred into her wolf, the Mother’s love swept from her paws straight to her heart in the welcoming every Daonain received when changing to animal form. Skin tingling, she gave her fur a shake.
Oh, she did love being a wolf. She pranced a few steps on her paws, reminding herself she had four legs, before looking around.